`PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION STUDENTS’ LEARNING GUIDE

TOPIC 5: COPING WITH THE CHALLENGES OF INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

INTRODUCTION

CHALLENGES ON INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

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

When we are communicating with people who are very different from us, is very difficult
To know how to draw inferences about what they mean, and so it is impossible to depend
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 or interpretation of meanings. But it can also be argued that English is now a
global lingua franca. In fact, with the ASEAN integration, English has been declared the official or working
language of ASEAN. So with just one language to be spoken or used by many countries including the 10
member countries of the ASEAN, what else can go wrong?

It is thus important to emphasize that the ownership of English cannot be attribute to just one
country or 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 speakers. Recent studies have shown that the problem
of misunderstanding is not overt and can be traced to speech perturbations, poorly managed turn-taking,
and non-aligned, “parallel talk” (house, 1999). Meirkord (2000, as cited by Kaur, 2016) emphasizes that
communication in English as a lingua franca (ELF) is “a form of intercultural communication characterized
by cooperation rather than misunderstanding”. This she noted in her study of participants coming from 17
different first language backgrounds which yielded the result that the participants displayed communicative
behaviour not generally associated with their linguacultural backgrounds making the talk cooperative and
supportive in nature with few misunderstandings.

Note that misunderstanding in intercultural communication may not always be caused by verbal
utterances. Misunderstandings may also occur due to wrong interpretation of the non-verbal 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. Study the
table below and find out how handshakes differ from country to country.

THE HANDSHAKE

Country or Region Type of Handshake

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

GREETINGS

Like handshakes, greeting rituals also vary from culture to culture. Japanese women bow differently
bow differently from Japanese men. Could you describe how to bow is done by the Japanese and the
German is illustrated in the drawings below?

The German bow which is termed is diener 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.”

SOURCES OF MISUNDERSTANDING

Kaur (2016) cites the following as the sources of misunderstanding.

1. Ambiguity- lack of explicitness on the part of the speaker in the form of problematic reference and
ambiguous semantics in which an utterance is open to different interpretations.
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 within sequences produced by the participants themselves, an the orientation
of the participants as well as the repair moves that follow the displayed understanding (p.147).
APPROACHES TO STUDYING INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

Why is there a need to understand intercultural communication? It is easy to say that people belong to
diverse cultures, hence the need to understand others. But it is easier said than done. Some people take it
for granted to read about and study first a country’s culture before they go and the travel to the place.

There is a need to be aware or conscious of other cultures especially those that you will visit so
you can avoid offending people. Due to misinterpretations, miscommunication occurs. Likewise, it is
suggested that you become aware of cultural identities and backgrounds as it will broaden your horizon. All
cultures are equal and though sometimes difficult to understand, you need to understand that no culture is
superior or inferior to another. Is only through awareness that you get to compare other cultures with your
own appreciate cultural diversities and learn to live with them. People have different languages, lifestyles,
and ways of thinking, speaking, and behaving. This is the essence of cultural diversity.

To better understand the concept of intercultural communication, three approaches as explained

by Martin and Nakayama (2010) can be studied:

Three Approaches to Intercultural Communication

Social Science or Interpretative Critical

Functionalist
Discipline on which Psychology Anthropology, Various
approach is founded Sociolinguistics
Research goal Describe and predict Describe behaviour Change behaviour
behaviour
Assumption of reality External and describable Subjective Subjective and Material
Assumption of human Predictable Creative and Voluntary Changeable
behaviour
Method of Study Survey, observation Participant observation, Textual analysis of
field study media
Relationship of culture Communication Culture created and Culture as a site of
and communication influenced by culture maintained through power struggle
communication
Contribution of the Identifies cultural Emphasizes that Recognizes the
approach variations; recognizes communication and economic and political
cultural differences in culture and cultural forces in culture and
many aspects of differences should be communication; asserts
communication but often studied in context that all intercultural
does not consider interactions are
context characterized by power
 How would you compare the approaches in the table above in terms of human nature, human
behaviour, and nature of knowledge emphasize? Do you think each approach has its own strengths and
weaknesses? What do you think are its advantages? What are the disadvantages or limitations of each?

PAULINIAN ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS

ETHICAL, PAULINIAN LEADERS & PROFESSIONALS, who:

1.1 Consistently adhere to ethico-moral standards of decision making and behavior in their personal,
professional and organizational affairs;
1.2 Declare, affirm, and manifest the values and principles of honesty, transparency, responsibility,
accountability, and fairness in their professional lives and endeavor;
1.3 Articulate, advocate, and exhibit Paulinian ideals and values in their private and professional lives
nurtured by
prayer and deep relationship with God; and

1.4 Speak out and take action to expose and redress violations of social and professional norms and
principles
whatever the consequences may be.

PAULINIAN AFFIRMATION

“As a Christ-centered Paulinian, I am a Reliable, Productive EXPERT and IMPLEMENTER, competently

pursuing my mission in life.”

LESSON 5: COPING WITH THE CHALLENGES OF INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

LEARNING OUTCOMES: During the learning session, you should be able to:

1. Recognize the challenges of intercultural communication;

2. Determine the sources of misunderstanding;
3. Identify the approaches to studying the intercultural communication;
4. Appreciate learning about other cultures and identities; and
5. Appreciate the value of co-existing with individuals of different cultural backgrounds.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES

Task 1: Comprehension Questions: Instruction: Instructions: Check your understanding of the input by
answering the following questions:

1. Cite certain situations when you encountered miscommunication while talking with people of
different nationalities.
2. As a conscientious student, what have you done so far to avoid miscommunication and
misunderstanding when communicating with people of different cultures?
 3. Looking at the three different approaches to intercultural communication, which one would you
prefer and why?

Task 2: COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN. Instruction. Form yourselves into groups of four members.
Role-play a situation that caused communication breakdown based on the sources of misunderstanding
discussed in the lesson. You may plan or draft your play below.

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Task 3: NON-VERBAL CODE DIFFERENCES. Instruction. Work with a partner and list down at least 10
differences between two cultures as regards their non-verbal code.

Task 4. BLENDING WITH FOREIGNERS. Situation: If you are to study or work in a foreign country in the
future, what will be your considerations so that you will effectively blend with the people you mingle with?
Write an essay about these considerations and cite at least three strategies that you will adopt.

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ANALYTIC RUBRIC GUIDE FOR WRITING ESSAY

PROCESSING:

1. In activity 1, you learn the impact of miscommunication and misunderstanding when talking to
people with different nationalities and cultures.
2. In activity 2, you discover the cause of communication breakdown and its effect to communication
process.
3. In activity 3, you learn how to find-out the differences of the non-verbal actions of two cultures-the
Japanese and German.
4. In activity 4, you learn to discover the strategies on how to communicate with foreign people given
the situation that you work abroad and blend with these people with diverse cultural background.

FORMATION:

Awareness to cultural background in the society where people with multicultural background interact
and communicate is the only approach to avoid miscommunication or misinterpretation. Exposing ourselves
to other culture will educate us to understand their nonverbal codes, language, traits and practices for this
is the only way that we can show respect to them. Showing our obedience to the norms of the society by
practicing the established culture and standard traits is a manifestation of respect and cultural sensitivity.
This will only achieved if we are aware of society’s diverse cultural practices.

SYNTHESIS:

1. 1. It is always challenging to deal with people from different cultures. The challenge is lies in the
way of understanding not only the verbal code but also the non-verbal code.
2. Misunderstanding between people of different cultures can be caused by the following : ambiguity,
performance-related misunderstanding, language-related misunderstanding, gaps in world
knowledge, and local context.
3. Intercultural communication can be studied through the functionalist approach, interpretative
approach, and critical approach.

ASSESSMENT: DEEPENING ACTIVITY. Instruction: Find videos about the following topics on YouTube.
Compare the gestures in your own country with those in other countries and assess if the meanings are
similar or different.

1. Gestures across Cultures

2. Gestures in Different Cultures
3. English Conversation: The Meaning of Hand Gestures.

SELF-ASSESSMENT. Instruction. Rate yourself honestly as you read the following statement. Check the
column that corresponds to your answer. Use the following scale: Agree=4; Somewhat agree= 3; Neither
agree nor agree=2; Disagree= 1

4 3 2 1
1. I read materials about other cultures so I can
understand better how different people communicate.
2. I now know why misunderstand people from other
cultures.
3. I have become aware of the cultural differences
among countries in terms of the non-verbal code.
4. I have become interested in studying the approaches
to intercultural communication.
5. I now exert more effort when communicating with
people from other cultures to minimize
miscommunication.

ASSIGNMENT. Instruction. Test your knowledge of facts by answering the following questions. Submit and
recite your answers the next session.

1. Why are plants green?

 2. Why is traffic heavy in cities?
3. Why can’t a man become pregnant?
4. Why do we celebrate the coming of a new year?
5. Why does Swiss cheese have holes?

REFLECTION GUIDE

 What I have LEARNED this week that has helped me do all aspect of this better?
 What I have DONE this week that has made me better at doing all aspects of this?
 How can I IMPROVE at doing all aspects of this is:

EXPANDED OPPORTUNITIES .COLLAGE MAKING. Instruction: Following the guidelines and rubric,
make a collage with artistic value that depicts the Asian and Western cultures. Map and locate the origin
country of the practices and traits that we preserve and imbibe until this present time.

Guidelines:
1. Select photos. Choose photos with a theme to make use of the collage's storytelling power.
2. Arrange photos. Select a layout, then arrange your photos to bring your story to life.
3. Customize borders. Add text, color, texture, and patterns to enhance the theme of your collage.
4. The collage depicts the customs and traditions of Asian and Western cultures.
5. Trace the origin country of Philippines customs and traditions.

Sample Collage Photo

ANALYTIC RUBRIC FOR COLLAGE MAKING

REFERENCES

Floyd, K. (2012). “Interpersonal Communication.” New York, The McGraw-Hill Companies

Madrunio, M. & Martin,I. (2018). Purposive Communication Using English in Multilingual Contexts.”
Quezon City: C & E Publishing, Inc.

Padilla, M., Dagdag, L., & Roxas, F. (2018). “ Communicate and Connect! Purposive Communication.”
Malabon City, Philippines: Mutya Publishing House Inc.

3G Elearning FZ LLC (2014). “Basic Communication Skills.” UAE, 3G Elearning FZ LLC

Varner, I., & Beamer, L. (2011). Intercultural Communication in the Global Workplace (5 th Ed. ).USA :
Mcgraw-Hill, p. 230

Prepared by:

MR. ALVIN J. SUMAMPONG, MAENG