Cross-Cultural Understanding

KURNIA RAMADHANI ( 14018008 )

TIFFANY ( 14018018 )
IRMA YESI FITRI ( 14018005 )
 BEHAVIOR

English-Speaking friend’s behaviour is different from

our own behaviour in Indonesia which start from the
way they speak and act differently from our own.
This such differences create noise or
misunderstanding.

Here list of questions to show you the various

aspect of behaviour in conversation that often
different.
 1. Where do you stand, where do you sit, how
much space is there between people when
talking
In Indonesia, people tend to sit closer
In British, people who are
to the speaker or listener. It happens
talking sit a little bit far from
because many barriers when they
their listeners. For instance, they
communicate eache other. They
are in living room sitting on the
decide to sit closer each other. For
sofa. The one sits near left side
instance, a person comes to
or right side of the sofa,
someone’s house, then she/he invite
meanwhile, the other one sits far
to have sit. It is proven by custom that
from the first person. They
sitting closer to person who talk to
seldom sit closest each other
can listen to the speaker clearly.
 2. When do you look people in the eyes, when do
yo avoid eye contact?
In British, when peope
communicate, they excatly look into
the eyes. If they do not look in the
eyes, it means they are not in the
communication and speakers feel
that they do not involve in the
communication. British people keep
good eye contact with the person.
In Indonesia, sometimes people
do not look into people’s eyes.
When they are communicating,
people avoid eye contact. In the
context, she/he looks into another
things. For instance, they look to
another object, their books, or
mobile phone.
 3. Gestures, how do you point at something?

For British peole, pointing something

should be pointed directly by doing
gestures and also talk. It is not polite
for them if they want to point
something without gesture any more
just by doing talking. For exampe, a
mom and her son in the living room. A
son asks to the mom, “ Mom could
you show me where is my socks?”. A
mom is talking and doing gesture.
Gesture that he shows by showing
index finger.

In Indonesia, when we want to

point something, we just show
it by saying it. They do not
show it directly by doing
gesture.
 4. When and how do you touch people and when
do you not touch ?
In British, for people who know
them well, touch is a very
powerful means of
communication. People touch
person softly, indirectly
touching such like person shock
other person. In another case,
people do not touch stranger
except handsake.

In Indonesia, people touch

when they greet someone
while they talking each other.
They touch people strongly.
They act such like they want to
hit other people. It is not in
communicating but also when
people want to greet someone.
 5. How do you show that you are listening ?
In British, people show that they
are listening by facing to people
who talk to. They also look into
their eyes. They listen to people
without interrupting them when
they are speaking. In
communicating, people do not do
another things.

In Indonesia, people show their

listening by facing to people who
talk to. Sometimes, they do
another things while in
communicating and say “ Ya, saya
mendengarkan.”
 6. What titles and name are used ? Is equality or
inequality emphasized ?

In British, people use name for calling someone. They do not use their title
such like, Doctor Tom. They do not use doctor, when they are in
communicating. They just use ‘you’ as the name in communication. The
pronoun ‘you’ emphasize to the people who talk to.

While in Indonesia, people really respect especially if they

communicate with older people. They use ‘Bapak’ and ‘Ibu’ when they
communicate.
 7. How do you open and close a
conversation?
In British, people open the convesation by asking weather. By asking
weather, people start to make conversation. While for closing
conversation, firstly people look into their watch and say “ I have to go
now.”

In Indonesia, people open the conversation by greeting and say want

they want to say. For closing conversation, people tend to chit chat
firstly then say that they should do leave taking.
 8. How do you praise and compliment people?

In British, people directly compliment someone without doing chit chat

anymore. For example, he/she says, “ Your shoes are really nice” They
do not talk anything that do not related to the topic.

While in Indonesia, people are reluctant saying praise to the other.

They tend to say another thing to start saying compliment. For
example, they want to compliment someone’s shoes, but they say that
they like the shoes and ask where the shoes buy. Actually they want to
compliment that the shoes are really nice.
 9. How much or how little do you talk? Is
there silence or repetition?
In British, people talk just little
and seldom to do repetitiom.
When they communicate, they
really listen to what speaker talk
about. That is why they seldom
even never do repetition.

In Indonesia, people sometimes

do repetition. It caused by people
do not look into their eyes, do
not listen well in communication
that is why they sometimes ask
repetition.
 10. How do you take turn in the conversation ?

Many people do not how to take turn in conversation because most of

people cannot stand for long time hearing people talking. In British,
people take turn when people have finished to talk and other people
start to talk. If they really want to cut conversatiom, they say sorry.

While in Indonesia, people take turn without hesitation to cut

someone’s words. They directly interrupt the speaker. It occurs
misunderstanding because they do not get idea completely.
 11. Do you express emotions? Which ones ? How
?

People tend to show their

emotion while in
communicating. For
example, they are sad
when communicate with
someone. They show it
direclty in
communication. People
tend to express their
emotions by showing
their mimic and face
shape.

It is little bit same as

British people that they
also show their emotion
when they communicate
each other.
 12. What are ‘routines’ for functions such as agreeing, giving
information, advising, thanking, requesting, apologizing.

It is little bit same as Indonesia, british people alslo doing agree. For
example, they are invited to have lunch ,then, they say “ Ok, I agree.”

In giving information, sometimes most of people directly even indirectly to

give information.
13. Do you usually speak directly to the point or
more indirectly?
Most of people in Indonesia usually speak more indirectly. They tend to
say anything before coming to the point or called ‘chit chat’. After long
opening conversation, then, they speak the point.

It is different from western people. They do not like doing chit chat to
speak with people. They often say it directly because they think that
time is money. So they do not want to waste the time.
 14. Do you answer the mobile phone when in a
conversation ? How ?

Most of people in British

answer the mobile phone by
saying sorry to speaker first.
They do not directly go away
from the speaker and leave
spesker to answer the phone.

Many people in Indonesia

answer the mobile by showing
their hand to the speaker or
immediately answer the
phone. They direclt leave the
speaker to answer the phone.
Sometimes, people in
Indonesia saying sorry to
answer the phone.
 Non-verbal language
Getting a waiter’s attention
American Culture Indonesian Culture

1. The customer will raise her 1. The customer will sit on her
hand, then the waiter will chair and wait the waiter
come to her table. (at the come, or they will sit then
restaurant) shout the menu, e.g. “pak nasi
padang satu”. (at the
restaurant)

2. The customer sits then she 2. The customer just come to the
says “Waiter” waiter and says what she
wants to order.
 Beckoning your friends

American Culture Indonesian Culture

1. Someone says ”I’m talking to 1. Someone says, hey Irma I am

you” then, she points the talking to you, then she holds
person by using her finger. Irma’s hand.
 Showing you are sad

American Culture Indonesian Culture

1. Showing her feeling by 1. Showing her feeling by

facial expression, suddenly telling the others directly ,
calm, no smiling, no e.g. “Aku sedih, aku
enthusiasm, careless about bertengkar dengan
others surround her. She sahabatku”. Indonesian
acts like that she is not people like to express
used to be. whatever they feel by using
words rather than only
using facial expression.
 Showing you are embarassed

American Culture Indonesian Culture

1. She will smile, then keep her 1. She will cover her face then
head down, then say “this is goes out.
so embarassed”, then says
“Excuse me”, then she goes
out .
 Showing you are happy

American Culture Indonesian Culture

1. Showing her feeling by 1. Showing her feeling by

facial expression, smiling, telling the others directly ,
whatever she does, she will e.g. “Aku lagi senang, tahu
do it in high entusiasm. tidak kenapa?”. Indonesian
people tends to just tell
other about their feeling
by using words.

American Culturec
1. Showing her feeling by facial 1.
expression, suddenly
becomes harsh in saying
words, and does not answer
when someone that she is
angry with talk to her.
Showing you are angry
Indonesian Culture
Saying directly that she is
angry to the person that she is
angry with, or she will act that
they are stranger each other.

American Culture
1. The buses are completed with 1.
the bell, so if the passanger
had arrived at her destination,
she will press the bell.
Asking a bus driver to stop
Indonesian Culture
The buses are not completed
with the bell, also in the bus
the passangers are talking,
laughing, even the driver is
setting the music loudly, so if
someone wants to say stp, she
will shout loudly, ‘”kiri pak”
 Resolving a dispute

American Culture Indonesian Culture

1. American people tend to be the 1. Indonesian peole tends to

independent people, so if they more open in sharing
have personal problem, they problems, feelings and ideas,
will try to solve it by so if they face some problems
theirselves. they will ask for others advises
and aids in solving their
problems.
 Opening a gift

American Culture Indonesian Culture

1. American people will open 1. Indonesian peole will open the

presents in front of the prson gifts after the person that gives
who gives them the presents, them the gifts leaves them, if
this is because of their they open the gifts in front of
respectness of the people that the person who gives them the
gives them the presents. gifts, it will be considered as
unpoliteness.
 Giving a flower

American Culture Indonesian Culture

1. American people will give 1. Indonesian will give flower for

someone flower for their their mothers in the mother
lovers, mothers, dads, as day, for someone who
conratulation symbol for graduates her education, and
someone’s achievements, for for someone who marries .
the host if they are invited to
come to have dinner.
 Culture in using scraft and veil

In Indonesia

Most of people in
Indonesia are moslem, so
many of them use veil. Veil
symbolizes their religion.
The way they use veil is
varying, for example by
covering waist-to-head,
covering from their chest to
their head and many other
ways depends on how
someone takes a style in
using veil as long as it covers
the “aurat”.
In Australia

People in Australia use

scraft to cover their necks
because the extreme weather
that occurs in that country.
The temperature is really low,
so that if they come out to go
to somewhere they will wear
thick clothes, scraft, long
boots, etc.
In Arab

People in Arab use veil and

scraft for covering their head
because the temperature is
really hot, if they do not cover
their head they will easy to get
dizzy and dehidration.