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Intercultural Communication
ANALYSIS & REPORT FORMAT Use format headings address answer overarching question 'Did working a volunteer contribute detract intercultural exchange communication?': Introduction Outline event, organisation worked, tasks undertaken, occurred, undertook activity worked day - background nationality
Intercultural communication
Overview of intercultural communication theory
Intercultural communication in the simplest form involves sharing information across cultures and social groups. It involves synonymously understanding the actions, language, beliefs and values of individuals from different social groups or cultures. Steinfatt and Millette (2009, p. 41)
, adaptation in intercultural communication is important since it ensures a continuous interplay of the two cultures thus allowing them to share beliefs, values, etc. And appreciate the eminent differences.
Kincaid (1988, p. 98)
argues that for intercultural communication to be effective, there must be cultural convergence which means that the two cultures must converge at a particular point in time and diverge at another. This convergence allows for intercultural adaptation where one communication channel adapts to another and thus they can achieve effective communication outcomes. As posited by The theory suggests that when an individual from a new culture chooses to retain the identity of their origin, then operational difficulties arise and communication is impossible. However, when the personalities are predisposed to each other through being open-minded, emotional empathy and cognitive conformity, intercultural communication can continue with ease. Therefore, there are several catalysts of intercultural adaptation and these include integrating the two different cultures, recognition of relations within the different cultures, and appreciating the thoughts, perceptions, beliefs,...
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The co-cultural theory suggests that co-cultural communication occurs when members of an underrepresented group communicates with a dominant group. Co-cultural communication is easier to achieve because the minority group often chooses to relate with the dominant group and vice versa. The strategic ways in which these co-cultural groups communicate is because the two groups are looking for a unique identity that complements their current identify Fleming (2002, p. 20)
Community engagement via voluntary work has been shown in different studies to increase awareness of intercultural aspects and thus lead to better intercultural communication. In one study, it was found that community engagement, specifically voluntary work, leads to learning the local practices, beliefs, and values, and allows the learner to contextualize their experience Lauring, 2011, p. 236.
However, the study found that this depends on the degree of investment of the learner in the community, participation in community events, and community perception.
Analysis
During my voluntary work assisting in events coordination, I found that intercultural communication was of extreme importance. In my discussion with the two students from China who were also volunteering at the event, it emerged that they valued the volunteering experience because it allowed them to participate in the event in a way that they could share their experience with Australians and thus learn about the Australian community. This, as suggested by Lauring (2011, p. 242)
, is an important aspect of cultural learning because it is demand-driven since the volunteer is the one interested in the social act and thus the volunteer is keen to lean as much as possible during the event.
Volunteering at this event, in…
References
Bohman, J. (1999). Practical Reason and Cultural Constraint. In R. Shusterman (Ed.), Bourdieu: A Critical Reader. Oxford: Blackwell.
Fleming, S. (2002). Dance of Opinions: Mastering written and spoken communication for intercultural business using English as a second language. New York: Sherwood Fleming.
Gudykunst, W., & Kim, Y.Y. (2005). Communicating with strangers: An approach to intercultural communication (4th ed.). New York: McGraw Hill.
Hogan, C.F. (2013). Facilitating Cultural Transitions and Change: A Practical Approach: 4 square books.
Here, people always attribute causes to actions and happenings, with the belief that everything has an explanation only if we could look deeper enough (Changing Minds, 2011). This theory serves to show how people have very different perspectives to happenings or events in the daily lives, and these varying views can easily stray into power imbalance, prejudice and such like vices ultimately affecting the communication process. Under attribution theory, there
The fact that Greece is resisting greater oversight of its financial dealings is not laziness, or profligacy, but its very different view of long-term values than Germany. Germany places a strong value on long-term planning, persistence, and thrift. It cannot understand why a nation would hide its debt, in hopes that no one would notice and everything would 'be alright' in the long-term, so long as short-term pleasures were satisfied.
Within my team of Americans are several African-Americans and three Latinos. In the book Intercultural Communication: A Reader (Samovar, et al., 2008) the authors point out what scholars, sociologists and alert journalists have known for a long time: "…Although Latinos are generally aware of the Black experience, there is little understanding of Black culture. Equally problematic is the lack of awareness among Blacks about Latino culture" (Samovar, p. 183). Albeit
Support for the second hypothesis, that male speakers would be perceived as less cooperative than female speakers, also varied across situations, and the effect was even smaller" (Edwards & Hamilton 2004). Support for the Tannen model only was found after additional research was done, and a new questionnaire was given that scored recipient's self-perception in terms of feminine and masculine characteristics and inculcation into traditional gender roles. Individuals with
Mixed working groups naturally promote better mutual understanding and can often reduce biases and negative expectations such as those attributable to ethnocentrism and prejudices (Blair, 2003). More active methods of reducing discrimination and stereotyping include practical group demonstrations led by experienced counselors and organized discussion groups (Myers & Spencer, 2004). Specifically, organized discussion groups provide an opportunity for members of different social groups to raise their concerns and to express
The important aspect to consider is the way that people perceive and accept these differing power distributions. The barrier and problem that Sally experiences in this particular case is that she comes from a society that favors a low power distance model of behavior as the accepted norm; whereas in the society in which she is now staying the cultural norms and accepted context is one of high power distance. In