transitioChapter 2

Communication in the 21 Century st

After studying this chapter, you should be able to:

1. assess your ability to communicate effectively with persons from different
cultures;
2. define intercultural communication;
3. compare the four cultural dialectics;
4. identify techniques you can use to reduce the strangeness of strangers; and
5. discuss how technology is bringing diversity into our lives.

===================================

Quotes to ponder

If we don’t speak out when people behave in a discriminatory manner, we are

partly responsible for the consequences.
- William Gudykunst

Prejudice is the child of ignorance.

- William Hazlitt
Globalization

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Globalization is the increasing economic, political, and cultural integration

and interdependence of diverse cultures – the worldwide integration of humanity.
In globalization, we pay attention to diversity – the recognition and valuing of
differences, encompassing such factors as age, gender, race, ethnicity, ability, religion,
education, marital status, sexual orientation and income. Occasionally “diversity” is used
to refer to actual cultural diversity, and diversity training moves beyond prejudice
reduction towards recognizing, respecting, and dealing productively with cultural
differences.

Marshall McLuhan, an early observer of how the mass media affect behavior and
thinking, predicted years ago that our world would become a global village. We are now
linked physically and electronically to people around the globe.

Digital technology has helped erase the notion of territorial boundaries between
counties, gradually eroding the idea of the term nation as it does so. People we
once considered strangers are now friends and co-workers, creating the need for
people who are multiculturalists – persons respectful of and engaged with people from
distinctly different cultures.
Intercultural Communication

Whenever cultural variability influences the nature and the effects of

communication, intercultural communication is at work. Thus, when we speak about
it, we are concerned with the process of interpreting and sharing meanings with
individuals from different cultures. Intercultural communication is the mechanism
whereby people of different groups perceive and try to make sense of one another.
Intercultural communication comprises a number of forms:
• Inter-racial communication – the interpreting and sharing of meanings with
individuals from different races
• Inter-ethnic communication – interaction with individuals of different ethnic origins
• International communication – communication between persons representing
different nations
• Intracultural communication – interaction with members of the same racial or ethnic
group or co-culture as yours

Cultures and Co-Cultures

A culture is the system of knowledge, beliefs, values, customs, behaviors and

artifacts that are acquired, shared and used by its members during daily living. Within a
culture as a whole are co-cultures – these are composed of members of the same
general culture who differ in some ethnic or social way from the parent culture.

Co-culture members who use the strategy of assimilation attempt to fit in, or
join with members of the dominant culture. In comparison, co-culture members who use
the strategy of accommodation attempt to maintain their cultural identity even while they
strive to establish relationships with members of the dominant culture. On the other
hand, when members of the co-culture resist interacting with members of the dominant
culture, they employ the strategy of resistance or separation.
 According to cultural anthropologist Edward T. Hall, culture is communication
and communication is culture. It is your culture that teaches you how to think and what
to think about. It is your culture that teaches you what is beautiful or ugly, helpful or
harmful, appropriate or out-of-place. Culture is the lens through which you view the
world; it is the mirror you use to reflect and interpret reality.

Ethnocentrism versus Cultural Relativism

When cultures meet, when we interact with persons whose values are
different from ours or whose behavioral norms differ from our own, we must first
recognize and acknowledge our differences. We must come to accept diversity if we are
to be able to process other cultures’ influences and communicate with each other in a
meaningful way.

Ethnocentrism, the tendency to see your own culture as superior to all others,
is a key characteristic of failed intercultural communication efforts. Persons who
are ethnocentric experience great anxiety when interacting with persons from
different cultures. Cultural relativism is the opposite of ethnocentrism. When you
practice cultural relativism, instead of viewing the group to which you belong as superior
to all others, you work to try to understand the behavior of other groups on the basis of
the context in which the behavior occurs rather than from your own frame of reference.

Exploring Cultural Dialectics

Hofstede, Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck, and Hall identified four variables

to distinguish cultures: individualism versus collectivism, high-context versus low-
context, high power distance versus low power distance, and masculine or feminine
culture. These dialectics reveal a culture’s values and help us make comparisons
across cultures.
o Individualism versus Collectivism

The cultural dimension of individualism versus collectivism reveals how

people define themselves in their relationships with others. Individualistic
cultures, such as those of Great Britain, The United States, Canada, France and
Germany, cultivate individual initiative and achievement, while collectivistic
cultures, represented by Arab, African, Asian and Latin American countries, tend
to nurture group influences. This means that, while the “I” may be most important
in individualistic cultures, the “we” is the dominant force in collectivistic ones.
The individual in a collectivistic culture is expected to fit into the group, while
developing a sense of self is emphasized in an individualistic culture.

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 Photo source: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-are-collectivistic-cultures-2794962

o High-context versus Low-context

A second way cultures vary in communication style is in their preference

for high-context or low-context communication. Cultures with high-context
communication systems are tradition-bound; their cultural traditions shape
the behavior and lifestyle of group members, causing them to appear to be overly
polite and indirect in relating to others.

In contrast, cultures with low-context communication systems generally

encourage members to exhibit a more direct communication style. Members of
low-context cultures tend to gather background information when meeting
someone for the first time.
 Photo source: https://learningandteaching-navitas.com/navigating-academic-culture-withinternationalstudents/

o High power distance versus Low power distance

Power distance measures the extent to which individuals are willing to

accept power differences. Individuals from high power distance cultures, such as
Saudi Arabia, India and Malaysia, view power as a fact of life and are apt to
stress its coercive and referent nature. Superiors and subordinates are likely to
view each other differently; subordinates are quick to defer to superiors. In
contrast individuals from low power distance cultures, such as Israel, Sweden
and The United States, believe power should be used only when it is legitimate.
Superiors and subordinates from low power distance countries emphasize
their interdependence by displaying preference for consultation.

o Masculine or Feminine culture

Cultures differ in their attitudes toward gender roles. In highly masculine

cultures, such as Japan, Italy, Germany, Mexico and Great Britain, members
value male aggressiveness, strength, and material symbols of success. In highly
feminine cultures, such as Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Thailand and
 Chile, members value relationships, tenderness in members of both sexes, and a
high quality of life. Masculine cultures emphasize members to be dominant
and competitive, confronting conflicts head-on and using win-lose strategy. In
contrast, members of feminine cultures are more apt to compromise and
negotiate to resolve conflicts, seeking win-win solutions.

Means of Communication

We use different means of communication when we interact with others. We

use words to share information; at other times we use body language to express
messages.

Verbal Communication

Verbal communication refers to an interaction in which words are used to relay

a message. This includes face-to-face, telephone, radio or television and other media.
For effective and successful verbal communication, we use words to express ideas
which can be easily understood by the person we are talking to. In using this type of
communication, we should consider the following:

❖ Appropriateness – Use language that is appropriate to the environment or

occasion.

❖ Brevity – Use words that are simple yet precise and powerful.

❖ Clarity – State messages and express ideas and feelings clearly.

❖ Ethics – Choose words carefully and consider the gender, roles, ethnicity,

preferences, and status of the person or people being talked to.

❖ Vividness – Use vivid and creative words to add color and spice to
communication.
Non-verbal Communication
Nonverbal communication refers to an interaction where behavior is used to
convey and represent meanings. All kinds of human responses that are not expressed
in words are classified as nonverbal communication. For example, the tone of voice
can give clues to mood or emotional state, while hand signals or gestures can add to a
spoken message.

Kinds of Non-verbal Communication

• chronemics – use of time
• kinesics – use of body movements and gestures
• proxemics – use of space
• haptics – use of the sense of touch
• paralanguage – use of tone, pitch or manner of speaking
• olfactorics – use of sense of smell
• iconics – use of codes and symbols
• oculesics – use of eye movements
• colorics – use of colors
• objectics – use of objects or artifacts
• pictics – use of facial expressions

Technology and Intercultural Communication

Our concept of community has widened.

Virtual neighborhoods and communities now
also populate the communication landscape.
For many of us, the Internet, with its worldwide
 reach, has become an integral part of our
communication lives. However, some critics

contend that, rather than bringing us together, computer networks are isolating us. They
assert that online communities lack the essence of a real neighborhood, sense
of location and a feeling or permanence and belonging. They also believe that the
culture of computing, especially when it comes to the Net’s Newsgroups, attract
extreme political positions and contributes to long-standing international conflicts.

Being able to reach so many different people who live in so many different
places so quickly give us a new sense of communication power. Wherever we live, the
Internet may also help bring diversity and new cultures into our lives. Over time, the
Internet may help change our social and business lives. Through it, we may meet a
wider array of people.

On the other hand, there is also the question of who is being represented on
the Internet. Currently, African Americans, the elderly and the poor are still
underrepresented online. But in time, increased access via libraries and schools may
help change this trend. If the trend continues, however, the digital divide (information
gap) will widen. Those who are financially able to afford Internet services and the
purchase of new technologies will have an advantage over those who are not. The
information gap is especially evident along racial, ethnic, age, geographic and income
lines.

How to Improve your Ability to Communicate Interculturally

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The following guidelines should help you increase your tolerance for
ambiguity, enhance your ability to handle new situations, and better prepare yourself to
meet the communication challenges of today and tomorrow:

a. Refrain from formulating expectations based solely on your own

culture. b. Recognize how faulty education can impede understanding.
c. Make a commitment to develop communication skills and abilities appropriate to
life in a multicultural world.

While culture is a tie that binds, the creation of the global village makes it
essential that you leave the comfort of your cultural niche, become more knowledgeable
of other cultures, and strive to be culturally aware.

Key Points

1. Ours is an age of increased global contact and diversity. Consequently,

assessing and developing an understanding of and sensitivity to cultural differences
is an essential component in each or our communication repertoire.
2. Intercultural communication is the process of interpreting and sharing meanings with
individuals from different cultures.

3. Individualistic cultures stress individual goals. Collective cultures stress group goals.
High-context communication cultures are tradition-bound, valuing indirectness. Low-
context communication cultures encourage directness in communication. High
power distance cultures view power as a fact of life with subordinates deferring to
superiors. Low power distance cultures believe power should be used if legitimate.
Masculine cultures value aggressiveness, strength, and material success. Feminine
cultures value relationships, tenderness, and a high quality of life.
4. Although our culture influences our communication style preferences, there
are techniques we can use to reduce the strangeness of strangers, increasing our
ability to handle the communication challenges of today and tomorrow.

5. The Internet brings diversity and culture into our lives, enabling us to interact with
people who have different world views.

References

Bennet, M. J. (2018). Intercultural communication. Retrieved from:

https://www.idrinstitute.org/resources/intercultural-communication/

Confirming pages. (2020). Retrieved from:

https://www.academia.edu/37113953/Communicating_in_a_Multicultural_Society
_and_World

https://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/meaning-of-colors.html
Workplace strategies. (2020). Retrieved from:
https://www.workplacestrategiesformentalhealth.com/mmhm/pdf/
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