Cultural Space and Personal Space
Spatial changes give tone to communication, accent it, and at times even override the spoken word. Location of a dinner party, meeting, conference makes you see how important it is or not. If someone brought a client to a Burger King versus a five star restaurant, they are conveying something in communication by the space you are bringing them.
Personal space is another form of territory. Each person has around him or her an invisible bubble of space which expands and contracts depending on a number of things; the relationship to the people nearby, the person’s emotional state, cultural background, and the activity being performed. Few people are allowed to penetrate this bit of mobile territory and then only for short periods of time. Changes in the bubble brought about by cramped quarters or crowding cause people to feel uncomfortable or aggressive.
Ways to identify the difference are not always obvious depending the geographical location and culture. Good indication is consistency and frequency. If you notice elements of a culture that are consistent with most people you meet, it's probably a cultural theme. On the contrary, if you find something that seems outlandish or different from the majority of the culture you are probably dealing with a personal space issue. Sometimes an actual location can be a cultural norm rather than personal. An example would be the fact that certain cultures value certain spaces, some more obvious than others. In the United States, our culture values sports and the multi-million dollar complexes that go along with them. The United States takes values in investing in spaces for entertainment and venues for sports games and concerts. There are very few countries who invest not only in the quality of venues you see, but also in the quantity as you will find them in many states you visit. Saudi Arabia does not have large athletic venues for sports teams and entertainment because they choose to invest their money in other things.
A cardinal rule for entering any situation whether you are in a foreign country or not is to always be respectful and responsible. Every culture is different and culture is not always the same among all who inhabit a specific country. The United States is very diverse in it's culture so that is why in order to be effective in cross culture communication, you must learn to adapt to cultural communication norms that fit the person you are speaking with so that they feel comfortable. One cannot know every culture and their communication styles perfectly, but learning and researching and respecting is a pretty good start.
Spatial changes give tone to communication, accent it, and at times even override the spoken word. Location of a dinner party, meeting, conference makes you see how important it is or not. If someone brought a client to a Burger King versus a five star restaurant, they are conveying something in communication by the space you are bringing them.
Personal space is another form of territory. Each person has around him or her an invisible bubble of space which expands and contracts depending on a number of things; the relationship to the people nearby, the person’s emotional state, cultural background, and the activity being performed. Few people are allowed to penetrate this bit of mobile territory and then only for short periods of time. Changes in the bubble brought about by cramped quarters or crowding cause people to feel uncomfortable or aggressive.
Ways to identify the difference are not always obvious depending the geographical location and culture. Good indication is consistency and frequency. If you notice elements of a culture that are consistent with most people you meet, it's probably a cultural theme. On the contrary, if you find something that seems outlandish or different from the majority of the culture you are probably dealing with a personal space issue. Sometimes an actual location can be a cultural norm rather than personal. An example would be the fact that certain cultures value certain spaces, some more obvious than others. In the United States, our culture values sports and the multi-million dollar complexes that go along with them. The United States takes values in investing in spaces for entertainment and venues for sports games and concerts. There are very few countries who invest not only in the quality of venues you see, but also in the quantity as you will find them in many states you visit. Saudi Arabia does not have large athletic venues for sports teams and entertainment because they choose to invest their money in other things.
A cardinal rule for entering any situation whether you are in a foreign country or not is to always be respectful and responsible. Every culture is different and culture is not always the same among all who inhabit a specific country. The United States is very diverse in it's culture so that is why in order to be effective in cross culture communication, you must learn to adapt to cultural communication norms that fit the person you are speaking with so that they feel comfortable. One cannot know every culture and their communication styles perfectly, but learning and researching and respecting is a pretty good start.
