Understanding Intercultural Communication, Second Edition

Understanding Intercultural

Communication Second Edition, 2012

Chapter 1

Why Study Intercultural Communication?

Stella Ting-Toomey & Leeva C. Chung

Revised by Ron Compton Fall, 2013

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS

PowerPoint Slides Designed by Alex Flecky and Noorie Baig

Overview

1. Practical Reasons to Study

Intercultural Communication (ICC)

2. Culture: A Learned Meaning System

Objectives

1. Explain the importance of studying

intercultural communication

2. Demonstrate an enhanced awareness

of changing trends in global and

intercultural communication

3. Define the key attributes of the term

culture

Objectives

4. Cultivate an initial appreciation for the

layered complexity of studying culture

5. Define and use examples to illustrate

the three levels of the cultural iceberg

metaphor

6. Connect how the deep-level culture

shapes the expectations and meanings

that individuals attach to an

intercultural encounter process

Why Study Intercultural

Communication?

Global Workplace Heterogeneity

Domestic Workforce Diversity

Creative Multicultural Problem Solving

Technology in Global Communication

Multicultural Healthcare Communication

Intercultural Relationship Satisfaction

Global and Intrapersonal Peace

Self-Awareness and Other-Awareness

Practical Reasons to Study

Intercultural Communication


Communication?

Culture: A Learned Meaning System

• Surface-Level Culture: Popular Culture

• Intermediate-Level Culture:

Symbols, Meanings, and Norms

• Deep-Level Culture: Traditions, Beliefs

and Values


Communication?

What Are Your Reasons?

Some Practical Reasons to Study ICC

Adjust to Global Workplace

Heterogeneity – Opportunity, Challenge

◦ Contact between cultures: Face-to-face,

cell phone, Skype, smart phone, e-mail

◦ U.S. workers are part of global workforce

by working remotely for foreign companies

◦ Large numbers of U.S. workers take

overseas assignments

◦ Large number (10-20%) from U.S. fail

◦ U. S. retired - market for foreign companies


Adjust to Global Workplace

Heterogeneity – Opportunity, Challenge

◦ Jeopardy Quiz:

◦ Can you name the top three most

valuable global brands?

◦ Answer in Jeopardy Box 1.1, p. 6


Adapt to Domestic Workforce

Diversity - Increasing

◦ Increasing Latino/a population in the United

States – 2050: Latinos/Hispanics, 30%

African American, 5%

Asian American, 9%

White, 46%

◦ Increasing foreign-born population in the

United States: from Latin America, Asia

◦ Influence: science, medicine, technology



Diversity

◦ Jeopardy Quiz:

◦ Can you name the three U.S. states

with the most racial or ethnic diversity

compared to the United States as a

whole?




Diversity

◦ Jeopardy Quiz:

◦ Can you name the three U.S. states

that are the most racially/ethnically

homogeneous?



Engage in Creative Multicultural

Problem Solving – Opportunity, Challenge

◦ A Synergistic Perspective combines

the best of all cultural approaches

◦ Significantly higher quality of ideas

produced by ethnically diverse groups

◦More viewpoints, higher critical analysis

◦ Culturally heterogeneous groups have

more communication struggles than

homogeneous groups – can be managed

◦ Valuable skill for managers, employees


Comprehend the Role of Technology

in Global Communication

◦ The Internet increases global

communication, collaboration

◦ Radio: 30 years to reach 60 million

TV: 15 years to reach 60 million

Internet: 3 years to reach 90 million

◦ Enables relationships across time, space,

geography, cultural-ethnic boundaries

◦ Hybrid identity of individual that fuses

global & local cultures together




◦ Jeopardy Quiz:

◦ Can you name the three countries

with the most Internet users?





◦ Jeopardy Quiz:


that have the highest ratio of cellular

phone users?



Facilitate Better Multicultural Health

Care Communication

◦ Health care workers with immigrants

◦ Immigrants expect health care workers to

respect their beliefs, health care practices

◦Misunderstandings can result in poor

results and even death

◦ Intercultural communication concepts and

skills can help professionals and service

providers practice respectful intercultural

attitudes & adaptive communication styles


Enhance Intercultural Relationship

Satisfaction – Opportunity, Challenge

◦ Dramatic rise of intercultural marriages,

dating relationships, friendships in the U.S.

◦ Fertile ground for culture shock, clashes,

issues of ethnicity – Can be managed

◦ Culture-sensitive intercultural

communication - Increase relational and

family closeness and enjoyment, deepen

cultural self-awareness




Video: “Roomates” (2:16)1

1Instructor’s Resources

Understanding Intercultural Communication

Stella Ting-Toomey & Leeva Chung

Oxford University Press, 2012




Video: “Mi Amor” (1:39)1

1Instructor’s Resources

Understanding Intercultural Communication

Stella Ting-Toomey & Leeva Chung

Oxford University Press, 2012


Enhancing Intercultural Relationship

Satisfaction

◦ Jeopardy Quiz:

◦ Can you name the top three countries

of birth for foreign-born children

adopted under age eighteen in the

United States?



Foster Global and Intrapersonal Peace

– Opportunity, Challenge

◦Need for peace never more apparent

◦ Fairness should apply to all identity groups

◦ Respect for others may open doors for

more dialogues

◦ Global peacebuilding is closely connected

to intrapersonal peacebuilding

◦ Peace with ourselves, then care for others

◦ Fighting against ourselves, likely spread our

anger and resentment to others


Deepen Cultural Self-Awareness and

Other-Awareness

◦ Ethnocentrism: Seeing our own culture as

the center of the universe - Other

cultures are insignificant or even inferior

◦ Cultural socialization occurs

unconsciously; encourages ethnocentrism

◦ Intercultural knowledge can deepen our

awareness of who we are, where we

acquired our values, and how we make

sense of the world around us

Jeopardy Time !

~ To see some facts related to the historical landmark of reaching 7 billion people on planet Earth, click here.

~ To see a video called “Seven Billion:

AreYou Typical?” click here.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/03/age-of-man/face-interactive

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B2xOvKFFz4

What is Culture?

What is Your Definition?


A learned meaning system that

consists of patterns of traditions,

beliefs, values, norms, meanings,

and symbols that are passed on from

one generation to the next and

are shared to varying degrees by

interacting members of a community


Surface-Level Culture:

Popular Culture

◦ Culture is like an iceberg: Deeper layers hidden

◦ Popular culture: Most surface level; refers to

cultural artifacts or systems that have mass

appeal, that infiltrate our daily life.

◦ U.S. popular culture dominates global market –

Includes films, TV shows, pop music, and icons:

Disneyland, McDonald’s, Coca Cola, and Nike.

◦ Individuals form images of another culture based

on surface-level encounters, fleeting images on

TV, and sensational news coverage.


Surface-Level Culture: Popular Culture

◦ Jeopardy Quiz:

◦ Can you name the top three movie-

producing countries in 2009?




◦ Jeopardy Quiz:

◦ Can you name the three most popular

U. S. Newsstand Magazines?




◦ Jeopardy Quiz:

◦ Can you name the top three digital

downloads for 2010?



Intermediate-Level Culture:


◦ Symbol: a sign, artifact, word(s), gesture, or

nonverbal behavior that stands for or reflects

something meaningful; language is symbol system

◦ Meanings or interpretations that we attach to a

symbol can cue objective & objective reactions

◦ Norms refer to collective expectations of what

constitutes proper or improper behavior in a

given interaction scene


Deep-Level Culture:

Traditions, Beliefs, and Values

◦ Traditions - Myths, legends, ceremonies, rituals

passed on via oral or written medium; reinforce

ingroup solidarity, communal memory, cultural

stability, and continuity

◦ Beliefs - Fundamental worldviews that people

hold without question; questions as to human

origins, concepts of time, space, reality, the

existence of a supernatural being

◦ Values - Priorities that guide behavior: good or

bad, desirable or undesirable, fair or unfair


Deep-Level Culture: Traditions, Beliefs

and Values

◦ Jeopardy Quiz:

◦ Can you name the top three religions

in the U.S.?




and Values

◦ Jeopardy Quiz:


with the largest Christian population

and the three countries with the

largest Jewish population?




and Values

◦ Jeopardy Quiz:


with the largest Buddhist, Hindu, and

Muslim populations?


Culture is Like an Iceberg

Culture: An Iceberg Metaphor


Can you give examples of current U.S. popular

culture icons that are different from the ones

listed in the textbook?

Culture: An Iceberg Metaphor

Intermediate-Level Culture: Cultural Norms

How would you introduce yourself:

To your teacher?

To your romantic partner’s friends?

Deep-Level Culture: Culturally Shared

TraditionsHow would you explain common U.S. traditions

to a visitor from another culture unfamiliar

with them?


Communication?

Global Workplace Heterogeneity

Domestic Workforce Diversity

Creative Multicultural Problem Solving

Technology in Global Communication

Multicultural Healthcare Communication

Intercultural Relationship Satisfaction

Global and Intrapersonal Peace

Self-Awareness and Other-Awareness

Practical Reasons to Study

Intercultural Communication


Communication?


• Surface-Level Culture: Popular Culture

• Intermediate-Level Culture:


• Deep-Level Culture: Traditions, Beliefs

and Values


Communication?

Stamping Your Intercultural Passport

• You have now earned one stamp on

your intercultural passport by

understanding all the concepts of

chapter 1. Congratulations!

• You can continue on your journey

mindfully – read, observe, notice,

experience, and learn.

Parting Thoughts…

Culture is the widening

of the mind and spirit.

~ Jawarhalal Nehru

Documents

Understanding Intercultural Communication, Second Edition