Ethical_Issues

Cultural Diversity Presentation Paper Christopher S. Brigmon Comm/285 March 10, 2010 Mr. Shawn Tucker Characteristics of the Audience In this paper I will discuss the importance of knowing who your audience. I would also need to be cognoscente of rules I must follow and try not to offend any persons in the audience that very well may be of different ethnic backgrounds. Different genders, race social class and age all play a key role in how to give a presentation. Having very little knowledge of doing sales reports and having to speak to an audience regarding financial figures to stakeholders, customer’s managers and CEO’s, I will keep this essay aligned with cross culture classes and the ways and means these different cultures interact and do business, as well as what I would do in this situation for presentation purposes. As anthropologist Edward Hall first described, we can categorize cultures as high-context or low-context. In high-context cultures, most of the information is inferred from the social relationships of the people and the context of a message; little is explicitly conveyed. Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and Latin American cultures are high-context. In low-context cultures, context is less important; most information is explicitly spelled out. German, Scandinavian, and North American cultures are low-context.1 High- and low-context cultures value different kinds of communication and have different attitudes. As Figure 13.1 shows, low-context cultures like those of the United States favor direct approaches and may see indirectness as dishonest or manipulative. The written word is seen as more important than oral statements, so contracts are binding but promises may be broken. Details matter. Business communication practices in the United States reflect these low-context preferences.2 In Preparing for this presentation I would have to look into who the audience would be, paying special attention to the stakeholders, and our customers first and then the managers and sales personnel. After doing my fact finding research I would then have enough information to begin to research the etiquette of each culture and define any obstacles that might make any one of our guests feel uncomfortable and even disrespected. Becoming aware that a large minority of our stake holders and customers are from Arab speaking nations as well as Asian nationalities, I will focus on their customs and key in on how to reach out to both of their cultures and be as informational as possible. Communication Channels In the Japanese culture having the ability to be very still is a highly regarded trait, which is not only the normal but expected, this task shows respect but also gives the impression of one paying close attention to the person who is speaking, who is usually a superior. I know from personal experience, I for instance take a different attitude towards a presenter if I see that they are nervous, jumpy or just simply all over the place, opposed to being sure of his or her self and confidently moving about the room as they know they are in charge and are confident about what they are presenting. Americans working in the Middle East are cautioned to avoid pointing their finger at people or showing the soles of their feet when seated. They also need to avoid misreading handholding among Arab men, for whom it is an expression of affection and solidarity. Among Arab men, eye contact is important; it is considered impolite not to face someone directly.3 The communication channels that will be used are within the customs and acceptable dialogue for the individuals that will be present during this presentation. According to many resources gestures with the hands are the standard when dealing with the Saudi Arabian culture and with the Japanese culture. Gestures are the socially acceptable means of communication for business. I would also use visual aides such as a power point presentation; I believe power point gives an accurate depiction of what the presenter is tying to accomplish if there is a language barrier. Translation of words can be a very daunting task if an individual is not fluent in the other language. Visual aides can bridge the gap between customs if the visual aide is done not to or have the means to disrespect the audience. In order for me to effectively communicate during this meeting I will need to have some sort of understanding of the cultures that will be in the meeting. Considering the Diverse Audience Some of the considerations that I must keep in mind because of the diversity of the audience during the presentation are, that I will not be able to please everyone in the meeting. Because of the cultural differences it is wise for me to focus on the statistics, and data. Keep open Dialogue with the audience as well as have as many visual aides as possible to take the guess work out of my foreign participants if they do not understand a phrase or catch term that I would normally use with my American counterparts. Another consideration would b to my counterparts whom I work with on a daily basis. I believe by leaving my team members out of the entire program, while catering to our culturally diverse group of participants can have serious repercussions, to my relationships at work. While keeping in mind that the diverseness is going to be challenging to say the least, I feel learning about some of the cultural practices in foreign businesses will create an atmosphere of harmony during the sales presentation. As I must consider the diverse selection of individuals that I will be appealing to in the presentation, it is my thought that the foreigners that will be in attendance must forego much of their customs considering they are in another country that has cultures and sub-cultures of their own. The American business culture is very direct straight to the point, giving factual data as a means to win the trust of our customers. In America we do not necessarily rely on friendship to do business, we are looking for the bottom line, what it will cost, and how effective the partnership will be financially. In my travels and watching programs that deal with culture, I have very rarely seen a country adapt to the visitors culture. Message Effectiveness It is my opinion the ways to be sure you have effectively communicated your message are t ask questions. By asking questions throughout the presentation opens the door for people who may have been hesitant to disrupt you and give an opportunity to express concern or delight. Another method I would be using is to constantly scan the crowd for facial expressions or gestures that would simulate uneasiness, a look of confusion or distrust. Having the ability to understand facial expression and body movement will help in gauging the reaction of the audience, and what may have not been interpreted correctly. Conclusion In conclusion, having to approach a situation like this can be very cumbersome, as well as difficult to gauge. Having different cultures attend one meeting and trying at the same time not to offend anyone as well as learn all of the business standards would be almost impossible to an individual who is not an expert in the field. My only solution to this situation would be to have several different sales report meetings to have an opportunity to give all of the stakeholdes the same amount of attention.