Definition and Nature of Intercultural Communication

Intercultural communication happens when individuals interact, negotiate, and create meanings while
bringing in their varied cultural backgrounds (Ting-Toomey, 1999).
For some scholars, intercultural communication pertains to communication among people from different
nationalities (Gudykunst, 2003).
Still, others look at intercultural communication as communication that is influenced by different ethnicities,
religions, and sexual orientations.
Both interpretations show that intercultural communication takes place when people draw from their
cultural identity to understand values, prejudices, language, attitudes, and relationships (Gudykunst & Kim,
2003).
Moreover, this facet of communication can also be seen as a bargained understanding of human experiences
across diverse societies. Simply put, intercultural communication is the sending and receiving of messages
across languages and cultures.
Sometimes, intercultural communication can flow smoothly and become very interesting for a cross-cultural
group. However, things may not go as planned when communication is disrupted by cultural collisions.
When you speak, your speech is continuously accompanied by gestures, facial expressions, and other body
movements that add to what you are saying in different ways. For example, nodding means yes in the
Indian subcontinent, Iran, most of Europe, Latin America, and North America. However, in Greece, Lebanon,
Syria, Palestine, Turkey, Macedonia, Bulgaria, and Albania, nodding indicates disagreement. Moreover, in the
case of Japanese culture, silence as a form of communication is more integrated in their customs than in
Western languages. It is therefore important for you to acknowledge and understand the many
communication patterns present in other cultures.

The Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity

The Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS) offers a structure that explores how people
experience cultural differences. According to Bennett and Bennett (2004), it has six stages. These are the
following:
Stage 1: Denial. The individual does not recognize cultural differences.
o An individual in the denial stage might be heard saying: All cities are the same; they all have tall
buildings, fast food chains, and coffee shops.
Stage 2: Defense. The individual starts to recognize cultural differences and is intimidated by them, resulting
in either a superior view on own culture or an unjustified high regard for the new one.
o An individual in the defense stage might be heard saying: This culture does not view life the way we
do; our culture is certainly better. Their ways are better than my own; I wish I were one of them.
Stage 3: Minimization. Although individuals see cultural differences, they bank more on the universality of
ideas rather than on cultural differences.
o An individual in the minimization stage might be heard saying: Once we see through the cultural
differences, we really are just the same!
Stage 4: Acceptance. The individual begins to appreciate important cultural differences in behaviors and
eventually in values.
o An individual in the acceptance stage might be heard saying: These people and I have different
values and experiences, and I think we can learn from one another.
Stage 5: Adaptation. The individual is very open to world views when accepting new perspectives.
o An individual in the adaptation stage might be heard saying: To address our issue, I have to adjust
my approach to consider both my own and my counterparts background.
Stage 6: Integration. Individuals start to go beyond their own cultures and see themselves and their actions
based on multifarious cultural viewpoints.
o An individual in the integration stage might be heard saying: I can look at things from the
perspective of various cultures.
 Once you understand these stages, you may apply it to
1) recognize communication behaviors which differ from your own,
2) take into account what can influence these types of behaviors, and
3) try to analyze how linguistic and cultural communities differ in terms of communication behavior and
influencing factors (Allwood, 1985).

Characteristics of Competent Intercultural Communicators

World Bank (2010) identifies the following traits that define a competent intercultural communicator.
1. flexibility and the ability to tolerate high levels of uncertainty
2. reflectiveness or mindfulness
3. open-mindedness
4. sensitivity
5. adaptability
6. ability to engage in divergent thinking (or thinking creatively) and systems-level thinking (or thinking how
each one in a system or organization influences each other)
7. politeness

Note that in addition to culture, other elements such as gender, age, social status, and religion must also be
taken into consideration when communicating with others. Refrain from showing bias when talking to
someone by following the tips below.
1. Avoid stereotypes, i.e., generalizations about a certain group.
2. Challenge gender norms; avoid using he and man to refer to a general group of people. To remedy
this, you may use plural pronouns or rewrite a sentence to avoid using pronouns. The use of his/her is also
acceptable.
3. Do not talk down on younger people and the elderly.
4. Be sensitive to the religious practices of others.
5. Be polite at all times; do not belittle people you perceive to be on a lower social class than you.