In every culture, there are unwritten rules
for speaking. One of the main differences
across cultures is the conversation topics:
SMALL TALK
In Canada, informal conversation (often referred as “small talk”)
covers light topics such as the weather, sports, or vacation
plans.
In other cultures, informal conversation between individuals
usually include private personal issues, politics, or financial information.
Every culture uses body language to
communicate, and these gestures and their
meanings vary from country to country, from
group to group. Here are some examples:
EYE CONTACT
In Canada, a person is expected to make direct eye contact with
other person. If someone does not make eye contact, people
may think the individual has low confidence, is disrespectful or
cannot be trusted.
In other cultures, Individuals do not make direct eye contact and
look at the floor when presenting to an audience or having a conversation as a sign of respect towards the other people.
PERSONAL SPACE
Personal space varies from culture to culture. In Canada, if you
extend an arm straight out in front of you, that is the amount of
physical space that most Canadian people are comfortable.
In other cultures, individuals are more comfortable with more
space between people, or less space between people.
For more information, please contact:
Bradley West
Diversity Initiatives Coordinator
204.632.2016 or bcwest@rrc.ca
www.rrc.ca/interculturaltraining
Reference:
Emerit Tourism Training (2005). Canadian Workplace Essential Workbook. Workplace Integration of Newcomers. The
Newcomer’s Guide to the Canadian Workplace.
Every culture favours different communication styles.
This publication provides strategies on how to be
cross-culturally aware when communicating with
classmates, collages and friends across cultures.
There are two main communication styles
that are very predominant across cultures:
Direct style: Individuals exchange simple
messages and rely on explicit communication
of meanings; other’s ideas are open for
challenge and disagreement is stated directly.
Indirect style: Individuals exchange circular
and implicit messages by suggesting meanings
and rely on context and non-verbal cues;
disagreement of ideas is more subtle.
In Canada, people tend to use a more direct
communication style.
Different communication styles may cause
misunderstandings between people:
 Individuals that tend to a more direct
communication style, they may perceive
people with an indirect style as evasive,
when what they are usually trying to be is
polite and considerate.
 Individuals that tend to a more indirect
communication style, they may perceive
people with a direct style as inconsiderate
or rude, when that they are usually trying
to be is clear.
Feedback is communicated and judged
culturally, this means that it varies from
culture to culture. Individuals from some
cultures provide quiet feedback (that may not
be understood by people from other cultures)
and other individuals provide loud feedback
(that may be perceived as rude by people
from other cultures).
Feedback can be constructed with different
formulas. Some cultures create direct
feedback messages where they just
communicate the main critique (for example,
“you need to complete your assignments on
time”). Canada uses the feedback sandwich
technique by structuring the message like
this:
1. Tell something you thought
the person did well
2. Tell what the person should
improve
3. Tell something else you
thought the person did well
This feedback formula can be unclear
compared to feedback in other cultures.
Newcomers sometimes find it difficult to
identify the main critique in the message.