Bring your ancestors back from the dead.

CULTURAL
BLUNDERS
INTERCULTURAL
COMMUNICATION
LESSON 4| ORAL COMMUNICATION
 LESSON OBJECTIVES

1. DEFINE INTERCULTURAL 3. DEVELOP AN APPRECIATION FOR

COMMUNICATION; DIFFERENT CULTURAL
1.DEMONSTRATE EFFECTIVE PERSPECTIVES;
INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION 4. PRACTICE EFFECTIVE
SKILLS IN A SPEECH SITUATION; INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION;

 LET'S PARTY
NOTE: YOUR FICTIONAL COUNTRY AND 5 DOS AND DON'T SHOULD BE DONE
BEFORE THE PARTY.

YOU ARE A CITIZEN OF YOUR FICTIONAL COUNTRY, AND YOU ARE

ATTENDING A DINNER PARTY WITH OTHER
NATIONALITIES. YOUR GOAL IS TO MINGLE WITH AND INTRODUCE
YOURSELF AND YOUR FICTIONAL COUNTRY TO
OTHERS.
 LET'S PARTY
GUIDELINES

THE “PARTY” WILL BE HOSTED BY YOUR TEACHER. HE/SHE WILL GIVE

THE SIGNAL FOR THE “PARTY” TO START.

ONCE THE “PARTY” STARTS, EACH OF YOU HAS TO ROAM AROUND AND
TALK WITH PEOPLE FROM OTHER
GROUPS. KEEP IN MIND THE FOLLOWING RULES.
 LET'S PARTY
THE “PARTY” WILL BE HOSTED BY YOUR TEACHER. HE/SHE WILL GIVE
THE SIGNAL FOR THE “PARTY” TO START.

ONCE THE “PARTY” STARTS, EACH OF YOU HAS TO ROAM AROUND AND
TALK WITH PEOPLE FROM OTHER
GROUPS. KEEP IN MIND THE FOLLOWING RULES.

A. REFRAIN FROM SPEAKING WITH YOUR GROUP MATES.

B. DO NOT TALK ABOUT THE RULES WHICH YOUR GROUP CREATED.
 LET'S PARTY
THE “PARTY” WILL LAST FOR 5 MINUTES.

AFTERWARDS, CONFER WITH YOUR GROUP MATES AND DISCUSS THE

FOLLOWING:
A. WAS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOUR GROUP’S BEHAVIOR AND
OTHERS’?
B. HOW DID YOU HANDLE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN YOUR
BEHAVIORS?
 INTERCULTURAL
COMMUNICATION
INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION HAPPENS WHEN INDIVIDUALS
INTERACT, NEGOTIATE, AND CREATE MEANINGS
WHILE BRINGING IN THEIR VARIED CULTURAL BACKGROUNDS (TING-
TOOMEY, 1999).
 INTERCULTURAL
COMMUNICATION
FOR SOME SCHOLARS, INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION PERTAINS TO
COMMUNICATION AMONG PEOPLE
FROM DIFFERENT NATIONALITIES (GUDYKUNST, 2003). STILL, OTHERS
LOOK AT INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION AS
COMMUNICATION THAT IS INFLUENCED BY DIFFERENT ETHNICITIES,
RELIGIONS, AND SEXUAL ORIENTATIONS.WHILE BRINGING IN THEIR
VARIED CULTURAL BACKGROUNDS (TING-TOOMEY, 1999).
 SIMPLY PUT,
INTERCULTURAL
COMMUNICATION IS THE SENDING AND RECEIVING
OF MESSAGES ACROSS LANGUAGES AND
CULTURES.
FOR EXAMPLE
FOR EXAMPLE
 THE DEVELOPMENTAL
MODEL OF INTERCULTURAL
SENSITIVITY
 DEFINITION
THE DEVELOPMENTAL MODEL OF INTERCULTURAL SENSITIVITY (DMIS)
OFFERS A STRUCTURE THAT EXPLORES
HOW PEOPLE EXPERIENCE CULTURAL DIFFERENCES. ACCORDING TO
BENNETT AND BENNETT (2004), IT HAS SIX
STAGES.
STAGE 1: THE INDIVIDUAL DOES NOT

DENIAL
RECOGNIZE CULTURAL
DIFFERENCES.

AN INDIVIDUAL IN THE
DENIAL STAGE MIGHT BE
HEARD SAYING:

“ALL CITIES ARE THE SAME;

THEY ALL HAVE TALL
BUILDINGS, FAST FOOD
CHAINS, AND COFFEE
SHOPS.”
STAGE 2: THE INDIVIDUAL STARTS TO

DEFENSE
RECOGNIZE CULTURAL
DIFFERENCES AND IS
INTIMIDATED BY
THEM, RESULTING IN EITHER
A SUPERIOR VIEW ON OWN
CULTURE OR UNJUSTIFIED
HIGH REGARD FOR THE
NEW ONE.
STAGE 2: AN INDIVIDUAL IN THE

DEFENSE
DEFENSE STAGE MIGHT BE
HEARD SAYING:

“THIS CULTURE DOES NOT

VIEW LIFE THE WAY WE
DO; OUR CULTURE IS
CERTAINLY BETTER.”
“THEIR WAYS ARE BETTER
THAN MY OWN; I WISH I
WERE ONE OF THEM.”
 STAGE 3: ALTHOUGH INDIVIDUALS SEE
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES,

MINIMIZATION.
THEY BANK MORE ON THE
UNIVERSALITY OF IDEAS
RATHER THAN ON CULTURAL
DIFFERENCES.

AN INDIVIDUAL IN THE
MINIMIZATION STAGE MIGHT
BE HEARD SAYING:

“ONCE WE SEE THROUGH

THE CULTURAL
DIFFERENCES, WE REALLY
ARE JUST THE SAME!”
 STAGE 4: THE INDIVIDUAL BEGINS TO
APPRECIATE IMPORTANT

ACCEPTANCE.
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN
BEHAVIORS AND
EVENTUALLY VALUES.

AN INDIVIDUAL IN THE
ACCEPTANCE STAGE MIGHT
BE HEARD SAYING:

“THESE PEOPLE AND I

HAVE DIFFERENT VALUES
AND EXPERIENCES, AND I
THINK WE CAN LEARN FROM
ONE
ANOTHER.”
 STAGE 5: THE INDIVIDUAL IS VERY
OPEN TO WORLD VIEWS

ADAPTATION.
WHEN ACCEPTING NEW
PERSPECTIVES.

AN INDIVIDUAL IN THE
ADAPTATION STAGE MIGHT
BE HEARD SAYING:

“TO ADDRESS OUR ISSUE, I

HAVE TO ADJUST MY
APPROACH TO CONSIDER
BOTH MY OWN AND MY
COUNTERPART’S
BACKGROUND.”
 STAGE 6: INDIVIDUALS START TO GO
BEYOND THEIR OWN

INTEGRATION.
CULTURES AND SEE
THEMSELVES AND
THEIR ACTIONS BASED ON
MULTIFARIOUS CULTURAL
VIEWPOINTS.

AN INDIVIDUAL IN THE
INTEGRATION STAGE MIGHT
BE HEARD SAYING:

“I CAN LOOK AT THINGS

FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF
VARIOUS CULTURES.”
ONCE YOU UNDERSTAND THESE STAGES, YOU MAY APPLY IT TO

1) RECOGNIZE COMMUNICATION BEHAVIORS

WHICH DIFFER FROM YOUR OWN,
2) TAKE INTO ACCOUNT WHAT CAN INFLUENCE THESE TYPES OF
BEHAVIORS,
3) TRY TO ANALYZE HOW LINGUISTIC AND CULTURAL
COMMUNITIES DIFFER IN TERMS OF COMMUNICATION BEHAVIOR
AND INFLUENCING FACTORS
CHARACTERISTICS OF
COMPETENT
INTERCULTURAL
COMMUNICATORS
1. FLEXIBILITY AND THE
ABILITY TO TOLERATE
HIGH LEVELS OF
UNCERTAINTY
2. REFLECTIVENESS OR
MINDFULNESS
3. OPEN-MINDEDNESS
4. SENSITIVITY
5. ADAPTABILITY
 6. ABILITY TO ENGAGE IN DIVERGENT
THINKING (OR THINKING CREATIVELY)
AND SYSTEMS-LEVEL THINKING (OR
THINKING HOW EACH ONE IN A SYSTEM
OR ORGANIZATION INFLUENCES EACH
OTHER)
7. POLITENESS
 GENDER, AGE, SOCIAL
STATUS, AND RELIGION
MUST ALSO BE TAKEN INTO
CONSIDERATION WHEN
COMMUNICATING WITH
OTHERS.
 GENDER, AGE, SOCIAL
STATUS, AND RELIGION
MUST ALSO BE TAKEN INTO
CONSIDERATION WHEN
COMMUNICATING WITH
OTHERS.
 TIPS
1.
AVOID STEREOTYPES, I.E.,
GENERALIZATIONS ABOUT A
CERTAIN GROUP.
2.
CHALLENGE GENDER NORMS; AVOID
USING “HE” AND “MAN” TO REFER TO
A GENERAL GROUP OF PEOPLE.
TO REMEDY THIS, YOU MAY USE
PLURAL PRONOUNS OR REWRITE A
SENTENCE TO AVOID USING PRONOUNS.
THE USE OF HIS/HER IS ALSO
ACCEPTABLE.
 TIPS
3. 4.
BE SENSITIVE TO THE RELIGIOUS
DO NOT TALK DOWN ON YOUNGER PRACTICES OF OTHERS.
PEOPLE AND THE ELDERLY.
 TIPS
5.

BE POLITE AT ALL TIMES; DO NOT

BELITTLE PEOPLE YOU PERCEIVE
TO BE ON A LOWER SOCIAL CLASS
THAN
YOU.
 EXERCISE
READ EACH STATEMENT. IF IT DISPLAYS BIAS OR INSENSITIVITY, WRITE
THE GROUP/ELEMENT BEING
MISREPRESENTED (GENDER, SOCIAL STATUS, AGE, RELIGION, CULTURE). IF
NOT, WRITE “OK.” ONCE DONE,
COMPARE AND DISCUSS YOUR ANSWERS
WHY IS INTERCULTURAL
COMMUNICATION
IMPORTANT?

HOW CAN COMPETENCE IN

INTERCULTURAL
COMMUNICATION HELP
YOU?

THANK
YOU
SEE YOU NEXT TIME