21 Definitions Of Culture In One Word

by Cindy King on 26 February, 2010   Share      

Cross-Cultural Twitter Interviews

After looking at some great definitions of culture, here are some even shorter definitions. This time in one word only. These are answers from Cross-Cultural Twitter Interviews of the people I recommend you follow on Twitter for cross-cultural and international insights. These Twitter interviews are carried out in the spirit of having fun, so these one word definitions are not to be taken too seriously.

Of course, it’s difficult to come up with a definition of culture that resonates with everyone.  And it’s impossible to come up with a one word definition that appeals to everyone. This is part of the fun and depends on what you see in this one word.  But I do think this exercise helps us to see “culture” from different perspectives and broadens our understanding of how others perceive culture.

This is why I like combining several one word definitions and coming up with different associations to come up with a variety of different meanings.  This helps me to broaden my own understanding of culture.

One of the responses on Twitter was: Culture is Zappos.  Of course, this isn’t the best definition, but it certainly got me thinking. [click to continue…]

21 Definitions Of Culture

by Cindy King on 19 February, 2010   Share      

Cross-Cultural Twitter Interviews

Culture impacts the way we live. It shapes all aspects of our lives. And yet, we often forget we have a culture. It’s only when we are confronted with different cultures that we realize it exists. With all of the differences in our perceptions of what culture is, it’s not surprising there are many different definitions of culture.

What is culture exactly?  What is culture?

This is the first question I ask on the Cross-Cultural Twitter Interviews I regularly conduct with the people on my list: Cross-Culturall & International People On Twitter. The answers are short and limited to a tweet or two.

Here are some great definitions of culture taken from these Twitter interviews in answer to the question: “What is Culture?” [click to continue…]

Cultural Perceptions Of Women Online

by Cindy King on 5 February, 2010   Share      

Cultural Perceptions

Women have to pay close attention to cultural differences in perceptions. Many times when you make a cultural blunder you don’t realize you’ve made one until much later after the damage is done. Sometimes you never learn of your mistake. And often you’ll realize your mistake when you see the damage it’s done. This is particularly true of non-verbal cross-cultural communication challenges.

I’ve had a couple of reasons recently to think about the cultural differences in how women are perceived and I’d like to share one of these stories with you. I’m fairly sure the woman in this example did not realize the different perceptions people had of her photo.

First Impressions Online Go Farther Abroad

We all know the importance of the  first impression we make.  And when you have a successful online presence it’s natural to want to reach international audiences too. [click to continue…]

5 Cultural Differences In Understanding Appointments

by Cindy King on 10 January, 2010   Share      

Cross-Cultural Differences

Cultural mistakes can happen when doing something as simple as setting an appointment. This follows on from by recent article on cultural confusion about the date of a deadline.

Here are five cultural differences in how we communicate times and dates that can lead to misunderstandings.

1. Fun With Half Hours

Some cultures use expressions where a “half hour” can mean 30 minutes before the hour referenced and not after the hour. This can lead to confusion when “half nine” means 8:30 and not 9:30.

This can happen when a non-native English speaker uses literal translations from their own language which uses such expressions.  But there are even native English speakers in some parts of the world who use similar expressions.

This type of mistake usually happens when speaking as most people write out the numbers. [click to continue…]