INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

WHAT IS CULTURE?

• Culture isn’t only intellectual happenings like arts, festivals, traditional foods,
heritages or literature, but refers to the daily lifestyle of the general population or
a group of people or an individual. It also describes the family life and social life.
• Culture is created by humans and can be different from place to place. It creates
a human environment with shared meanings within a society through beliefs,
values, norms, etc. and are a learned behavior.
• Culture defines how a person behaves, interacts and gives meaning to actions.
People identify themselves with their culture and tend to behave differently in
different cultures. This is due to the different perception of people, on the world,
from different cultures.
WHAT IS INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION?

• Intercultural communication is the study and application of knowledge on

“cultural perceptions and symbol systems” of people belonging to different
cultures.
• The intended meaning of any message differs when encoded by a person of a
certain culture and decoded by someone of the other. The different meanings of
symbols in different culture also vary making the interpretation difficult.
• While applying inter-cultural communication, it refers to making people aware and
able to adopt others’ cultures when they communicate with them and thus have a
meaningful communication.
TYPES OF INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

Verbal & Nonverbal

• Verbal communication consists of words used to communicate messages whereas non-verbal
communication is gestures that give out messages.
• Spoken and written language are parts of verbal communication which must be considered
highly while in intercultural communication. Cultural factors affect verbal communication as
people can sometimes not be able to speak or write in the language of the receiver. Use of words,
dialects, accents, slang, etc. can also be different according to their own cultures.
• Similarly, non-verbal cues consist of communication that occurs without words like facial
expressions, hand and body movements, eye contact, use of objects, clothing, etc. They help in
making message clear or can give the different message as well.
INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS

• Demonstrating your willingness to meet others at least halfway by learning a few phrases in their
language.
• Talking to people who know the culture about common traps and problems before travelling to other
country.
• Adapting your behavior, and not always expecting others to adapt to you.
• Checking your understanding and others while you are conversing.
• Not being afraid to apologize if you have offended someone.
• Using local television/social media/internet to learn about behavioral issues or norms.
• Reflecting on your experience to help you put it in context.