The surprising paradox of intercultural communication | Helena Merschdorf | TEDxNelson

Summary

This script explores the complexities of intercultural communication, illustrating how a simple gesture or phrase can have vastly different meanings across cultures. It shares personal anecdotes and examples, such as a thumbs up being positive in the West but rude in Middle Eastern cultures, and the misinterpretation of 'Good for you' in Germany. The speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding cultural nuances to prevent miscommunication and foster effective global collaboration.

Takeaways

• 📌 The thumbs up gesture has different meanings across cultures, from positive affirmation in the West to rudeness in some African and Middle Eastern cultures.
• 🌐 In Germany, Hungary, and other European countries, the thumbs up represents the number one, while in Japan it signifies the number five.
• 🏟️ In ancient Rome, the thumbs up gesture was used to decide a gladiator's fate in the arena.
• 🌍 The importance of being aware of cultural differences in communication to avoid serious miscommunication as global citizens.
• 🗣️ Language can be a source of connection or confusion due to the power of words and their connotations that vary by culture.
• 😔 A personal anecdote illustrates how the phrase 'Good for you' was misunderstood in Germany, leading to a cultural faux pas.
• 🤔 The paradox of intercultural communication is that even when speaking the same language, cultural backgrounds can cause miscommunication.
• 🧐 The need for a shared set of concepts to effectively encode and decode meaning in communication, which is often shaped by cultural and personal experiences.
• 💡 The suggestion that to improve intercultural communication, one must adapt language and nonverbal cues to suit the needs and cultural background of the conversation partner.
• 👥 The impact of personal and societal worldviews on how individuals interpret verbal and nonverbal signals in communication.
• 🛠️ The metaphor of a 'communication toolbox' highlighting the importance of adjusting verbal and nonverbal communication tools to prevent misunderstandings.
• 🌟 The call to action for individuals to recognize and adapt their communication styles to foster better relationships and collaboration across cultures.

Q & A

What does the thumbs up gesture generally mean in Western society?

In Western society, the thumbs up gesture typically signifies something positive, such as 'I like it', 'great', or 'keep going'.

What connotation does the thumbs up gesture have in West Africa and the Middle East?

In West Africa and the Middle East, the thumbs up gesture has extremely rude connotations, similar to the use of the middle finger in Western cultures, essentially meaning 'up yours'.

In which countries does the thumbs up gesture represent the number one?

In countries like Germany, Hungary, and several other European nations, the thumbs up gesture is used to represent the number one.

What does the thumbs up gesture signify in Japan?

In Japan, the thumbs up gesture represents the number five.

What was the original use of the thumbs up gesture in ancient Rome?

In ancient Rome, the gesture was used to decide whether a gladiator in the arena should live or die.

Why did the speaker's remark 'Good for you!' cause a misunderstanding with her German colleague?

The phrase 'Good for you!' was misunderstood because in German, 'Schön für dich' can come across as snarky and sarcastic, implying jealousy or begrudging of someone's success.

What is the 'surprising paradox of intercultural communication' mentioned in the script?

The paradox is that even when people speak the same language, their different cultural backgrounds can lead to severe miscommunication.

What is the role of shared worldview in effective communication according to the script?

A shared worldview is crucial for effective communication as it provides a common set of pre-existing concepts that help in encoding and decoding meaning.

How did the script illustrate the concept of invisible misunderstandings in communication?

The script used the example of an American company and a Chinese delegation where cultural misunderstandings led to a failed business deal due to differences in attitudes towards hierarchy and respect.

What are the two main communication tools mentioned in the script, and why are they important?

The two main communication tools are verbal and nonverbal communication. They are important because they are the ways in which we can encode and decode, send and receive messages, and they can be adapted to suit the needs of our conversation partners.

What advice does the speaker give for adapting language to avoid misunderstandings in intercultural communication?

The speaker advises using simpler language, avoiding jargon and confusing idioms, paraphrasing, repeating, telling stories, and asking clarifying questions to adapt language to the context and needs of the conversation partner.

How can recognizing and adapting to cultural norms and biases improve intercultural communication?

Recognizing and adapting to cultural norms and biases can improve intercultural communication by preventing misunderstandings, avoiding offense, and fostering a shared basis of understanding that leads to more productive collaboration and better relationships.

Outlines

00:00

👍 The Ambiguity of Gestures Across Cultures

The speaker begins by questioning the meaning of the thumbs up gesture, highlighting its varying interpretations across different cultures. In Western societies, it generally signifies approval or encouragement, while in West Africa and the Middle East, it is considered offensive, similar to the middle finger in Western culture. In some European countries, it represents the number one, and in Japan, it signifies the number five. The gesture's origin in ancient Rome was used to decide a gladiator's fate. The story emphasizes the importance of understanding cultural context to avoid miscommunication, as words and gestures can have vastly different meanings in different languages and cultures.

05:06

🌐 The Challenges of Intercultural Communication

The speaker delves into the complexities of intercultural communication, using the thumbs up gesture as an analogy for the broader issue of meaning loss in translation due to cultural differences. They share a personal anecdote about a misunderstanding in Germany, where a well-intended phrase was interpreted negatively due to cultural connotations. The speaker explains that communication involves encoding and decoding messages, which can be distorted by differing worldviews shaped by cultural and personal experiences. They illustrate this with an example of a business negotiation gone awry due to cultural misunderstandings, emphasizing the need for awareness and adaptation in communication to prevent such invisible misunderstandings.

10:09

🤝 Strategies for Effective Intercultural Communication

The speaker concludes by discussing strategies to improve intercultural communication. They suggest adapting both verbal and nonverbal communication to suit the needs of the conversation partner, considering factors such as language, jargon, idioms, body language, personal space, and attitudes towards power and hierarchy. The speaker encourages an open-minded and curious approach to understanding cultural differences, advocating for the use of simpler language, storytelling, and asking clarifying questions. They stress the importance of recognizing and overcoming one's own cultural biases to foster better communication, collaboration, and relationships, ultimately promoting a more inclusive and effective global citizenship.

Keywords

💡Gesture

A gesture is a movement of part of the body, especially a hand or the head, to express a particular feeling or intention. In the video, the thumbs up gesture is highlighted to illustrate how its meaning varies across cultures, from being positive in the West to being rude in some Middle Eastern countries, and representing numbers in others.

💡Cultural Differences

Cultural differences refer to the variations in customs, behaviors, and social norms among different societies. The video emphasizes the importance of understanding cultural differences to avoid miscommunication, as seen in the various interpretations of the thumbs up gesture and the story of the American and Chinese business meeting.

💡Intercultural Communication

Intercultural communication is the exchange of information between people from different cultural backgrounds. The video discusses the challenges and the need for awareness in intercultural communication, especially when language and nonverbal cues can have different connotations in different cultures.

💡Miscommunication

Miscommunication occurs when the intended message is not understood as it was meant to be. The video provides examples of miscommunication, such as the misunderstanding of the phrase 'Good for you' in Germany and the seating arrangement during the American-Chinese business dinner.

💡Worldview

A worldview is a person's overall perspective and way of interpreting the world. The video explains how different worldviews shaped by cultural and personal experiences can lead to different interpretations of the same gesture or phrase, affecting communication.

💡Language

Language is the system of communication using words or signs. The video discusses the power of language in connecting people but also its potential to cause confusion due to cultural differences in meaning, as illustrated by the phrase 'Good for you' in a German context.

💡Nonverbal Communication

Nonverbal communication includes body language, facial expressions, and other visual cues that convey messages. The video highlights the importance of being aware of nonverbal cues, which can differ significantly in meaning across cultures, contributing to potential misunderstandings.

💡Shared Understanding

Shared understanding is a mutual agreement or comprehension between parties. The video stresses the need for a shared basis of understanding in communication to avoid invisible misunderstandings and to ensure effective and meaningful dialogue.

💡Cultural Norms

Cultural norms are the unwritten rules of behavior within a society. The video uses the example of hierarchy and seating arrangements to show how different cultural norms can lead to offense or discomfort if not properly understood and respected.

💡Adaptation

Adaptation in communication refers to the process of adjusting one's language or behavior to suit the cultural context of the conversation partner. The video encourages adapting language and nonverbal communication to prevent misunderstandings and foster positive intercultural interactions.

💡Global Citizens

Global citizens are individuals who identify with being a member of the worldwide community and act accordingly. The video concludes with the idea that by understanding and adapting to different cultural perspectives, we can become better global citizens, promoting diversity and reducing discrimination.

Highlights

The thumbs up gesture can have different meanings across cultures, from positive in the West to rude in West Africa and the Middle East.

In Germany, Hungary, and other European countries, the thumbs up represents the number one, while in Japan, it represents the number five.

The origin of the thumbs up gesture in ancient Rome was used to decide a gladiator's fate: live or die.

Language and gestures are highly context-dependent, emphasizing the importance of cultural awareness in global communication.

The story of the speaker's misunderstanding in Germany highlights the risk of miscommunication due to cultural differences in language.

Meaning can be lost in translation due to the cultural context in which words and phrases are embedded.

Intercultural communication requires a shared set of pre-existing concepts to avoid misinterpretation.

Worldviews, shaped by cultural and personal experiences, influence how individuals encode and decode messages.

The example of an American company and Chinese delegation illustrates the impact of cultural misunderstanding on business relationships.

Adapting verbal and nonverbal communication to suit the needs of the conversation partner is key to effective intercultural communication.

Language can be used to confuse or connect, and it's essential to adapt language to the context and the listener's understanding.

Nonverbal communication, including body language and gestures, can significantly affect how a message is perceived across cultures.

Cultural attitudes towards power and hierarchy can lead to misunderstandings if not properly considered in communication.

Adapting language to avoid jargon and idioms, and using stories can enhance understanding in intercultural communication.

Recognizing and overcoming one's own cultural biases is crucial for effective and respectful communication.

Effective communication leads to better collaboration and relationships, both on a personal and international level.

Learning to see the world through each other's eyes promotes inclusivity, reduces discrimination, and fosters global citizenship.

Transcripts

Transcriber: Cassie Molina Reviewer: Emma Gon

Let me ask you guys, a question.

When you see this gesture, what does it mean to you?

This isn’t a rhetorical question.

To how many of you does this mean great,

keep going or something positive to that effect?

To how many of you does it mean up yours?

To how many of you does it represent the number one?

So many options.

But what then does this gesture really mean?

Well, here's the thing.

Like Schrödinger’s cat, it can mean all of those things

and none of those things at the same time.

It all depends on the world view of the observer.

In our Western society, the thumbs up gesture

generally means something positive,

I like it, great, keep going or something along those lines.

But several other cultures, especially in West Africa and the Middle East,

the same gesture has extremely rude connotations.

It’s used the same way the middle finger is here.

It basically means up yours.

And Germany, Hungary and several other European countries,

the gesture represents the number one.

While in Japan it represents the number five.

In ancient Rome where the gesture originates,

it was used to decide whether the gladiator in the arena should live or die.

What we can say is that even such a seemingly simple

and unambiguous hand gesture is highly context dependent.

And the same is true for words and phrases

which often have vastly different meanings

in different languages and cultures.

This is something we need to be acutely aware of as global citizens

because it can lead to serious miscommunication.

Let me tell you a little story to show you what I mean.

When I was 18 years old, after finishing college here in Nelson,

I set off on my OE [Overseas Experience],

like so many of us do.

I headed straight to Europe and I traveled around France,

Greece, Croatia, Italy, Germany.

And what struck me was how easy it was to get by with English.

Seemingly, everywhere I went, people spoke

and understood English, even if just a little.

But it made it so much easier to get by as a clueless teenager

in foreign lands and foreign cultures.

Or so I thought, until one day I had

a very awkward encounter which got me thinking.

I just got a job at a restaurant in Germany,

after months and months of hunting for work

and I desperately wanted to make a good impression on my colleagues.

As we sat together over a few drinks after work one day,

a senior colleague told me that she’d just scored a promotion.

She was visibly excited and I was genuinely happy for her.

I said to her, “Good for you!”

But instead of a smile and a thank you, she turned away

and proceeded to give me the cold shoulder for the next week.

I was so confused!

“Why was she sharing joyous news with me one moment

and completely ignored me the next?

As I vented my frustration to a German friend of mine,

she laughed and she told me

that the German translation of ‘Good for You’,

‘Schön für dich’ is a snarky and sarcastic remark,

implying jealousy and begrudging of another's success.

Clearly that’s not what I meant, but those are the connotations

my colleague associated with my remark.

So what was the problem?

Well, it wasn’t until many years later that I studied geography,

linguistics and translation at university that I started to grasp the real issue.

I realized that meaning gets lost in translation

because of cultural differences.

This is the surprising paradox of intercultural communication.

We must communicate,

even though we may be speaking the same language.

Even if two people are both speaking English

like my colleague and I at the restaurant,

the different cultural backgrounds can lead to severe miscommunication.

Think of it this way, language allows us to encode and decode meaning.

But to crack the code, we need a shared set of pre-existing concepts.

Now, many of these concepts are passed down to us

from our culture and ultimately shape our worldview.

And the lack of a shared worldview

is what makes intercultural communication so difficult.

Let me illustrate what I mean.

Here we have person A and person B.

Their worldviews have each been shaped

by their cultural influences on a broad societal level

and by their personal lived experiences on an individual level.

And together, these things give them each

a distinct lens through which they view life

and through which they felt to their communication.

So when person A communicates,

they encode their message into verbal and nonverbal signals,

which are then sent to person B and filtered through

the lens of person B where they are recoded to reconstruct the message.

But because of the filtering process,

the message that arrives can be highly distorted.

And as this process goes back and forth,

the likelihood of invisible misunderstandings mounts.

And I call them invisible because in many cases,

one or both communication partners

are unaware that it’s even happening.

Like in the following example.

An American company selling high-end tech products

was looking to break into the Chinese market.

Talks and negotiations had been going well with a potential buyer,

and the Americans considered it a done deal.

To celebrate, they invited the Chinese delegation out

for dinner at a fine local restaurant.

Now, as the Chinese delegation arrived,

the head of the delegation was greeted by a junior member of the US team.

The Chinese delegate asked the American where he should sit,

to which he was told, sit where you like.

Now, the next day, the Chinese delegation

left the US without signing the contract.

And days later, the American team received word

that the Chinese had felt humiliated

and were reconsidering the business relationship.

What had happened?

Well, it was another cultural misunderstanding.

You see, in Chinese culture, hierarchy is really important,

whereas in American culture,

displays of hierarchy aren’t really culturally comfortable.

So when the head of the Chinese delegation was only greeted

by a junior member of the US team rather than the most senior,

he immediately felt a loss of face.

Then, to add insult to injury,

he was told to sit anywhere,

when ideally he should have been given a seat at the head of the table

next to the most senior member of the US team.

This cultural misunderstanding led to an eight months delay

in the signing of the contract

and almost cost them the business deal.

So how can we prevent these kinds of invisible misunderstandings

and intercultural communication?

Well, it all starts with our ability to see the world through different eyes,

to shift our perspectives, to overcome our bias,

and to recognize that we need a shared basis of understanding

to crack the code of meaningful communication.

With this in mind, let’s take a look

at what person A and person B could do to better communicate.

What we can see here is their communication toolbox,

and that they each have two main communication tools,

the verbal and the nonverbal.

These are the two ways in which we can encode and decode

or send and receive messages and communication.

And we can adapt these to suit

the needs of our conversation partner.

These are our controllables.

Verbal communication is our language, It’s what we say.

And it works its magic only to the extent

that it is shared by the speaker and the listener.

Have you ever read something highly technical

and had no idea what it was on about?

Or try to understand the terms and conditions of a contract?

Or had someone tell you a story

where you found yourself with a myriad of questions,

because you obviously lack

some kind of vital background information to make sense of it all?

That’s the power of language.

It can be used to confuse or to connect.

And it’s up to each of us to adapt our language to suit

the needs of our conversation partner.

But we also need to consider our nonverbal communication.

A lot more falls into this category than first meets the eye,

and the potential for misunderstandings is huge.

Let’s take body language as an example.

Is it acceptable to point at someone?

What are the implications of bad posture?

How much eye or body contact is appropriate?

Do certain gestures mean the same thing in your culture as in theirs?

Or are you being unintentionally rude, dismissive,

or even suggestive without realizing it?

What about personal space?

How close should you stand to the other person?

Public, social and personal spaces vary considerably in different cultures.

Well, let’s think again about the different attitudes

towards power and hierarchy.

Remember the story of the Chinese and the American business people

and how their different attitudes towards displays of superiority

almost cost them a good working relationship.

Emphasizing someone's superiority can be a sign of respect

or make them feel deeply uncomfortable.

It all depends on their worldview.

The list goes on and on.

Basically, anything that you consider normal behavior

is likely to be anything but normal in a different country or culture.

Because what makes up a person’s normal

boils down to the unique combination

of the social norms and values of their society,

their personal lived experiences and their entire cultural background.

So I invite you to consider how each of these things differ

and how the combination of them differs

to each and every person you talk to.

I encourage you to adapt your language,

to suit the context and to suit

the needs of your conversation partner.

This could mean using simpler language.

It could mean avoiding jargon

and steering clear of potentially confusing idioms

they may not understand.

You could also paraphrase, repeat or tell a story.

After all, the power of stories is universal.

And you can always ask clarifying questions, too.

Often if we approach a situation with curiosity and an open mind,

we find ourselves blown away by the multifaceted diversity

that makes up the human race.

It’s up to each of us to recognize

our own often subconscious lens of cultural norms and biases,

to realise that we all have them,

and to understand how they affect

our personal preconceptions and our communication.

If we all learn to make better use of our communication toolkit,

we can avoid misunderstandings.

We can avoid making people feel left out

or even offended by our unintentional ignorance.

That way, we can all take responsibility for positive change.

Ultimately, more effective communication

leads to more productive collaboration and better relationships

between countries, organizations and individuals.

And It is not just talking to or at each other,

we can actually end up on the same page.

If we can all learn to see the world through each other's eyes,

we will be less likely to discriminate and marginalize,

less likely to focus on what sets us apart

and more interested in what we can learn from each other.

In a nutshell, we can be better global citizens.

Thank you.