Intercultural communication skills

why study intercultural communication?

➤ "the study of intercultural communication is about the study of communication that involves cultural
group membership differences. it is about acquiring the necessary knowledge and dynamic skills to
manage such differences appropriately and effectively.

1. Self-Awareness
one of the most important reasons for studying intercultural communication is that it increases
our awareness of our own culture, our cultural identity and cultural background. and it helps us
avoid ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism is a tendency to think our own culture is superior to other
cultures.
2. Demographic Reasons
another important reason to study intercultural communication are the constant demographic
shifts countries and communities experience. for example: immigrants, refugees or
undocumented individuals.
3. Workplace & Economic Globalization
4 out of 5 jobs in the u.s. are generated from international business to effectively compete in a
global market, (we) must understand how business and cultural practices are conducted in other
countries
4. Creative Problem Solving
⚫ According to creativity research, we learn more from people who are different than us than
from those who are similar to us.
• small group research suggests the quality of ideas produced in ethnically diverse groups have
significantly higher outcomes than ethnically homogeneous groups. This is due to the synergistic
perspective.
5. Global and International Peace r-e-s-p-e-c-t ✓ respect is fundamental to peace, global and
intrapersonal. it is's crucial ingredient in discussions (racism, sexism, politics...) the point is: to
learn from our differences to understand each others' understanding.