Intercultural Communication

Some Definitions to Start Us Off…

• Culture: “that set of values, beliefs, norms, customs, rules, and codes that socially define groups of people, giving them a sense of commonality.”-- Race -- Ethnicity -- Age-- Gender -- Religion -- Sexual Orientation-- Disability -- SES -- Etc.

• In-Groups and Out-Groups• Co-cultures: “The perception of membership in a group

that is part of an encompassing culture.• Intercultural Communication: “The process that occurs

when members of two or more cultures exchange messages in a manner that is influenced by their different cultural perceptions and symbol systems.”

• Intercultural sensitivity is necessary to effectively communicate with diverse groups.

• Intercultural sensitivity involves:

• Self-esteem

• Self-monitoring

• Open-mindedness

• Empathy

• Interaction involvement

• Suspending judgment

• Using stereotypes makes communication with diverse groups problematic

• Stereotypes resist alteration and can lead to prejudice and discrimination

• Stereotypes create a barrier between us and others

• “Emphasizing differences can lead to stereotyping and prejudice…Emphasizing only similarities may lead us to ignore the important cultural variations that exist,” (Martin & Nakayama, 2000, p. 46)

• “Groups are made up of individuals with unique as well as similar voices,” (Collier, 2000, p. 24).

Communication should be approached at both the individual

and the cultural level.

Communication from aCultural Perspective Only

is Insufficient

• “We should not expect any group to use a particular communication style all the time,” (p. 159).

• When “we assume knowledge about another person’s identity, based on his of her membership in a particular cultural group…we are ignoring the individual aspect,” (p. 141).

Communication from an Individual Perspective

Only is Insufficient

• You may overemphasize similarities, and see others more like yourself.

• You may judge others by your own cultural standards, rather than considering other cultural standards.

Cultural Values and Norms

High-Context vs. Low-Context

• How much is communicated by the context, and how much needs to be directly said?

Low Context High Context

Swiss, Germans, Scandinavians

European-Americans

African-Americans, Native Americans, Hispanic-Americans, Asian-Americans

Japanese, Chinese

Self-Expression Valued Relational Harmony Valued

*Individualism vs. Collectivism*

• Individualistic Cultures– Loyalty to self

– Define self based on what you do

– Value autonomy, change, youth, individual security, equality

– Examples:• US, Canada, Australia,

Great Britain

• Collectivistic Cultures– Loyalty to family,

community, work, etc.

– Define self based on who your in-group is

– Value duty, order, tradition, age, group security, status, hierarchy, relationship

– Examples:• Latin American and Asian

cultures

Power Difference

• More egalitarian vs. more hierarchical?

Low power deferential High power deferential

Austria, Denmark, Israel, New Zealand

US, Canada

Philippines, Mexico, Venezuela, India, Singapore

Uncertainty Avoidance

• “The degree to which members of a culture feel threatened by ambiguous situations and how much they try to avoid them.”

• Low Uncertainty Avoidance:– Tolerates or values nonconformity

• High Uncertainty Avoidance:– Threatened by ambiguous situations/nonconformity– Values security– Clearly defined rules and regulations

Achievement vs. Nurturing

Japan, Switzerland, Germany

Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Spain, France

Achievement Culture

“Hard”

“Masculine”

Material success/Goal-oriented

Strict gender roles

Nurturing Culture

“Soft”

“Feminine”

Relationship-oriented

More gender neutrality

The Interplay Between Culture and Verbal & Nonverbal Codes

Verbal Codes• Language and Identity• Verbal Communication Style

– Directness

– Elaborateness/Succinctness

– Formality/Informality

• Language and Worldview– Linguistic Determinism – language determines worldview

• Sapir-Whorf hypothesis: “the structure of a language affects the perceptions of reality of its speakers and thus influences their thought patterns and worldviews.”

– Linguistic Relativism – language strongly influences perceptions

Nonverbal Codes

• Some nonverbals have universal meanings (e.g., smiles, crying)

• Others are more culturally-determined– Gestures– Proxemics– Chronemics– Eye-contact

Decoding Messages Cross-Culturally

• Translation• Attributions

– We tend to judge others’ behaviors less generously and according to our own cultural norms.

– Stereotyping

• Cultural Systems of Logic– Linear/Rational or Intuitive

– Dichotomous or Nondichotomous

Developing Greater Intercultural Communication Competence

Intercultural Competence

• Motivation and attitude– Tolerating ambiguity– Being open-minded

• Not being ethnocentric

• Not being prejudiced

• Not stereotyping

• Knowledge of how other cultures communicate & skill in creating and responding to messages effectively– Mindfulness – awareness of one’s own

behavior and that of others• Passive observation• Active strategies• Self-disclosure

– Learn about who in a culture especiallyreceives respect, and how this is communicated

– Learn about how interactions are managed (the flow of conversation, turn-taking, etc.)

– Learn about roles, rules, and expectations for goal-accomplishment (e.g., business), and for relationships

Racism

Even if you yourself are not racist...

• Cultural Racism – Aspects of society that overtly & covertly attribute

value and normality to white people and whiteness and devalue, stereotype, and label people of color as “other,” different, less-than, or invisible.

• Institutional Racism – The network of institutional structures, policies, and

practices that create advantages and benefits for whites and discrimination, oppression, and disadvantages for persons of color.

– The advantages to whites are often invisible to them or are considered available to “everyone” .

Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack

“White Privilege” • The concrete benefits of access to resources and social rewards AND the power

to shape the norms and values of society which Whites receive, unconsciously or consciously, by virtue of their skin color in a racist society. – Examples:

• The ability to be unaware of race • The ability to live and work among people of the same racial group as their own • The security of not being pulled over by the police for being a “suspicious” person • The expectation that they speak for themselves and not for their entire race

• “Collusion” – Thinking and acting in ways which support the system of racism. – Both White people and Persons of Color can collude with racism through their

attitudes, beliefs, and actions. – All people can collude by telling racist jokes, discriminating against a person of

color, or remaining silent when observing a racist incident or remark.

What can YOU do?

• Avoid collusion • Become an ally or an empowered person of color

– Ally- A white person who actively works to eliminate racism

– Empowered person of color- Understanding racism and its impact, collectively working against victimization and for justice.

• Educate others!