Intercultural Communication - Awareness and Application Opportunities

          The article Ten Commandments of Intercultural Communication (2005) provided some great insight on how to overcome cultural barriers to effective communication.  The first step is to learn what is meant by culture.  The definition provided states that “Culture is a shared system of symbols, beliefs, attitudes, values, expectations, and norms for behavior. Subcultures, in turn, are distinct groups that exist within a major culture” (2005). 

          Cultures can vary greatly in four main ways (or “elements,” according to the article):  stability, complexity, composition, and acceptance.  These elemental differences affect communication, however, by following the “commandments” of awareness detailed in the article, one can be successful at intercultural communication.

          An example of how and when these might be applied in a real life situation, could be within a business context or even when developing relationships and friendships. When I lived in South Africa there were many opportunities to practice awareness in my communications. I was part of a campus ministry in Johannesburg. We Caucasian American students really had a hard time understanding the behavior of the black African students in our group, and those among whom we were conducting outreach. We inadvertently became offended, and caused offense, due to our ignorance.  For example, we would schedule events for a particular time and were upset when the African students would show up close to an hour late. We would dress very casually, as American students may be prone to do, but the African students would show up to an event dressed impeccably and in their best.  Our sense of personal space was quite distance and stoic, with an occasional hug and then withdraw to our own space again. The African students would stand touching us, and want to get nose-to-nose, and seemed to have no idea of personal space. We would be offered food by the African students and often refuse, or just taste it and leave a lot. This was offensive to them. If you think Americans are generally physically expressive when speaking, it was amazing to see how the African students used their body language and hands beautifully to communicate their speech.   We foreign American students learned a great deal from the African students on what was appropriate in their culture, and they also learned more about American culture. 

          I had many more opportunities to put these “Ten Commandments” into practice while living overseas, particularly in the business realm when dealing with Afrikaans builders, Portuguese architects, East Indian merchants, and Orthodox Jewish friends.  Learning about and experiencing different cultures is exciting for me, and it has widened my horizons in ways I could not begin to describe in detail in such a short Discussion.  There are numerous opportunities here in the United States to practice the commandments as well, if one just has the eyes to see them and the heart to learn.

          During my experience in that scenario overseas in South Africa, I learned that I needed to take responsibility for my communication, to educate myself and withhold judgment.  Rather than acting as if one’s culture is superior, it is beneficial to humble oneself and ask for clarification. Having a desire to understand and to be able to communicate your openness goes a long way in successful intercultural communication. 

Reference:

Hahn. Martin. (2005, December 30). Ten Commandments of Intercultural Communication. Ezine @rticles. Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?Ten-Commandments-of-Intercultural-Communication&id=120247The Ten Commandments of Intercultural Communication