Topic > Analysis of communication style in Japan vs. America

Index IntroductionRole of Behavior in Communication StyleDifferences of Verbal and Nonverbal CommunicationRecommendations for Intercultural Communication StyleConclusionReferencesIntroductionAccording to Hofstede's theory, we can see that America is an individualistic country, with relatively high uncertainty avoidance and an indulgence, and good performance on the country's reward system. Because Americans focus on work content, career and professionalism. Furthermore, the path of leadership in America is always managed by professional managers. According to the Trompenaar theory, America is an emotional country, the main business goal for them is to increase economic profit. However, in Japan, they have relatively higher power distance, masculinity power, and long-term orientation. As for the reward system, the Japanese focus on social benefits, pay for the partners' relationship, and provide rewards based on fairness. As for leadership styles, they are based on family, family plays a very important role and the main focus is family orientation. I think the most interesting and biggest difference is their different communication style. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayRole of Behavior in Communication StyleThere are a few different aspects to their communication style. They all have verbal and non-verbal language, but they have different behaviors and meanings to express in these two cultures. First, Japan is a high-context country, accustomed to bowing its head at the first meeting or meeting important people, and likes to use inferences and metaphors to express its thoughts. They focus on the communication process, but their communication style is implicit, for example they use “I'll try”, “that sounds like a good idea”, “let me think about it” etc. Also, the communication style between superiors and inferior is totally different from America because Japan is a high hierarchy country, obviously they have a dividing line between people at different levels. Also, “Face” in Japan is very important. They have strict moral standards, as Fuki said: "behavior is not governed by any internal principle, but by an external feeling of shame" (114). I think this is one of the reasons why Japanese people don't like to say no and prefer to keep silent on normal occasions when they communicate. Their aim is to maintain harmony and it is a polyconic country dedicated to relationships, they are truly careful about their moral behaviors and thoughts. It is flexible and relatively easy for them to change the plan. They don't care about the deadline because Japanese people think that relationship is the key to success. But America is a low-context country that prefers to speak very directly, paying more attention to the outcome. They simply say no if they are not willing to carry out the expected missions such as “no”, “I can't do that” etc. They focus on facts and convenience. It is a monochorionic culture that has a fixed schedule, they can only do one task at a time. According to them, they think that time is money, they don't want to waste time dealing with the relationship by taking communication, they just want to get a response and take action to end it. They are used to taking the deadline seriously. Failing to plan means failure. In this situation, they have a relatively low hierarchy. From this we can see that they like short-term relationships and respect privacy. Differences in verbal and non-verbal communication Regarding thenon-verbal communication, have big differences. In Japan, the double-sided business card with one slide in Japanese and the other in English is always used as the first case study. But in America they only have one slide cards like most other countries. Furthermore, maintaining silence is very important on some occasions, especially during meetings. Also, a long pause is allowed during the conversation, they don't need to say something during this joke but in America silence will make people feel uncomfortable and more nervous, they will try to make the atmosphere active and say some funny words. In addition, there are some tattoos in Japanese culture, as a small gift when going on a business trip, it is very important and welcome. Furthermore, 4 and white represent unlucky ones. So, you can't buy white flowers or white greeting cards for your friends or partners in Japan. Also, when they make presentations they always go from the highest level to the lowest, but in America there are not so many aspects to consider. We can still see some differences regarding gestures in the communication process between these two countries. In Japan people try to avoid twitching their eyes, make fewer arm gestures and, to show respect, always lower their heads and close their eyes. Unlike Americans, they like to make eye contact, nodding means agreement, they like to hug and use arm gestures. From the above, we can see some nonverbal differences in communication style between Japan and America. According to the above, we can see some differences in communication style between them. Even in the business sector, performances are very different. Americans focus on profit and are very honest and never say nice words just for their own superficial gain, as in the case between Daimler and Chrysler, when Americans find out that the German company is lying to them, they solve the problem law directly and powerfully . From the case “This is why Kirk Kerkorian, Chrysler's largest shareholder, is suing Daimler for $9 billion, accusing them of fraud. “Apparently in Germany you can say pretty much whatever you want to a company's shareholders,” says Terry Christensen, Kerkorian's lawyer. “Here in the United States, what you tell shareholders must be true” (91) The simple and strong way of Americans can show the Germans their power, they don't like tricks or metaphors, they just like to say it and do it. However, the Japanese always try to make communication more pleasant and indirectly refuse some proposed through other words or ways of expressing oneself For example, I met a Japanese girl Ami, she is an exchange student from Japan, when I asked her to come with me to get some food, she always says: "I have to do some homework, maybe. later." Or "I'm not sure if..." I know he is carefully maintaining our friendship, but as far as I'm concerned, if you don't want to eat, tell me directly. Not only this, but also that in some business meeting or conference a Tokyo site wrote that in many traditional companies in Japan these are essentially public ceremonies to officially sanction something that has already been widely discussed and decided behind closed doors. Therefore, raising issues or expressing one's opinion could be seen as disturbing the group consensus, even if done with the best of intentions. The addition of new companies in Japan are essentially public ceremonies to officially sanction something that has already been extensively discussed and decided behind closed doors. Therefore, raise issues or express your personal opinion.375-387.