MODULE: ORAL COMMUNICATION IN CONTEXT

CHAPTER 6:
INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

✓ Define intercultural communication

✓ Demonstrates effective intercultural communication skills in
a speech situation
✓ Develop appreciation for different cultural perspectives
✓ Communicate sensitively, taking into consideration a
listener’s gender.

Definition and Nature of Intercultural Communication

Intercultural communication
happens when individuals
interact, negotiate, and create
meanings while bringing in their
varied cultural backgrounds
(Ting-Toomey, 1999).

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.

Both interpretations show that intercultural communication takes place when

people draw from their cultural identity to understand values, prejudices,
language, attitudes, and relationships (Gudykunst & Kim, 2003). Moreover, this
facet of communication can also be seen
as a bargained understanding of human
experiences across diverse societies.
Simply put, intercultural communication
is the sending and receiving of messages
across languages and cultures.

Sometimes, intercultural communication

can flow smoothly and become very
interesting for a cross-cultural group.
However, things may not go as planned
when communication is disrupted by
cultural collisions.
 MODULE: ORAL COMMUNICATION IN CONTEXT

When you speak, your speech is

continuously accompanied by
gestures, facial expressions, and
other body movements that add to
what you are saying in different
ways. For example, nodding means
“yes” in the Indian subcontinent,
Iran, most of Europe, Latin America,
and North America. However, in
Greece, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine,
Turkey, Macedonia, Bulgaria, and
Albania, nodding indicates
disagreement. Moreover, in the case
of Japanese culture, silence as a form
of communication is more integrated in their customs than in Western
languages. It is therefore important for you to acknowledge and understand the
many communication patterns present in other cultures.

The Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity

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. These are the following:
 MODULE: ORAL COMMUNICATION IN CONTEXT

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, and 3) try to analyze how linguistic and
cultural communities differ in terms of communication behavior and influencing
factors (Allwood, 1985).

Characteristics of Competent Intercultural Communicators

World Bank (2010) identifies the following traits that define a competent
intercultural communicator.

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
Note that in addition to culture, other elements such as gender, age, social
status, and religion must also be taken into consideration when communicating
with others. Refrain from showing bias when talking to someone by following the
tips below.

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.
3. Do not talk down on younger people and the elderly.
4. Be sensitive to the religious practices of others.
5. Be polite at all times; do not belittle people you perceive to be on a lower
social class than you.
 MODULE: ORAL COMMUNICATION IN CONTEXT

Influence in Gender on the Intercultural Communication

The idea that men and women are different in their ability to communicate
has been one of the most popular beliefs about gender differences that exists to
this day. Whether it is with words, tone of voice, emotional expression, or body
language, the way in which males and females communicate have been explored
in a variety of ways to distinguish the characteristics that makes us so different.
It may seem obvious that males and females tend to use different communication
styles. It is commonly generalized that females communicate in a more indirect,
elaborate, and emotional, sense that can reflect uncertainty, tentativeness, and
a lack of authority. While males are perceived to have a communication style
that is direct, succinct, and instrumental. Although it may seem that the female
communication style might be the weaker form, it can also be said that females
are more able to establish a rapport that encourages response because of their
ability to empathize and connect. While males’ conversational style usually
centers around their own independence, female communication style reflects
their need for connectedness.

One major difference between male and female communication style is in

the amount of emotion that is used in their conversations. Gendered cultural
norms such as emotional expression and communication styles are both learned
in childhood through interactions with family members and friends. Specifically,
conversations that children have with their peers help them learn appropriate
emotional responses which develop their socio-cognitive understanding. For
example, females use more affiliative language whereas males use more assertive
language in conversations with both parents and peers.

The differences in the words we use, the tone of voice, and the way
we express our emotion can all cause some form of misunderstanding with
communication. The way in which men and women communicate, whether
through verbal or nonverbal means, can present differences in how the speaker
and the addressee are perceived. Knowing what these differences are can help
lessen misunderstandings and build a greater path of communication between
the sexes.
 MODULE: ORAL COMMUNICATION IN CONTEXT

• https://www.idrinstitute.org/resources/intercul
tural-communication/

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intercultural_com
munication

Please click the link below for the Course Overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QWRfWngJhQ