Communication Between Cultures

Activities

1. Attend a meeting (church service, lecture, social
   event, etc.) of a culture or co-culture different
   from you own. Try to notice the various ways cul-
   tural characteristics of that culture are being
   reflected in the interaction.


2. Make a list of the changes in your culture that you
   have observed during your lifetime. Discuss with a
   group of your classmates how those changes have
   affected intercultural communication.


3. Go to YouTube and search for“culture and folk
   tales.”View some folktales from a variety of cultures.
   Note the“lessons”being taught in each folktale.
   4. Type the words“international proverbs”into any
   search engine and locate proverbs that are trying
   to“teach”respect, patience, silence, hard work,
   group solidarity, or trustworthiness.
   5. List ten communication characteristics that you
   would like to develop if you were selected to
   visit another country as an exchange student.
   6. Can you give an example of how each of the three
   components (motivation, knowledge, and skills)
   of intercultural communication competence can
   be improved? Be specific.

Concepts and Questions

1. Explain what is meant by the statement“In study-
   ing other cultures, we do so very often from the
   perspective of our own culture.”


2. Explain how and why communication and culture
   are linked.


3. Why is it said that much of culture is invisible?
   4.Explainwhatismeantbythephrase“Commu-
   nication is contextual.”Can you think of exam-
   ples of how context has influenced your
   behavior?
   5. How does intercultural communication differ from
   everyday forms of communication?
   6. Making inferences about a culture different from
   your own can often be problematic. Can you
   think of examples when a lack of information
   forced you to make the wrong inference?
   7. What are some common misconceptions regard-
   ing human communication?
   8. What are some ways cultures differ in the way
   they listen?

Concepts and Questions 67

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