Republic of the Philippines

Laguna State Polytechnic University

ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Province of Laguna
Level I Institutionally Accredited

LSPU Self-Paced Learning Module (SLM)

Course Purposive Communication – GEC 105
Sem/AY First Semester/2020-2021
Module No. 10
Lesson Title COPING WITH THE CHALLNGES OF INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
Week
2-3
Duration
Date October 26-31, 2020
This lesson will give students to learn about intercultural communication, it's important to
Description of understand what this is; need to communicate with someone from another culture;  to understand
the Lesson causes of intercultural conflicts in different communication settings (interpersonal, small group,
school, workplace and global) and how to manage them effectively.

Learning Outcomes

Intended Students should be able to meet the following intended learning outcomes:
Learning 1. Provides the basis for understanding potential problems of intercultural communication that
Outcomes arise in interactions between people from different cultures; .
2. Recognize the challenges of intercultural communication;
3. Determine the sources of misunderstanding.

Targets/ At the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

Objectives Identify the approaches to studying intercultural communication;
Appreciate learning about other cultures and identities; and
 Appreciate the value of co-existing with individuals of different cultural backgrounds

Student Learning Strategies

Online Activities Online Discussion via Google Meet

(Synchronous/ You will be directed to attend in a Two-Hour class discussion on the nature of language. To
Asynchronous) have access to the Online Discussion, refer to this link: ____________________.

The online discussion will happen on Oct. 26-31, 2020, from 9:00- 10:00AM.

(For further instructions, refer to your Google Classroom and see the schedule of activities for
this module)

B. Learning Guide Questions:

1. List down some cultural differences that you know regarding non-verbal communication
2. Why do you think it is important to know the meaning of these?

LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE: TECHNOLOGY FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING

 Republic of the Philippines
Laguna State Polytechnic University
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Province of Laguna
Level I Institutionally Accredited

Note: The insight that you will post on online discussion forum using Learning Management
System (LMS) will receive additional scores in class participation.

Offline Activities
(e-Learning/Self-Paced) Lecture Guide
Challenges of Intercultural Communication

It has become a widespread notion that speakers’ use of different languages results in
intercultural miscommunication and misunderstanding. As Scollonn and Scollon (1995) state:

When we are communicating with people who are very different from us, it is very
difficult to know how to draw inferences about what they mean, and so it is impossible to
defend on shared knowledge and background for confidence in our interpretation.
Indeed, the lack of shared knowledge and beliefs and cultural diversity make it more
complicated to arrive at the correct inference is now a global lingua franca. In fact, with the
ASEAN integration, English has been declared the official or working language of countries
including the 10 member countries of the ASEAN, what else can be wrong?
It is thus important to emphasize that the ownership of English cannot be attributed to
just one country ot to those who use it as a native or home language. The varieties of English
spoken by different speech communities have evolved for a reason. They use it for communal
purposes. These varieties have been heavily influenced by the local culture and its speaker

Note that misunderstanding in intercultural communication may not be always be caused

by verbal utterances .Misunderstandings may also occur due to wrong interpretation of the
nonverbal code. For instance, the handshake which is commonly done by people introduced
to each other by a third party should be done and interpreted correctly as the type of
handshake varies from culture to culture

THE HANDSHAKE

Country or Region Type of Handshake

United States Firm handshake
France Soft handshake
Germany Firm handshake, for men, traditionally accompanied by slight
bow
Japan Handshake with arm firmly extended, accompanied by bow
Middle East Handshake and free hand placed on the forearm of the other
person

GREETNGS

Like handshakes, greetings rituals also vary from culture to culture, Japanese women bow
differently from Japanese men. The German bow which is termed as dienner means a bow to
and in recognition of an authority. Thus, when a person bows, he/she is actually sending the
message “at your service”.

LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE: TECHNOLOGY FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING

 Republic of the Philippines
Laguna State Polytechnic University
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Province of Laguna
Level I Institutionally Accredited

The biggest challenges of intercultural communication ... Being able to communicate

effectively in a foreign language, which requires understanding slang, sarcasm sense of
humour, linguistics and jargon. Being tolerant about people's values and understand
etiquette.

The era of global communication is here to stay. With the state-of-the-art technology we
have today, we can no longer expect to live our lives communicating only with people in our
communities. As a result, anyone who is not well-versed in effectively communicating with
people from a variety of cultures will be at a great disadvantage in the future. Your potential
for success in life may well be boosted or limited by how well you can communicate with
people from cultures different from your own.

In this unit, we will look at how effective intercultural communication allows us to dispel
myths, break down stereotypes, foster more respect and acceptance, and build more
cooperative relationships with one another.

No one is born automatically knowing the best way to communicate with people. We
must learn to talk, read, and communicate in other ways by observing the people around us
who teach through their example and instruction. If we have been taught to communicate
openly and fairly with people of all cultures, ethnicities, and races, then intercultural
communication may seem to come "naturally." But many of us have not been taught to
communicate with people whose backgrounds are different from our own. We need to
acquire these skills through our own attention and study.

Communicating with people from different cultures can sometimes pose quite a
challenge. Misunderstandings and inadvertent offenses are commonplace. For example,
problems can arise easily between employees, clientele, and administrators when one or
more people disregard, or are not aware of, some of the differences in cultural
communication styles. But how can this be improved in your organization?

Improving cross-cultural communication in your organization can be challenging for

several reasons. First, many of us spend more of our time with others who share our own
culture, race, and/or ethnicity. We tend to feel most comfortable and safe when we are with
people similar to ourselves. As we form groups based on similarities, we may unintentionally
create barriers and exclude people who are different from us. People from different groups
may feel like "outsiders" and be hesitant to approach.

LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE: TECHNOLOGY FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING

 Republic of the Philippines
Laguna State Polytechnic University
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Province of Laguna
Level I Institutionally Accredited
SOURCES OF MISUNDERSTANDING

Kaur (2016) cites the following sources of misunderstanding;

1. Ambiguity is a type of meaning in which several interpretations are plausible. A

common aspect of ambiguity is uncertainty. It is thus an attribute of any idea or
statement whose intended meaning cannot be definitively resolved according to a
rule or process with a finite number of steps. (The ambi- part of the term reflects an
idea of "two", as in "two meanings".
2. Performance – related misunderstanding- slips of the tongue and mishearing which
may be due to utterances spoken quickly and unclearly
3. Language – related misunderstanding – ungrammatically of sentences.
4. Gaps in world knowledge – gaps in content rather than language.
5. Local context – turns and turns within sequences produced by the participants
themselves, and the orientation of the participants as well as the repair moves that
follow the displayed understanding.
APPROACHES TO STUDYING INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
Three Approaches to Studying Intercultural Communication: The three approaches include
1. the social science approach,
2. the interpretive approach,
3. The critical approach.
Each approach is based on different assumptions, has different limitations, and makes
unique contributions to our understanding of the relationship between communication and
culture. These approaches differ in assumptions about human behavior, research goals,
conceptualization of culture and communication, and preferred research methodologies. The
text examines them using the problems of Euro Disney to illustrate how each approach can
contribute toward understanding a communication dilemma.

Performance Tasks

PT 1

LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE: TECHNOLOGY FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING

 Republic of the Philippines
Laguna State Polytechnic University
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Province of Laguna
Level I Institutionally Accredited

Directions: Role Playing

1. How can you interact with others who are speaking a second or third language?
2. What cultural misperceptions could happen during the simple act of introducing ourselves?
3. What communication techniques could be used to reduce the potential for misunderstanding? What are the
possible implications for ongoing communication with others once you have introduced yourselves?
PT 2

1. What are the possible implications for ongoing communication with others once you have introduced yourselves?
2. What issues can arise from using common gestures from your own culture in another cultural setting?
3. What strategies or communication techniques could be used to reduce the potential for misunderstanding?

Understanding Directed Assess

Rubric for Designing Lesson Plan (PT 1 & 2)

LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE: TECHNOLOGY FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING

 Republic of the Philippines
Laguna State Polytechnic University
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Province of Laguna
Level I Institutionally Accredited

Learning Resources

Africa, Augusto C., Purposive Communication in the Now, Books Atbp. Publishing Corp. 2018

Barrot, Jessie S. & Sipaco, Philippe John F., Purposive Communication in the 21st Century, C & E Publishing,
2018

Madrunio, Marilu R. & Martin, Isabel P., Purposive Communication: Using English in Multilingual Contexts,
C & B Publishing, Inc. 2018.

Santos, Maria L. & Uychoco, Marikit Tara A., Communication for Society Purposive Communication, Rex Book
Store, 2018

SyGaco, Sonia B, Principles and Competencies in Purposive Communication, GBT Great Books Trading, 2018

https://versatilely.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-three-concentric-circles-of-english.html

Faculty In-Charge

VIOLETA P. RANA
Laguna State Polytechnic University
Santa Cruz, Main Campus
Barangay Bubukal, Santa Cruz, Laguna
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: 09751949186

LSPU SELF-PACED LEARNING MODULE: TECHNOLOGY FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING