ARELLANO UNIVERSITY

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GEC 105 PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION

LESSON 2

TOPIC: 1. Intercultural Communication

Intercultural Communication
By: Jesus Perry L. Caudilla

In 1964, the term “ global village” was coined by a media and communication
theorist, the late Marshall McLuhan to describe a world where people instantly and
easily share culture through the tools of technology. He popularized the concept of
global village in his words: “Today, after more than century of electric technology, we
have extended our central nervous system itself in global embrace, abolishing both
space and time as far as our planet is concerned” (McLuhan, 1964)
Indeed, the world has changed not only physically because of drastic climate
change but also culturally because of the development of electronic and now digital
media which has reduced the distance of people from different parts of the globe. The
world is now viewed as a global village where people and their culture are brought
together as one community by electronic communications, particularly the Internet.
Food, music, education, religion, and government among others are linked together and
“compressed into one super-culture” (Dixon, 2009). In the global village, people may be
physically distant from one another yet everyone has become a neighbor. Undoubtedly,
at the heart of this phenomenon is the relationship between communication and culture.
It is common for people to share information with others who are culturally
different from them. This is particularly true when they are interacting within a
multicultural environment- be it an academic institution, a business firm, a professional
organization or a neighborhood. Undeniably, since culture influences communication,
they need to learn how to develop their competence in intercultural communication.

Culture Defined

 The system of shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviors, and artifacts that the
members of society use to cope with their world and with one another, and that
are transmitted from generation to generation through learning – Brian
Schwimmer, University of Manitoba
 The cumulative deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes,
meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts
of the universe, and material objects and possessions acquired by a group of
people in the course of generations through individual and group striving- Ifte
Choudhury, Texas A&M University
Manifestations of Culture

The differences in cultures of people are manifested in various ways and at

different levels. Hofstede, Hofstede and Minkov (1997) identified these levels as:

 Symbols – are the most evident- words, gestures, pictures, clothes, acts or
objects that carry a particular meaning- which are recognized only by the
members of the same culture. Symbols are easily develop and disappear. A
culture’s symbol are easily imitated by other cultures.
 Heroes are past or present, real or fictitious personas who are respected and
admired in a culture. They possess qualities that are highly valued by members
of a culture. According to Deal and Kennedy (1982) the hero is a great motivator,
the person everyone will depend on when beset with problems.
 Rituals are collection of activities such as ways of greetings, paying respect to
others, religious and social ceremonies. They hold social significance although
oftentimes they are acted out for their own sake.
 Values are the core of a culture. They consists of a culture’s predilection
between right and wrong, good and bad, likes and dislikes, and natural and
unnatural. They are interconnected with what is moral or ethical standard of a
culture.

Strategies of Interaction within a Culture

Individuals or groups of people who migrate to a whole new environment by

choice, necessity or force have to contend with the new system of the host or dominant
culture. They can use strategies when they choose to interact with members of the host
culture or not at all.

 Accommodation. According to the famous psychologist J.M. Baldwin, the term

denotes acquired modifications in the behavior which help individuals to adjust to
their new environment (Sociologyguidecom).
 Acculturation. Conceived in the fields of anthropology and sociology early in the
20th century, N.L. Cole defines the term as “a process through which a person or
group from one culture comes to adopt the practices and values of another
culture, while still retaining their own distinct culture” (ThoughtCo.).
 Assimilation. Considered as the most extreme form of acculturation, the
concept refers to “process whereby individuals or groups of differing ethnic
heritage adopt the cultural norms of a dominant or host culture, over their original
culture (Wikipedia).
 Integration. This process occurs “when individuals are able to adopt the cultural
norms of the dominant or host culture while maintaining their culture of origin.
Integration leads to, and is often synonymous with “biculturalism” (Wikipedia).
 Separation. This strategy occurs “when individuals reject the dominant or host
culture in favor of preserving their culture of origin. Separation is often facilitated
by immigration to “ethnic enclaves” (Wikipedia).
  Marginalization. This strategy occurs “ when individuals reject both their culture
of origin and the dominant or host culture where cultural exclusion is promoted
(Wikipedia).

Defining Intercultural Communication

 Intercultural communication refers to the communication between people

from two different cultures. (Chen & Starosta, 1998)
 Intercultural communication is the exchange of information between
individuals who are “unalike culturally”. (Rogers & Steinfatt, 1999)
 Intercultural communication is a symbolic, interpretive, transactional,
contextual process, in which people from different cultures create shared
meanings. (Lustig & Koester, 2007)
 Intercultural communication is identified as both a concept and a
competence. Intercultural competence is the active possession by
individuals of qualities which contribute to effective intercultural
communication and can be defined in terms of three primary attributes:
knowledge, skills and attitudes. (LANQUA, n.d)
 Intercultural communication is called in various ways: multicultural
communication, cross-cultural communication, interracial communication,
interethnic communication, and international communication.

Culture Influences Communication

The formula for a successful communication with other cultures is by

understanding our similarities and differences from them. When we interact with people
whose system of knowledge, values, behaviors, etc. differs from ours, we need to
compare and contrast our cultures and interaction approaches in order to avoid
misunderstandings and conflicts that communication can create.

The following concepts are a good guide in intercultural communication

 Ethnocentrism is the tendency of a group of people to consider their

culture as superior to all other cultures. It can lead them to give negative
judgments on other cultures based on their own knowledge, values, and
behavioral norms. Ethnocentrism can also steer them to a failure in
intercultural communication. Although it can be a barrier to successfully
communicating interculturally to highly ethnocentric culture, it can be a
challenge to improve intercultural competence among those with low
ethnocentricity level.
 Cultural relativism is the acceptance that all cultures are equal in value
with one another despite their differences. It is an approach in avoiding
giving judgments on other cultures as inferior to one’s own standards of
right and wrong, bad and good, or natural or unnatural. Because culture
relativism leads to understanding cultural practices of a group of people in
 their own context, it can show the way towards effective cultural
communication.
 Melting pot philosophy pertains to the idea that different cultures will
blend together and create one ultimate culture. The USA is often
described as a melting pot of all races or all types of people who migrate
to the country. It is an environment where many cultures or people,
despite their assortment, assimilate to produce a new amalgam of culture
and co-exist as one homogenous American nation.
 Pluralism refers to the acknowledgment of cultural relativism and
promotion of respect for uniqueness and forbearance of diversity of
cultures. Instead of creating a new hybrid of culture like in the melting pot
theory, all cultures are allowed to co-exist with one another. For a
successful intercultural communication to thrive in a pluralistic society,
people need to understand and interact with others with different social
and educational backgrounds, values, lifestyles, religious and political
beliefs, behavioral norms, communication styles, etc.

Improving Intercultural Communication

In intercultural communication, it is necessary to reduce the strangeness of

strangers. Stanley Martinez (n.d) in his discussion of intercultural communication at
personales.upv.es/mcandel/Hybels9_Ch3.pdf, explained five ways to improve
communicating interculturally.

 Pay attention to your words and actions. Become cognizant of how your
own thinking patterns, assumptions, perceptions, prejudices, and biases
through thoughtful communication with others. Study your own self and
the way you interact with others based on how well you know your own
gender, race, social status, physical appearance, abilities and disabilities.
 Control your assumptions. Question a lot of your assumptions about
cultures, for example, the one right way to communicate is your way,
communication breakdowns are brought about by others because you
have different mind tracks, rules on interpersonal communication in your
culture are the same with all other cultures, etc.
 Engage in transpection. Transpection is the process of empathizing
across cultures. Through practice that involves structured experience and
self-reflection, try to see the world exactly the way others see it. Try to
learn beliefs, feelings and perspectives of other cultures. Martinez (n.d.)
explained that transpection can help you avoid assumptions and move
you closer to tolerance, sensitivity, respect, empathic listening, and
effective communication responses.
 Gain knowledge. Read, observe and discover about other countries’
customs, traditions, religions, etc. Visit places where you can meet and
talk to people from other cultures. The more you know about culture, the
better that you control assumptions and the more you overcome
misunderstandings. Gaining knowledge about other cultures is a great
 way of eliminating any personal biases and prejudices you have
developed over the years.
 Gain experience. Gaining experience in intercultural communication is not
limited to reading, observing, discovering or doing research on the net
about a culture. You gain true experience by actually visiting a place
though sometimes it is costly and tedious. However, you can also find
someone of another culture and talk to him or her and ask direct questions
in a conversation intended to help you better understand his or her culture.

Intercultural Communication Tips

1. Be Patient
2. Establish Rules
3. Ask Questions
4. Respect
5. The Written Word
6. Time
7. Humor
8. Always Check
9. Be Positive
10. Self-Reflect

Nonverbal Forms in Intercultural Communication

1. Eye contact
2. Touch
3. Gestures
4. Physical Space
5. Facial Expressions
6. Posture
7. Paralanguage

Intercultural Communication Competence

1. Self-awareness
2. Appropriateness
3. Self-confidence
4. Effectiveness
5. Motivation for success
6. Changing perspectives
7. Empathy
8. Open-mindedness
9. Communication ability
10. Tolerance
11. Sensitivity
12. Flexibility
Reference:

Caudilla & Cansancio, Purposive Communication, 2019

Books Atbp. Publishing Corporation
ISBN 978-621-409-141-6