Activities
- 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. - 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. - 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
- Explain what is meant by the statement“In study-
ing other cultures, we do so very often from the
perspective of our own culture.” - Explain how and why communication and culture
are linked. - 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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