Communicating Effectively with the Chinese (Communicating Effectively in Multicultural Contexts)

How can North Americans improve their communication with the Chinese? A useful and efficient approach to understand prevalent cultural assumptions underlying everyday Chinese communicative activities, Communicating Effectively with the Chinese identifies and conceptualizes some of the distinctive communication practices in Chinese culture. Utilizing the self-OTHER perspective as a conceptual foundation, authors Ge Gao and Ting-Toomey portray and interpret the dynamics of Chinese communication. They examine how self-conception, role and hierarchy, relational dynamics, and face affect ways of conducting everyday talk in Chinese culture. They explain why miscommunication between Chinese and North Americans take place and suggest ways to improve Chines/North American communication. By incorporating instances of everyday talk, Gao and Ting-Toomey offer a realistic and clear illustration of the specific characteristics and functions of Chinese communication, as well as problematic areas of Chinese-North American encounters. Adding to the sparse literature on communicating with others of different cultural backgrounds, Communicating Effectively with the Chinese is an insightful resource that will be widely used by professionals and academics in communication, intercultural communication, interpersonal communication, Asian studies, and race and ethnic studies.

Stella Ting-Toomey (PhD, University of Washington) is a professor of human communication at California State University, Fullerton (CSUF). She has published numerous books and over more than 100 articles/chapters on the topics of intercultural conflict competence and ethnic identity negotiation process. A recent book title is Understanding Intercultural Communication, Second Edition (with Leeva Chung; Oxford University Press). Her publications have also appeared in the International Journal of Intercultural Relations, Communication Monographs, Human Communication Research, and The International Journal of Conflict Management, among others. Dr. Ting-Toomey’s teaching passions include intercultural conflict theory and practice and intercultural communication training. She is the 2008 recipient of the 23-campus wide CSU Wang Family Excellence Award, and the 2007–2008 recipient of the CSU-Fullerton Outstanding Professor Award. She has lectured widely throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe on the theme of mindful intercultural conflict competence.