Module 2

Intercultural Communication
Learning Outcomes

At the end of this lesson, you are expected to:

1. define intercultural communication,
2. make a fictional country that embraces intercultural communication,
3. communicate sensitively taking into consideration a listener’s gender, religion, beliefs, and
traditions; and
4. practice effective intercultural communication.

LET’S GET STARTED!

What other cultures do you know about?
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LET’S STUDY THIS!

Intercultural communication is the sending and receiving of messages across languages and
cultures (Arent, 2009). Culture is not only made up of shared languages or countries; it also refers to
different social groups in the same setting. For instance, in Manila, different cultures of Muslims,
Catholics, and Protestants coexist in the same region.

Intercultural competence enables a communicator to understand and interact with other

cultures by applying attitudes and values, and understanding interaction skills (Huber and
Reynolds, 2014).
Display of respect- means seeing the value of other cultures regardless of their difference from
your own culture.
Empathy- putting oneself in another’s person’s shoes and try to feel how he/she feels

Culture- the system of knowledge that is shared by a particular group composed of a relatively large
number of individuals. When you identify yourself as being part of a particular culture, you should not only
share certain characteristics with members of that group, but you should also be able to observe yourself
and others like you who possess these features and distinguish others who do not have them as members
of a different culture. Through communication with others, culture is created, learned, and shared. Without
communication, there is no way of preserving and transmitting cultural characteristics
from one person, place, and time to another. In turn, our culture influences the way we communicate with
others. Hence, there exists a dynamic relationship between culture and communication. This is known as
intercultural communication. To engage in intercultural communication, participants should essentially
understand the concept of self-awareness.

Self-awareness is essential for better communication with others, especially with those who are
different from you. Knowing who you are and in which cultural and social group you belong will
enable you to relate better to others and to show sensitivity to them. Also, the way you
communicate with others is largely influenced by your view of them.

Take a look at this example:

While eating at a noodle restaurant with her Japanese host family, Jessica stuck her chopsticks
into the bowl while she took a break from eating in order to chat with other children her age. She
noticed that the children looked uncomfortable, while the adults looked displeased.

Kyle is being introduced to the paternal relatives of his half-Italian best friend, Sandro. He greets
Sandro’s grandparents with a pleasant “ciao.” The grandparents seem taken aback at first, though
they greet Kyle warmly before going back to their business. Puzzled at the reaction, Kyle turns to
Sandro, who is giving him an exasperated look.
Kyle: What? Did I say something wrong?
Sandro: You greeted my grandparents with “ciao.” You should only use that greeting with close
friends or people our age.
Kyle: Oh, really? I’m sorry about that. What should I have said?
Sandro: Since it’s evening, you should have said “buona sera.”
Kyle: Okay! I’ll remember that for next time.
 Barriers to Intercultural Communication

Below are some significant barriers to intercultural communication. Each is constructed

around a judgment made before any communication has taken place eroding the
communication
. that follows.
• Ethnocentrism – is the belief that one’s own culture ways are superior to other cultures.
It prevents you from seeing the perspectives of other people practicing cultural beliefs
different from yours. Ethnocentrism causes us to judge others by our own values.
• Stereotyping – is the practice of categorizing and generalizing about a certain race or
ethnic group based on a distorted view of that group. A stereotype is an oversimplified
perception of a behavioral pattern or characteristic applied to entire groups.
• Prejudice – is a negative attitude toward a cultural group based on little or no
experience of that group. If stereotypes are labels we attach to a group, prejudice is the
negative feeling we can feel towards that group.
• Discrimination – is the explicit action we take to exclude or avoid others. It takes
stereotypes and prejudice a step further to either personal action such as excluding
someone from a conversation; or collective action such as excluding others from jobs or
economic opportunities.

Eckert (2006) gives four orientations that result to opposing worldviews. These are orientation to Groups
(Individualism versus Collectivism), orientation to Time (Clock oriented versus Event-Oriented),
orientation to Power and Authority (Hierarchical versus Egalitarian), and orientation to Gender
(Masculine and Feminine).

Orientation to Power and Authority

Hierarchical cultures draw attention status, social classes, titles and degrees. There is a gap between men and
women roles, professional and blue-collar jobs, rich and poor. It may affect the way we communicate with others, it
can influence the way that person chooses his or her peers and individuals are more likely to interact with others of
the same social standing as them. There is likely to be a communication gap between a person of higher status and
that of lower status since they differ in background, education, income, and social habits, among others.

Examples: South Korea, when having a group meal with coworkers, it is impolite for the newest and youngest members
to start eating before the older or more senior employees. They must wait for the oldest people to at least lift their
utensils/chopsticks before they can start eating.

In Thailand, the wai (as discussed in a previous lesson) is used to show respect. However, the higher a person is in the
hierarchy, the lower a common person must bow. When bowing to the monks or to royalty, civilians must put their
hands together as though to pray and bow very low, with their foreheads touching the tips of their fingers. Monks and
royalty do not need to return the wai to common citizens.

Orientation to Gender Masculine cultures see ambition, decision making, wage-earning as values associated to
males (Floyd, 2012, cited in Chiongson, Dalagan, Panda (2016) as the leaders of homes and the society.

Egalitarian cultures pride on equality and opportunities for all. People here strive to empower, for instance, women
and minority groups.
Religion
Communication between persons belonging to different religions may be a common source of intercultural conflict. This
usually arises when the participants engaged in a conversation impose one’s religious views on others who may not
share those views. Being aware of religious differences and being open to the religious views of others foster
understanding and mutual respect.

With these in mind, the foundation of intercultural communication in terms of social status and religion lies in respect
for each others’ differences. Always be mindful of what another person will feel when speaking about their position in
society or religious beliefs.

LET’S DO THIS!

Create a pledge statement on how you can commit to be a culturally sensitive communicator. It should
be in 2-3 sentences only. It may be written in English, Tagalog, Bisaya, or mix. (20 pts)

LET’S MAKE IT!!!

Create your own Country
(100 points)

1. Think about a country you would most likely to build or create.

2. Create your own country’s customs and rules of behavior.
3. What are your tourists attractions, customs and traditions?
4. Create a brochure for prospective tourists detailing important details about the country. It should
include
the following:
a. What is the name of the country?
b. What its flag look like and its map?
c. What are its citizens called and its culture?
d. Is it an island or is it land-locked?
e. What are its tourist attractions?
f. What is your country famous for?
g. What are its citizens known for?
h. What are some basic greetings tourists should know?
i. What are the most important customs tourists should keep in mind?
j. What are some unique points of dining etiquette for the country?
k. Language use
l. (Are they talkative? Soft-spoken? Do they rarely use polite words?)
M. Nonverbal cues (Do they think shaking hands is distasteful?) d. Values (What do they find
offensive?
N. What positive trait are they known for?) (How do they practice intercultural communication?
O. Based on these general traits, create a list of 5 Dos and 5 Don’ts which your fictional citizen
Adhere. Relevance-40 points
Content -40 points
Creativity -20 points