Activity 1: Cultural Mapping

Instruction:
1. 10 cultural practices will be placed in a box.
2. On the map below, indicate the country where the culture is practiced.
3. Write the letter of the chosen practice on the top of the country’s name where you
think it is observed.

a. Thumbs up means ‘up yours.’

b. Making a compliment like “I love your couch” can make your host feel awkwardly obliged
to give you the item.
c. When drinking, it is impolite to fill your cup instead of the person beside you.
d. It is rude to use your left hand because it is reserved for the usage of comfort room.
e. Be an hour late when going to a dinner party. Punctuality is a sign of greed.
f. Smiling at a stranger is an indication that you think he/she is stupid.
g. The okay sign is very rude because it is associated to a body part.
h. Honesty shopping is practiced in tiny little shops.
i. For about two weeks, people relax. They believe in “No importa. Tranquilo,” that means
it’s not important, don’t worry, chill-out.
j. People will not like it if you turn down or insult their food.
 h. Switzerland f. Korea
c. Japan
a. Middle D. India
East J. Philippines
i. Colombia

g. Brazil b. Africa

e. Argentina (Source: https://www.vectorstock.com/royalty-free-vector/sketch-

outline-world-map-high-detailed-vector-14123437)

Note:
Disclaimer: The country may not be placed exactly to where it is really located. This is due to the
size of the given map.
Note: The select cultural practices may not be observed by all people in the said country.

Processing Questions:

1. What can you conclude based on the cultural practices?

2. Given the cultural differences, what do you think will happen to the communication
process?
3. Why do we need to consider culture in communication?

Student’s responses:

What I can conclude based on the cultural practices above is that there
really isn’t a universal way of doing things or a correct way of doing things.
What I mean is that practices vary, meanings vary, and messages vary
depending on where you are located. The communication process will most
likely be affected by the different cultural differences. The overall message
might be misinterpreted, or it won’t be the same. For example, problems
may be found in the encoding or decoding as well as the presence of a
barrier simply because of the difference in language. We need to consider
culture in communication because there are countless but vastly different
cultures in the world. We need to consider it to avoid miscommunication,
arguments, etc. We need to be mindful always, and be considerate when
communicating with someone.