Successful Communication in an

International and Intercultural Setting

1. Global awareness. One should be knowledgeable of developments and
issues obtaining in countries around the world. We are blessed by
information technology to have global television channels and media to
search information from any part of the world, thus one should take
advantage of this.
2. Cultural sensitivity. To be an effective communicator, we have to know, accept
and respect the culture of our audience/reader.
3. Cultural intelligence (CQ) and competence. This quality relates to the
capability of a person to adjust to and cope with situations in which
differences in cultures and beliefs had been observed.
4. Respect for the cultures and beliefs of others. Our success in our
relationship with others hinges on our respect of our cultures and beliefs. In
other words, respect begets respect. People will respect you if they sense
that you also respect them. This applies to communication situations.
Respect to your audience/reader begets respect to you.
5. Openness and positive attitude toward others. The key to a
successful relationships is an open and positive attitude towards others.
Start a conversation by a positive comment and you will almost certainly
get a positive response.
Important Pointers in Communication
1. Be ethical. Different countries have distinct ethical rules to follow in
communication. Thus, it is highly recommended that you make a simple study of
your audience/reader, their culture and their way to communicate, and the basic
rules they follow.
2. Use standard English terms and sentences. It is advised that a speaker/writer
avoid the use of esoteric terms, which means words used by specific professions
or groups.
3. Use a reasonable pace/speed in speaking. Be sensitive and considerate of
your audience. A public speaker should avoid delivering a speech using
conversational speed. Calibrating your space according to the reactions for your
audience could help the speaker succeed. It is a advised that you use simple rather
than compound and complex sentences.
4. Keep it short and simple (KISS). So that you can easily remember this pointer,
let us adopt an acronym: ‘’KISS,’’ meaning be as simple and as brief as possible.
Researchers believe that the interest span of a normal audience has shortened.
Thus, the longer as your sentences and your speech/write up for that matter, the
less your chances of succeeding. Shorter words and sentences are easy to digest
and comprehend than longer words. For instance use “Everyone’’ instead of the
cliché “each and everyone’’ say “good morning’’ instead of a ‘’pleasant good
morning’’.
5. Be a good listener. One speaker said to his audience: ‘’I hate people who
speak, while I am interrupting.’’ this trait is common to a number of people. Filipinos
are said be not so good listeners, thus we need to develop our active listening
skills, meaning: imagine what a speaker is saying; make a picture of the ideas that
are being put across. Ask questions to make sure that you understood well what
the order person is trying to communicate. Do wait for your turn to speak, never
interrupt, for many cultures interrupting a speaker is rude.
6. Keep tabs for important details. It is advisable to write important details,
especially complicated figures or ideas to help your audience understand your
message.
7. Encourage interaction. Interaction is very important for feedback and
successful communication. Sharpen your questioning techniques by learning to
use open-ended questions.
• Think of the favorite social media you use, then recall the ethics and principles of communication. What ethics and
principles do you think you should consider or not consider? Explain why you should consider or not consider the ethics
and principles in utilizing these social media.
• Write it in clean paper/bond paper. Have selfie with it. Send your answer and selfie at genuinestacie@gmail.com.
Deadline is on Friday 9pm.