Week 07 Intercultural Communication PDF

W7: INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION Table Of Content 01 Definition Beliefs, Values & 03 Behaviours as a part of culture Fea...

W7: INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION Table Of Content 01 Definition Beliefs, Values & 03 Behaviours as a part of culture Features of Intercultural 02 Communication Social 04 Categorisation, Stereotyping and Discrimination Introduction Culture: a learned system of knowledge, behaviour, attitudes, beliefs, values, and norms that is shared by a group of people and shaped from one generation to the next. Culture encompasses specialized elements of a group of people's lifestyle, passed from one generation to the next through communication, not through genes. Definition Intercultural communication refers to communication between persons who have different cultural beliefs, values, or ways of behaving (Devito, 2021) Intercultural communication occurs when individuals or groups from different cultures communicate. This may also include different races, ethnic groups, religions, nations, genders & smaller culture. (Gamble & Gamble, 2013)  a. Knowledge Features of To be well-equipped in engaging with people from other cultures, one Intercultural needs to learn about their cultures. Communication Way to learn about other people’s cultures: Features of intercultural ⚬ Talk with members of the culture communication focus on the ⚬ View a video or film that presents characteristics and necessities that embody this type of a realistic view of the culture. communication. It includes: ⚬ Read what members of the a. Knowledge culture as well as “outsiders” b. Open-mindedness write about the culture. c. Mindfulness d. Tolerance e. Empathy b. Open-mindedness Being open-minded is the willingness to consider other people's ideas, suggestions, and opinions. Social decentering: It is seeing the world from the other person’s point of view. Benefit: allows us to avoid stereotype (a situation of having a fixed impression of a group of people). c. Mindfulness Being mindful is being aware of how people communicate with others Other people are different from us in many ways. How to be mindful? ⚬ By developing positive attitudes towards others Having negative attitudes about other cultures will cause people to treat others unfairly. d. Tolerance There are vast differences within every cultural group. Example: Muslims have their own way of mingling with different genders, while non-Muslims are not restricted to any boundary when mingling. Failure to understand and accept the differences will cause negative setbacks of miscommunication and stereotype. e. Empathy Feeling empathy means feeling what other people feel. Empathy brings upon emotional intelligence, which is the capability to assess the emotions of others. Having empathy increases the effectiveness of intercultural communication.  Beliefs, Values & Behaviour as part of Culture YOUR BEHAVIOURS ARE A REFLECTION OF YOUR VALUES, WHICH ARE BASED ON YOUR BELIEFS. Beliefs Belief is a concept or idea that an individual or group holds to be true. Beliefs are usually reflected in our actions and communication behaviours. Beliefs represent our subjective opinion of something—with or without proof. Our belief system is important because it is learned and subject to cultural interpretation. Therefore, shared beliefs can come to represent cultural norms, or values, characterizing a large collective of people. Consequently, beliefs and the cultural values they may produce can both unite and divide people. It is important to recognize the importance of other peoples’ beliefs and how those beliefs and values shape their worldviews and even their manner of communicating.  Values Beliefs form the foundation of values. What you consider desirable for yourself and for the society you live in is a product of your values, which can be held both consciously and subconsciously. Although each of us has a unique set of values, there are also values that tend to spread and characterize a culture (punctuality, openness, directness, formality, etc) These cultural values provide a set of guidelines that assist the culture’s members in deciding what is good or bad, desirable or undesirable, right or wrong, and appropriate or inappropriate in almost every context of human activity. By paying attention to what a culture values, we can get important clues about how to respond to communication messages, establish relationships, and avoid making embarrassing errors when interacting with people from a given culture.  Behaviours Behaviours: manifestation of our beliefs and values that we express outwardly Beliefs and values influence our communicative behaviours Example based on Japanese culture: ⚬ Belief: it is important to maintain good interpersonal relations ⚬ Value: social harmony ⚬ Behaviour: a Japanese businessman will usually buy souvenirs for his coworkers while on a business trip  Social Categorisation, St ereotyping and Discrimination Social Categorisation Gender Age Race & Religion Social 01 02 03 Ethnicity 04 05 Class  1. Gender Gender: a complex, culturally constructed and psychologically based perception of oneself. Gender is learned from society. Difference between men and women’s communication: ⚬ Women: more expressive and focused on feelings and relationships ⚬ Men: tend to be more instrumental and competitive 2. Age Different people from different age group experience different cultural events, hence their worldviews differ. Example: A man born in 1930, who survived the Great Depression have different attitudes on saving accounts as compared to the younger generation. Generation Gap: The older generation might make stereotypical assumption on the younger generation’s taste in music and fashion.  3. Race & Ethnicity Race: a category that historically has been based on genetic or biological factors that are not clear-cut. Traditionally based on physical attributes such as skin color, body type, hair color, and texture. Ethnic: a social classification based on nationality, religion, language, and biological ancestral heritage shared by a group of people with a common geographic origin. 4. Religion Religion is a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices. Examples: Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism It encompasses issues such as attitudes toward: Marriage Divorce Child rearing Money Morality. 5. Social Class Refers to the status and influence people are perceived to have based on economic factors, education, and family history. Ways of communicating class differences to others: by the way we dress, the cars we drive, the homes we live in, and the schools we attend. A person’s social class can change through education, employment, and income. Stereotyping Stereotyping is a complex form of categorization that mentally organizes your experiences with and guides your behavior toward a particular group of people. Two forms of stereotype: Positive stereotype: generalising all Asians as hardworking and good in education. Negative stereotype: generalising all Goth dressers as problematic. Just like culture, stereotypes are learnt. Ways stereotypes obstruct intercultural Communication: 1. Stereotypes portray overgeneralised, oversimplified, and over-exaggerated information. 2. Stereotypes are resistant to change, hence it becomes more solidified as we age. Discrimination Discrimination: the unfair or inappropriate treatment of categories of people, based on their race, sex, age, gender, and ethnicity, as well as other group memberships. Although different ethnic groups bring vitality and variety to society, members of these groups often experience discrimination. One of the most significant problems stemming from attempts to classify people by racial or ethnic type is the tendency to discriminate and unfairly, inaccurately, or inappropriately ascribe stereotypes to racial or ethnic groups. Thus, one of the goals of learning about diversity and becoming aware of both differences and similarities among groups is to eliminate discrimination and stereotypes that cause people to rigidly and inappropriately prejudge others. The End