1.2 Approaches to Intercultural Communication

Group Work

Read the story below. Can you help Yaser to solve his confusion? Discuss in groups and report your solutions to the class.

Steve and Yaser first met in their chemistry class in an American university. Yaser was an international student from Jordan. He wanted to learn more about American culture and hoped that he and Steve could become good friends. At first, Steve seemed very friendly. He always greeted Yaser warmly before class. Sometimes he offered to study with Yaser. He even invited Yaser to have lunch with him. But after the semester was over, Steve seemed more distant. The two former classmates did not see each other very much in the school. One day Yaser decided to call Steve. Steve did not seem very interested in talking to him. Yaser was hurt by Steve's change of attitude. “Steve said we were friends, ” Yaser complained, “and I thought friends were friends forever.”

Yaser was a little confused.

As a foreigner, Yaser does not understand the way Americans view friendship. Americans use the word “friend” in a very general way. They may call both casual acquaintances and close companions “friends.” These friendships are based on common interests. When the shared activity ends, the friendship may disappear. Now as Steve and Yaser are no longer classmates, their friendship has changed. In some cultures friendship means a strong life-long bond between two people. In these cultures friendships develop slowly, since they are built to last. American society is one of rapid changes. Studies show that one out of five American families moves every year. American friendships develop quickly, and they may change just as quickly. People from the United States may at first seem friendly. Americans often chat with strangers. But American friendliness is not always an offer of true friendship. After an experience like Yaser's, people who has been in this country for only a few months may consider Americans to be fickle. Learning how Americans view friendship can help non-Americans avoid misunderstandings. It can also help them make friends in the American way.

1.2.1 Five Elements in the Communication Process

Normally, the communication process involves five interrelated elements: the context of the communication; the participants; the messages being communicated; the channels through which the communication occurs; and the verbal and nonverbal responses known as feedback.

1) Context

Context refers to the conditions which make up communication, including physical, historical, psychological, and cultural contexts. As the saying goes: “When in Rome, do as Romans do.” In other words, following the communication norms of the context is the first priority for any successful intercultural communication. For example, when greeting someone for the first time, you often shake hands with each other in China, while you need to put your palms together in Thailand, as shown in Fig. 1.2.

2) Participants

Participants refer to the senders and receivers of messages during the communication process, especially for face-to-face communication. As senders, we form messages and attempt to communicate them to others through verbal and non-verbal symbols. As receivers, we process the messages sent to us and react to them verbally and non-verbally.

Three important variables related to participants may affect communication: relationship, gender, and culture. Undoubtedly, cultural difference is a major barrier in intercultural communication, but we should not neglect the other two variables. For instance, males and females can sometimes experience difficulty sharing meaning because they approach the world with different perspectives. For another example, people often behave differently in workplace relationships and in family relationships.

Group Work

Watch the video clip. Try to discuss with your partner how the difference between men and women influence their ways of expression.

3) Message

Communication takes place through the sending and receiving of messages. Messages include the elements of meanings, symbols, encoding, and decoding. The meanings can be transferred or shared with others by messages comprising verbal and non-verbal symbols. The encoding and decoding processes include nonverbal cues, which significantly affect the meaning created by the participants in a communication transaction. Conflicting meanings are created when the verbal symbols are contradicted by the nonverbal cues. For instance, if a foreign customer says, “Yes, I'm very interested in your products.” the meaning you decode will be very different if the person leans forward and looks interested or yawns and looks away.

4) Channels

Messages are transmitted through a variety of sensory channels. We may use sound, sight, smell, taste, touch, or any combination of these to carry a message. Face-to-face communication has two basic channels: sound (verbal symbols) and sight (non-verbal cues). However, people can communicate by any of the five sensory channels. A fragrant scent or a warm hug may contribute as much to meaning as what is seen or heard. Some channels are more effective in communicating certain messages than others, and the nature of the channel selected affects the way a message will be processed. For instance, what kind of message do you get from someone who comes to a business meeting wearing a T-shirt and jeans?

5) Feedback

As receivers attempt to decode the meaning of messages, they are likely to give some kind of verbal or nonverbal response. This response, called feedback, tells the sender whether the message has been heard, seen, or understood. If the feedback tells the sender that the communication was not received or was misinterpreted, the person can send the message again, perhaps in a different way, until the listener receives the meaning the sender intends. For example, when you greet a friend on a noisy street by waving your hands but fail to get his or her attention, you can call his or her name loudly instead. In the case of intercultural communication, if you have to do some shopping in a foreign country and the shop assistant could not understand your language, you can simply point to the goods you want.

1.2.2 Tips on How to Communicate Effectively

Communication is a very useful skill that is helpful for all aspects of life. To be a successful communicator, a person has to know how to communicate effectively to get his or her message across and to be understood by others. Everyday conversation, sending messages, small talk, greetings, smiles, nods, electronic means, and hand tricks, all are ways to communicate with others. For the most part, these are enough to pass information, or even just show an attitude and can shape a recognition. But when we discuss the important things, make significant decisions, do sensitive negotiations, we call for effective communication skills.

The following tips may help you to communicate effectively.

1) Recognize your goals.

Identify your object for your communication. Each must be conveyed in the ways that are suitable and applicable to a particular situation. So you need to identify your goals and plan what to say accordingly. If necessary, you can write down your goals and provide supporting reasons or arguments to back up your statements.

2) Know your audience.

Whether you are speaking to a group or a single individual, you need to know specific things about your audience that will increase your ability to meet their needs and help them receive your message positively. Your audience can be a labor union, your family members, school teachers, or your sweetheart who are requiring a different approach, language, and degree of preparation. Respect the needs and communication requirements of your audience and they will reward you with their attention. Possibly they will applaud, and more importantly, their action will be in response to your message.

3) Know your message.

Once you know your goals and know your audience, draft your message. You have to know your subject inside and out. You have to know how your target audience is likely to respond, what they want to hear, and what you are actually going to tell them. Move to shorten the gap between expectation and reality, and couch your audience in good light. In this way, your audience will know you took the time to prepare for them, and they will respect for it.

4) Function with the best of manners.

Kindness and courtesy will go a long way. You can say good news badly, and you can convey bad news as well. Be careful of your choice of words, tone of voice, inflection, facial expressions, and body language. Everything should work together to reinforce your message. It is important to be tactful, sincere, kind, and courteous. When the message has a tendency to be unwelcome, be sure to relay it with other modest ways. There is no need to increase somebody's anger by being impolite.

5) Know your limits.

Determine the length of time that is acceptable for you to talk and do not overstate you are welcome. Remember “KISS”—“Keep It Short and Simple.” Once you have conveyed your message, assure your audience to determine they are still willing to listen, and then you can add more to help convince them about your message. It is better to leave your audience hungry for more than to make them sick of you. If you turn your audience off you, they will most likely close their mind to your message as well.

Communication is a skill we develop after birth, but it is how to communicate effectively that we need to learn more as we grow older. Keep practicing and keep learning, there is no doubt that you can be a professional communicator someday!

Exercises

1. Choose the best answer from the following choices.

1) How many interrelated elements does communication process involve?

A. 4

B. 5

C. 6

2) In terms of “participants, ” three important factors need to be taken into account in communication, they are ________.

A. status, culture, and gender

B. nationality, gender, and culture

C. relationship, gender, and culture

3) What are the sensory channels we can communicate by?

A. Sound and sight.

B. Taste, touch, and smell.

C. Sound, sight, smell, taste, and touch.

4) Eye contact shows competence in Western cultures, while Asian cultures find too much eye contact disrespectful. This fact illustrates one of the five elements involved in communication process—________.

A. message

B. participants

C. context

5) A fragrant scent or a warm hug may contribute as much to meaning as what is seen or heard. This fact illustrates one of the five elements involved in communication process—________.

A. feedback

B. channels

C. message

2. Fill in the blanks with the key points.

1) Context refers to the conditions which make up communication, including physical, historical, ________, and cultural contexts.

2) Following the communication ________ of the context is the first priority for any successful intercultural communication.

3) Messages include the elements of meanings, symbols, ________, and _________.

4) As receivers attempt to decode the meaning of messages, they are likely to give some kind of ________ or ________ response. This response is called feedback.

5) Remember “KISS”—“________________________ and ________.”

3. Answer the following questions.

1) What are the five elements in the communication process? Can you give some examples to explain them?

2) Do you have any interesting experience about communicating with others? Share it with your partner.

Summary

The first question you should ask yourselves while deciding to study this course is: What is intercultural communication? It is a field of study that looks at how people from different cultural backgrounds try to communicate with each other. Then here comes the next question: What is culture? It consists of material culture and immaterial culture. Material culture is the physical evidence of a culture in the objects and architecture they make, or have made. Immaterial culture, or non-material culture, are the thoughts or ideas that make up a culture. They do not include any physical objects or artifacts. Culture is everywhere and nowhere, tangible and intangible, static and dynamic, popular or high, material or spiritual. However, we can still approach the study of culture through five different dimensions:culture as heritage, culture as product, culture as behavior, culture as relation, and culture as value. Successful intercultural communication involves five elements: context, participants, message, channels, and feedback. Remember the tips that can help us to communicate with others more effectively: Recognize your goals; know your audience; know your message;function with the best of manners; know your limits. If we know the characteristics, approaches, and elements involved in the process of intercultural communication, the cultural gap would not be the obstacle to the civilization of human beings. It ought to be the motivation of our going farther.