Module 3

Module three is about with how to communicate across cultures.   First, it is important to know what culture is.  Culture is our understanding of acceptable actions and beliefs.  There are high- context culture, where little is spelled out, and low- context cultures, where most things are explicitly spelled out.  Japan is an example of a high- context culture and the United States in an example of a low- context culture.  Culture affects business communication in every way because not everyone has the same values, beliefs, and practices.  Nonverbal communication, body language, personal space, time, oral communication, and writing to an international audience are more ways in which culture is important.  It may be hard to know how to communicate properly since there are so many cultures, but if you focus on being sensitive and flexible it will help.  It is also important to make sure your documents are bias- free. You can do this by using nonsexist, nonracist, and nonagist language.  I think the part of the module that teaches you how to make language appropriate for all people is one important aspect.  Another important aspect is to always remember that things like time and personal space are looked at differently by other cultures.