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How to communicate effectively with foreign colleagues in foreign organizations and companies
TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS .i LIST OF FIGURES i LIST OF TABLES i CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale of the study .1 1.2 Objectives of the study 1.3 Scope of the study 1.4 Methodology of the study .2 1.5 Structure of the study CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 2.1 The communication process .4 2.2 Communication types .6 2.2.1 Verbal communication 2.2.2 Non-verbal communication 2.3 Communication forms 10 2.3.1 Written communication .10 2.3.2 Oral communication 11 2.3.3 Visual communication 11 2.4 Communication styles 11 2.4.1 Aggressive communication 12 2.4.2 Passive communication 12 2.4.3 Passive-aggressive communication 13 2.4.4 Assertive communication .13 2.5 Principles of effective communication 13 2.6 Benefits of effective communication .15 2.7 Consequences of poor communication 16 As we can see from the story above, consequence resulted in poor communication is that nobody is responsible for the work and everybody is to blame on each other 17 2.8 Barriers to effective communication with foreign colleagues 17 2.8.1 Cultural differences 17 2.8.2 English language performance .19 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY AND ANALYSIS 22 3.1 Methodology 22 3.1.1 Study design 22 3.1.2 Research Instrument 22 3.1.3 Participants’ characteristics 23 3.1.4 Brief on the survey questions .23 3.1.5 Data processing 24 3.2 Findings 25 3.2.1 Response rate .25 3.2.2 How Vietnamese staff communicate with their foreign colleagues .29 CHAPTER 4: DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW TO COMMUNICATE MORE EFFECTIVELY WITH FOREIGN COLLEAGUES IN FOREIGN ORGANIZATIONS AND COMPANIES 39 4.1 Phase 2: Sender encodes idea 39 4.2 Phase 3: Sender transmits message .43 4.3 Phase 4: Receiver gets message 44 4.4 Phase 5: Receiver decodes message 46 4.5 Phase 6: Receiver sends feedback 47 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 50 5.1 Conclusion 50 5.2 Limitations of the study 50 5.3 Suggestions for further study 51 REFERENCES I APPENDIXES IV Appendix 1: Research Questionnaire IV QUESTIONNAIRE .IV Appendix 2: Raw data for Questionnaire collected on 17 May 2008 VIII LIST OF FIGURES Figure Communication process2 .5 Figure Respondents’ sex distribution 25 Figure Level ranked by the respondents 27 Figure 3 Response rate by frequency of communication ….29 Figure Factors considered before starting a conversation .30 Figure Ways of confirmation .33 Figure 3.6 Ways to draw attention .34 Figure Ways to ensure understanding 36 Figure Ways to receive feedback 37 Figure The communication process6 40 Figure The communication process7 43 Figure The communication process8 44 Figure 4 The communication process9 46 Figure The communication process10 47 LIST OF TABLES Table Occupation of surveyed staff 26 Table Type of organization or company .26 28 Table Channel and medium 31 i CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale of the study Communication is the essential need of human It has incessantly improved and developed during our whole life Communication helps us to acquire and increase knowledge from the outside world and strengthen relations between people, especially those from different cultures and countries In workplace, many organizations are losing valuable business opportunities because they have failed to recognize the fundamental importance of effective communication It is communication breakdown that is at the root of conflicts or misunderstanding among colleagues Staff’ success also depends not only on professionalism and diligence but their individual relationships and communication skills as well In Vietnam nowadays, the country is integrating into the global village More and more foreign companies and organizations have been sprung up like mushroom Therefore, communication skills with foreign counterparts play an important role in enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of their work Vietnamese staff’s ability to communicate with foreigners has become a subject of discussion; however, few studies on it have been carried out That is the reason why I chose the topic for this thesis as “How to communicate effectively with foreign colleagues in foreign organizations and companies.” 1.2 Objectives of the study The study aims to: • Provide an overall idea about communication • Investigate how Vietnamese staff communicate with their foreign counterparts • Find out how to communicate more effectively with foreign colleagues Research questions of the study include the followings: • What is communication process? • What are communication types? • What are communication forms? • What are communication styles? • What are principles of effective communication? • What are benefits of effective communication? • What are consequences of poor communication? • What are barriers to effective communication with foreign colleagues? • How Vietnamese staff communicate with their foreign colleagues at workplace? • What are the best ways to communicate with foreign colleagues in foreign organizations and companies? 1.3 Scope of the study I carried out a small-scaled survey with 77 respondents This survey focused on investigating the oral/spoken communication performance of Vietnamese staff with their foreign colleagues in foreign organizations and companies in Hanoi only due to time limitation Such factors as social status and gender were included in the questionnaires Basing on the findings drawn from 77 informants, the writer made some tentative conclusions about what are the best ways to communicate with foreign colleagues 1.4 Methodology of the study This thesis was written based on both primary and secondary data A wide range of materials regarding communication and relating researches were studied such as the published books and web documents The research methods I used were descriptive and quantitative ones A survey on how Vietnamese staff communicate with their foreign colleagues was conducted in some foreign organizations, other limited and private companies, International Agency and Institution of Environmental Technology A survey questionnaire was carried out to collect data Description, analysis, and statistics were used in processing and interpreting data Details of studying methods will be further presented in chapter III 1.5 Structure of the study The study consists of chapters: Chapter 1: Introduction - provides an introduction of rationale, objectives, scope, methodology and structure of the study Chapter 2: Theoretical background - presents an overview of studies on communication In this notion of communication, the process of communication and communication types, forms and styles are presented Besides, principles of effective communication, benefits of effective communication, consequences of poor communication and barriers to communication are also included in this chapter Chapter 3: Methodology and analysis - is concerned with a description of studying methods and the results as well as the analyses of the survey Chapter 4: Discussions and some recommendations on how to communicate effectively with foreign counterparts in foreign organizations and companies – looks at the discussion about the survey and puts forward some tips to have a better communication with colleagues from other countries Chapter 5: Conclusion – discusses conclusion and limitations of the study as well as suggests some directions for further study CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND Communication is very important in all areas of life It is “the process of transferring information from a sender to a receiver with the use of a medium in which the communicated information is understood by both sender and receiver.” (“Communication” Wikipedia) In order to have a deep and overview on communication, we first look at its process, types, forms, and styles At the end of this chapter, we will focus on the principles and benefits of effective communication, consequences of poor communication, and analyze the barriers to effective communication with foreign colleagues 2.1 The communication process “You can’t not communicate Everything you say or or don’t say and don’t sends a message to others.” (John Woods)1 It is quite obvious that communication takes place at any time in any form Whether we say something or keep silent or whatever we do, there is communication with other people According to the textbook “Business Communication Essentials”, communication is a dynamic and two-way process of coding and decoding messages Source: http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/crosscuttings/communication_main.html written communication like emails are useful for complex and long information which needs time to consider 4.3 Phase 4: Receiver gets message Figure The communication process8 Phase 6: Receiver sends feedback Phase 1: Sender has an idea Phase 2: Sender encodes idea Phase 3: Sender transmits message CHANNE L AND MEDIUM Phase 5: Receiver decodes message Phase 4: Receiver gets message The findings show that less than half (44.21%) of the entire surveyed participants would repeat, brief and emphasize the key points so that their foreign colleagues could get their message rather than explaining/interpreting or demonstrating This may be due to the fact that English remains as a barrier to them Explaining means to clarify something in more details and more simply Interpreting is to expound or in other words, to repeat the message in other way without changing the meaning of it Demonstrating is to give examples to illustrate the ideas Explaining, interpreting, or demonstrating ideas in a foreign language appears rather difficult, especially for those having poor English Hence, almost all of the participants with low level of English chose this way to ensure that their foreign colleagues received the message Repetition and focus on the key Source: Bovée, Thill, and Schatzman 44 points help them to convey their ideas easily Therefore, it could be assumed that this is one of the most effective ways in this phase In addition, some other ways provided by the informants prove to be quick and useful such as notifying or asking the foreign colleagues directly to confirm whether they get the message or not “Watching their reactions” also appears effective We should be alert to signs of confusion in our listeners and bear in mind that nods and smiles not necessarily mean understanding If the foreign colleagues not seem to understand us, clarify the message with repetition and examples by rephrasing the sentences and using the simpler words In this phase, grabbing attention of the foreign colleagues is no less important According to the survey results presented in the previous chapter, direct ways to require their foreign colleagues’ concentration in the conversation remained at 29.7% of the participants while this increased to 60.39% for individuals who captured attention indirectly This could be explained that the culture had influence on the respondents’ different options Vietnamese people hardly say something frankly It is often thought that frankly speaking might make other people frustrated or feel annoyed This is the reason why those ticked to the answer of “stop for a while” or “ask them to give feedback” were in a majority within the surveyed informants The survey also shows that only 5.94% of the total participants used gestures to catch attention of their foreign colleagues As discussed earlier, nonverbal communication and gestures are not highly appreciated in Vietnamese culture This could result in their weaknesses in interpreting body language from other cultures Consequently, cross-culture communication is often ruined as incorrect gestures are conveyed As gestures are greatly related to cultures, which vary gesture usage and interpretation, there is a need for learning how to understand and use gestures correctly 45 and effectively This is also one of the principles of effective communication: we should understand that communication is more than the surface meaning of words Someone said that “without nonverbal cues, our world would be colorless.” Therefore, we should bare in mind that the gestures support our conversation rather than give an end to it 4.4 Phase 5: Receiver decodes message Figure 4 The communication process9 Phase 6: Receiver sends feedback Phase 1: Sender has an idea Phase 2: Sender encodes idea Phase 3: Sender transmits message CHANNE L AND MEDIUM Phase 5: Receiver decodes message Phase 4: Receiver gets message When the receiver decodes message, it is necessary to check frequently for comprehension before moving on 36.21% of the total participants wanted an explanation from their foreign colleagues and only one fourth asked for repetition when they did not understand comprehensively the message By these ways, the foreign colleagues would not know what the Vietnamese staffs were clear about and what not clear Meanwhile, other 38.79% would tell their foreign colleague what meaning they grasped to check whether they were correct or not This might be the most effective way to comprehend the foreign colleagues’ idea as the message is exchanged by both sides Another Source: Bovée, Thill, and Schatzman 46 conclusion drawn in this situation is that in case the Vietnamese staffs are poor at English, they would like their foreign colleagues repeat the key points rather than give them explanation Foreign colleagues should be told not to explain to those who are not good at English but simply repeat what they have said so that the Vietnamese staffs can totally understand the message 4.5 Phase 6: Receiver sends feedback Figure The communication process10 Phase 6: Receiver sends feedback Phase 1: Sender has an idea Phase 2: Sender encodes idea Phase 3: Sender transmits message CHANNE L AND MEDIUM Phase 5: Receiver decodes message Phase 4: Receiver gets message When their foreign colleagues sent feedback, half of entire informants listened to them carefully It is one of the most important principles of effective communication (See previous part for more details) “Listen is the greatest gift we give anther person.” (“How to listen – how to be heard” Yourcommunicationconnection) Listening with full attention lets our foreign colleagues know that we respect them and are interested in the conversation Furthermore, it shows our positive impression, develops the relationship between us and our foreign colleagues, and demonstrates our care toward the 10 Source: Bovée, Thill, and Schatzman 47 communicators “A bore is a person who talks when you wish him to listen.” (Ambrose Bierce)11 Possibly, their opinion is different or even contrary to ours but it is unwise to deny it immediately We had better put ourselves in others’ situation to understand their point of view, thus accept the differences in other cultures without judging them On the contrary, unfortunately, only 10.66% selected the option “do not criticize” and 14.75% participants did not interrupt their foreign colleagues when they were talking This is against the last principle of effective communication which is showing our respect and not to interrupt when someone is talking We should listen carefully and patiently and let other people finish what they have to say Interruption might make us miss some important information Worse still, it shows a lack of respect for our listeners In brief, it is not necessary to interrupt with pointless questions Interruption or criticism is considered as impolite or uncouthly, thus should be avoided Moreover, 22.13% of the total respondents asked questions to motivate their foreign colleagues’ response, which proves that these people were really active in listening Raising questions to their foreign colleague not only interests the communicator but helps them to fully understand what he/she is saying as well “Your best approach is to listen deeply, ask questions for clarification to make sure you understand the situation, and then, only then, ask the person what they would like from you.” (“Leadership and Management Successful Tips” About.com) In summary, the results of the survey revealed that the Vietnamese staffs showed both strengths and weaknesses in communicating with their foreign colleagues Accordingly, recommendations on better communication were given in each phase of communication process In phase 2, before starting a conversation with foreign counterparts, we should take into consideration all factors ranging from the audience – foreign colleagues to topic, structure/flow to deliver the content of the topic, length of 11 Source: http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/crosscuttings/communication_f2f.html 48 the topic, message form, and tone as they are closely interrelated to each other This will facilitate next steps to go smoothly Phase is when we transmit message Choosing appropriate communication channel and medium depends on different kinds of message and the speed of sending it, which influence the effectiveness of communication When foreign colleagues receive the message, we had better check if they get it or not, make sure they understand by repeating and focusing on the main points, which is considered as the most effective ways according to the survey results In addition, it is important to capture attention of foreign colleagues in either direct or indirect way Using gestures contributes to make the conversation more interesting and pleasant When we decode the message in phase 5, it is necessary to ask for clarification to avoid misunderstanding For those who are not really good at English, they should ask their foreign counterpart to repeat rather than explain the ideas The last phase is no less important than the others Listening carefully while we are receiving feedback of our colleagues is one of the most crucial principles of effective communication It may not wise to interrupt or criticize our colleagues as it is seen impolite Raising questions shows that we are active listeners and facilitates response from both sides To conclude, once we apply these principles in each phase of communication process, there will be no communication breakdown 49 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 5.1 Conclusion In general, the thesis presented a quick look on verbal communication issues including its process, types, forms and styles In addition, principles and benefits of effective communication, consequences of poor communication and barriers to effective communication with foreign colleagues were also included In order to achieve the objectives of the paper, a research on Vietnamese staff’s communication skills with foreign colleagues was carried out in a number of foreign companies and organizations in Hanoi From the findings, we could come to the conclusion that Vietnamese staff lack of certain essential skills when they communicated with their foreign counterparts Those shortcomings in communication mostly stemmed from cultural differences Accordingly, a number of recommendations on how to communicate more effectively with foreign colleagues were made It is the writer’s hope that this paper will provide you with substantial assistance in better communication with foreigners from different English speaking countries 5.2 Limitations of the study Firstly, although there are various studies on effective communication, few studies have been conducted on communication with foreign colleagues in general and Vietnamese staffs’ communication with their foreign colleagues in foreign companies and organizations in Hanoi in particular Theoretical background for the study, therefore, is limited Secondly, the scope of the study was small as the writer studied this topic for one semester with the limitation of research materials and study subjects The number of 50 study subjects was limited with only 77 respondents This may make the generalizations and recommendations become somehow tentative Finally, the writer did not have many opportunities to access a wide range of foreign companies and organizations in Hanoi to study their communication process more thoroughly As a result, the study though was conducted with all of my effort was not comprehensive 5.3 Suggestions for further study In order to improve the limitations of this research, for further study, more aspects of communication can be the topics for investigation such as written communication and barriers to effective communication with foreigners: • Use of language (jargons, slang, etc.) • Body language • Stereotyping • Cultural identity These barriers can be studied in more details to find out how they have influence on communication between local staffs and their foreign colleagues In addition, the scope of the study can be not only in foreign companies and organizations in Hanoi but throughout the whole country as well 51 REFERENCES Books Bovée, Courtland, John V Thill and Barbara E Schatzman Business Communication Essentials New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2003 Klopprogge, Eddy “Communication.” Mind Gliding, 2005 Wild, John, Kenneth L Wild, and Jerry C.Y Han “International Business.” New Jersey: Prentice Hall 40 Web documents 1000ventures.com 18 Mar 2008 1000ventures.com 27 May 2008 “Body language in business.” Brennerbooks 25 May 2008 “Cultural Values.” Cliffsnotes 23 May 2008 “DN "lạnh nhạt" dần với chứng ngoại ngữ A, B.” Vietnamnet 21 May 2008 I “Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody.” Corsinet.com 24 May 2008 “How face-to-face communication helps at work.” Rediffnews 27 May 2008 http://www.rediff.com/getahead/2006/dec/13face.htm “How to listen – how to be heard.” Yourcommunicationconnection 28 May 2008 “Leadership and Management Successful Tips.” About.com 28 May 2008 “Principles of effective communication.” Sideroad.com May 2008 “Stereotype.” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Media Wiki 23 May 2008 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereotype “The power of your voice.” Nkacatalyst 25 May 2008 “Thực trạng giải pháp phát triển nguồn nhân lực chất lượng cao.” Congnghieponline Jun 2008 “Tone of voice.” Tasgreetings 25 May 2008 II “Understanding body language.” Changingminds 25 May 2008 “Visual communication.” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Media Wiki 28 May 2008 < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_communication> “Your personal space.” Worsleyschool.com 19 May 2008 Documents from electronic database Communication 28 April 2008 Cox, Carol “Social Customs of the World.” 38 May 2008 Perl, Brad, Kerry Murray, and Karen Lutrick Effective oral communication 20 May 2008 < teachingteams.arizona.edu/docs/OralCommunication.pdf> Redhead, Philip How to read body language 19 May 2008 III APPENDIXES Appendix 1: Research Questionnaire QUESTIONNAIRE Hello, my name is Nguyen Thu Huyen, a last-year student of Hanoi Foreign Trade University I am doing research on “How to communicate effectively with foreign colleagues in foreign organizations and companies” I would be very grateful if you could help me answer this questionnaire All the information will be kept confidential and only serve the researching purposes If you have any questions, feel free to contact me through my email: nguyenthuhuyen86@gmail.com Thank you very much for your help!!! Please put a tick () when appropriate or answer the questions Your gender: male female Your current Occupation: Managers or higher Senior staff Junior staff Internship Type of your organization/company: 100% foreign invested company Joint venture Company NGO Vietnam NGO Others (please specify): IV You think your English is: Excellent Good Fair Poor How long have you been working with foreign colleagues? Less than years – 15 years More than 15 years Who are mostly your foreign colleagues? Native English speakers Non-native English speakers How often you usually communicate with foreign colleagues? Everyday A couple of days in a week Once a week Rarely Before starting a conversation with your foreign colleagues, what you often take into consideration? Your foreign colleagues Topic Structure/flow to deliver the content of the topic Length of the topic Message form (words, facial expression, gesture) Tone Others (please specify): What kind of oral communication you often use? Face-to-face V Phone Voice mail 10 What kind of written communication you often use? Emails Memos Social network sites (such as Facebook) 11 What would you to make sure that your foreign colleagues get your message? Repeat, brief and emphasize the key points Explain &/or interpret Demonstrate Other ways (please specify): 12 What you often to get attention from your foreign colleagues? Stop for a while Ask them to pay attention Ask them if they are interested in the conversation Ask them to give feedback of what you have said Use your gestures (please specify): Other ways (please specify: 13 What you often when you not totally understand the message of your foreign colleagues? Ask them to repeat Ask them to explain more clearly Tell them what you understand to check whether it is correct or not Other ways (please specify): VI ... 3.2.2 How Vietnamese staff communicate with their foreign colleagues .29 CHAPTER 4: DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW TO COMMUNICATE MORE EFFECTIVELY WITH FOREIGN COLLEAGUES IN FOREIGN ORGANIZATIONS. .. Explaining means to clarify something in more details and more simply Interpreting is to expound or in other words, to repeat the message in other way without changing the meaning of it Demonstrating... barriers to effective communication with foreign colleagues? • How Vietnamese staff communicate with their foreign colleagues at workplace? • What are the best ways to communicate with foreign colleagues