Similarly, our reading skills often leave a good deal to be desired. Recent studies indicate that approximately 38 percent of the adults in the United States have

trouble reading the help-wanted ads in the newspaper, 14 percent cannot fill out a check properly, 26 percent can't figure out the deductions listed on their paycheques, and 20 percent are functionally illiterate. Even those who do read may not know how to read effectively. They have trouble extracting the important points from a document, so they cannot make the most of the information presented.

College student are probably better at listening and reading than are many other people, partly because they get so much practice. On the basis of our own experience, no doubt realise that our listening and reading efficiency varies tremendously, depending on how we approach the task. Obtaining and remembering information takes a special effort.

Although listening and reading obviously differ, both require a similar approach. The first step is to register the information, which means that you must tune out distractions and focus your attention. You must then interpret and evaluate the information, respond in some fashion, and file away the data for future reference.

The most important part of this process is interpretation and evaluation, which is no easy matter. While absorbing the material, we must decide what is important and what isn't. One approach is to look for the main ideas and the most important supporting details, rather than trying to remember everything we read or hear. If we can discern the structure of the material, we can also understand the relationships among the ideas.

BASICS OF INTERCULTURAL BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

As Bill Davila knows, the first step in learning to communicate with people from other cultures is to become aware of what culture means. Our awareness of intercultural differences is both useful and necessary in today's world of business.

UNDERSTANDING CULTURE

Person may not realise it, but he belongs to several cultures. The most obvious is the culture he shares with all other people who live in the same country. But this person also belongs to other cultural groups, such as an ethnic group, a religious group, a fraternity or sorority, or perhaps a profession that has its own special lan­guage and customs.

So what exactly is culture? It is useful to define culture as a system of shared symbols, beliefs, attitudes, values, expectations, and norms for behaviour. Thus all members of a culture have, and tend to act on, similar assumptions about how people should think, behave, and communicate.

Distinct groups that exist within a major culture are more properly re­ferred to as subcultures. Among groups that might be considered subcultures are Mexican Americans in East Los Angeles, Mormons in Salt Lake City, and longshoremen in Montreal. Subcultures without geographic boundaries can be found as well, such as wrestling fans, Russian immigrants, and Harvard M.B.A.s .

Cultures and subcultures vary in several ways that affect intercultural communication:

• Stability. Conditions in the culture may be stable or may be changing slowly or rapidly.

• Complexity. Cultures vary in the accessibility of information. In North America information is contained in explicit codes, including words, whereas in Japan a great deal of information is conveyed implicitly, through body language, physical context, and the like.

• Composition. Some cultures are made up of many diverse and disparate subcultures; others tend to be more homogeneous.

• Acceptance. Cultures vary in their attitudes toward outsiders. Some are openly hostile or maintain a detached aloofness. Others are friendly and co-operative toward strangers.

As you can see, cultures vary widely. It's no wonder that most of us need special training before we can become comfortable with a culture other than our own.

DEVELOPING INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS

When faced with the need (or desire) to learn about another culture, we have two main approaches to choose from. The first is to learn as much as possible—the language, cultural background and history, social rules, and so on—about the specific culture that you expect to deal with. The other is to develop general skills that will help to adapt in any culture.

The first approach, in-depth knowledge of a particular culture, certainly works. But there are two drawbacks. One is that you will never be able to understand another culture completely. No matter how much you study Ger­man culture, for example, you will never be a German or share the experiences of having grown up in Germany. Even if we could understand the culture completely, Germans might resent our assumption that we know everything there is to know about them. The other drawback to immersing yourself in a specific culture is the trap of overgeneralization, looking at people from a cul­ture not as individuals with their own unique characteristics, but as instances of Germans or Japanese or black Americans. The trick is to learn useful gen­eral information but to be open to variations and individual differences.

The second approach to cultural learning, general development of intercul­tural skills, is especially useful if we interact with people from a variety of cultures or subcultures. Among the skills you need to learn are the following:

• Taking responsibility for communication. Don't assume that it is the other person's job to communicate with you.

• Withholding judgment. Learn to listen to the whole story and to accept differences in others.

• Showing respect. Learn the ways in which respect is communicated— through gestures, eye contact, and so on — in various cultures.

• Empathizing. Try to put yourself in the other person's shoes. Listen carefully to what the other person is trying to communicate; imagine the person's feelings and point of view.

• Tolerating ambiguity. Learn to control your frustration when placed in an unfamiliar or confusing situation.

• Looking beyond the superficial. Don't be distracted by such things as dress, appearance, or environmental discomforts.

• Being patient and persistent. If you want to accomplish a task, don't give up easily.

• Recognizing your own cultural biases. Learn to identify when your as­sumptions are different from the other person's.

• Being flexible. Be prepared to change your habits, preferences, and atti­tudes.

• Emphasizing common ground. Look for similarities to work from.

• Sending clear messages. Make your verbal and non-verbal messages con­sistent.

• Taking risks. Try things that will help you gain a better understanding of the other person or culture.