It is not what our message does to the listener, but what the listener does with the message that is important.
Intercultural communication
Language difficulties can result in miscommunication between people of different cultural backgrounds, but competence in English does not guarantee good communication. Miscommunication often results from personal or cultural misunderstandings.
Careers teachers benefit by considering the personal or cultural bases for misunderstandings and their responsibility to minimise these. Knowledge about culture and intercultural communication skills will assist careers teachers in their work with students from diverse cultural backgrounds.
Verbal communication
Interpretations of verbal communication can be culturally based. Misunderstandings can easily arise. For example in some cultures:
- It is impolite to speak without being specifically asked by a superior, thus some students will not say hello, will not volunteer answers and will not answer generally directed questions.
- It is not appropriate to refuse a request, thus saying ‘yes’ may mean ‘I am listening’, or ‘maybe’, or ‘no’. Avoidance behaviour rather than contradiction is used i.e. not doing what is requested is the polite response, as opposed to saying directly ‘no’.
- Direct confrontation is to be avoided. It is more important to maintain the relationship, then to find an answer to an immediate disputed issue or problem. This contrasts with the anglo-Australian approach of trying to resolve issues by frank and open discussion of the disputed issue, clearly stating personal needs and preferences and direct bargaining tactics focusing on an immediate solution.
- Asking questions when you already know the answer, which is a common teaching technique in Australia, can indicate a lack of intelligence in some cultures.
Non verbal communication
Non-verbal communication can be more important than speech for reflecting emotion, mood and motivation. Non-verbal cues will vary significantly across cultures:
- Direct eye contact is used to show attentive listening and respect, however direct eye contact is impolite in some cultures
- Student’s smiles are interpreted as a sign of happiness, comfort or pleasure, when actually they are smiling because they are uncomfortable or embarrassed.
- Encouraging a warm and friendly classroom atmosphere by teachers sitting on tables, or kneeling on the floor beside student desks may not be appropriate.
Some simple actions are open to misinterpretation and can be insulting or embarrassing to students:- Kneeling at a student’s desk with the teacher’s head lower than the students
- Distance between teacher and students during conversations being too close
- Expecting students to greet teachers without teachers speaking first (unsolicited indications of presence are disrespectful on many cultures)
- Touching a student’s head (most holy part of the body in some cultures)
- Pointing the feet (least holy part of the body in some cultures)
- Signaling students to approach by crooking index finger (a gesture applied to dogs in South East Asia)
- Pointing to a student or blackboard with a straight index finger
- Students not sitting while adults stand (sitting is a sign of respect)
It may not be possible to address all these issues for all groups, particularly as some of them conflict. Careers practitioners need to be aware of the potential for miscommunication and create bridges to reduce miscommunication and improve effectiveness.
As well as teachers being aware of these issues in the classroom, it is important for students to be made aware of cultural expectations in the workplace and how their verbal and non-verbal communication may be interpreted.
Class discussion of cultural cues can be useful to highlight different interpretations of the same actions, but must be done in a sensitive way that does not isolate or embarrass individuals or groups. These discussions can lead into the lessons on Transition Planning, which focus on the job application process, particularly in relation to interview skills.