Intercultural communicati on skills
Module 1: Introduction to intercultural communication
What is intercultural communication?
1. What is communication?
Communication= is a symbolic, interpretive, transactional, contextual process in which people share meanings
Symbolic
• Objects, words, actions representing meaning.
• Interpreted as a message (‘package’ of symbols)
• Arbitrary and non-arbitrary symbols
Interpretive
Different outcomes:
• Understanding is essential
• Shared agreement
Transactional
Contextual
• Physical context: better to be proposed to by candlelight instead of a busy street.
• Social context: meeting someone at a funeral or at a party
• Interpersonal context: talk with boss vs a talk with your bestfriend.
Intercultural communication takes place in an intercultural context.
Process
• Dynamic, developing, changing
• People create shared meanings
• ‘com was hard in the beginning’
, 2. What is culture?
What is culture? Some definitions…
• Basáñez:“Culture is a context phenomenon, a
shared system of meanings”
It’s context that gives meaning to symbols
• Hofstede:
“Culture
is the collective programming of the mind, which distinguishes the members of one group (…)
of people from another.”
• Lustig & Koester:
“Culture is a learnt set of shared interpretations about beliefs, values, norms and social practices, which
affect the behaviors of a large group of people.”
→ Many more definitions! See textbook page 4.
• Schein:
“Culture consists of layers.”
A. Artefacts of culture: first things you notice, easily
recognisable
B. Norms and values: written and unwritten standards of correct desired behaviour; takes some time to
recognize
C. Basic assumptions: abstract and invisible. We learn them when we are young. Unaware of their
influence, only when familiar with the culture.
3. What is intercultural communication
“Intercultural communication is the communication between sources and receivers from
different cultures and good intercultural communication requires an interculturally sensitive attitude, cultural
knowledge, as well as skills in frame-of-reference-shifting. (...) It is also about developing a creative mindset to
see things from different angles without rigid
pre-judgment.” (Ting-Toomey & Chung, 2005)
Barriers to intercultural communication
1. Assuming similarity instead of difference: we assume people from somewhere else act in the same way
2. Stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination
Stereotypes Generalization
Harmful helpful
Lock in category similarities
Judgements and rigid descriptive
Unconsciously consciously
Simple flexible
Attempt to limit
fixed
3. Ethnocentrism
4. Perception
Module 2: cultural dimensions and values
, Cultural values
• ‘Values are the building blocks of cultures.’
They can be studied from:
- a normative perspective (how should we behave? - prescribed by religion or philosophy)
or
- a descriptive perspective (how do we behave? what is our preference?)
(Basáñez, 2016)
• Many classifications:
- Hall: Key concepts of cultural differences (Chapter 2)
- Kluckhohn: Variations in value orientations (Chapter 3)
- Hofstede: Dimensions of culture (Chapter 4)
- Trompenaars: Dimensions of culture (Chapter 5)
Hall: six key concepts of cultural differences
Kluckhohn: value orientations
Hofstede: 6 cultural dimensions
Trompenaars: 7 cultural dimensions
Module 1: Introduction to intercultural communication
What is intercultural communication?
1. What is communication?
Communication= is a symbolic, interpretive, transactional, contextual process in which people share meanings
Symbolic
• Objects, words, actions representing meaning.
• Interpreted as a message (‘package’ of symbols)
• Arbitrary and non-arbitrary symbols
Interpretive
Different outcomes:
• Understanding is essential
• Shared agreement
Transactional
Contextual
• Physical context: better to be proposed to by candlelight instead of a busy street.
• Social context: meeting someone at a funeral or at a party
• Interpersonal context: talk with boss vs a talk with your bestfriend.
Intercultural communication takes place in an intercultural context.
Process
• Dynamic, developing, changing
• People create shared meanings
• ‘com was hard in the beginning’
, 2. What is culture?
What is culture? Some definitions…
• Basáñez:“Culture is a context phenomenon, a
shared system of meanings”
It’s context that gives meaning to symbols
• Hofstede:
“Culture
is the collective programming of the mind, which distinguishes the members of one group (…)
of people from another.”
• Lustig & Koester:
“Culture is a learnt set of shared interpretations about beliefs, values, norms and social practices, which
affect the behaviors of a large group of people.”
→ Many more definitions! See textbook page 4.
• Schein:
“Culture consists of layers.”
A. Artefacts of culture: first things you notice, easily
recognisable
B. Norms and values: written and unwritten standards of correct desired behaviour; takes some time to
recognize
C. Basic assumptions: abstract and invisible. We learn them when we are young. Unaware of their
influence, only when familiar with the culture.
3. What is intercultural communication
“Intercultural communication is the communication between sources and receivers from
different cultures and good intercultural communication requires an interculturally sensitive attitude, cultural
knowledge, as well as skills in frame-of-reference-shifting. (...) It is also about developing a creative mindset to
see things from different angles without rigid
pre-judgment.” (Ting-Toomey & Chung, 2005)
Barriers to intercultural communication
1. Assuming similarity instead of difference: we assume people from somewhere else act in the same way
2. Stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination
Stereotypes Generalization
Harmful helpful
Lock in category similarities
Judgements and rigid descriptive
Unconsciously consciously
Simple flexible
Attempt to limit
fixed
3. Ethnocentrism
4. Perception
Module 2: cultural dimensions and values
, Cultural values
• ‘Values are the building blocks of cultures.’
They can be studied from:
- a normative perspective (how should we behave? - prescribed by religion or philosophy)
or
- a descriptive perspective (how do we behave? what is our preference?)
(Basáñez, 2016)
• Many classifications:
- Hall: Key concepts of cultural differences (Chapter 2)
- Kluckhohn: Variations in value orientations (Chapter 3)
- Hofstede: Dimensions of culture (Chapter 4)
- Trompenaars: Dimensions of culture (Chapter 5)
Hall: six key concepts of cultural differences
Kluckhohn: value orientations
Hofstede: 6 cultural dimensions
Trompenaars: 7 cultural dimensions
