[MUSIC PLAYING] INSTRUCTOR: Let's take a look at cultural communication. In the global economy, when conducting international business, you should be aware that cultural differences can cause barriers to communication. Let's discuss some of those barriers. 

The process of encoding and decoding is based on an individual's culture. People around the globe see, interpret, and evaluate behavior differently. The greater the difference in culture between the sender and receiver, the greater the chances of encountering communication barriers. 

Understanding high and low text culture differences can help you to communicate better. A person's behavioral actions varies by culture. 

The directness of how business is conducted can vary. For example, North Americans tend to favor getting down to business quickly and concisely. Others prefer more indirect, informal chat to begin business meetings. 

Even when you're speaking English to people outside North America, words mean different things and the same thing may be called by different names. What is considered rude in one country may be not rude in another. So be careful not to accidentally offend people. Be pleasant, patient, and professional. 

Nonverbals are important and they're more so in some cultures than others, especially seeing a face helps us to detect, understand where people are, what they feel, and if they're trustworthy. Make sure your body language, tone of voice, and your word choice project a positive, calm, and honest demeanor. 

Be sure to look for nonverbal communication and realize that when using communication technology, including social media, you usually lose important facial messages. Also, gestures do not translate well across cultures because they involve symbolism and they're not shared. One gesture can mean different things in different cultures. 

This course is not meant to teach you how to overcome all the possible barriers to global communication. The objective is to make you realize the importance of learning cultures of other countries if you plan to do business with them successfully. Most major multinational organizations train their employees to be sensitive to specific cultural differences as needed. 

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