Global Communication Definition and culture.

If either the sender or receiver isn't

At its root, global communication can be defined proficient in the language being used to send the
just as any communication can: a message is sent message, translation issues can add noise,
from one person or group to another anywhere in distorting the message. Even small cultural
the world., which can be described as a five-step differences can add noise. While most Americans,
process: for example, associate the word "cheers" with
A person or an organization in one country sends a drinking, someone from the UK may informally use
message. the word as a way of saying thank you, or goodbye.
The message is encoded. In Quebec, Canada, a car is often called "un char,"
The message travels through a channel or medium. which most translation services decode as a
The receiver in another country decodes the "chariot" or a "tank."
message.
The recipient receives the message. Global communication becomes more complicated
When it comes to communicating globally, it is when there are multiple recipients from different
usually in the encoding and decoding that cultures with different languages all receiving the
problems occur. As with any communication, same message, as well as when there are more
ensuring that the message is received as it was layers added to the channel. For example, if a
intended is the responsibility of the sender. world leader makes a speech broadcast across the
globe, people from one region may rejoice at the
Examples of Global Communication news, while others may find it offensive. In this
One of the most common forms of global case, the channel itself can involve many different
communication is an email. A person in one layers, as translators, news, editors and
country types a message and clicks the send commentators each interpret the message
button. The message is then encoded into packets differently before passing it on to the intended
which are sent across the internet to the recipient. audiences.
In another country, the receiver logs in and
decodes the message by opening the email, and Global Communication in Business
retrieves the message. Because there are so many different ways
communication can fail in a global context,
When someone from another country reads your businesses must be diligent in reducing as many
company's web page, this too is an example of potential errors as possible, especially those
global communication. The message is written and related to differences in language and culture.
encoded in HTML, uploaded to a server, which is
then accessed across the internet and decoded by Before attempting to do business with people in
a web browser – and perhaps a translation plugin – another country, organizations should become
before the recipient reads it. familiar with cultural differences that can arise in
different contexts. It may be necessary to hire
In both of these examples, noise can distort the consultants who are experienced with that
message or make it undecipherable. In electronic country.
communication, noise can include anything from
typos that change the context of a sentence to a For large ventures, like a major product launch in a
failed internet connection, which could make it different country, Debra Davenport of Purdue
appear that you are not communicating anything at University recommends hiring a team of local
all. specialists from that country, including:

With global communication, encoding and a corporate law firm

decoding the message can be more complicated a protocol and etiquette specialist
than when you are communicating with someone a media consultant
in your own country due to differences in language a human resources and labor law expert
a management consulting firm A common way small businesses first become
a corporate anthropologist involved in global operations is by hiring a firm or
a market research firm consultant from another country, like a company in
Each of these specialists is able to give insights into the United States hiring a software development
local laws and customs to help ensure the new team in India with more affordable rates than
venture doesn't result in unnecessary those who are available locally.
complications or liabilities that could destroy a
company's reputation before they even get started. Throughout their initial conversations, the
Small businesses may not have the budget to bring American manager may be focused on the project
on a team of specialists. However, they still need to requirements, timelines and deliverables. The
be familiar with local laws, culture and language. Indian manager, on the other hand, may be more
focused on building a solid relationship with a new
Language Barriers in Global Business client. After the American manager carefully
Communication explains the project requirements and deliverable
Whenever you are communicating with someone in terms she believes are easy to understand, the
in their language, it is your responsibility to ensure Indian manager has many questions but does not
that the words you use are correct. This includes ask them. Instead, he says, "Yes," and agrees to
advertising and marketing. Over the past several take on the project. Weeks later, when the Indian
decades there have been many large and team completes the first phase of the project, it
successful companies that have made mistakes does not meet the Americans' expectations and the
when translating what they wanted to say to a relationship falls apart.
different language, often with offensive, or even
hilarious, results. Here are a few examples of some This was caused by a cultural nuance, in which the
translation misfires: word "Yes" did not necessarily mean that the
Indian manager understood everything and was in
Germany: Clairol marketed a new curling iron agreement. It was simply a word that he used to
named "Mist Stick." In German, mist means move the relationship forward. Had the American
manure. manager understood this, she could have invested
China: Coca-Cola's name was mistranslated when it more time in fostering their new relationship
began selling its product to the Chinese, who were before assuming that they were in agreement, thus
told to "bite the wax tadpole." avoiding the problem.
Ethiopia: When Gerber began selling its baby food
here, they used the same label design as in other Complications Inherent With Global
countries, featuring a cute infant. In Ethiopia, Communication
however, where not everyone was literate, the Increasing communication from a local to a global
custom was that images on a label only depicted scale has many ramifications beyond cultural
the jar's contents. pitfalls and language barriers. One example is the
Mexico: When Parker Pen began marketing its pens increase in emails and other messages people
to this Spanish country, its motto, "It won't leak in receive every day, many of which are sent from
your pocket and embarrass you" was translated to, different time zones, often when the recipient is
"It won't leak in your pocket and make you not even awake to read them in a timely manner.
pregnant." Many business people now receive up to 200
Thailand: Ikea entered this market using the same emails each day, which is too many to read
Swedish names for its products that it used all over carefully and respond to in a thoughtful manner.
the world. However, many of these names in Thai The result is that many emails are merely scanned
mean "sex," or have sexual implications, before being deleted, or filtered away by software,
like"getting to third base." never to be even read.
Cultural Barriers in Global Business Communication
Business people must be diligent in trying to ensure Despite the risks, operating a business on a global
that the most important emails don't get lost in the level has many benefits that far outweigh those
volume. A legitimate query from a potential new risks. Not only does doing business on a global level
client could get mistaken for spam. An important open up new markets for selling products and
question from a business partner could get lost in a services, it can give you access to resources and
series of replies in an unrelated thread of talent that may not be available locally. While
messages. Additionally, when sending an email, every business is different, it's worthwhile to note
business people have no assurances that the that Coca-Cola didn't stop selling their products
message will be received and read by the recipient. worldwide because of a few translation problems.

Another complication in global communication for As the world has continued to become more tightly
businesses is overcoming the disadvantage you connected and communication technologies have
have when competing with local companies. While continued to evolve, the benefits as a whole can be
face-to-face meetings can be replaced with video illustrated by the market penetration of these new
conference calls, subtleties of body language can't technologies themselves. The more globally
always be captured on video. A frown from an connected the world has become, the faster people
executive during a presentation, for example, is a have adopted new global communication
crucial piece of visual information that you could technologies.
easily miss on video, particularly when that
executive may be off-camera at that moment. The telephone, which was the greatest global
communication technology of its time, replacing
There are many other pieces of important the telegraph, took 71 years to reach a market
information that get lost when you are interacting penetration of 50 percent of homes. Electricity
with someone across the globe. When doing took 52 years to reach the same penetration.
business locally, it's usually quite easy to discern Radios followed, taking 28 years. Color televisions
between a company located in the business took 18 years. Personal computers took only 19
district, whose ads you have noticed on billboards years. Cellphones took 14 years, while internet
and local radio for a number of years, compared to access took only 10 years to reach 50 percent of all
a business located in an apartment building on the homes in the U.S.
outskirts of town. On the other hand, when you are
approached by a company located in a different Because a growing number of companies are
country, you may not have much to go with beyond already competing on a global level, any business
what they state on their website. Finding out more that wants to compete with them must also open
about a foreign firm usually requires much more its channels to communicate effectively with the
time and research. entire world.

On top of that, you may also need to spend more https://www.google.com.ph/search?q=what+is+gl

time researching the region where a foreign obaal+communicatuion&rlz=1C1CHBF_enPH811&o
company is based. You should know, for example: q=what+is+globaal+communicatuion&aqs=chrome.
How strong is their currency? .69i57j0l5.9637j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=U
Is the local economy stable?
Are there trade agreements or tariffs that would 15 interesting facts about international social
affect your business? media use
What recourse will you have if they don't pay their By Patrick Eve October 24th 2012
bills? Compiling our International Guide to Social Media
How will you find out if there are changes in any of has led us to some very strange places in social
these answers? networks.
Benefits of Global Communication
None more so than when exploring the most This culture was particularly prevalent during
popular YouTube sites in Russia. For those who’d Soviet times but re-emerged in the 2000s).
like to know, the third most popular Russian Facebook’s facial recognition technology is coming
YouTube channel is guns and explosives channel under fire from data protection experts in
Dmitri, with an unbelievable 478 million views, and Germany, who claim that the opt-out tagging
2.7 million subscribers (and rising every day). option on Facebook goes against data protection
laws (Google+, which also uses facial recognition
Here are some of our other favourite social media technology, doesn’t come in for the same criticism,
facts and figures that we discovered on our travels: as its suggestion tool is opt-in)
India is tipped to become the largest Facebook
India’s internet use is being driven by mobile. India market in the world by 2015.
has 700m mobile subscribers, with an estimated Over the last decade or so, social media has
200,000 being added every day. evolved from a way to communicate with long lost
Qzone is the most popular social network in China friends to the ultimate method of seeking anything
with a massive 530m users. China’s RenRen has informational. Whether it's for business, news,
130m users, 74% of whom are under 30. marketing or just fun, people worldwide are
Pinterest has a massive 4377% growth rate in the utilizing social media for various meaningful
US, the highest growth anywhere in the world. purposes. Though it is more accessible everywhere
Google+ is particularly popular in South America. than ever before, some countries and regions
Brazil has the third highest number of Google+ access certain platforms more than other channels.
users in the world.
Japan is the only country where Twitter is more Reviewing statistics outlining such usage is a
popular than Facebook. fantastic way to inform your international digital
Vkontakte is Russia’s largest social network, with marketing strategy. Improve the way you promote
110m users (mainly teens). It has 33m unique over social media and grow your market by
visitors per day. Facebook, while still growing, has a understanding which countries use which social
lot of ground to make up. platforms.
Orkut was overtaken by this year by Facebook in
Brazil. But Orkut is still growing at 5% per year and Which Countries Use Social Media the Most?
87% of Orkut users are keeping their profiles, even Which Countries Use Social Media the Most?
if they’re also on Facebook. Have you ever been curious as to which country is
Sweden is the most connected country in the the social media kingpin? Well, in Manila, social
world, topping the World Wide Web Foundation’s media seems to be the main thriller. As of 2018,
global web index in 2012. the Philippines has the highest social media usage
India is just behind the UK in LinkedIn use, with rate in the world, according to the 2018 Global
10.6m people using the site. Digital Report. That is a title the country has also
Internet users in Japan spend longer online than held for the last two years.
users in any other country, at 2.9 hours per day.
Japanese network Mixi has 21m registered users Users in the Philippines spend an average of three
(15m active users) and is more popular than hours and 57 minutes every day on social media.
Facebook (10m active users). That is nearly one-third of the time they spend on
Norwegian brands have an 87% response rate to the internet daily (nine hours and 29 minutes),
questions asked to them on Facebook (compared ranking the Philippines second worldwide for
to a 45% rate in the UK). internet use next to Thailand. You'll find 67 million
There are 40m blogs in Russia, a natural extension residents in the Philippines using Facebook while
of the nation’s tradition of self-publishing (there’s another 10 million surf Instagram. Over 10% of
even a word for the culture of self-publishing – social media users take to YouTube in the
Samizdat – which pre-dates blogging technology. southeastern Asian nation as well.
As a whole, Asia consumes social media to an incorporation of its use into various realms of life,
extensive degree. These are the times spent on whether business or personal.
social channels for multiple high-ranking Asian
countries listed in the 2018 Global Digital Report: According to the Pew Research Center, the social
media landscape in the United States is defined by
Indonesia – three hours and 23 minutes, ranked a combination of long-standing trends and newly-
third regarding average usage of social media emerging behaviours. The landscape is dominated
networks worldwide by Facebook and YouTube usage, with 73% of
Thailand – three hours and 10 minutes, ranked adults spending time posting statuses on Facebook,
fourth and 68% streaming videos on YouTube. For many
Malaysia – three hours a day, ranked eighth young adults ranging from ages 18 to 24, 78% use
The United Arab Emirates – two hours and 56 Snapchat, with 71% of those users visiting the app
minutes, ranked ninth multiple times each day. There are 71% within that
Social media growth continues to accelerate across same age group who scroll, search, and post on
the continent, with Saudi Arabia, in particular, Instagram on a daily basis as well. Half that
showing noticeable progress. Between January percentage uses Instagram while Pinterest (29%),
2017 and 2018, the Middle Eastern country has Snapchat (27%) and the business-centric medium
seen social usage grow by 32%, one percent ahead LinkedIn (25%) are also used to sizeable degrees.
of India. Indonesia (23%) and Vietnam (20%) rank
third and sixth, respectively, showing just how In Canada, Facebook reigns even more supreme
integral social media has become. than it does in the United States, as documented
by the Canadian Internet Registration Authority
What About the U.S. and Canada? (CIRA). From CIRA reports, approximately 77% of
You would expect North America to rank high Canadians are on Facebook. After Facebook,
regarding social media usage since it is the Canadians prefer Instagram and LinkedIn (35%
birthplace of most social media channels, right? As each), followed by Twitter (26%), and then
evidenced by the astonishing numbers that Asia is Snapchat (19%). Social media ranks in Canada as
producing for social media as well as internet use, the third most popular online activity, totalling 67%
North America is not even coming close. of internet usage. If you go by age, you're looking
at most social media users ranging anywhere from
The United States ranks 24th in the world in 18 years old to their early 30s.
average social media usage time at two hours and
one minute while Canada is placed 30th at one Social Network Adoption is Varied
hour and 48 minutes. Also, according to the same Social Network Adoption is Varied
Global Digital Report, neither country has many If you’re looking to equate something to social
new users to boast. Between January 2017 and media usage, national wealth isn’t the metric to
January 2018, there were 9% more social media choose. You might think that the richer a country
users in Canada compared to just 7% in the United is, the more likely it is to have people using social
States of America. Conventional wisdom explains media. But this isn’t necessarily the case.
these figures.
The Middle East technically has just one country
Since social media first became popular in North that features an advanced economy: Israel. Yet,
America and also because internet speeds tend to social media usage is widespread throughout the
be faster on average across the continent, social region and higher than in other areas of the world.
media growth and the time spent waiting for feeds In Jordan, 75% of adults have adapted to the online
to load on the internet will be lower. Though it’s world through social media, and in Lebanon, that
not high, usage is still steady in both Canada and number is slightly lower at 72% of adults, according
the United States, as you might expect given the to the Pew Research Center.
origin of most social networks and the widespread
More standout economies such as Germany and the country. For these reasons and others, social
Japan are noteworthy for their lower social media media has dominated the local landscape.
usage rates, with Germany coming in at 40% usage
by adults and Japan slightly less at 39%. Both rates In Europe, many tend to get their news from social
are much smaller than the global median for social media, with countries such as Italy getting half
media usage among adults, which stands at 53%. their news from it each day, according to surveys.
In countries like Spain, Denmark, and Sweden, at
Regions such as the United Kingdom don't stand least 40% of adults say they get their news from
out as much as you might think either. Average social media more often than not. Facebook,
daily use ranks just below the United States (one considering its strong general standing across the
hour and 54 minutes). The United Kingdom also board, is the top social media site to get local,
saw a minimal bump in new social media users national, and international news in Western
between January 2017 and January 2018 at just Europe, with France, Italy and Denmark topping
5%. Though new users and length of use are 75% of news-seekers on social.
relatively low when compared to other countries,
the United Kingdom has hit an all-time high with its With more live features, more business using social
total number of users, as 83% of the population media to interact with followers, and more people
now use social media channels. using it than ever, most countries turn to social
media for important means. While the reasons for
A recent study by Flint found that Facebook, use may vary, the numbers of users, the length of
Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram time users spend on sites, and the global reach of
rank among the top six most used social media social platforms explains why social media content
outlets across the U.K. Though Facebook, like with is much more valued than ever before.
most countries, reigns supreme in Britain,
Instagram and WhatsApp have enjoyed steady https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/social-
increases. Instagram usage has gone up by 12% media-what-countries-use-it-most-and-what-are-
while WhatsApp usage has moved up 10% since they-using
2016.

One thing you will find in more advanced countries, How to Keep a Conversation Going
such as certain European countries, is that more Dumb Little Man Jan. 18, 2011, 9:55 AM
women tend to use social media than their male
counterparts. For example, in countries such as It happens to the best of us: we're talking to
Spain and Sweden, women are more likely to use someone we've just met, and the conversation is
social networking websites. Throughout Sweden, stalling. We don't know where to take it, how to
72% of women use social media compared to 63% keep it going and the silence is making us feel
of men. That is the result even though more men awkward. Although in the grand scheme of things,
(94%) use the internet as a whole than women these moments are meaningless, they can be quite
(90%). And in Spain, 63% of women use social a burden for you when they happen.
media compared to 54% of men.
I think the biggest problem here is not that
Stay connected to trends and development in awkward feeling though, but the fact that not
digital. Join membership. knowing good ways to keep a conversation going
Why Are These Countries Using Social Media? can make you lose the opportunity to get to know
A paramount reason the Philippines hails as the an otherwise great person.
social media leader worldwide comes down to the
vast amount of user-generated content that is now It is common for conversations with new people to
available as well as the many visitors that travel to have bumps at the beginning. Get them over those
bumps successfully, and you could find yourself
building a beautiful relationship. Here are the best Practice, practice, practice.
5 ways I know to do this: I know many people which had huge problems with
keeping conversations going and now, they can do
Find what to say in your favorite topics. this even with the most shy or uncooperative
We all have things we are passionate about: person. How did they manage to get to this point?
activities, hobbies, projects, goals, ideas or jobs. They've practiced. They consciously pushed
Take some time to make a short but relevant list themselves out of their comfort zones, to meet
with the things you are most passionate about, and new people, to socialize and to apply techniques
would make easy conversational topics for you. like the other 4 mentioned above. Do the same,
Read that list a couple of times and get to know it and you'll see the same kind of results with your
well. Then, when you find yourself in a stalling conversational skills.
conversation, think about the list and find a way to Finally, remember that you don't have to keep a
maneuver the conversation to one of the topics on conversation going no matter what. If you see the
it. person you're talking to is simply refusing to
Ask open ended questions. participate in the conversation and be sociable, you
One way to keep a conversation going is to get the can end the conversation politely and go talk to
other person talking. And the best way to do this is someone else. However, I believe you have the
by addressing her open ended questions. These are responsibility to at least try and make a
questions which require more than simple 'yes' or conversation work. And if you do this well, you will
'no' answers, and offer the possibility of much be significantly more able to make great friends
richer answers. Question like 'What do you think of and influence people.
this event?' instead of 'Do you like this event?'
These kinds of questions encourage people to talk Written on 1/18/2011 by Eduard Ezeanu. Eduard is
and they can be a life saver in stalling a communication coach who teaches people how
conversations. to start a conversation and other essential people
Blurt. skills. He also writes on his blog, People Skills
Often, we find it hard to keep a conversation going Decoded. Photo Credit: Ed Yourdon
not because we can't think of anything to say, but
because we fear the other person won't enjoy that https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-keep-a-
particular subject, fact or opinion we have in mind. conversation-going-2011-1
However, most of time, this fear is not anchored in
This is where blurting comes in. Blurting is a
conversational technique which means saying
whatever you're thinking about in that moment,
instead of censoring yourself. Give it a try, and
you'll discover that people are not that harsh and
they can enjoy a lot of things in a conversation.
Let the other person end the silence.
Most people are uncomfortable with silences in a
conversation. When one occurs, they immediately
try to fill it by finding something to say. You can use
this to keep a conversation going. When for
example, you've just met a person at a party,
you're talking and the conversation is stalling, do
not leave that person and go find the peanuts or
something like that. Instead, hang in there and let
the silence work for you. Most of the time, the
other person will eventually pick up the
conversation and end the silence.