DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW TO COMMUNICATE MORE EFFECTIVELY WITH FOREIGN COLLEAGUES IN FOREIGN ORGANIZATIONS

Barriers to effective communication with foreign colleagues...17 2.8.1.. Besides, principles of effectivecommunication, benefits of effective communication,consequences of poor communica

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF FIGURES i

LIST OF TABLES i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Rationale of the study 1

1.2 Objectives of the study 1

1.3 Scope of the study 2

1.4 Methodology of the study 2

1.5 Structure of the study 3

CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 4

2.1 The communication process 4

2.2 Communication types 6

2.2.1 Verbal communication 6

2.2.2 Non-verbal communication 6

2.3 Communication forms 10

2.3.1 Written communication 10

2.3.2 Oral communication 11

2.3.3 Visual communication 11

2.4 Communication styles 11

2.4.1 Aggressive communication 12

2.4.2 Passive communication 12

2.4.3 Passive-aggressive communication 13

2.4.4 Assertive communication 13

2.5 Principles of effective communication 13

2.6 Benefits of effective communication 15

2.7 Consequences of poor communication 16

2.8 Barriers to effective communication with foreign colleagues 17

2.8.1 Cultural differences 18

2.8.2 English language performance 19

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY AND ANALYSIS 22

3.1 Methodology 22

3.1.1 Study design 22

3.1.2 Research Instrument 22

3.1.3 Participants’ characteristics 23

3.1.4 Brief on the survey questions 23

3.1.5 Data processing 24

3.2 Findings 25

3.2.1 Response rate 25

3.2.2 How Vietnamese staff communicate with their foreign

colleagues 29

CHAPTER 4: DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW TO COMMUNICATE MORE EFFECTIVELY WITH FOREIGN COLLEAGUES IN FOREIGN ORGANIZATIONS AND COMPANIES 39

4.1 Phase 2: Sender encodes idea 39

4.2 Phase 3: Sender transmits message 43

4.3 Phase 4: Receiver gets message 44

4.4 Phase 5: Receiver decodes message 46

4.5 Phase 6: Receiver sends feedback 47

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 50

5.1 Conclusion 50

5.2 Limitations of the study 50

5.3 Suggestions for further study 51

REFERENCES I APPENDIXES IV

Appendix 1: Research Questionnaire IV Appendix 2: Raw data for Questionnaire collected on 17 May 2008 .VIII

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 2 1 Communication process 5

Figure 3 1 Respondents’ sex distribution 25

Figure 3 2 Level ranked by the respondents 27

Figure 3 3 Response rate by frequency of communication ….29

Figure 3 4 Factors considered before starting a conversation 30

Figure 3 5 Ways of confirmation 33

Figure 3.6 Ways to draw attention 34

Figure 3 7 Ways to ensure understanding 36

Figure 3 8 Ways to receive feedback 37

Figure 4 1 The communication process 40

Figure 4 2 The communication process 43

Figure 4 3 The communication process 44

Figure 4 4 The communication process 46

Figure 4 5 The communication process 47

LIST OF TABLES

Table 3 1 Occupation of surveyed staff 26

Table 3 2 Type of organization or company 26

28

Table 3 4 Channel and medium 31

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Rationale of the study

Communication is the essential need of human It has incessantlyimproved and developed during our whole life Communication helps

us to acquire and increase knowledge from the outside world andstrengthen relations between people, especially those from differentcultures and countries In workplace, many organizations are losingvaluable business opportunities because they have failed to recognizethe fundamental importance of effective communication It iscommunication breakdown that is at the root of conflicts ormisunderstanding among colleagues Staff’ success also depends notonly on professionalism and diligence but their individual relationshipsand communication skills as well

In Vietnam nowadays, the country is integrating into the globalvillage More and more foreign companies and organizations havebeen sprung up like mushroom Therefore, communication skills withforeign counterparts play an important role in enhancing the efficiencyand effectiveness of their work Vietnamese staff’s ability tocommunicate with foreigners has become a subject of discussion;however, few studies on it have been carried out That is the reason

why I chose the topic for this thesis as “How to communicateeffectively with foreign colleagues in foreign organizations andcompanies.”

1.2 Objectives of the study

The study aims to:

 Provide an overall idea about communication

 Investigate how Vietnamese staff communicate with their foreigncounterparts

 Find out how to communicate more effectively with foreigncolleagues

Research questions of the study include the followings:

 What is communication process?

 What are communication types?

 What are communication forms?

 What are communication styles?

 What are principles of effective communication?

 What are benefits of effective communication?

 What are consequences of poor communication?

 What are barriers to effective communication with foreigncolleagues?

 How do Vietnamese staff communicate with their foreigncolleagues at workplace?

 What are the best ways to communicate with foreign colleagues

in foreign organizations and companies?

1.3 Scope of the study

I carried out a small-scaled survey with 77 respondents Thissurvey focused on investigating the oral/spoken communicationperformance of Vietnamese staff with their foreign colleagues inforeign organizations and companies in Hanoi only due to timelimitation Such factors as social status and gender were included inthe questionnaires Basing on the findings drawn from 77 informants,the writer made some tentative conclusions about what are the bestways to communicate with foreign colleagues

1.4 Methodology of the study

This thesis was written based on both primary and secondarydata A wide range of materials regarding communication and relatingresearches were studied such as the published books and webdocuments The research methods I used were descriptive andquantitative ones A survey on how Vietnamese staff communicatewith their foreign colleagues was conducted in some foreignorganizations, other limited and private companies, International

Agency and Institution of Environmental Technology A surveyquestionnaire was carried out to collect data Description, analysis, andstatistics were used in processing and interpreting data Details ofstudying methods will be further presented in chapter III.

1.5 Structure of the study

The study consists of 5 chapters:

 Chapter 1: Introduction - provides an introduction of rationale,

objectives, scope, methodology and structure of the study

 Chapter 2: Theoretical background - presents an overview of

studies on communication In this notion of communication, theprocess of communication and communication types, forms andstyles are presented Besides, principles of effectivecommunication, benefits of effective communication,consequences of poor communication and barriers tocommunication are also included in this chapter

 Chapter 3: Methodology and analysis - is concerned with a

description of studying methods and the results as well as theanalyses of the survey

 Chapter 4: Discussions and some recommendations on how to communicate effectively with foreign counterparts in foreign organizations and companies – looks at the discussion about

the survey and puts forward some tips to have a bettercommunication with colleagues from other countries

 Chapter 5: Conclusion – discusses conclusion and limitations of

the study as well as suggests some directions for further study

CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

Communication is very important in all areas of life It is “theprocess of transferring information from a sender to a receiver with theuse of a medium in which the communicated information isunderstood by both sender and receiver.” (“Communication”Wikipedia) In order to have a deep and overview on communication,

we first look at its process, types, forms, and styles At the end of thischapter, we will focus on the principles and benefits of effectivecommunication, consequences of poor communication, and analyzethe barriers to effective communication with foreign colleagues

2.1 The communication process

“You can’t not communicate Everything you say or do or don’t say and don’t do sends a message to others.” (John

Woods)1

It is quite obvious that communication takes place at any time inany form Whether we say something or keep silent or whatever we

do, there is communication with other people According to thetextbook “Business Communication Essentials”, communication is adynamic and two-way process of coding and decoding messages(Bovée, Thill, and Schatzman 4) Specifically, the process can bedivided into six phases (Figure 2.1):

Figure 2 1 Communication process 2

2 Source: Bovée, Thill, and Schatzman 4

Phase 5: Receiver decodes message

Phase 6: Receiver sends feedback

CHANNE L AND MEDIUM

Phase 1 is when the sender has an idea We form an idea in our mindand you have an intention to communicate it with other persons Wewant to share it Phase 2 is when the sender encodes the idea Now theidea is translated into the symbols of language and thus into amessage In phase 3, the sender transmits message The message issent via a channel such as verbal or nonverbal, spoken or written.Besides, you also select a medium to send the message such astelephone, letter, face-to-face exchange, etc

The receiver gets the message in

phase 4 After that, the receiver

decodes the message In this

phase, the receiver converts the

transmitted message into an

abstract idea in his mind The codes of the sender and the receivermust have at least a certain set of symbols in common so that thereceiver can send feedback in the final phase Feedback is thereceiver’s reply or response to the message The communicationprocess can be one way or two ways In one-way communication,there is no feedback whereas two-way communication always includesfeedback Feedback lets the sender know if the communication issuccessful or not

such fine words or ornate sentences The

more simply and shortly we express our

ideas, the more clearly they are, hence the

listeners can get our points without any

difficulties

2.2.2 Non-verbal communication

Non-verbal communication refers to the messages we give andreceive through body language, vocal characteristics, personalappearance, touching behavior, use of time and space (Bovée, Thill,and Schatzman 31) “If the eyes are the windows of the soul, then thebody is the mirror of our feelings” (Redhead 2) It is useful to be able

to read people’s body language Body language includes bodymovement and gestures, facial expressions, eye contact and postures Itshould be noted that in different cultures, body language can havedifferent meanings Therefore, we should know about that to havebetter communication with people from other countries and cultures.Following are some examples of body language with the mostcommon meaning

First of all, body movement is one of the tools that can tell ushow the people are feeling During the conversation, we can movetoward or backward, stand upright, which may reflect the confidence.Besides, gestures are also of great importance Head gestures are usedwith different meanings For example, “yes” is shown by nodding thehead up and down, and “no” is conveyed by shaking the head side toside Scratching the head indicates that the person is confused andpauses in doubt People also take advantage of using hands Wavinghands can be either “hello” or “goodbye.” Holding the index and the

mid finger upright stands for “victory.” In short, the movements of ourbodies can express what we want to say instead of speaking out

A second crucial part of body language is facial expressions,which include a lot of signs Smiling can often cover differentemotions such as happiness, sadness, confusion or apologies We alsosmile our approval to agree with someone A smile, however, candisguise true feelings When we are confused or do not know what tosay, we often laugh off or laugh half-heartedly A sardonic or bittersmile indicates that the person is miserable or disappointed Anotherfacial expression is the grimace, which conveys pain and disgust.Winking with one eye is a sign of kidding or sharing a secret with theothers Rolling the eyes may show amazement or even suspicion As

we have seen, our faces mainly focus on expressing emotions andattitudes

Thirdly, maintaining eye contact when speaking with othershelps communication Direct eye contact shows attentiveness andlistening If people lose eye contact, it means they ignore the speakerand want to change the topic or stop the conversation Nevertheless,staring at someone is seen negative as it makes him/her embarrassed,confused or annoyed Whereas, staring at something may expresssurprise and curiosity These examples demonstrate eye contact showsattention and influence

Last but not least of body language use is the posture The way

we stand or sit gives information about how we are feeling Whenpeople stand up or sit up straight, it can be understood that they feelconfident or comfortable Moreover, the posture is shown throughhands and arms Outward and upward hands movements reveal anopen and positive message Open arms can indicate a good way toshow that the person is approachable and friendly Folded arms maymean the rejection or the disagreement Hands in pocket can showeither familiarity/informality or the disrespect depending on differentcircumstances What is more, “slouching, leaning forward, fidgeting,and walking briskly are all conscious signals that reveal whether youfeel confident or nervous, friendly or hostile, assertive or passive,powerful or powerless” (Bovée, Thill, and Schatzman 31)

The second factor of non-verbal communication is vocalcharacteristics This is expressed through tone of voice The tone ofvoice used can tell us a lot about another person because it carries bothintentional and unintentional messages There are various tones ofvoice that express the feelings and emotions of people The voice cansound regular, mad, happy, excited, scared, sad, worried, and so on,which depends on the state of mind Especially when we talk on thephone, it is more crucial to watch the tone in our voice A listener

cannot see our face or body language so the tone of voice becomes adeterminant factor of effective communication Not only the tone andvolume but also the speaking pace helps to know much about thepeople and their emotions underlying their words

Thirdly, physical appearance is alsoone of the most important factors of non-verbal communication Communicatingvalues and expectations can be definedthrough clothing and other dimensions ofphysical appearance Normally, people formopinions through what they see in a personphysically and then respond to that person accordingly In turn, peopletend to fulfill the others’ perceptions of themselves To be more exact,

if we think, for example, someone is capable and attractive, he/she willfeel good about himself/herself, which affects our behavior as well ashis/her opinion about us Therefore, we can make a good impression

by paying attention to grooming, clothing, accessories, and style thatform our appearance

Fourthly, “touch is an important vehicle for conveying warmth,comfort, and reassurance.” (Bovée, Thill, and Schatzman 32) It canalso be an expression of dominance when a higher-status person

touches a lower-status one The use of touch in communicating can be

a handshake, a pat on the back, an arm around the shoulder, a hug, and

so on (Protti 25) Touching behavior varies from different gender, age,relative status, cultural background, and circumstances Accordingly,

we must be careful with this sensitive factor in order to avoid givingunexpected things or messages Who may touch whom and how willaffect the effectiveness of communication

Finally, personal space and use of

time should be paid due attention to

“Your personal space is like an invisible

bubble that surrounds you.” (“Your

personal space” Worsleyschool) Like

body language, physical space also

differs from different cultures and

circumstances Generally speaking, however, the distance is oftenlarge between strangers We get closer to someone that we know fairlywell The distance between a man and a woman who are strangers toeach other may be larger than that of the ones who have a relationship

In addition, the use of time can define the status when some peoplewant to show their importance by making others wait Meanwhile,others show their respect by being on time Communicating status is

also expressed by allowing some people to go ahead of others.Punctuality also depends on different cultures

In summary, “actions speak louder than words.” People oftenexpress ideas, emotions, and attitudes more nonverbally than verballythrough all the cues, spatial relationships, and attitudes toward time.That is the reason why the “silent language” is so crucial incommunication in general and communication with foreigners inparticular

2.3 Communication forms

2.3.1 Written communication

Research has shown that 9% of communication is happening inwriting The most common written media are emails and memos.Recently, communication through social network sites (such asFacebook, MySpace, etc) has been on the rise One of the biggestadvantages of written communication is that both the sender and thereceiver have time to think about what is written Furthermore, it lets

us plan and control the message Though a written channel increasesthe sender’s control, it eliminates the possibility of immediatefeedback Feedback is delayed and misunderstandings about themessage may occur in the communication process

2.3.2 Oral communication

“Oral communication is the spoken interaction between two ormore people.” (Perl, Murray, and Lutrick 1) It is appropriate for directand personal contacts but not very useful for conveying complex andtechnical information since it needs to be demonstrated with visualaids Its big advantage is that it provides immediate feedback.Misunderstandings can be dealt with immediately and the possibility

of conflict and misunderstanding is lessened In general, oralcommunication is used when our purpose is to interact directly withthe audience Oral communication includes face-to-face, telephone,voice mail, and so on

2.3.3 Visual communication

Visual communication means communication with visual aids

“It is the conveyance of ideas and information in forms that can beread or looked upon.” (“Visual communication” Wikipedia) Itsvarious forms range from posters, pictures, photos, diagrams, films,etc Although visual communication is useful for long speech withcomplex and technical information, it might distract the audience fromwhat is being said In a word, visual communication will be moreeffective if it is combined with written and oral communication

Researches have shown that there are four common styles ofcommunication: aggressive, passive, passive-aggressive, and assertivecommunication

2.4.1 Aggressive communication

This style refers to those who are characterized as frank andforceful They tend to exaggerate their messages through words andbehaviors They may shout, stare, or have frightening words tolisteners They often stand closely to others during conversations.Additionally, they speak in an ironically voice All of these make theirlisteners feel defensive and humiliated They can get what they wantfor the first time, but after that they most likely will feel isolatedbecause the others will develop ways of limiting interaction with them

2.4.2 Passive communication

When people communicate in a passive way, they often fail tomake listeners know what they think or how they feel They oftenallow others to choose and make decisions for them Although thepleasant atmosphere is kept in their relationships, it is hard for them,however, to have their say and achieve their goals In the long run, thisstyle of communication will harm them and be visible throughstressful symptoms such as feeling anxious, ignored, and helpless.Moreover, others around them, either at work or in family situationswill tend not to respect their opinions and characterize the person asbeing weak

2.4.3 Passive-aggressive communication

People of this style have to think of reasons to persuade othersthat what they are saying is very important and precise Actually, theywant to ventilate and speak out their ideas but they are hesitating to do

so They find it comfortable to hide behind others’ opinions in order toexpress their viewpoints This may cause misunderstandings for theirlisteners and then they may get angry easily Sooner or later, otherswill lose trust in them and according they will lose their confidence

2.4.4 Assertive communication

Assertive communicators know how to harmonize their wordsand behavior They are very direct and honest Listeners clearlyunderstand what they say and know how they feel They allow othersand themselves to express ideas This communication style helpspeople to be comfortable after expressing ideas, showing their feelingsand have attention of others Gradually, they will feel confident incommunication and be respected by others

2.5 Principles of effective communication

Although cultures and communication styles vary,communication can be effective if we follow its principles Followingsare five basic principles of effective communication

The first principle of effective communication is to “reallyconnect with your audience.” (“Principles of effective communication”Sideroad) In a communication process, there must be two subjects:sender and receiver If there is no connection between the sender andthe receiver, there is no communication It is often considered thatsending information is the act of communication Actually,communication is a two-way process Therefore, we have to payattention to our audience and let him/her express his/her views “Youneed to plan your message, and the medium for the message, to triggerthe emotional and cognitive responses that will ensure you to engageyour audience.” (“Principles of effective communication” Sideroad).Effective communication means ideas are exchanging freely.

The second principle of effectivecommunication is to listen andunderstand first The most frustratingthing about communication is whenthe person whom we are talking to isnot listening to us Consequently, a lot

of misunderstandings and misinterpretation occur It should be notedthat effective communication is about the result we get, which isperhaps the most important thing in communication The person weare talking to should totally get our point and we also understand his

idea So to ensure that our communication is effective, we must alwaysconfirm understanding.

The third principle of effective communication is to understandthat communication is more than the surface meaning of words To bemore exact, we need to be able to interpret other people's messagesthrough their body language also This is another form of feedback Inaddition to direct feedback, asking a person to repeat what has beensaid for example, feedback may be subtle and manifested through eyecontact such as a stare or a puzzle look, facial expressions such asfrown or changing in countenance, and body language like nodding,folding arms, leaning forward, and so on Due attention should be paid

to feedback to make sure that both the listener and the communicatorunderstand each other

Last but no means least is to show our respect and not tointerrupt when someone is talking We can wait until they finish theirsentences Interruptions may make the communicator feel frustrated oreven forget the key points that are needed to be transmitted to us.Therefore, it is advised to be respectful and listen attentively If wehave any questions, we can ask later

These are the four most basic principles for an effectivecommunication It may sound simple but in reality, it is perhaps the

hardest principles to follow Especially, they prove to be ratherpractical and useful, which helps us to become good communicators

2.6 Benefits of effective communication

In today’s changing workplace, good communication skills arebecoming more and more important than ever before Successfulforeign organizations and companies know that effectivecommunication is essential to their success The reason is simple: both

we and our organizations and companies can gain many benefits fromeffective communication

First of all, effective communication improves responses fromcolleagues and employees, which helps managers to know more aboutpressures on or problems of the staffs As a result, the opportunity forefficient management will be promoted Moreover, strongerrelationships among colleagues will be developed, and moreimportantly, the professional image of the organization or the companywill be enhanced

The second benefit of effective communication is that itstrengthens our existing relationships Good communication will bring

us closer to our colleagues We will feel free to discuss or exchangeideas with them In response, our colleagues also appreciate this

special relationship in which they can share their opinions openlywithout the fear of being judged

Finally, effective communication helps us to avoidmisunderstandings In daily conversations with our colleagues,especially foreign ones, many of us assume that we understand totallywhat others are talking and that they are thinking the same asourselves This is a big problem which can cause disharmony,discontent or dissatisfaction among staffs in organizations orcompanies Therefore, effective communication can support a healthyworking culture

2.7 Consequences of poor communication

Regardless of what business we are in, effective communicationskills are essential for success of individuals as well as of the wholeorganization In fact, when our communication is poor, the purpose ofcommunication, which is to get your message to others, cannot beachieved This leads to many consequences

Firstly, if our message is too lengthy, disorganized or containserrors, it is expected that the message will be misunderstood andmisinterpreted, which causes unnecessary confusion Using poor bodylanguage can also confuse the message Consequently, it will causebad feelings to others

Secondly, if we deliver too much information and too fast, lessinformation will be received or understood Imagine that too manyinstructions are given at one time, they may be misunderstood, peoplemay be unsure of what to do or how to do a task, jobs may have to berepeated, and thus time will be lost

Finally, if communication is not open and effective, people mayfeel left out Frustration may develop, which can have a negativeimpact on their work and their relations in the work place In a word,when the communication is not successful, it does not convey yourthoughts and ideas, “causing a communication breakdown and creatingroadblocks that stand in the way of your goals” (Eddy Klopprogge 3)

Here is an example of how big the losses are due tomiscommunication in companies or organizations

The “Nobody, Somebody, Anybody and Everybody” Story3

This is a little story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody

There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it

Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it

Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody's job

Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it

As we can see from the story above, consequence resulted in poor communication is that nobody is responsible for the work and

everybody is to blame on each other

2.8 Barriers to effective communication with foreign colleagues

In the international working environment, we meet and talk withforeign colleagues everyday Certainly, we face quite a few difficulties

in communicating with them There are so many barriers to theeffective communication such as muddled messages, wrong channels,interruptions, physical distractions, and so on Especially when wework with colleagues that come from other countries, culturaldifferences represent one of the biggest challenges In addition, thispaper focuses on the communicating with foreign colleagues in foreignorganizations and companies speaking English Apart from the culturalissue, therefore, the English language performance also remains as acommon barrier to effective communication with foreign colleagues

2.8.1 Cultural differences

According to the definition of culture in the textbook

“International Business”, culture is a “set of values, beliefs, rules, andinstitutions held by a specific group of people” (J Wild, L Wild, andHan 40) Thus, culture is often at the root of communication barriers

Culture prevents people from receiving the full messages that otherswant to share with them

First of all, people think about the national culture includingoutward and visible things such as its food, custom, clothes andbehaviors Though we share the working environment with foreigners,

it is not easy to find common interests or hobbies Besides, the rules ofsocial etiquette diversify among different cultures Formal rules areclearly seen through behaviors in common social situations such as thetable manners at meals, casual or formal dressing, gift giving,telephone etiquette, and so forth In terms of custom, the folk customsrange in small areas and are still commonly used by the people,whereas the popular customs spread throughout the world with noidentity to a certain culture (Cox 38) Effective communicators takethese factors into account to improve the intercultural sensitivity

Then culture is perceived through values which are invisible.They are ideas about “what is good, right, fair, and just” (“Culturalvalues” Cliffnotes) In other words, they are the most distinctivecharacteristics of one nation or its people, which should be paid muchattention to when communication is established Particularly,stereotype, which is one of the most serious problems incommunicating with people from different cultures, must be rejected

“A stereotype is a simplified and/or standardized conception or imagewith specific meaning, often held in common by people about anothergroup.” (“Stereotype” Wikipedia) When learning about anotherculture, we can not only understand different points of view anddevelop our friendships but also avoid miscommunication or hurting

or humiliating others unintentionally People had better build rapport

by trying to understand and appreciate other multifaceted humanbeings rather than believing in the previously formed opinions orattitudes

If we can identify and be more aware of cultural similarities aswell as differences, we will definitely communicate with our foreigncolleagues more effectively

2.8.2 English language performance

The rate of using English for daily work in international workingenvironment in Vietnam is rather high, accounting for 69% (“DN

"lạnh nhạt" dần với chứng chỉ ngoại ngữ A, B”4 Vietnamnet) 66.1%

of Vietnamese staffs get English certificate of C level, 25.7% B level,and 6.7% A level (“Thực trạng và giải pháp phát triển nguồn nhân lựcchất lượng cao”5 Congnghieponline) These certificates, however, havebeen reducing their reliability and replaced by others international

4 “Vietnam’s enterprises’ less appreciation of English certificate of A & B levels”

5 “Facts and solutions for the development of high-qualified human resources”

standard certificates such as TOEIC (Test of English for InternationalCommunication), TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language),IELTS (International English Language Testing System), etc Sadlyenough, a big problem is Vietnamese staffs’ poor English skills, whichstill remains to be solved Many discussions on this problem havetaken place, yet few investigations about the staffs’ level of Englishhave been carried out This is one of the reasons why I conducted asurvey to find out how good their English skills are

For those people having studied English since they began to go

to work, they may have to face a lot of difficulties It is a fact thatEnglish is not an official language in Vietnam For this reason, it is notput at the top priority despite its vital importance Their English is notproficient enough to meet high demands of the jobs A large number ofVietnamese people have studied English for a long time Meanwhile,some employees or staffs might have not have a chance or a drivingforce to access to English before, thus learning by doing seems apopular way for them to improve English ability Generally speaking,their English skills remain weak On the one hand, they can hear andunderstand what their foreign colleagues are talking about However, it

is difficult for them to speak out in English, which is not their nativelanguage An idea is conceived in their mind but they can not produce

it They do not know how to express it by words or make others gettheir points Their ability to respond to foreign colleagues is low Thissomehow can disrupt the working environment

On the other hand, people can talk in English but their listeningskill is poor, which also can impede workplace communication Themain problem may be the accented English Foreign colleagues fromdifferent countries say in different accents, causing Vietnamese peopledifficulties to recognize words Another reason is that they pronouncethe words incorrectly and imprecisely Their bad pronunciationsomehow influences on their listening skill Consequently, they do notget others’ points comprehensively

In addition, many people have difficulties in encoding anddecoding body language when they talk to their foreign colleagues.This may be due to the fact that it is not highly appreciated by theVietnamese Conversations, therefore, are often ruined when incorrectgestures are conveyed As body language plays an important part incommunication, it should be taken into considerations so that bettercommunication among Vietnamese staffs and foreign ones isfacilitated

As such, when ideas or instructions are misunderstood, theorganization or the company may suffer from a substantial loss ofmoney Imagine that staffs have a team working on a project in anorganization or a company If there is miscommunication amongVietnamese staffs and foreign ones, the meetings will last longer orthey might hold some more meetings to ensure that everything is clear

to everybody Consequently, time and money could be wasted to theorganization or the company Worse still, the staff’s full potential isnot fully utilized because of the communication problem It is thecommunication barriers that frustrate to those who speak English as asecond language as well as their listeners Although they have spentyears learning English, it is their actual English skills that are holdingthem back

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY AND ANALYSIS

as the most effective ones when Vietnamese staffs deal with foreigners

consultant of Pan Nature, a local non-governmental organization.Respondents were given statements and they would choose the best orthe most appropriate options with them Besides, if no statement wasappropriate, they could tick the option “other ways” and specified theirideas

3.1.2 Research Instrument

The pilot survey was done beforehand by 4 people who work forforeign organizations After the pilot phase, the questionnaire wasadjusted according to some comments from the respondents and thensent to 25 targeted participants directly (26%) and 70 via email (74%)

at the beginning of May Within two weeks, when 77 questionnaireswere filled and returned (81%), the information and data were enoughfor analysis However, when the questionnaires were delivered to theparticipants, I assumed that all of them were good at English enough tounderstand the questions although I took considerations about theirEnglish level In fact, according to the survey results, some had poor

or fair English, which was over my expectations (see 3.2 for moredetails) The data, accordingly, may not be really reliable

3.1.3 Participants’ characteristics

The survey questions were designed to collect opinions of theVietnamese staffs who work with foreigners For the convenience oftime use and data analysis, the eligible participants for the study areVietnamese and working in a foreign company or organization inHanoi Additionally, other working characteristics of the participantswere mentioned including gender, current occupation, type oforganization or company, and duration of working with foreigncolleagues

3.1.4 Brief on the survey questions

The questionnaire was designed in English basing on the theory

of communication process by Bovée, Thill, and Schatzman (BusinessCommunication Essentials 4) It consisted of 14 multiple-choicequestions With such medium length, the participants would be willing

to complete the questionnaires as it took them only 5-7 minutes Thequestionnaire aimed at discovering the communication processbetween the Vietnamese staffs and their foreign colleagues in foreignorganizations and companies to find out the most effective ways tocommunicate with foreign colleagues

To achieve this aim, the questionnaire was divided into 2 parts.The first part consisted of 7 questions concerning general backgroundinformation of the participants (Vietnamese staffs) and their foreign

counterparts Apart from the working characteristics such as theirgender, current occupation, type of organization or company, andduration of working with foreign colleagues, other factors includingtheir English level, foreign colleagues, and frequency ofcommunicating with them were also concluded

The second part, questions 8 to 14, asked the respondents toreveal how they would behave during the communication process withtheir foreign colleagues in the workplace In this part, each questionwas about each step of the communication process The first step inwhich the sender has an idea was assumed to be obvious, thus noquestion asked about this Question 8 was the second step of encodingidea Questions 9 and 10 asked about the channel and media they used

to transmit the message Step 4 was manifested through questions 11and 12, which found out how the staffs made sure that the receiversgot the message and how they earned attention from their foreigncolleagues Question 13 was about step 5 when the receiver decodedthe message Finally, the last step of sending feedback was expressed

in question 14

For some questions, the option “other ways” was included toseek further ways of responses that the participants might think of Bydoing so, the limitations of quantitative methods were minimized