PURPOSIVE •Instructor’s Name: Ms. Marivic B.
Etis, LPT
COMMUNICATION
What is
Globalization?
Globalization, as defined by the business dictionary, is the
worldwide movement toward economic, financial, trade and
communications integration. This movement resulted to the
formation of the global village.
Communication
and
Globalization
In communication, globalization would mean the increase in the
social connectedness or the expansion of one’s social community
and the mutual reliance or dependence of peoples and nations;
the evolution of a language that could be understood by most
countries; and the development of the global communication
skills or the ability to send messages across cultures through the
four macro skills (e.g. speaking. Listening, reading, and writing)
and the use of non-verbal communication. Developing one’s
global communication skills can lead to cultural diversity.
Cultural diversity refers to people from different cultures or
nations respecting each other’s differences. This respect of
differences is a result of their understanding of the cultural
differences they have; how people process communication;
the way other people speak; and how these people see and
understand the world around them.
What is Intercultural Communication?
Intercultural communication is the sharing of meanings with
and receiving and interpreting ideas from people whose cultural
background is different from yours. In an intercultural society,
you grow and learn from one another. Discovering and learning
new patterns present in each other’s culture and observing the
similarities and differences in the use of non-verbal
communication may be an interesting idea. A deep understanding
of each other’s culture can also lead to earning the respect of the
members of the society.
English and
Intercultural
Communication
By: Ayame
Mochizuki
TEDx Talk
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.
1956 High School
Exchange Students
in USA Debate on
Prejudice (2):
Philippines, Japan,
UK, Indonesia
What are the variations
of Intercultural
Communication?
• Samovar and Porter
(2001) enumerated some
of the variations of
intercultural
communication as follows:
interracial communication,
inter-ethnic
communication,
international
communication, and intra-
cultural communication.
Let us try to understand
them better:
1. Interracial communication is the
interaction among people of different races.
Examples:
a. A tourist guide conducting a tour for a
group of people with different nationalities
b. An owner of an international company
having a teleconference with the managers
from different countries
2. Inter-ethnic communication is the
interaction among people who have different
ethnic groups.
Examples:
a. An international correspondent interviewing
the aborigines of Australia for a television
documentary
b. A group of social workers educating the
members of the tribes from Baguio about the
benefits that the government allotted to them
3. International communication is the
interaction between persons representing
different political structures.
Examples:
a. The president of a parliamentary
government meeting the president of a
democratic government
b. The queen of England talking to the
president of the Philippines
4. Intra-cultural communication is the
interaction that includes all forms of
communication among members of the same
racial, ethnic, and subculture groups.
Examples:
a. The head of the Manobo tribe meeting his
constituents
b. Members of the same organization having
an acquaintance party
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.
Cross cultural communication | Pellegrino
Riccardi | TEDxBergen
KEYWORDS:
• Globalization
-the increasing economic, political, and
cultural integration and interdependence of diverse
cultures
• Diversity
-the recognition and valuing of difference
• Multiculturalism
-engagement with and respect toward people
from distinctly different cultures
• Intercultural Communication
-interpreting and sharing meanings with
individuals from different cultures
• Interracial Communication
-the interpreting and sharing of meanings with
individuals from different races
• Interethnic Communication
-interaction with individuals of different ethnic
origins
• International Communication
-communication between persons
representing different nations
• Intra-cultural Communication
-interaction with members of the same racial
or ethnic group or co-culture as yours
• Melting-pot Philosophy
-the view that different cultures should be
assimilated into the dominant culture
• Cultural Pluralism
-adherence to the principle of cultural relativism
• Culturally Confused
-lacking an understanding of cultural difference
• Cultural Imperialism
-the expansion of dominion of one culture over
another culture
• Ethnocentrism
-the tendency to see one's own culture as superior to
all others
• Cultural Relativism
-the acceptance of other cultural groups as equal in
value to one's own
• Prejudice
-a positive or negative prejudgment
• Culture
-a system of knowledge, beliefs, values, customs,
behaviors, and artifacts that are acquired, shared, and
used by members during daily living
• Co-cultures
-groups of persons who differ in some ethnic or
sociological way from the parent culture
• Assimilation
-the means by which co-culture members attempt to
fit in with members of the dominant culture
• Accommodation
-the means by which co-culture members maintain their
cultural identity while striving to establish relationships with
members of the dominant culture
• Separation
-the means co-culture members use to resist interacting
with members of the dominant culture
• Individualistic Cultures
-cultures in which individual goals are stressed
• Collectivistic Cultures
-cultures in which group goals are stressed
• High-context Communication
-a tradition-bound communication system which depends
on indirectness
• Low-context Communication
-a system that encourages directness in communication
• High-power-distance Cultures
-cultures based on power differences in which
subordinates defer to superiors
• Low-power-distance Cultures
-cultures that believe that power should be used only
when legitimate
• Masculine Cultures
-cultures that value aggressiveness, strength, and
material symbols of success
• Feminine Cultures
-cultures that value tenderness and relationships
• Digital Divide
-information gap
