Group 3 - Australia - Mai - Report - Dec 10

7/30/2019 Group 3 - Australia - Mai - Report - Dec 10

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December, 2012

Intercultural Communication | Group Project

GROUP3 AUSTRALIANVERBALCOMMUNICATIONSTYLE


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Self-Assessment............................................................................................................................................ 2

INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................ 3

Introduction about Australia..................................................................................................................... 3

Australia a low context culture .............................................................................................................. 3

DIRECTNESS .................................................................................................................................................. 5

What is directness? ................................................................................................................................... 5

Why be direct? .......................................................................................................................................... 5

How to be direct?...................................................................................................................................... 5

When does directness cause misunderstandings? ................................................................................... 6

MODESTY...................................................................................................................................................... 7

What is modesty? ..................................................................................................................................... 7

Why be modest? ....................................................................................................................................... 7

How to be modest? ................................................................................................................................... 7

HUMOR ......................................................................................................................................................... 9

What is humor? ......................................................................................................................................... 9

Why be humorous? ................................................................................................................................... 9

How to be humorous? .............................................................................................................................. 9

INFORMALITY ............................................................................................................................................. 10

What is informality? ................................................................................................................................ 10

Why be informal?.................................................................................................................................... 11

How to be informal? ............................................................................................................................... 11

CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................... 12

REFERENCES .................................................................................................................................... 13

APPEDIX .......................................................................................................................................... 13

Hand-out ................................................................................................................................................. 13


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Self-Assessment

Name Work Self-Assessment Group-Assessment

Nguyn c DngIntroductionOutlineSlide Arrangement

9 9

Ng Kim Anh Directness 9 9ng Phng Dung Modesty 9 9Nguyn Phng Linh Humor 8 8

Hong Thanh MaiInformalityConclusionReport

9.5 9.5


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Facts

Size : 7.7 million square kilometers

Population : 22.7 million (Oct 2012)

Capital : Canberra

Biggest Cities : Sydney (3.7 m),

Melbourne (3.1 m) Flag: A British flag with five small stars

that show the Southern Cross. Onelarge starrepresents the countrys sixterritories.

Money : The Australian Dollar

The country is divided into 6 states and

two territories.

INTRODUCTION

Introduction about Australia

Australia is a highly developed country located in Oceania, the continent between the Indian

Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean. Australia is the world's 12th-largest economy and has the

world's fifth-highest per capita income. With the second-highest human development index

globally, Australia ranks highly in many international comparisons of national performance, such

as quality of life, health, education, economic

freedom, and the protection ofcivil liberties and

political rights.

When talking about Australia, many people

usually think about the two biggest cities,Sydney and Melbourne, its capital actually is

Canberra. With a population of approximately

320,000 people and situated in the Australian

Capital Territory, Canberra is roughly half way

between Melbourne and Sydney.

Australia is a young and diverse nation and Australian people come from many different cultural

backgrounds. As you settle in and meet the locals you will find that there is no such thing as a

'typical' Australian. You will encounter a wide range of social customs, habits and perspectives

on life that may be new and different from what you have experienced before.

Although Australia is a polyglot nation, with over 100 languages being spoken by those sections

of the population who have emigrated there from all over the world, English is the official and

by far the most commonly spoken language.

Australia a low context culture

Cultures vary from very high to very low context along a continuum, and as Australian culture is

relatively close to the low context, most international students came from a high context culture

will find it a little bit strange and different in communicating with their Australian peers or faculty

supervisors.

Using the high-context and low-context classification, most Asian, Middle Eastern, African and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28nominal%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28nominal%29_per_capitahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_Human_Development_Indexhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_Human_Development_Indexhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_freedomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_freedomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_libertieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_libertieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_freedomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_freedomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_Human_Development_Indexhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_Human_Development_Indexhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28nominal%29_per_capitahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28nominal%29


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South American countries can be grouped as high-context indirect cultures. Australia, the US,

along with northern European countries to name a few, can be grouped as low-context direct

cultures.

In high context cultures, the responsibility to understand the intended meaning of a verbal or

written message rests on the listener or reader as opposed to the speaker or writer. High-

context language are often more indirect and formal. These cultures are concerned with how

the information is communicated.

In low context cultures, it is the responsibility of the speaker or writer to make sure that the

message is clear and understood. North American cultures are called low context cultures

where people are usually more direct and more informal. These cultures are more concerned

with what information needs to be communicated.

High context Low context

Indirect and formal

Takes time to get to the point during

meetings

Relationship focus

Circular logic

Under explains

More comfortable with silence than

low context language

Direct and informal

Get to the point quickly during meetings

Task focus

Linear logic

Over explains

Less comfortable with silence than high

context language

Since Australia is a low context culture, Australian usually communicates in the way that have

all the characteristics such as directness, informality, task-focus and linear logic ... Below are


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some of the typical Australian communication characteristics that can illustrate low context

language in Australia:

1. Directness

2. Modesty

3. Humor

4. Informality

DIRECTNESS

What is directness?

When communication is direct, a person means exactly what he/she says. The statements areall easily recognizable, and can be interpreted at face value. There is no implied meaning,

insinuation, or mixed message.

Why be direct?

As mentioned in the previous section, Australia is one of the low context cultures, in which

people tend to be more direct in the communication styles.

Directness shows efficiency and effectiveness. The reason is that the dominant

Australian style links back to a logical world-view and the linear thinking. Therefore, inAustralia, directness can be seen as making a conversation more efficient and effective.

In many instances, there is usually a straightforward beginning, middle and end to the

conversational flow. Good communication does not digress nor embellish, but rather

gets quickly to the point.

Directness shows honesty. The Australians regard directness and honesty as being one

and the same. Indirectness may be interpreted as evasiveness, dishonesty and an

unwillingness to address and fix problem. Thus, people who prefer indirect

communication style can be considered as being weak, irresponsible and spineless in

Australia.

How to be direct?

The directness in Australian communication styles is demonstrated mainly in two aspects.


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The way people give acceptance/refusal: The Australians say yes or no very confidently

and they refuse something if they dont want or like it. Most of them are very decisive

and determined to give this kind of answer. In contrast, it is quite difficult for Vietnamese

people to show the feeling I dont like it. They are afraid of making others disappointed

and upset. Vietnamese people tend to please their new acquaintances by only saying

good things. However, it will be very inappropriate communication style in Australian

culture because the Australians will honestly say bad or good depending on what they

think.

The way people get to the point: People who come from cultures that emphasize

indirectness (e.g. Vietnamese, Koreans, Taiwanese and Japanese) may spend 20 or 30

minutes chatting or asking you about unrelated issues in order to get a sense of your

attitude towards them or your willingness to help before asking for a favor. The

Australians with their direct communication styles will come to the point within the first

minute and then chat once you have granted their request. They come to the point in

short, sharp sentences. The point of view is expressed directly and quickly without any

message behind the verbal language, which seems to be totally different in the countries

in high context culture.

When does directness cause misunderstandings?

The different between indirect cultures and direct cultures may cause some misunderstandings.

Lead others to misjudge your personality:

Sometimes, the Australians tend to put directness

before diplomacy and therefore can be considered

quite blunt especially by people from those

cultures in which the majority are wary of speaking

plainly for fear of creating a negative emotional

impact upon the people they are talking to.

Lead others to misjudge your message: For example, a Vietnamese student may speak

to an Australian professor about the fact that she is applying for jobs and hint at, but

never actually say, that she really came to ask for a letter of recommendation. She

assumes that if the professor is able to support her application form, he will offer to write

a letter, and by not asking directly she does not put the professor in the uncomfortable

position of having to say no. Australian faculty find indirectness frustrating, because the

speaker is expected to directly spell out exactly what they mean to convey and he may


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have difficulty in interpreting the message behind verbal language.

In conclusion, in Australian communication styles, directness can be seen as making the

communication more efficient, effective and honest. Therefore, people tend to give

acceptance/refusal honestly and get to the point quickly in order to demonstrate the directness

in communication. However, there are some misunderstandings resulting from the difference

between high context cultures and low context cultures, which people should notice in the

communication.

MODESTY

What is modesty?

Modesty is the quality or state of being unassuming or moderate in the estimation of one's

abilities. Modest people do not usually talk about or make obvious their abilities and

achievements.

Why be modest?

History: In the past, ancestors of Australians were people who are criminals from Britain.

They were forced to choose between being hung and moving another place. Then, they

decided to go to an isolated land named Australia today. For many years this was a

source of embarrassment of the Australian people. It is one of the reasons why they try

to talk modestly about both their country and themselves in front of other people.

Geography: Being isolated from the rest of the world, the Australian people sometimes

feel that they are "more observers" than participants. Somehow, this isolation affects

their psyche and they need to be careful in their way of communicating with others.

How to be modest?

Not boasting about achievements: They appreciate the authenticity and sincerity.

However, they will not try to pretend that they cannot do anything and will be confident to

tell about their true abilities. The distance between modesty and pretentiousness is very

small; therefore, it is important to show your words in a modest way so that people do

not misunderstand that you are showing off.

To emphasize the point, we analyze the conversations below:

In Vietnam:

Person A:Do you frequently take part in extracurricular activities at your university?


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Person B: Yes. I have joined many voluntary works and also am proud of organizing

many universitys events. I also got some certificates for what I have attributed

Or, some Vietnamese would say: Actually I did nothing, so it is not worth mentioning. In

the fact, they performed very well at their school.

In Australia:

Person A:Do you frequently take part in extracurricular activities at your university?

Person B:Yes. I have made efforts in those activities and do the best that I can.

In Vietnamese culture, many people think that it is better to list as many things as you

achieve, even what you actually do not have to make impressions with others.

Otherwise, in Australia, it is more important to show your actual abilities and others can

realize your sincerity. Australians are not likely to be impressed by titles and do not

necessarily believe that someone is outstanding based on the title. They do not care

whether someone is evaluated to be good but prefer those who are normal and can do

the work well in reality.

In the second way of answering, Vietnamese people think that it is modest, but in

Australia, it shows your lack of confidence or your pretentiousness.

Downplaying success (which may make them appear not to be achievement-oriented).

Australians do not want to make people feel that they are better than others. Australians

rarely show their pride of their success or achievement. Their success seems to not

worth talking about when they are complimented.

Person A:Your daughters voice is so beautiful!

Person B:Thank you but shes not very good at all.

Person A:Dont be modest! I have never heard such great voice before.

Person B:Well. Its very nice of you to say so but there are many better singers than her

for sure.

In Vietnam, something known as Benh thanh tich is quite popular. At many schools,

studying results are often exaggerated. Famous people like singers, actors and

actresses are not exception of immodesty. When they buy a new car, a new house or

something valuable, they boast about their richness on the mass media. When other

people see that, they also imitate to brag about how rich they are because they do not


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want to be inferior to others. Even though all these things are bought by the money they

earn, it feels like they always look at someone with envious eyes.

However, it does not mean that everyone in Vietnam is immodest and vice versa, not all

Australians is modest but the Australian people are using a better way or words when talking

with other people, so most of Australians are thought to have a modest communication style.

HUMOR

What is humor?

Humor is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke laughter and provideamusement, control human health and emotion.

Decided by personal taste, the extent to which a person will find something humorous dependsupon a host of variables, including geographical location, culture, maturity, level of education,

intelligence and context.

Why be humorous?

Australians use humor in their daily life in order to reduce the pressures.Since the past, the life of Australian face many dangers, even affecting their lives, suchas: shark bitting while surfing, the house burned to the ground by the fire ... Look at thedifficult side to make witty jokes can raise their optimistic, and be happy to accept theirlife. This called "Black sense humor" - An unique style of humor in Australia.

Australia also uses humor to reflect the reality of life.These things have been brought laughter often exposed, naked, not good on a certainface in life. Their humor is often aimed at their country, habits or even themselves out tomake jokes, contain subtle message. From these jokes, the Australian look into thatmirror of reality, to live better, to overcome their bad things - or otherwise, continue to dothose things in life to improve the unique identity of Australian culture.

How to be humorous?

Here are some examples about Aussie Humor

Jokes about the differences between Aussies, Brits, Americans and Canadians

Aussies: Believe you should look out for your mates.

Brits: Believe that you should look out for those people who belong to your club.

Americans: Believe that people should look out for and take care of themselves.

Canadians: Believe that that is the government's job.

This story shows the difference between 4 countries; obviously, Aussie are very friendlyand caring.


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Americans: Seem to think that poverty and failure are morally suspect.

Canadians: Seem to believe that wealth and success are morally suspect.

Brits: Seem to believe that wealth, poverty, success, and failure are inherited.

Aussies: Seem to think that none of this matters after several beers.

This story tells me about Australian love of beer. Aussie think that they can have goodhead after pour a beer. Therefore, the story is also tell us a part of beverage culture inAustralia.

Beware of US tourists

An American tourist pulls over the Hertz car in the middle of nowhere for a pee.Suddenly a man jumps out from behind a tree, pointing a shotgun at him. Pull yourselfoff, he orders.

What?

Masturb. Right now!

Nervously, the tourist obliges.

No, do it again.

I cant do it again

DO it again!

So the tourist do it for a second time.

Okay, once more

I couldnt do it once more, no matter what. You may as well shoot me.

No, thats fine. Now you can give my sister a lift to the next town.

In Australia, the use of offensive words and rude situations to make fun are quite common.Whatever can also turn into a funny story. Even Australian marketers also use offensive comedyto build brand identity and awareness. There is no shame of refer to sensual things for makelaugh in Aussie show, comedy, picture. This story demonstrates this way of Aussie Humor style.

INFORMALITY

What is informality?

Informality is a term for speech or writing marked by a casual, familiar and generally colloquialuse of language. It is the opposite of formality and usually used when in face to faceconversation with a friend or relative- a personally known person. Informal communication isalso used in e-mail, texts and telephone conversations.


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Why be informal?

Show friendliness: Informal communication is personal, which imbues it with theenthusiasm and zeal of the participants rather than dry, bureaucratic logic.

Create an open conversation: Informality can be a convenient way allowing both partiesto discuss and explore more about each other, which is an advantage in a two-waycommunication pattern.

How to be informal?

Reduce formal words and phrases

Formal words and phrases such as Excuse me, Pardon me, I would like to introduceyou to, How do you do? and Its a pleasure to meet you. should be reduced tomake a conversation less official and more natural.

For example, somebody wants to request information.

Formal

Excuse me, may I ask you a question?

Pardon me, may I interrupt you for a moment to ask you a question?

Excuse me, would you mind closing the window (e.g. in a bus)?

Informal

Can you give me directions to the city library, please?

Where is the cafeteria, please?

Use shorter sentences and be very direct

Since it has reduction of formal words and phrases, the sentences are now shorter.However, they have to get directly to the point. That makes the flow fit well with thelinear thinking of Australia.

For example, somebody wants to ask for a favor.

Formal

May I please have a few extra days to complete my term paper?

Would you mind giving me that information?

Would you be kind enough to direct me to the university library?

Informal

Can I borrow your pen?


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Would you lend me your library card?

Reduce status differences (by using first names)

Even though there are situations that formality is appropriate, Australians tend to useinformal language, which doesnt involve status differences, as illustrated in the second

and third introductions below.

[1]

PROFESSOR: Mr. Lustig, I would like to introduce you to Dr. Johns, director of thelanguage institute. Dr. Johns, this is Mr. Lustig, the academic adviser from BarnumCollege.

MR. LUSTIG: How do you do, Dr. Johns?

DR. JOHNS: It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Lustig. I'm glad that we finally have theoccasion to meet.

[2]

FRIEND: I'd like you to meet my friend, Nancy Pipkin. Nancy, this is my brother, Jack.

NANCY: Hi, Jack. Nice to meet you.

JACK: Hi, Nancy.

[3]

FRIEND: Hi, George, have you met Bill?

GEORGE. No, I haven't. Hi, Bill.

BILL: Hi! How ya doing?

CONCLUSION

All in all, understanding Australian communication style when you are coming to Australia isvery important to help you adapt with new environment as well as new culture. Some generalideas concluded below are the most significant of all.

Australians tend to put directness before diplomacy and therefore can be considered quite blunt

on occasions especially by people from those cultures in which the majority are wary of

speaking plainly for fear of creating a negative emotional impact upon the people they aretalking to. Directness is cherished in Australia and failure to say what you mean and mean what

you say can be mistaken for evasiveness and even hypocrisy.

It is important not to be too self-promotional when presenting to Australians. A hard sell

approach can often be misconstrued as bragging and can provoke a very negative response.

Remember that people do not like to make out that they are better than others the same


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probably applies to products and services. A factual description of issues will be far better

received than a more hyperbolic approach.

Australia is one of the very few cultures in which humor is all pervasive in many situations. Not

only is humor acceptable in all situations, it is expected in all situations. Never underestimate an

Australian senior manager because he or she uses humor at what you might feel to be an

inappropriate time.

First names are invariably used in almost all situations in Australia. It would be very unusual to

call a business contact by their surname. Similarly, educational titles play relatively little part in

conversations (other than in the medical or academic worlds.)

REFERENCES

Lonely Planet and Barry Blake, 2007, Australia Language & Culture (Language Reference)

Barry Penny, 2006, Australia: A Quick Guide to Customs & Etiquette (Culture Smart!)

Kerrin P. Rowe, 2006, Wordbook of Australian IdiomAussie Slang: No Worries! Shes Apples!

Judith Martin and Thomas Nakayama, 2009, Intercultural Communication in Contexts

http://www.worldbusinessculture.com/Australian-Business-Communication-Style.html

http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/australia.html

http://www.ialf.edu/dpdf/march04page3.html

http://www.iorworld.com/australia-cultural-insights---worldview---cultural-assumptions---

communication-style---business-practices-pages-474.php

APPEDIX

Hand-out

Presentation outline

Introduction about Australia

Australia is a young and diverse nation and Australian people come from many different

cultural backgrounds.

Although Australia is a polyglot nation, with over 100 languages being spoken by those

sections of the population who have emigrated there from all over the world, English is

the official and by far the most commonly spoken language.

Different between low context vs high context language


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Characteristics of Australian communication style

1. Directness (People say what they mean; no need to read between the lines)

2. Modesty (Australians prefer people who are modest, humble, self-

deprecating)

3. Humour (Australia is one of the very few cultures in which humour is all

pervasive in all situations)

4. Informality (Status/hierarchy not important or considered when speaking)

Exercises

1. Decide whether phrases below are formal or informal:

Phrases Formal or Informal

A name given in an introduction is not understood or is forgotten

Excuse me, I didnt catch your name

I'm sorry, what is your name again?

Could you spell your first name? That will help me pronounce it better.

May I please have your name again?

Would you please repeat your name?

Requesting information

Can you give me directions to the city library, please?

Where is the cafeteria, please?

Excuse me, may I ask you a question?

Pardon me, may I interrupt you for a moment to ask you a question?


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Excuse me, would you mind closing the window (e.g. in a bus)?

Request for a favor

Can I borrow your pen?

Would you lend me your library card?

May I please have a few extra days to complete my term paper?Would you mind giving me that information?

Would you be kind enough to direct me to the university library?

Ending conversations

OK. Good talking to you.

Yeah. I hope to see you around. Take care. See you later.

It was very nice talking to you. I hope we'll meet again soon. I do too.That would be nice. Good-bye.

Expressions of farewell

Have a nice day.

Enjoy your weekend.

See ya around.

So long.

Bye-bye.

Good-bye

It was nice meeting you.

Have a nice evening (day, week, etc.).

2. Matching Australian idioms

Idiom Meaning

1. Flat out like a lizard drinking a. Even if you go as far as you can, the black stump is stilla little further

2. Talk the legs off an iron pot b. Compliment or praise somebody for doing something orbeing someone very special

3. On the wallaby track c. Criticise people who stand out from the crowd

4. Blood is worth bottling d. Coded language appears to mean one thing to thegeneral population but has a different or more specific

meaning for a targeted subgroup of the audience.5. Dog-whistle politics e. Very dry area or very thirsty

6. She'll be apples f. Extremely busy, which is a word play which humorouslymixes two meanings of the term flat out

7. Dry as a wooden god g. Somebody who has lost all sense of reason, is crazy, outof control

8. Beyond the black stump h. Do something immediately or promptly

9. Cut down the tall poppies i. Unemployed


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10. Up a gum tree j. Postpone making a decision or acting until you haveseen how things are developing

11. On the knocker k. Everything will be alright.

12. Mad as a cut snake l. Somebody who is excessively talkative or is especiallyconvincing

13. See which way the cat jumps m. Being in trouble or a big mess

3. Lets play cross-word

1

2

3

4

5

6

Clue:

1. (noun) a large mammal with short front legs and long powerful back legs on which it

moves by jumping

2. (noun) the state of feeling funny or when people see that some things are funny

3. (noun) the way to aim in a particular direction

4. (noun) show a moderate estimation of one's own talents, abilities, and value

5. (noun) status/hierarchy not important or considered when speaking

6. Capital of Australia

Documents

Group 3 - Australia - Mai - Report - Dec 10