Real Communication An Introduction

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s episodes of Glee demonstrate, communication among individuals of

different races, sexes, religions, and so on can be messy—but it can also

be exciting, challenging, enlightening, and enjoyable. To be part of any team,

or to be a good neighbor and an informed citizen, you need to understand

this essential communication process. Whether you’re looking to learn how to

better communicate with your older relatives, understand the way your room-

mate’s faith plays out in her communication, or contemplate current national

debates surrounding issues like immigration, this chapter aims to help you better

understand cultural differences and similarities to increase your competence in

intercultural encounters. We begin with an overview of culture. Then we explore

cultural variations and group affiliations as well as the challenges and opportuni-

ties that intercultural communication offers.

Understanding Culture

As you’ll recall from the communication competence model (Chapter 1), your

encounters with others occur within overlapping situational, relational, and

cultural contexts. Culture is a learned system of thought and behavior that

belongs to and typifies a relatively large group of people; it is the composite

of their shared beliefs, values, and practices. Although we might commonly

think of culture as a person’s nationality, it applies to any broadly shared group

identity. In this section, we investigate how culture is learned, how it affects our

communication, and why learning how to communicate in different cultures is

so important.

Culture Is Learned

Culture is not something you’re born with; it is something you learn through

communication. As children, you observe the behaviors of your parents, siblings,

and extended family members. For example, they teach you how to greet guests

in your home, whether to make direct eye contact with others, and what words

are polite rather than inconsiderate. Later you observe the behaviors of your

teachers and your peer groups. You learn what types of conversational topics

are appropriate to discuss with peers rather than adults; you learn the nuances

of interacting with members of the same or opposite sex. You also listen to and

observe television, movies, and various forms of advertising that reflect what

your culture values and admires.

Through these processes, you acquire an understanding of what constitutes

appropriate behavior. This is the framework through which you interpret the

world and the people in it—your worldview (Schelbert, 2009). Much of your

worldview is not obvious. For example, many of your nonverbal behaviors (like

gestures, eye contact, and tone of voice) occur at an unconscious level (Hall,

1976). You have learned these behaviors so well that you don’t even notice them

until someone else behaves in a manner that doesn’t meet your expectations. For

example, you may not realize that you routinely make eye contact during conver-

sation until someone fails to meet your gaze. Your use of language carries more

obvious cultural cues; speaking Italian in Italy enables you to fully participate in

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A

chapter

outcomes

After you have finished

reading this chapter,

you will be able to

Define and explain

culture and its impact

on your communication

Delineate seven ways

that cultural variables

affect communication

Describe the communi-

cative power of group

affiliations

Explain key barriers to

competent intercultural

communication

Demonstrate behaviors

that contribute to inter-

cultural competence