Functions of Communication

Basically, there are five functions of communication. These are control, social interaction,
motivation, emotional expression, and information dissemination.
1. Control – Communication functions to control behavior.
2. Social Interaction – Communication allows individuals to interact with others.
3. Motivation – Communication motivates or encourages people to live better.
4. Emotional expression – Communication facilitates people’s expression of their feelings and
emotions.
5. Information dissemination – Communication functions to convey information.
Features of an Effective Communication
In their pioneer book Effective Public Relations, Professors Broom, Cutlip, and Center (2012) list
the 7 Cs of Effective Communication. This list is widely used today, especially in public
relations and
advertising.
1. Completeness
Complete communication is essential to the quality of the communication process in general.
Hence, communication should include everything that the receiver needs to hear for him/
her to respond, react, or evaluate properly.
2. Conciseness
Conciseness does not mean keeping the message short, but making it direct or straight to the
point. Insignificant or redundant information should be eliminated from the communication
that will be sent to the recipient.
3. Consideration
To be effective, the speaker should always consider relevant information about his/her
receiver such as mood, background, race, preference, education, status, and needs, among
others. By doing so, he/she can easily build rapport with the audience.
4. Concreteness
Effective communication happens when the message is concrete and supported by facts,
figures, and real-life examples and situations. In this case, the receiver is more connected to
the message conveyed.
5. Courtesy
The speaker shows courtesy in communication by respecting the culture, values, and beliefs
of his/her receivers. Being courteous at all times creates a positive impact on the audience.
6. Clearness
Clearness in communication implies the use of simple and specific words to express ideas. It
is also achieved when the speaker focuses only on a single objective in his/her speech so as
not to confuse the audience.
7. Correctness
Correctness in grammar eliminates negative impact on the audience and increases the
credibility and effectiveness of the message.
Definition and Nature of Intercultural Communication
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
relationships (Gudykunst & Kim, 2003). Moreover, this facet of communication can also be 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
important for you to acknowledge and understand the many 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:
Stage 1: Denial. The individual does not recognize cultural differences.
An individual in the denial
stage might be heard saying:
“All cities are the same; they
all have tall buildings, fast
food chains, and coffee
shops.”

Stage 2: Defense. The individual starts to recognize 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 the defense
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.”

Stage 3: Minimization. Although individuals see cultural differences, they bank more on the
universality of ideas rather than on cultural differences.
An individual in the
minimization stage might be
heard saying:
“Once we see through the
cultural differences, we
really are just the same!”

Stage 4: Acceptance. The individual begins to appreciate important cultural differences in

Stage 5: Adaptation. The individual is very open to world views when accepting new
perspectives.
An individual in the
adaptation 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.”

Stage 6: Integration. Individuals start to go beyond their own cultures and see themselves and
their actions based on multifarious cultural viewpoints.
An individual in the
integration 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 1) recognize communication behaviors
which differ from your own, 2) take into account what can influence these types of behaviors,
and 3)
try to analyze how linguistic and cultural communities differ in terms of communication
behavior
and influencing factors (Allwood, 1985).
Characteristics of Competent Intercultural Communicators
World Bank (2010) identifies the following traits that define a competent intercultural
communicator.
1. flexibility and the ability to tolerate high levels of uncertainty
2. reflectiveness or mindfulness
3. open-mindedness
4. sensitivity
5. adaptability
6. ability to engage in divergent thinking (or thinking creatively) and systems-level thinking (or
thinking how each one in a system or organization influences each other)
7. 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.
1. Avoid stereotypes, i.e., generalizations about a certain group.
2. 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/her is also acceptable.
3. Do not talk down on younger people and the elderly.
4. Be sensitive to the religious practices of others.
5. Be polite at all times; do not belittle people you perceive to be on a lower social class than
you.
Prepared by: Ma’am Labss