Intercultural Communication

• The Latin origin of the word communication is "communis".
• Encoding involves transmitting a message into a format that can be shared.
• Feedback refers to the response indicating how a person understood information sent through verbal or non-verbal communication.
• Aristotle’s linear model of communication is designed to be speaker-centered.
• Field of experience refers to a person’s background, values, beliefs, and attitude that affect communication.
• Globalization means worldwide integration of humanity and involves diversity and a global village with multiculturalists.

Intercultural Communication

• A process to interpret and share meanings with individuals from different cultures.
• It is the mechanism by which people of different groups perceive and try to make sense of one another.
• Variations include: interracial, interethnic, international, and intracultural communication.

Culture & Co-culture

• Culture is the system of knowledge, beliefs, values, customs, behaviors, and artifacts acquired, shared, and used by members daily.
• Co-culture refers to distinct groups within a general culture that differ ethnically or socially from the parent culture.
• Communication strategies of non-dominant groups in a Co-culture include assimilation, accommodation, and resistance or separation.
• Culture is communication and communication is culture.

Ethnocentrism vs. Cultural Relativism

• Ethnocentrism is the tendency to view one’s own culture as superior, causing anxiety when interacting with people from different cultures.
• Cultural relativism is the opposite of ethnocentrism.
• Cultural relativism involves understanding the behavior of other groups based on the context in which the behavior occurs, rather than from one’s own frame of reference.

Individualism vs. Collectivism

• Individualistic cultures show traits of self-sufficiency, uniqueness, independence and autonomy.
• Collectivistic cultures have social rules focused on promoting selflessness; with communities and families as central roles.

High-Context vs. Low-Context

• High-context cultures show information implicitly with more stable relationships.
• Low-context cultures show information explicitly with more short-lived relationships.

High Power Distance vs. Low Power Distance

• High Power distance means a few have a lot of power and the other has less.
• Low Power distance means that people have more equal amounts of power.

Culture & Cultural Identity in Communication

• Language varies among different cultures in both verbal and nonverbal traits.
• Language can be a benefit or a barrier.
• The ability to communicate using verbal language skills and nonverbal communication methods is important to maintain positive and productive cross-cultural relationships.
• Understanding cultures can strengthen cross-cultural relationships.

Verbal Communication

• Appropriateness involves using language appropriate to the environment or occasion.
• Brevity involves using words that are simple, precise, and powerful.
• Clarity involves clearly stating messages.
• Ethics involves choosing words carefully based on gender, roles, ethnicity, preferences, and status.
• Vividness entails using colorful language.

Nonverbal Communication

• Chronemics: use of time
• Kinesics: use of body movements and gestures
• Proxemics: use of space
• Haptics: use of the sense of touch
• Paralanguage: use of tone, pitch, or manner of speaking
• Olfactorics: use of sense of smell
• Iconics: use of codes and symbols
• Oculesics: use of eye movements
• Colorics: use of colors
• Objectics: use of objects or artifacts
• Pictics: use of facial expressions

Intercultural Nonverbal Communication

• Intercultural communication has become more frequent and significant due to globalization.
• Nonverbal cues provide context for interpreting the verbal message.
• A single nonverbal cue can have different meanings in different cultures.
• Multiple nonverbal cues are sent simultaneously, this requires a high degree of consideration.

Technology and Intercultural Communication

• Virtual neighborhoods and communities populate the communication landscape.
• Computer networks could be isolating us instead of bringing us together.
• Being able to reach many people quickly gives a new sense of communication power.
• Representativeness on the internet is a concern.

Improvement Tips

• Refrain from formulating expectations based solely on your own culture.
• Recognize how faulty education can impede understanding.
• Commit to developing communication skills and abilities appropriate to life in a multicultural world.