Intercultural Communication in Local and Global Settings

Introduction - Interpersonal communication skills are

Because of globalization, today’s businesses, essential in order to hasten cross-cultural
classrooms and communities are participated in by counseling.
stakeholders coming from different cultures. As such - Based on studies, ethnically distinct
cultural misunderstandings and miscommunications are clients show therapeutic improvements
expected. Thus, the art of knowing how to communicate when a counselor effectively
with other cultures should be a work place skill to be
acknowledges and validates client’s inner
emphasized.
world of experiences.
- Gudykunst (1995) argues that effective
Importance of Intercultural intercultural counseling is partly based on
Communication in Various Career Fields one’s ability to manage anxiety and
uncertainty.
In Education
- Intercultural communication has become High/Low Context Cultures and High/Low
important in education because the Context Communication
schools are becoming more diverse These concepts refer to how cultures give value to
culturally.
direct and indirect communication (Neese, 2016).
- Teachers need to be sensitive to the
potentially problematic outcomes of
culturally diverse class. High Context Culture - a culture whose
- Obstacles to effective intercultural communication relies heavily on context, gestures,
communication include attitudes and and non-verbal cues, and less on explicit words.
dispositions, stereotyping, and - Because of that, people in a high context
ethnocentrism. culture should have a great deal of
In Business commonality of knowledge and views. Also,
- Business administration is most affected they should build long term and stable
by the issues of intercultural relationships based on trust and loyalty.
communication - A high-context culture also values
- Multi-national companies cannot do subjectivity, consensus, cooperation, and
business without communicating cross tradition.
culturally (Targowski and Metwalli (2003)
- Relations and emotions shape
- To effectively communicate cross
culturally, knowledge and understanding communication
of cultural factors such as beliefs, values, - Examples of high context cultures are Japan,
attitudes, and norms should be acquired China, Korea, and Saudi Arabia
by business managers
Examples of High Context Communication
In Medical Fields
- In medical fields, not only language
Nuanced communication – a single message that
difficulties, but also cultural differences
in beliefs and understanding of diseases have different shades of meaning
may result in problems in intercultural Example: a compliment used as a sarcastic insult
communication.
- Health care workers should have training Reading between the lines
on appropriate use of interpretations and Example: - indirect criticism designed to help you
images to explain concepts to patients, save face
and schedule longer appointment with
patients who may have language or
cultural barriers. Implicit information - reliance on assumptions,
stereotypes and other short cuts
Examples: assuming something about someone
based on what university he/she attended
In Counseling
 Nag-aral sa Harvard University -
matalino
Low-Context Culture - a culture that 4 USING SILENCE
 The use of silence and the amount of silence in
communicates explicitly verbally.
communication can be interpreted in many
- It relies on the straightforward use of language, ways depending on the culture in which one is
without depending much on nonverbal cues. interacting.
- People rely on the literal meaning of words rather  In some cases, silence before a response to a
than the context or background of the situation conversation would give the impression of
or the speaker. thoughtfulness and consideration to the first
- Examples of low-context cultures include the speaker.
 On the other hand, silence can also come off as
United States, Australia, and many Western
a sign of hostility or indifference to others.
countries.
5 USING APPROPRIATE TOPICS OF
Areas where misinterpretations could take place CONVERSATION
“Miscommunication in a multi-cultural setting can be  In some cultures, talking about money can be
minimized if one is aware of the different areas wherein seen as unethical and embarrassing.
misinterpretation can occur.” (AJ Schuler, 2003)  In other cultures, however, one can easily talk
and ask about how much a person earns.
Areas Where Miscommunication Can Occur  In Asian cultures, talking about family issues
1. Opening and closing conversations with those who are not part of the family can
2. Taking turns during conversations be construed as inappropriate. Many Asian
3. Interrupting cultures protect family issues fiercely.
4. Using Silence
5. Using appropriate topics of conversation 6 USING HUMOR
6. Using humor  In Western culture, humor is often used as an
7. Knowing how much to say
icebreaker in communication to help establish
8. Sequencing elements during a conversation
rapport with others.
 In some ways, humor is used to make an
1 OPENING AND CLOSING CONVERSATIONS atmosphere less stifling and more relaxed.
 Different cultures have different ways of addressing
 In other cultures and situations, however, using
someone in terms of whom should be addressed
first, how they should be addressed and when they humor in a conversation may seem
can be addressed. disrespectful.
 Who speaks first or who closes the conversation can
also differ from one culture to another. 7 KNOWING HOW MUCH TO SAY
 In some situations, addressing someone in a manner  Knowing how much to say and when to say it
that is not common in a particular culture can often can determine the success of communication.
be seen as rude and disrespectful.  Many people from Western cultures prefer
communicating in a straight-to-the-point
2 TAKING TURNS DURING CONVERSATIONS manner.
 There are appropriate ways of interacting with  Those from Asian cultures are less
other people in all cultures. In some, turn- confrontational, they use indirect
taking is often welcomed whereas, in other approach in discussing certain matters.
cultures, listening and reserving comment after
the conversation is preferred.
8 SEQUENCING ELEMENTS DURING A
 Other cultures believe that giving an
immediate response can be seen as a challenge CONVERSATION
or humiliation.  When to say things is as important as
what one says and how one says things.
3 INTERRUPTING  One should consider the timing when to
 In some culture, interruption during a introduce a topic, negotiate, or ask for
conversation can be acceptable especially directions.
when it is within the context of the interaction.
 Co-cultures like gender, age, religion,
 However, in other cultures interrupting in the
middle of a conversation, regardless of the education, position, or political
point being made, can be viewed as impolite.
 affiliations will also dictate what, how Taiwanese it is considered impolite (wink
and when to say things in a conversation vs blink)
- Casually receiving a Japanese business
Facets/Aspects of Intercultural card = Among Japanese, the business
Communication card is an extension of the person, so they
1. Interracial communication (when communicating hand it with great care and they expect
parties come from different races) that it will be received with politeness. =
2. Interethnic communication (when then communicating Among North Americans, they their
parties come from different ethnic groups)
business card as a business formality and
3. International communication (when the
convenience.
communicating parties come from different political
structures) - Eye contact = North Americans value eye
4. Intracultural communication (all forms of contact, they tend to distrust those who
communication among members of the same racial, fail to do so = Arabs, also maintain direct
ethnic, political, or other co-culture groups) eye contact for longer periods However,
for Japanese and other Asian, eye contact
Cultural Pluralism over a sustained period of time means
- A philosophy allowing for cultures to disrespect or intrusiveness
maintain their differences while - Offending inadvertently = McDonalds
coexisting in broader society. inadvertently offended the Muslim
- Cultural pluralist believe in respect for communities throughout the world it
uniqueness and tolerance for difference. printed on its throw-away hamburger
- Enculturation refers to the process of bags an excerpt from the Koran =
acquiring a culture by learning and promotion featuring the flags of 24
applying it. nations competing in the 1994 soccer
- A philosophy allowing for cultures to championship = One of the flags was that
maintain their differences while of Saudi Arabia. The green and white
coexisting in broader society. Saudi flag bears an Arabic passage that
- Cultural pluralist believe in respect for can be translated as “There is no God but
uniqueness and tolerance for difference. Allah, and Mohammed is his Prophet.” =
- Enculturation refers to the process of Offended Muslims complained that such
acquiring a culture by learning and sacred words should not be crumpled up
applying it. and thrown in the trash. = Costly, since 2
million bags, intended for take-out were
Cultural Ignorance recalled
- Also called culturally confused or
culturally insensitive Generational Differences
- when we fail to realize that people from 1. The Greatest Generations
different cultures may not look, think or 2. The Baby Boomers
act like we do 3. The Generation X
- Cultural ignorance is costly 4. The Generation Y
5. The iGeneration or Gen Z
Acts Demonstrating Cost of Cultural Ignorance 6. The Generation Alpha
- Showing the sole of a shoe (while
crossing one’s legs) = In the US it 1 THE GREATEST GENERATIONS
indicates that they are relaxed, but among - Also called the Matures
Muslims it is perceived insulting. - born 1900-1945
- Blinking while another person talks = it is - WW II and Cold War are their defining
normal among North Americans, but to experiences
 - they are known for: respecting authority,
following rules, loyal to their employers, 6 THE GENERATION ALPHA
respecting timeliness - born 2010 and after
- so far, the most technologically immersed
2 THE BABY BOOMERS generation
- born 1946-1964 - most likely to spend their childhood in
- Space race and civil rights movement living arrangements that do not involve
- the Vietnam War and Water Gate both their biological parents
- famous for questioning authority (Karen - they are expected to care more about
identity) issues
- tend to display a “can do” attitude and - they display impatience to get things
focusing on how to get their way done
(persistent)
Synthesis
3 THE GENERATION X Intercultural communication at local and global
- born 1965-1982 levels can be greatly enhanced through increased
- they witnessed how traditional gender awareness of cultural differences, and cultural
roles bend and flex patterns and styles in both verbal and nonverbal
- the web emerged during their formative communication.
years (1-8 years old)
- they are known for seeking work-life
balance, and being loyal to people not to
the organization

4 THE GENERATION Y
- Also called The Millennials
- born 1983-1995
- sometimes referred to as the digital
natives
- technologically savvy
- have exceedingly high expectations and
think
- they are proficient multitaskers
- tend to spend more time for the internet
and media than they do face-to-face

5 THE IGENERATION OR GEN Z

- born after 1995
- the first generation to grow up with smart
phones
- they have no memory of time without
social media
- still forming their identities, they are
somewhat conscientious (diligent),
anxious (worrisome) and predisposed
(biased)
- they embrace anonymous media
platforms where incriminating images
disappear virtually instantly