Giving Voice to the 'Silent Language' with a Practical Communication Model

Some of my recent LinkedIn articles have included, in chart form, an analysis of communication breakdowns between Japanese and non-Japanese. Some readers have dubbed the model a "chart," others a "pyramid model," and yet others a "triangle chart." I don't care what it's called, as long as it helps people better understand each other. Today, I'd like to take a step back and introduce the actual model that frames these stories, as well as the model's intended purpose. My hope is that some background information will provide clarity to the stories presented in past and future posts.

The Power of Storytelling

My training programs and workshops are crafted around stories. I use this approach for several reasons. First, I come from a long line of Irish storytellers, so it's in my DNA. Second, when you boil it all down, intercultural communication is about humans connecting with humans. What better way to humanize and connect people from different tribes than telling stories? Lastly, the human mind is structured to absorb information from stories, and it works even better if the stories are compelling and engaging. I'll let readers decide if my stories meet that standard.

My model is, in essence, a reinvention of the classic “Iceberg model." Predictably, the mother of this reinvention was necessity: I needed to create a framework—a vessel—into which I could pour my stories, a way to breathe life into my workshops by examining actual examples of cross-cultural human interactions. The beauty of this model is that it not only works across cultures, it works with any human interaction, and does so by highlighting the limited role of spoken language in the communication process.

Why Reinvent the Iceberg?

For answers, we turn to Edward T. Hall:

“The essence of cross-cultural communication has more to do with releasing responses than with sending messages. It is more important to release the right response than to send the right message.”

Whether we want to admit it or not, communication is strategic. As Hall points out, it's not so much what is said, it's what is heard that matters most. Any salesperson worth his or her salt knows this intuitively. It's all about getting others to buy what you’re selling, whether it’s a widget, an analysis of a situation, a proposal, or just an offer of friendship. In all cases, it's about releasing a desired response. My hope is that this model's framework can be used as a tool in helping people effectively release desired responses in their interactions.

Disclaimer

A theoretical model such as this could never come close to capturing the complex cognitive processes that hum and buzz and swirl through the human mind. This model was built for practicality and accessibility.

So without further ado, the Japan Insight Communication Model.

The Reinvented Iceberg

Like the iceberg model, my model is built on the premise that language is but the tip of the iceberg, an important communication tool for sure, but not enough to fully connect people in deep, meaningful ways.

With that backdrop, let's take a peek below the linguistic surface to glimpse what Edward T. Hall coined "the silent language,” those sneaky hidden differences that keep us all thoroughly confused about each other.

Thoughts & Intentions

The first level below the spoken word represents our thoughts and intentions. Stating the obvious, our words don’t always match what we’re actually thinking. But whether we’re being honest about them or not, our thoughts and intentions greatly influence what we say.

Assumptions & Preconceptions

Going deeper, our thoughts and intentions are products of our assumptions and preconceptions about the world. Sometimes we are conscious of them and sometimes we’re not. An apt analogy is that a fish doesn’t know what water is—unless, of course, you pull that fish out of the water then put it back in. (Sort of what happens to humans when they leave their own culture to immerse themselves in another.) Whether we are conscious of them or not, our assumptions and preconceptions have a profound impact on how we process information about the world.

The Power of Values

Moving down to the base of the model are the sneaky but all-powerful bottom-dwellers: our values, traditions, and experiences. Values are often described as the concept of “ought-ness”—what your culture says you ought to do in any given situation. Think of them as primary assumptions about reality, what a given culture believes is "good." Values are the ghostly puppet masters hiding behind the curtains of culture, invisible abstractions packed with more power than most of us realize.

Limitations of Values

But even values have limitations. Values can't ensure that humans actually put them into practice. Using my own culture as an example, Westerners are said to put premium value on "the truth," and yet—surprise, surprise—we have more than our fair share of liars! The Japanese are said to value harmony, but they are not always harmonious; if true harmony can not be achieved in Japan, the next best option is a painfully polite fa?ade of harmony.

In short, values are cultural ideals that dictate our social norms, but they can’t ensure we actually follow those norms. Regardless, values have a profound impact on how we think, communicate, work, and behave.

In Summary

Summarizing my communication model from the bottom-up:

• Values, traditions, and experiences feed into our assumptions and preconceptions about the world.
• Our assumptions and preconceptions color our thoughts and intentions.
• Our thoughts and intentions influence how we use language.

What's In It for Me?

In this fragile, fragmented world that we share, we clearly need more, not less, human connections. I'd be thrilled if this communication model can serve as a useful tool in helping people of all persuasions create stronger human bonds.

Breathing Life Into the Communication Model

Lastly, to animate my model, I included an example (below) of an interaction that often happens when uninitiated non-Japanese visit a Japanese home. With the caveat that similar "humble" behaviors are known to happen in my own culture, the model analyzes a typical cross-cultural breakdown that plays out every day in Japan and is surely happening somewhere as you read this. Just imagine all the opportunities for miscommunication when the Olympics roll around. I predict that Japan and its foreign guests will set new world records in finding ways to misunderstand each other. Should be fun. :)

Japan Insight has combined forces with Destination West and is now based in Japan. We offer insightful workshops aimed at improving customer service and building healthy cross-cultural relationships. If that's not enough, we make it fun, so it sticks. If you'd like to learn more, please contact me through LinkedIn or [email protected].

Copyright ? Timothy Sullivan, 2019