Intercultural Communication

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PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION

MODULE 3
INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
INTRODUCTION

Communication examines the basic elements of interpersonal communication and culture as the
two relate to one another. Emphasis is given to the influence of culture on the interpretation of
the communication act and to the communication skills that enhances cross-cultural
communication. Communication requires the ability to understand language, but just think about
how much of your communication with even you friends is nonverbal: our body language, our
attitude, the rituals from hand-shaking to the stink eye. Some researchers estimate that up to
93% of all human communication is nonverbal, although according to recent studies, it is
actually closer to 60%.
It provides several commonly accepted academic and applied definitions to clarify this concept
and process. The term ―intercultural communication‖, represent broad ideas that are difficult to
express in just one way. Thus, we present several working definitions as starting points for
exploring this topic.
Intercultural communication refers to the communication between people from two different
cultures. (Chen & Starosta, 1998:28). It is a symbolic, interpretive, transactional, contextual
process, in which people create shared meanings. (Lustig & Koester, 2007:46). It also refers to
the effects on communication behavior, when different cultures interact together. Hence, one
way of viewing intercultural communication is as communication that unfolds in symbolic
intercultural spaces. (Arasaratnam, 2013:48).
Intercultural communication is the verbal and nonverbal interaction between people from
different cultural backgrounds. Basically, ―inter-‖ is a prefix that means ―between‖ and
―cultural‖ means from a culture, so intercultural communication is the communication between
cultures. Sometimes this is used to describe a single person trying to interact in a foreign
environment but more often, it is a two-way street, where people from both cultures are trying to
improve their communication. It is important to understand intercultural communication because
it allows us for positive and productive interaction. Intercultural communication refers to the
effective communication between people/ workers/ clients of different cultural background. It
also includes managing thought patterns and nonverbal communication.
Still, that means that more than half of communication is never spoken. So, intercultural
communication is going to take a lot more than just learning a language. It describes the wide
range of communication processes and problems that naturally appears within an organization
or social context made up of individuals from different religious, social, ethnic, and educational
backgrounds. It this sense it seeks to understand how people from different countries and
cultures act, communicate and perceived the world around them.
Intercultural communication plays a role in social sciences such as anthropology, cultural
studies, linguistics, psychology and communication studies. It also referred to as the base of
international businesses. Several cross-cultural services providers assist with the development
of intercultural communication skills, in a way the ―interaction with speakers of other
languages of equal terms and respecting their identities‖.
Identity and culture are also studies within the discipline of communication to analyze how
globalization influences ways of thinking, beliefs, values, and identity, within and between
cultural environments. Language is an important example of a cultural component that is linked
to intercultural understanding.

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PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION
Module Objectives:

∙ Define and identify elements of interpersonal communication, culture, cultural


systems and global communication;
∙ Explain how cultural and global issues affect communication;
∙ Present ideas on the impact of communication on society and the world; ∙
Compare and contrast cultures‘ values, beliefs, perceptions, and
communication styles;
∙ Recognize negative perception: racism, prejudice, negative stereotyping,
ethnocentrism;
∙ Recognize and identify co-cultures;
∙ Analyze intercultural interactions and evaluate situations using intercultural
communication skills;
∙ Understand cultural and global flow of information.

THE
PAULINIAN
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS

ETHICAL, PAULINIAN LEADERS & PROFESSIONALS,


who:
1.1 Consistently adhere to ethico-moral standards of decision making and
behavior in their personal, professional and organizational affairs;
1.2 Declare, affirm, and manifest the values and principles of honesty,
transparency, responsibility, accountability, and fairness in their
professional lives and endeavor;
1.3 Articulate, advocate, and exhibit Paulinian ideals and values in their
private and professional lives nurtured by prayer and deep relationship with
God; and 1.4 Speak out and take action to expose and redress violations of
social and professional norms and principles whatever the consequences
may be.

AFFIRMATION
“As a Christ-centered Paulinian, I am a Reliable, Productive
EXPERT and IMPLEMENTER, competently pursuing my mission
in life.”

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PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION
TOPIC 1
COMMUNICATION AND GLOBALIZATION
Image 1. Source: https://bit.ly/2MOGuGo
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
During the learning engagements, the learners are able to:

1. define and identify elements of interpersonal communication, culture, cultural systems and
global communication;
2. explain how cultural and global issues affect communication; and
3. present ideas on the impact of communication on society and the world.

As technology advances, the world is getting smaller. Today we are able to communicate with
people across the globe at the touch of a button. While globalization, or communication
between nations beyond their borders, is an old concept, with the onset of new technology
globalization is affecting the ways we communicate and learn in fascinating ways. We are
expanding our understanding of fellowship and as we become more connected, we are
deepening our educational experiences. The rise in the use of the internet in particular has
been incredibly instrumental in improving the ways in which we connect with one another.
Because of technologies like the internet, we have the opportunity to view diverse perspectives
that overlooks outside of our scope before. We are able to fully connect with someone who is
thousands of miles away in real time and the effects are profound.

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PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION
The Effects of Globalization on Global Communication
⮚ Increased Business Opportunities

Many companies today hire employees that are located in other countries. Using communication
vehicles such as video calling make it simple to converse with colleagues across the globe,
almost making it feel as if they are in the same room. Technology also makes it easier to
connect with suppliers and customers all over the world, and to streamline relationship through
improved ordering, shipment tracking and so on. With this kind of communication technology,
many businesses are able to take advantage of opportunities in different countries or cities,
improving the economic outlook on a global level.

⮚ Fewer Cultural Barriers

Many people perceive culture to be the root of communication challenges. When people from
two different cultures try to exchange information, the way they speak, their body language or
their mannerisms can be interpreted differently by the other person. The way people approach
problems and how they participate in communities is all influenced by culture.
Globalization has made it possible, for example, for someone in Japan to understand how
someone in the U.S. goes about their day. With television and movies, cultural barriers are
becoming less prevalent. Being able to communicate effectively and frequently with colleagues
or friends across the planet helps people understand each other‘s cultures a little better.
Creation of a Global Village
You‘ve likely heard of the phrase "global village," coined by theorist Marshall McLuhan. Affected
both by globalization and global communication, the global village is created when distance and
isolation no longer matter because people are connected by technology. Wide-spread
telephone and internet access have been life-changing for many people across the world,
especially those in developing countries. Many are now enrolling in universities across the
world without having to leave their desk chair. Virtual assistant jobs are becoming
commonplace, where employees from developing countries work with companies in North
America or Europe, providing administrative support and other business services that can easily
be conducted over the phone or via the internet

EYE CONTACT:

-North Americans view direct eye contact as a sign of honesty

-Asians view direct eye contact as a form of disrespect


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PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION

Why do we need to study this?


The transmission of the message from sender to recipient can be affected by a lot of factors.
These include cultural situation, the medium used to communicate, and even our location.
However, because of globalization, communication goes well and easy. These topics made the
students aware of the following:

⮚ Globalization and global communication have made it easier to see people on the other
side of the world as a neighbor, instead of a stranger from a faraway land. There is so
much knowledge about other countries and cultures available online that it‘s no longer a
complete mystery.

⮚ Some effects of globalization to global communication are having or increased business


opportunities, fewer cultural barriers as well as creating a global village or making the
world or the community connected with the use of technology.

Key Terms:
⮚ Globalization-the process of interaction and integration among people, companies and
governments worldwide.

⮚ Global village-refer to the world emphasize that all the different parts of the world form
one community linked together by electronic communications, especially the internet.

⮚ Cultural barriers- when people of different cultures are unable to understand each others‘
customs, resulting in inconveniences and difficulties.
TEST YOURSELF!
Choose the best answer on the provide questions:

1. In global village, people are no longer distant and isolated because they are being
connected by what? A. Transportation C. Technology
B. Family gatherings D. Communication

2. How does globalization contributes to cultural, economic, and political partnerships uplifting
the economic stability of a particular country?
A. By giving global awareness on how to boost their economy
B. Global market, foreign investment and cultural management can be done.
C. Through assisting one‘s political advocacy.
D. None of the above.

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PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION
TOPIC 2
LOCAL AND GLOBAL COMMUNICATION IN MULTICULTURAL
SETTING
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
During the learning engagements, the learners are able to:
1. demonstrate an awareness of the reality of cultural diversity through identification of
known dialects and languages; and
2. explain how cultural diversity affects effective communications.

Multiculturalism refers to the presence of people with several cultures in a specific setting. It is
the co existence of diverse cultures, where culture includes racial, religious, or cultural groups
and is manifested in customary behaviors, cultural assumptions and values, patterns of
thinking, and communicative styles.
Image 2. Source: https://bit.ly/369vcUE

The world today is characterized by ever growing compacts resulting in communication


between people with different linguistic and cultural background.
One of the most common forms of global communication is an email. A person in one country
types a message and clicks the send button. The message is then encoded into packets which
are sent across the internet to the recipient. In another country, the receiver logs in and
decodes the message by opening the email, and retrieves the message.
Global communication becomes more complicated when there are multiple recipients from
different cultures with different languages all receiving the same message, as well as when
there are more layers added to the channel. For example, if a world leader makes a speech
broadcast across the globe, people from one region may rejoice at the news, while others may
find it offensive. In this case, the channel itself can involve many

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PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION
different layers, as translators, news, editors and commentators each interpret the message
differently before passing it on to the intended audiences.

LOCAL AND GLOBAL COMMUNICATION


It is the way on how we communicate to other. By using our own languages and an English
language, we can make a conversation locally or globally. The main purpose of this is to have
an idea on how can we apply what we learned from them for ourselves and for our community.
It can also be the way for our country to have sufficient knowledge to make it more outstanding.

Local communication means data transferred directly from the gateway to bluz DK, without
going through the Particle cloud. Local communication can be used for a lot of tasks that
don't require the cloud.
Multicultural education refers to any form of education or teaching that incorporates the
histories, texts, values, beliefs, and perspectives of people from different cultural backgrounds
The study of global communication is an interdisciplinary field focusing on global
communication, or the ways that people connect, share, relate and mobilize across
geographic, political, economic, social and cultural divides.

COMMUNICATING ACROSS CULTURES


Communicating across cultures is challenging. Each culture has set rules that its members take
for granted. Few of us are aware of our own cultural biases because cultural imprinting is begun
at a very early age. And while some of culture‘s knowledge, rules, beliefs, values, phobias, and
anxieties are taught explicitly, most of the information is absorbed subconsciously.
The challenge for multinational communication has never been greater. Worldwide business
organizations have discovered that intercultural communication is a subject importance not just
because of increased globalization, but also because their domestic workforce is growing more
and more diverse.

Intercultural communication
- is a discipline that studies communication across different cultures and social groups, or how
culture affects communication. It describes the wide range of communication processes and
problems that naturally appear within an organization or social context made up of individuals
from different religious, social, ethnic, and educational backgrounds. In this sense it seeks to
understand how people from different countries and cultures act, communicate and perceive
the world around them.
CULTURES CO- CULTURES

-A culture is the system of knowledge, - Within a culture as a whole are


beliefs, values, customs, behaviors, and co-cultures, these are composed of
artifacts that are acquired shared, and used members of the same general
by its members during daily living. culture who differ in some ethnic or
sociological way from the parent
culture.

Table 2. Cultures and Co-Cultures

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PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION

BARRIERS TO LOCAL AND GLOBAL COMMUNICATION


IN MULTICULTURAL SETTINGS
Some of the barriers to effective communication are language, medium of communication,
personality and culture. Culture became barrier to an effective communication when a person
has different language bearing, and they have different interpretation to such words.

What is the difference between multicultural and cross-cultural or Intercultural?


While they all might be under the same roof, they describe entirely different rooms. The
differences in the meanings have to do with the perspectives we take when interacting with
people from other cultures.
Multicultural refers to a society that contains several cultural or ethnic groups. People live
alongside one another, but each cultural group does not necessarily have engaging interactions
with each other. For example, in a multicultural neighborhood people may frequent ethnic
grocery stores and restaurants without really interacting with their neighbors from other
countries.
Cross-cultural (Intercultural) refers to the comparison of different cultures. In cross-cultural
communication, differences are understood and acknowledged, and can bring about individual
change, but not collective transformations. In cross-cultural societies, one culture is often
considered ―the norm‖ and all other cultures are compared or contrasted.

SYNTHESIS

⮚ Global communication becomes more complicated when there are multiple recipients
from different cultures with different languages all receiving the same message, as well
as when there are more layers added to the channel.
⮚ Local communication means data transferred directly from the gateway to bluz DK,
without going through the Particle cloud. Local communication can be used for a lot of
tasks that don't require the cloud.
⮚ Local and global communication in multicultural settings help me realize that
miscommunication is essential to enhance our ability to communicate and effectively
accept and embrace across country cultures. And it made me realize also the
importance of cross-culture in globalization business opportunities, job opportunities,
sharing of views and ideas, talent improvisation and understanding of diverse market.
⮚ To enhance our ability to communicate and effectively accept and embrace across country
cultures; ⮚ To make realize the importance of cross-culture in globalization business
opportunities, job opportunities, sharing of views and ideas, talent improvisation and
understanding of communication.

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