University of California Behavioral Habits Expressed Through Communication Discussion

Topic:

If you have ever been to a country outside of the U.S.: In what ways do verbal and non-verbal communication norms and styles differ in this country compared to the U.S.? How were you able to learn about and adjust to these differences – did you learn about these differences in a class or training? From a friend or relative? Or simply by paying attention and adjusting? Did you run into any communication problems or miscommunication during your stay in this country?

(should have two post, one original post, and one response to other’s post)

Classmate A ‘s post:

Last fall quarter, I studied abroad in London for three months. The form of communication and culture is very different from as it is here in America. In London specifically, people have more formal speaking styles. They use less slang there and use more complete sentences. They also have different words for different terms. For example, they call zucchinis, courgettes. Also, I was taking classes in London and they have different spellings for many words and use different methods for citing in research papers. I was able to learn some of these communication norms in a culture meeting we were required to attend with the study abroad office. They went over some of the cultural customs and communication norms. They mentioned that the peace sign, facing in a certain direction, is actually a non-verbal communicative form of flipping someone off. When I first learned that I was surprised, but I strove to practice to stop throwing up the peace sign randomly. It was very hard to get accustomed to but was eventually able to do so.

I also learned many of these customs also from YouTube. I follow many vloggers that live in the United Kingdom and were able to learn so many communication styles from there. They refer to their friends as “mates,” and British people love to talk about the weather. The main communication problem I ran into was with people who had a thicker British accent. Sometimes I would not be able to understand what they were saying and had to ask them to repeat themselves. I also was afraid to talk in class to my peers, as I was shy about my American accent and knew they would start asking questions once they heard me speak. After living there for about a month, I was able to get used to most of the communication customs and got more comfortable speaking in public.

Classmate B reply to A’s post:

Hi A!

Thanks for your thoughts on this week’s discussion board! How cool that you were able to study aboard in London! My boyfriend actually goes to university in Manchester and tells me all the time about the very different speaking and nonverbal communication styles. I think it’s great that you took initiative and did some research on the type of communication style people use in England. It is important to really educate oneself when traveling for work or school about the cultural styles and traditions in order to prevent any misunderstandings. By participating in training program as you did, it can ensure a much smoother interaction/transition and overall create a better experience for both parties!

Classmate C ‘post ( you should response to this one)

Last summer, I studied abroad in Paris for a month and it took me a couple of weeks to adapt to their cultural differences. Coming from the Southern California, a very overly friendly area, it took me a little to understand that in Paris, smiling at strangers meant you were flirting or inviting them to come talk to you. I learned this the hard way and had some interesting people come and try to talk to me. It is the same in my culture; we keep to ourselves and are not overly kind and friendly to strangers, but because I live in Souther California I have become used to doing that. My professor told us not to smile at strangers and to keep to ourselves on the metro. Additionally, Parisians hate loud conversation; I’m Armenian and we talk very loudly and can be quite intrusive at times, so my sister and I had a bit of difficulty with this.

Another huge cultural difference was tipping. My professor advised us not to tip waiters the way we do in the US, because waiters get paid well and the tip is reflected in the bill. Luckily, I knew this before going.

Lastly, there is the way you greet a friend or a date in a casual setting. It is customary to give two kisses on the cheek (la bise). I am fortunate to be used to this because that is how we greet others in my culture as well. Overall, I was able to adapt quickly and after I came home, I found myself not smiling at strangers and keeping a stone face in public. It was almost relieving not feeling the need to be overly kind to everyone.

In verbal communication, there is a language barrier but I speak French so that wasn’t too difficult to overcome; I did find myself, however, directly translating English phrases into French and it sounds weird and doesn’t translate correctly.