What is communication?, why do we communication?, how do we communicate,?

At its most basic,

communication is the exchange of information and meaning. We are constantly communicating, in a
wide range of different contexts, such as with each other (interpersonal communication), with different
cultural groups or subgroups (intercultural communication), or to large audiences (mass
communication), just to name a few. However, to understand communication, we need to understand
the place of communication in culture. Intercultural communication is an important factor in today’s
globalized world. People travel and they need to communicate, in most cases, it’s out of one’s culture.
Culture is combining with each other gradually. Sharing information with people belonging to different
cultures is known as intercultural communication or cross-cultural communication.People who have to
deal with other cultures, face a problem of intercultural communication. Even though they take
language classes and learn to speak local languages fluently, intercultural communication isn’t just that.
Its one’s understanding of the culture, the social interactions, and cultural accommodation.

Culture isn’t only intellectual happenings like arts, festivals, traditional foods, heritages or literature, but
refers to the daily lifestyle of the general population or a group of people or an individual. It also
describes the family life and social life.Culture is created by humans and can be different from place to
place. It creates a human environment with shared meanings within a society through beliefs, values,
norms, etc. and are a learned behavior. Culture defines how a person behaves, interacts and gives
meaning to actions. People identify themselves with their culture and tend to behave differently in
different cultures. This is due to the different perception of people, on the world, from different
cultures.Intercultural communication is the study and application of knowledge on “cultural perceptions
and symbol systems” of people belonging to different cultures. The intended meaning of any message
differs when encoded by a person of a certain culture and decoded by someone of the other. The
different meanings of symbols in different culture also vary making the interpretation difficult. While
applying inter-cultural communication, it refers to making people aware and able to adopt others’
cultures when they communicate with them and thus have a meaningful communication. Intercultural
modes of commication in africa, mannerisms in communication vary among ethnic groups, most South
Africans have a direct style of communication. They generally speak confidently and straight to the
point. Their intention and meaning is generally very self-evident. Africans people might find it very rude
to refer to elders without using the prefix "Oom" (uncle) or "Tannie" (auntie) while in a small town in an
urban environment they might simply use the formal "Meneer", "Mevrou" or "Juffrou" (Mr, Mrs or Miss)
when talking about older people. Non verbal, Physical Contact. South Africans are generally comfortable
with physical affection and like to express warmth through actions such as hugging and patting each
other on the back.Expression and Body Language: Black South Africans are very animated and
communicate heavily through their facial expressions when speaking. White South Africans generally
make less use of hand gestures in conversation.Gestures africans Making a ‘V’ with the index finger and
middle finger in the shape of the peace sign. Youth in South Africa sometime use the sign known to the
West as the ‘shaka’ or ‘hang loose’ sign (thumb and little finger extended and other fingers against the
palm, rocked side to side) to express ‘hello’ or ‘good-bye’. Another country that has a intercultural
modes of communication, the Country Germany, German communication styles are quite direct and
functionally purposed.German’s intention and meaning is usually clear and apparent through their
precise word choice. This communication style can cause Germans to interpret others’ words literally. It
can also give some foreigners the impression that they are quite brash or blunt. In Direct
Communication: German communication styles are quite direct and functionally purposed. People
generally speak honestly, clearly and explicitly to arrive straight to the point. Criticism may be delivered
vaguely in order to remain polite and avoid offence, but a German’s intention and meaning is usually
clear and apparent through their precise word choice. This communication style can cause Germans to
interpret others’ words literally. It can also give some foreigners the impression that they are quite
brash or blunt. However, it is simply their way of ensuring clear communication.

Small Talk: As German communication is quite functionally purposed, people tend to spend less time
warming up conversation with small talk. It is not considered rude to jump straight to the point of a
meeting or conversation. Germans are usually open to indulging in idle chit-chat when they notice their
counterpart wants to talk lightly; however, they are unlikely to initiate it.

Honesty: While it is important to be polite and discreet when delivering difficult news, it is also very
important to be honest with Germans. They generally speak openly about what is important to them.
Humour: Germans often laugh about the irony of situations, wordplay and innuendos. Germans are
quite direct communicators, they may take jokes literally.Non Verbal ,Personal Space: Germans usually
keep about an arm’s length distance between one another when talking, and sometimes a little extra
between men and women depending on how well they know each other.Eye Contact: Direct eye contact
is expected, especially when speaking about a serious matter. It conveys sincerity and approachability.
Avoiding eye contact may be seen as an indication of dishonesty or a lack of confidence. Gestures:
Touching your index finger to your thumb in a circle to demonstrate ‘Okay’ or ‘Good’ can be
misunderstood. Instead of crossing the index finger and middle finger to indicate hoping for something
or “Good Luck”, Germans squeeze the tip of their thumb between those two fingers (Daumendrücken).
Letting one’s thumb protrude too far from between the fingers can be an obscene gesture, so only the
tip should be visible. Expression: Some Germans may have quite a serious exterior upon first meeting
people, reserving smiles for friends. Once they are familiar with someone, they generally become very
animated. Another is The Japanese communication pattern is very indirect and far less verbose than
what the English-speaking West is familiar with. They rely less on words to convey context and are more
attentive to the posture, expression and tone of voice of the speaker to draw meaning from a
conversation. In order to maintain harmony throughout conversation and prevent a loss of {face} on
either end, they may use ambiguous speech and understatements to convey their message in a more
subtle way.Refusals: The cultural preoccupation with saving {face} and being polite means that the
Japanese may wish to avoid giving a flat “no” or negative response—even when they don’t agree with
you. Therefore, focus on hints of hesitation. Laughter: When communicating bad news, a Japanese
person may smile and laugh to diffuse the uncomfortable situation. Non-Verba, Physical Contact: The
appropriacy of physical contact varies depending on the context in Japan. You can expect a Japanese
person to immediately apologise if they bump into or brush against you by accident.Body Language: The
Japanese do not gesture very much while speaking as their body language is largely restrained. Instead,
they often hold their hands together as they speak which prevents them from gesturing throughout
conversation. Eye Contact: The Japanese avoid eye contact with strangers as it is considered rude to
stare. Facial Expressions: It is common for Japanese people to maintain a placid expression and smile
during an interaction regardless of the topic. This evidently differs between personalities, but a modest,
reserved demeanour is polite.. Furthermore, consider that whilst smiling can indicate happiness, it is
sometimes used in an attempt to cover awkwardness or sadness.

Nodding: Japanese people often nod to acknowledge what is said. However, this does not always mean
they agree or understand. It is primarily a gesture made out of politeness.

Feet: Displaying the soles of your feet is considered rude.

Inhaling: When a Japanese person inhales air through their teeth, it usually implies disagreement.

Silence: Silence is an important and purposeful tool used in Asian communication. Pausing before giving
a response indicates that someone has applied appropriate thought and consideration to the question.
This reflects politeness and respect.

Beckoning: It is impolite to beckon people who you are not close friends with. Beckoning is done by
facing the palm of the hand to the ground and waving one’s fingers towards oneself. Individual fingers
should not be used.

Pointing: Pointing is done using the entire hand unless referring to oneself, in which case they place
their index finger on their nose.

Waving: Shaking the hand with the palm facing forward from side to side means “no”.

Gestures: A Japanese person may clasp their hands together in front of their chest when apologising or
accepting something. This expresses gratitude and respect.

Bowing: See ‘Greetings’ for guidelines on how to bow.

Ethnicity, race, gender and religion create some of the most difficult issues to overcome in the
workplace. Determining which one raises the most problems depends on the corporate culture. Some of
the most talked-about issues include gender equality, political views associated with specific cultures,
observance of religious holidays and ethnic stereotyping

Language barriers can be anything from people with different native languages attempting to
understand each other to using words in the same language that are acceptable in one culture and
highly offensive in others. Hand gestures, table manners and even eye contact have a place in culture as
well. Crossing these cultural lines can cause conflict. Companies can use cultural sensitivity training to
lessen the effects of involuntary breaches of cultural protocols.

intercultural communication, which is communicating across diverse cultural groups that may have
different values and beliefs. Gender roles and gender stereotypes are often one of these differences.

While many societies as a whole have made meaningful progress in gender equality, sexism is still very
much present in our language and how we communicate today.
Gender stereotypes and sexism are deeply rooted in every culture— not just our own. They shape our
perspectives, social norms, and the way we communicate with others. They may be conscious or it can
creep into our language and dialogue subconsciously

Culture, gender,age,social status and religion are some subcultural factors that can influence and affect
communication.

Conclusion

Therefore,Intercultural communication offers the ability to deal across cultures, which is increasingly
important, as the world gets smaller. Getting smaller doesn’t mean the world is becoming identical, it
means having more and more contact with people who are culturally different. Being able to deal with
this cultural difference peacefully, never mind creatively and innovatively, is becoming a survival issue to
thrive in a global world as a global leader.

Lacking in intercultural communication can lead to the insult of the culture and people involved.
Especially for business people or people providing services in the areas out of their culture. People
interpret messages based on their culture, so what you mean might not be what the other person
understands. Your intentions might not be met as their attribution towards you might be telling them
something else about you.

Intercultural differences also cause lack of trust between people as the meaning of trust itself can be
different. Non-verbal communication difference can also increase trust issues between people.

Material culture and its use are also different between cultures like the use of spoons and chopsticks for
eating. Other things like architecture, clothing, cosmetics, etc. differ culture-wise and if you do not have
knowledge of it, your communication fails or is not effective.

One needs to manage and prepare oneself with enough information in order to communicate with
people from different Some of the ways you can manage intercultural communications are:

Be culturally sensitive and aware

Gain knowledge of the culture you have to adapt

Think of what the other person will interpret before saying

Be aware of non-verbal cues you are giving

Listen, encode and decode carefully

Use pictures if you don’t know words to describe it

Avoid slang and local language

Get a feedback

Be observant

Be open-minded and tolerant

Respect others culture and people

Philippines.

Indirect Communication: Filipinos often communicate indirectly in order to prevent a loss of {face} and
evoking hiya on either side of an exchange. They tend to avoid interrupting others and are more
attentive to posture, expression and tone of voice to draw meaning. Speech is often ambiguous and
Filipinos may speak in the passive voice rather than the active to avoid being perceived as speaking
harshly. To find the underlying meaning, it is common to check for clarification several times.

Communication Style: Filipinos will try to express their opinions and ideas diplomatically and with
humility to avoid appearing arrogant. The tone of voice varies widely by language, dialect and region.

Refusals: Since many Filipinos try to save {face} and avoid hiya in their interactions, many will be overly
polite and seldom give a flat ‘no’ or negative response. When conversing with your Filipino counterpart,
try to focus on hints of hesitation. Listen to what they say and also pay close attention to what they
don’t say.

Respect: When speaking to those who are older or of higher status, Filipinos tend to use the polite forms
of speech. At the end of phrases, sentences or questions, they will say ‘po’ to demonstrate this respect
for hierarchy. For example, when conversing with an elder or someone of higher status, one will say
‘salamat po’ (‘thank you po’).

Non-Verbal

Physical Contact: Among relatives or friends of the same gender, it is common for Filipinos to walk hand
in hand or arm in arm. This is generally done so as a sign of affection, friendship or if they are shy and
would like someone to accompany them.
Personal Space: When interacting with people they are familiar with, Filipinos tend to prefer standing at
an arm's length from one another. Around strangers this distance is farther. However, in public areas
like a market or subway, personal space is often limited and pushing is common.

Laughter: While Filipinos often laugh in conversations, the meaning of laughter tends to depend on the
situation. At times, laughing may indicate happiness or pleasure, while other times it may be used to
relieve tension. In some circumstances, laughter is used as an attempt to cover embarrassment.

Pointing: Filipinos may point to objects by puckering their lips and moving their mouths in the direction
they are pointing to.

Gestures: Putting one’s hands on their hips is a sign of anger.

Beckoning: The common way to beckon someone is by gesturing with the hand facing downwards and
waving fingers towards oneself, the same gesture that would represent ‘shooing’ in Australia. If a
Filipino wants someone’s attention, it is common for them to make a sound like ‘pssst’.