INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

Introduction:
Intercultural communication happens when individuals interact, negotiate, and create
meanings while bringing in their varied cultural backgrounds (Ting-Toomey, 1999).
For some scholars, intercultural communication pertains to communication among people
from different nationalities (Gudykunst, 2003). Still, others look at intercultural communication as
communication that is influenced by different ethnicities, religions, and sexual orientations. Both
interpretations show that intercultural communication takes place when people draw from their
cultural identity to understand values, prejudices, language, attitudes, and seen as a bargained
understanding of human experiences across diverse societies. Simply put, intercultural
communication is the sending and receiving of messages across languages and cultures.
Sometimes, intercultural communication can flow smoothly and become very interesting for
a cross-cultural group. However, things may not go as planned when communication is disrupted
by cultural collisions.
When you speak, your speech is continuously accompanied by gestures, facial
expressions, and other body movements that add to what you are saying in different ways. For
example, nodding means “yes” in the Indian subcontinent, Iran, most of Europe, Latin America,
and North America. However, in Greece, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Turkey, Macedonia, Bulgaria,
and Albania, nodding indicates “disagreement.” Moreover, in the case of Japanese culture, silence
as a form of communication is more integrated in their customs than in Western languages. It is
therefore significant for you to acknowledge and understand the various communication patterns
present in other cultures.

The Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity

The Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS) offers a structure that explores
how people experience cultural differences. According to Bennett and Bennett (2004), it has six
stages. These are the following:
 Denial - The individual doesn’t recognise cultural differences. An individual in this
stage might be heard saying, “All cities are the same; they all have tall buildings,
fast food chains, and coffee shops.”
 Defence - The individual starts to recognise cultural differences and is intimidated
by them, resulting in either a superior view on own culture or an unjustified high
regard for the new one. An individual in this stage might be heard saying, “This
culture does not view life the way we do; our culture is certainly better.” ”Their ways
are better than my own; I wish I were one of them.”
 Minimization - Although individuals see cultural differences, they bank more on the
universality of ideas rather than on cultural differences. An individual in this stage
might be heard saying, “Once we see through the cultural differences, we really are
just the same!”
 Acceptance - The individual begins to appreciate significant cultural differences in
behaviours and eventually in values. An individual in this stage might be heard
saying, “These people and I have different values and experiences, and I think we
can learn from one another.”
 Adaptation - The individual is very open to world views when accepting new
perspectives. An individual in this stage might be heard saying, “To address our
issue, I have to adjust my approach to consider both my own and my counterpart’s
background.”
  Integration - Individuals start to go beyond their own cultures and see themselves
and their actions based on multifarious cultural viewpoints. An individual in this
stage might be heard saying, “I can look at things from the perspective of various
cultures.”

Once you understand these stages, you may apply it to:

 recognise communication behaviours which differ from your own.
 take into account what can influence these types of behaviours, and
 try to analyse how linguistic and cultural communities differ in terms of
communication behaviour and influencing factors. (Allwood, 1985)

Characteristics of Competent Intercultural Communicators

World Bank (2010) identifies the following traits that define a competent intercultural
communicator.
 flexibility and the ability to tolerate high levels of uncertainty
 reflectiveness or mindfulness
 open-mindedness
 sensitivity
 adaptability
 ability to engage in divergent thinking (thinking creatively) and systems-level
thinking (thinking how each one in a system or organisation influences each other)
 politeness

Note that in addition to culture, other elements such as gender, age, social status, and
religion must also be taken into consideration when communicating with others. Refrain from
showing bias when talking to someone by following the tips below.
 Avoid stereotypes (i.e. generalisations about a certain group.)
 Challenge gender norms; avoid using “he” and “man” to refer to a general group of
people. To remedy this, you may use plural pronouns or rewrite a sentence to avoid
using pronouns. The use of “his” or “her” is acceptable.
 Do not talk down on younger people and the elderly.
 Be sensitive to the religious practices of others.
 Be polite at all times; do not belittle people you perceive to be on a lower social
class than you.

Review Session:
WRITING EXPRESSION:
A. Directions: Read each statement. If it displays bias or insensitivity, write the group/element
being misrepresented (gender, social status, age, religion, culture). If not, write “OK.” Once done,
compare and discuss your answers with a partner. (15pts.)
1. “Each employee must wear his ID at all times.”
2. “You won’t understand if I explain; you’re too young.”
3. “Japanese people are so rigid and stoic!”
4. “Don’t buy those shades; only low-class people wear those.”
5. “Lolo, this is an iPhone. It is a very complicated device, but I’ll explain it to you simply. It
is used to talk to people from other places.”
6. “All staff members have to submit their leave requests before the day ends.”
7. “My belief is the absolute truth. Other religions simply got it wrong.”
8. “Manang, let’s go, I’ll treat you. I bet you haven’t eaten sushi in your entire life.”
 9. “Catholics and Protestants do have big differences, but we must respect each other’s
beliefs.”
10. “You’re the youngest person in the family, but I trust that you can handle the situation
well.”

SPEAK UP! :
B. Directions: Create a fictional country. Discuss for 3-5 minutes about the general description in
your country using the following guide questions (10pts.)
1. What is the name of the country? What are its citizens called?
2. Is it an island or is it land-locked?
3. What is its tourist attraction?
4. What is your country famous for?
5. What are its citizens known for?
Describe the way these citizens use language, as well as their general traits. Make sure to have a
description for the following:
1. Behaviour (Are they reserved? Loud? Generally humourous? Do they smile a lot?)
2. Language Use (Are they loquacious? Soft-spoken? Do they rarely use polite words?)
3. Nonverbal cues (Do they think shaking hands is distasteful?)
4. Values (What do they find offensive? What positive trait are they known for?)

SOMETHING TO DO! :
C. Directions: Group yourselves into 5. Each group will represent a particular country (Japan,
France, China, Philippines, and Mexico). Imagine yourselves as the ambassadors of the country
assigned to your group. You will be provided with some source-based materials like photographs,
newspaper clippings, and letters. Using these pieces of information, work together, and come up
with some interesting data their about your country. Write questions (how, what, why, where,
when, and who) and provide corresponding answers. (25pts.)

China:
Question: When is the best time to your country?
Answer: ____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
France:
Question: What is the history behind the Eiffel Tower?
Answer: ____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Japan:
Question: How did you earn the title? “The Land of the Rising Sun?”
Answer: ____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Mexico:
Question: How would you describe your cuisine?
Answer: ____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
China:
Question: Why did your country is named as “The Pearl of the Orient Seas?”
Answer: ____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
On the sheet provided, list the questions and answers that will provide pieces of information about
the country assigned to your group.

Country Questions Answers

1

1
0

Activity:
A. Directions: Choose an international company which interests you. Visit their website. If a
company has multiple websites, visit at least 2 of them. Using a minimum of 500 words,
write an essay discussing at least 2 strategies employed by the company to ensure that the
right messages on their products and services are sent effectively across cultures
worldwide. Use the following format:

Computerized
Font Style: Arial, TNR, or Verdana
Font Size: 12
Spacing: 1.5

B. Directions: Group yourselves into 5 and assign an expert number to each member.
Prepare a two-minute speech about this quote: “The essence of effective cross-cultural
communication has more to do with releasing the right responses than with sending the
‘right’ message.” Highlight your speech with your answer to the following questions:

“Why is ‘releasing the right responses’ more important than ‘sending the right
message?’ ”