Communicating Across Cultures

Whether you are operating a global business or working within a highly diverse American workplace, effective intercultural communication skills are critical. In this lecture, you will go well beyond a look at customs to dig deeply into the concepts and research that help explain why we behave the way we do.
Mar 28, 2024

Top 10 Learning Moments

  1. An inclusive environment means that we respect diversity of thought and that everyone has an equal opportunity to be heard and that everyone has an equal responsibility to listen. — Linda Rutherford
  2. When you see diversity among leadership in action, creative ideas get better. — Chris Murphy
  3. Communication is the transfer of meaning. — James O’Rourke
  4. Culture is your way of seeing the world and interacting with others. It’s also about expected patterns of behavior. — James O’Rourke
  5. One of the things we’ve all observed, this year in particular, is that ideas and values are shifting. — James O’Rourke
  6. I fundamentally believe that the job of a marketer is that we only communicate to the public what is reflected internally in the culture. If you don’t, the experience of the consumer will be completely fractured. — Denise Karkos
  7. It’s all about listening, being open, making sure as many people have a voice at the table, resisting the urge to defend, and leaning in to the work to be done. That, to me, is how we can build belief in pivotal times in culture. — Denise Karkos
  8. We are fortunate in that our whole business is based on diversity. The patient populations we serve are minorities. They are the neglected diseases. — Debra Charlesworth
  9. Business enterprises, large and small, have learned that a failure to develop, manage, and nurture organizational culture will come at a steep price. — James O’Rourke
  10. Both Culture and Communication are subjects that are as old as humanity itself. As I’ve discovered, they are worthy of our time, consideration, and a sincere effort to understand both. — James O’Rourke

Interested in learning more?

This series is hosted by ThinkND, the University of Notre Dame’s online learning community that connects you with videos, podcasts, articles, courses, and other resources to inspire minds and spark conversations on everything from faith and politics to science, technology, and your career.

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Featured Speakers

James S. O’Rourke, American rhetorician and Professor of Management at the University of Notre Dame.

Amanda McKendree, Arthur F. and Mary J. O’Neil Director of the Fanning Center for Business Communication, Associate Teaching Professor, University of Notre Dame.

Chris Murphy, VP of Corporate Communications at AT&T

Linda Rutherford, SVP & Chief Communications Officer, Southwest Airlines

Debra Charlesworth, VP of Corporate Communications, BioMarin Pharmaceuticals

“Culture is your way of seeing the world and interacting with others. It’s also about expected patterns of behavior”

– James O’Rourke

What Does It Mean to Live and Work in a Global Economy?

The economy in which we all live and work is more global than ever. Even in the face of nativist, nationalist, and populist political forces, production, manufacturing, trade and growth are globally interdependent. But, even as boundaries shift and alliances change, much about our national, social and ethnic culture remains. Working and thriving in the midst of norms, mores and people we don’t fully understand is a challenge we cannot afford to ignore.

What is Culture?

We’ll offer some definitions about the boundaries and nature of culture, along with its basic characteristics.

Ethnocentrism

All cultures, to one degree or another, display ethnocentrism, or the tendency to evaluate an outsider by the standards of one’s own culture.