Communication Between Cultures

relate to each other. As suggested throughout this section, either consciously or

unconsciously, you know the prevailing rules as a member of one culture or another.

Most cultures, for example, have classrooms, but the rules for behavior in those class-

rooms are rooted in culture. In Mexico, children are encouraged to move around the

room and to interact verbally and physically with their classmates. In China, students

remain in their seats nearly all of the day, and group interactions are limited.

Occasion

The occasion of a communication encounter also controls the behavior of the partici-

pants. The same auditorium or sports arena can be the occasion for a graduation cere-

mony, concert, pep rally, convocation, dance, or memorial service. Each of these

occasions calls for distinctly different forms of behavior. For example, somberness and

silence are usually the rule at a solemn American Protestant funeral, whereas an Irish

wake calls for music, dancing, and a great deal of merriment. A pep rally or dance would

be an occasion in the same sports arena venue for raucous activity and much movement.

Time

Time is another crucial element that can influence the communication event. Yet the

influence of time on communication is so subtle that its impact is often overlooked.

To understand this concept, answer these questions: How do you feel when someone

keeps you waiting for a prolonged period of time? Do you respond to a phone call at

2:00 a.m. the same way you do to one at 2:00 p.m.? Do you find yourself rushing the

conversation when you know you have very little time to spend with someone? Your

answers to these questions reveal how often the clock controls your actions. Every

communication event takes place along a time–space continuum, and the amount of

time allotted, whether it is for social conversation or a formal presentation, affects

that event. Cultures, as well as people, use time to communicate. In the United

States, schedules and time constraints are ever present.“For Americans, the use of

appointment-schedule time reveals how people feel about each other, how significant

their business is, and where they rank in the status system.”^8

Communication Is Self-Reflective

The American philosopher Emerson once wrote,“Wherever we go, whatever we do,

self is the sole subject we study and learn.”Emerson, whether he employed communi-

cation terminology or not, was referring to the idea that human beings have an ability

to think about themselves, to watch how they define the world, and to reflect on

their past, present, and future. This focus on self can—and usually does—take place

while you are communicating. Because of self-reflectiveness, you can think about the

encounter you are involved in while being an active member of that encounter. In

many ways, it is as if you are talking with yourself while also exchanging messages

with other people. In short, this unique endowment lets you be participant and

observer simultaneously: You can watch, evaluate, and alter your“performance”as a

communicator at the very instant you are engaged in the event. Humans are the only

species that can simultaneously be at both ends of the camera.

There is, as you have learned by now, an intercultural dimension to your capacity

to be self-reflective, though this capacity may not always be manifest. Some cultures

Communication Is Self-Reflective 33

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