Anthropologist Edward T. Hall says that America is the most obsessed and time compartmentalised culture in the world. We break time down into small formal units of time, such as one minute, five minutes, 10 minutes 15 a half hour an hour units that are meaningless in most other culture. Of course, in our speech, we even say Oh, give me a seconds or something took forever, when it really means it took five minutes or more correct starting notes that Americans being egalitarianism and individualistic means that our responsibilities may be to many people, and not just to those in our in group. So that consumes more time. And again, we have numerous expressions about time. Time is money.
Time is wasted. Give me a second. We have fast food restaurants where we don't have to wait very long to get our food. Processed McDonald's is the best interest they were created to save time. And to this day, they continually monitor how long it takes for a customer to be served. If you want to see how serious Americans are, about time, go on to the US Customs and Border Protection website and find the waiting time to get through immigration lines at airports around the US.
The waiting time throughout the days are listed. This is the one for JFK Airport in New York City. As you plan to go to the US, you can get onto this site, find the airport that you'll be landing out and you have an idea of how long it will take you to get through the immigration process. Americans feel being busy is good. We are what we accomplish, and we achieve by properly managing our time. How will time impact you be on time even if it's for a social event.
A couple of students were invited to their professors house for dinner at 6pm. The professor agreed to pick them up at a bus stop near his home. The students thought the professor would probably arrive and pick them up about 630 so they made it a point to be at the bus stop by 620. The professor arrived at 555 and was upset that the students had not arrived on time. He had other guests coming and he was expecting the students to be on time. When they arrived at the professor's house.
The food was ready and they sat down to eat be five minutes early for efficient meetings but never be late. Americans will eat at their desk while saving time. In India, you're more likely to have lunch with a friend. It's a social time. For an American, it's often more functional. A practical thing to do, eat while you're working.
I eat because I'm hungry. I can socialize after work or after my project is done. Be mindful of interruptions. We feel uncomfortable with interruptions. An American CEO from Ohio traveled to India to meet with a joint venture partner. While in their first meeting his counterpart from India took a telephone call.
My American CEO friend was very upset. How could he not give me on interrupted time after I traveled 20 hours to meet him. Everyone's time is important. And we show people respect by giving on divided attention. Many people are very careful about their schedules. And don't take interruptions lightly.
When we call will often say things like, Are you busy? Do you have a minute? Are you free to talk? It will be important for you to learn to prioritize. You have a variety of assignments due throughout the semester. Some professors deduct points or refuse to accept a late assignment.
You'll need to be careful in managing your time throughout the semester. Your grade will not be based primarily upon the exam at the end of the term. In presentations, Americans prefer to quickly get to the point and not give a lot of background information or theory behind what they're saying. Time is carefully controlled in any kind of leaking situation. emails are also usually very much to the point. It's common to start with hi Becky and then get straight to the needed information without any formality.
Short emails rarely mean that the person is upset with you. Long emails may mean upset meetings have agendas, and usually the agendas are followed very carefully with specific items to be covered. if something isn't on the agenda, chances are it won't be covered. Be careful not to get off the subject not to go on tangents. Most meetings will start on time and on time. I've been generalizing a lot about American cultural values.
And as I've prepared this session, I can think of numerous exceptions to many of the values that I've articulated. There's a link to an additional resource which will take you to the rove while website. It's an excellent article about exceptions to American values and the some important nuances to be aware of