The differences in business communication styles between Japanese and Vietnamese

These days, opportunities to collaborate and engage with people and businesses in Japan have been made strong possible by globalization for Vietnamese businesses. Although Japan and Viet Nam are located in Asia, each country also has its own unique features of business communication styles. Therefore, if we do not learn how to adapt to variety, we will lose out on the amazing opportunities of the Industrial Revolution 4.0. This is also the reason why the writer raises the topic: “The differences in business communication styles between Japanese and Vietnamese” which helps us to learn how to interact with others and build bridges to trust respect and understanding across cultures in the workplace.

The differences

in business communication styles between Japanese and Vietnamese

Table of Contents

Chapter I: Introduction 4

Chapter II: Content 5

2.1 Background Concepts 5

2.1.1 Definition of communication styles 5

2.1.2 Common business communication styles 6

2.2 Three main differences in business communication styles between Japanese and Vietnamese 6

a Gestures 6

b Eye contact 9

c Speech 12

Chapter III: Conclusion and recommendations 16

References 17

Tables

Table 2.2.1 The smile scenes of characters in Japanese films………11

Table 2.2.2 The smile scenes of characters in Vietnamese films………12

Table 2.2.3 The eye contact scenes of characters in Japanese films……… 13

Table 2.2.4 The eye contact scenes of characters in Vietnamese films……… 14

Table 2.2.5 The expressing complaints scenes of characters in Japanese films………….16

Table 2.2.6 The expressing complaints scenes of characters in Vietnamese films……….17

Chapter I: Introduction

Physical borders between nations, particularly in business, are disappearing in the 21st century as a result of globalization, and people from various racial and cultural backgrounds gather together to work in order to help their businesses to gain achieved their goals Cultural norms and assumptions are becoming more permeable and communication barriers cannot be avoided This could have an impact on how well the multicultural team's project turns out As a result, international organizations emphasize having strong communication abilities with people from various cultural backgrounds

These days, opportunities to collaborate and engage with people and businesses in Japan have been made strong possible by globalization for Vietnamese businesses Although Japan and Viet Nam are located in Asia, each country also has its own unique features of business communication styles Therefore, if we do not learn how to adapt to variety, we will lose out on the amazing opportunities of the Industrial Revolution 4.0 This is also the reason why the writer raises the topic: “The differences in business communication styles between Japanese and Vietnamese” which helps us to learn how to interact with others and build bridges to trust respect and understanding across cultures in the workplace In this paper, there are three key differences including gestures, eye contact, and speech will be clarified

Chapter II: Content

2.1 Background Concepts

There are some key terms that used by the writer in this paper such as communication style, and some common business communication styles Therefore, the writer is going to clarify the definition of each one in order to the reader gets them clearly

2.1.1 Definition of communication styles

According to Luthra & Dahiya (2015), communication styles are the ways to interact with others and it is used to share information and beliefs, exchange ideas and feelings, make plans, and solve problems

Every culture has its own distinctive communication style; even people in the same

culture do not share the same communication style (Du Plooy-Cilliers & Louw, 2003) and people in various cultures will have different understandings of the same message

2.1.1.1 Gestures

According to Oxford Learner's Dictionaries, a gesture is a movement that you make with your hands, your head, or your face to show a particular meaning

2.1.1.2 Eye contact

Eatough (2021) defined that eye contact is what happens when two people look at each other’s eyes at the same time This is a type of nonverbal communication that humans use

to communicate many forms of emotions

There are two forms of eye contact: direct and indirect eye contact

• Direct eye contact is when two people look directly into each other's eyes

• Indirect eye contact is looking away or off to the side Usually, people will look at

another part of someone’s face, such as their chin or nose

2.1.1.3 Speech

Based on The Random House Unabridged Dictionary, speech is the ability to express thoughts and emotions through vocal sounds and gestures The act of doing this is also known as speech

Speech is something only humans are capable of doing and this ability has contributed greatly to humanity’s ability to develop civilization Speech allows humans to communicate much more complex information than animals can

2.1.2 Common business communication styles

According to Cook (2015), there are four business communication styles that we often follow and reference And then, the writer will mention the definition below:

• Passive communication is a style that implies saying or doing nothing when faced

with a social conflict or distressing situation

• Aggressive communication refers to physical or verbal aggression, whereby overt

hostility is expressed in a way intended to deliberately hurt others

• Passive-aggressive communication is a style whereby people covertly display

hostility or aggression For example, they might deliberately lose or forget something, or show up late to meet someone with whom they are angry

• Assertive communication is considered the ideal style It involves openly and

honestly expressing one’s feelings without using shame, blame, or put downs and making simple and clear requests of others

2.2 Three main differences in business communication styles between Japanese and Vietnamese

a Gestures

In 2017, Hooray stated that a smile is the world’s most powerful gesture Japanese businessmen rarely smile (Nakane, 1974) and maintain the same posture during conversation or meeting Therefore, their minor smile can mean different feelings In

contrast, the Vietnamese value delicacy and harmony so they usually do not communicate directly or speak out their mind and they also have the habit to think twice before they speak Instead, they smile to keep the peace since smile is an important part of Vietnamese people and they can smile in the least expected situations (Poitvin, Stedman & Davis, 2005)

The table below are some examples of using smile’s aim of characters in Japanese films

Films Timestamp

what aim do they smile with their partners?

To show different feelings

To keep the peace when they disagree with the others

To just laugh it off

1 Shitamachi

Rocket

(2011)

16:45 x

2 Kaki Koba

(2015)

3 Shomuni

(1998)

Episode 6 17:33-17:56

x

4 Hataraki

(2007)

29:35 x

5 Nakanai to

Kimeta Hi

(2010)

17:33 x

Table 2.2.1 The smile scenes of characters in Japanese films

The table below are some examples of using smile’s aim of characters in Vietnamese films

Films Timestamp

what aim do they smile with their partners?

To show different feelings

To keep the peace when they disagree with the

others

To just laugh it off

1.Tèo Em

(2013)

2 Chị Mẹ

Học Yêu

(2012)

Episode 4 7:23- 7:40

3 11 tháng

5 ngày

(2021)

Episode 38 32:38

4.Tình yêu

và

tham vọng

(2020)

Episodes 20 1:09

5.Hoa

hồng trên

ngực trái

(2020)

Episodes 2 31:19- 31:31

Table 2.2.2 The smile scenes of characters in Vietnamese films

As we can see in the tables above, only 10% of Vietnamese smile with their partners to show different feelings while up to 80% of Japanese do that Moreover, the Japanese often

do not show their feelings for others know, so we rarely see their smile Besides, there are 10% of Japanese smile with their partners to keep the peace when they disagree with others while 50% of Vietnamese are willing to do this job About the data on smiling with the partners, there has no Japanese who use it to just laugh it off while 30% of Vietnamese use

it as a tool to beat around the bush In conclusion, it is so really hard to realize the Japanese’s emotions from their smile while the Vietnamese often use their smile to solve any problems

b Eye contact

Hartley (2015) states that the Japanese tend to avoid direct eye contact ‘unless a superior wants to admonisha subordinate’ To them, making eye contact with another person during

a conversation is considered rude By contrast, both direct and indirect eye contact is used

in Vietnam According to Scroope (2021), it is respectful to defer eye contact away from

can look at other parts of someone’s face such as their chin, or nose However, direct eye contact is held and expected with one's colleague

The table below are some examples of using eye contact’s subjects of characters in

Japanese films

Who do they often use eye contact with?

Colleague Boss Customer Employee

1 Shitamachi Rocket

(2011)

43:47-53:45 x x

2 Kaki Koba

(2015)

3 Shomuni

(1998)

4 Hataraki

(2007)

5 Nakanai to Kimeta Hi

(2010)

Table 2.2.3 The eye contact scenes of characters in Japanese films

The table below are some examples of using eye contact’s subjects of characters in Vietnamese films

Who do they often use eye contact with?

Colleague Boss Customer Employee

1.Tèo Em

(2013)

2 Chị Mẹ Học Yêu

(2012)

Episodes 10 12:09- 13:14

3 11 tháng 5 ngày

(2021)

4.Tình yêu và

tham vọng

(2020)

Episodes 14 29:13- 31:22

x

5.Hoa hồng trên

ngực trái

(2020)

19:09- 21:11 x

As we can see in the table above, it illustrates that only 10% of Japanese use eye contact with their colleagues while up to 50% of Vietnamese do that In addition, using eye contact with the boss doesn’t have more distance Specifically, only 10% of Japanese and 20% of Vietnamese often keep eye contact with people of higher status because they consider that this can show confidence in them Furthermore, the percentage of using eye contact with customers between Japan and Viet Nam has no any difference It is clear that 10% of Japanese and 20% of Vietnamese do Moreover, most Japanese (70%) often tend to make eye contact with the staff more than the Vietnamese (10%) To sum up, the Japanese rarely make eye contact with others because they considered that it is a violation of personal space while the Vietnamese tend to use eye contact with people as a way to show their confidence

c Speech

Beer (2022) confirms that in a complaining and conflict situation, Japanese people always keep silent or use humble language that signals but does not express their anger outright

On the other hand, when Vietnamese employees have some complaints, they often keep

silent or make written complaints to manager (HR Solutions Vietnam, 2010)

The table below are some examples of expressing complaints of characters in Japanese

films

How do they express their complaints?

Keep silent

Use humble language

Make written complaints to manager

1 Shitamachi

Rocket

8:51-9:55 x

(2011)

2 Kaki Koba

(2015)

24:25- 25:16

3 Shomuni

(1998)

21:03- 24:28

x

4 Hataraki

(2007)

23:09- 24:23

x

5 Nakanai to

Kimeta Hi

(2010)

12:03- 13:15

Table 2.2.5 The expressing complaints scenes of characters in Japanese films

The table below are some examples of expressing complaints of characters in Vietnamese films

Films Timestamp

How do they express their complaints?

Keep silent

Use humble language

Make written complaints

to manager

1.Tèo Em

(2013)

11:32-19:51 x

2 Chị Mẹ

Học Yêu

(2012)

44:15- 45:36

3 11 tháng 5

ngày

(2021)

31:03- 54:48

4.Tình yêu và

tham vọng

(2020)

43:39- 44:03

x

5.Hoa hồng

trên

ngực trái

(2020)

14:22- 23:55

Table 2.2.6 The expressing complaints scenes of characters in Vietnamese films

As we can see in the tables above, only 40% of Vietnamese keep silent in the conflict situation while up to 80% of Japanese do that In addition, the percentage of using humble language in Japan is higher than 10% in Vietnam Moreover, regarding the data on making

written complaints to managers, there has been no Japanese use it while 50% of Vietnamese

use it as a tool to show the things that they are not satisfied with In short, in a conflict, the

Japanese always consider maintaining relationships, so they do not write any complaints

to the manager Besides, they often keep silent and sometimes use humble language On

the contrary, the Vietnamese often choose to keep silent and then make written complaints

to the manager because they need to have a person who can solve the conflicts for them

Chapter III: Conclusion and recommendations

International communication is increasing as a result of globalization's constant progress During this process, problems resulting from their various communication styles, especially in business are discovered in increasing numbers It is crucial to comprehend these distinctions in order to prevent misunderstanding, foster cooperation, and avoid conflict This paper compares the contrasts between Japanese and Vietnamese business communication styles to achieve this goal Further research into this area reveals factors that contribute to these distinctions such as gestures, eye contact, and speech Understanding all of these that have been mentioned above would significantly raise awareness of cross-cultural communication, which would not only improve international communication between citizens of these two nations but also lay the groundwork for greater international understanding and a more peaceful world

References

Beer, J (2022) Japan: Conflict & Control Lansdowne: USA Retrieved from

https://www.culture-at-work.com/jpnconflict.html

Cook, M N (2015) Transforming Teen Behavior: Parent-Teen Protocols for

Psychosocial Skills Training Academic Press

https://doi.org/10.1016/C2014-0-02580-4

Du Plooy-Cilliers, F., & Louw, M (2003) Interpersonal Communication Heinemann

Educational Publishers, Cape Town, South Africa

Eatough, E (2021) Eye contact is important (crucial really) in communication San

Francisco: USA Retrieved from https://www.betterup.com/blog/why-is-eye-contact-important

Hooray (2017) The science behind the world’s most powerful gesture, the smile Retrieved

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post-digital age Routledge, New York, USA

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International Rehabilitation Research Information and Exchange, Buffalo, New York, USA