________________________________________________ forms of communication among members of the

LOCAL AND GLOBAL COMMUNICATION IN same racial, ethnic, or other co-culture groups
MULTICULTURAL SETTING ________________________________________________
________________________________________________ UNDERSTANDING ONE ANOTHER
LEARNING OBJECTIVES ________________________________________________
1. describe the nature and scope of local and global
communication CULTURES AND CO-CULTURES
2. define intercultural communication and its various
forms A culture is the system of knowledge, beliefs,
3. compare and contrast culture and co-culture values, customs, behaviors, and artifacts that are acquired,
4. identify co-culture strategies shared, and used by its members during daily living.
5. differentiate the variables used to distinguish
cultures Within a culture as a whole are co-cultures; these
6. design an audio-video and/or web-based are composed of members of the same general culture who
presentation promoting awareness and respect of differ in some ethnic or sociological way from the parent
different cultures culture.
7. demonstrate awareness and competence on
intercultural communication CO-CULTURE STRATEGIES
________________________________________________
ENDURING UNDERSTANDING Assimilation is the means by which co-culture members
________________________________________________ attempt to fit in with members of the dominant culture.
Accommodation is means by which co-culture members
THE NATURE AND SCOPE OF LOCAL AND GLOBAL maintain their cultural identity while striving to establish
COMMUNICATION relationships with members of the dominant culture.
Separation is the means co-culture members use to resist
Globalization requires that we pay attention to a related interacting with members of the dominant culture.
concept – diversity – the recognition and valuing of ________________________________________________
difference, encompassing such factors as age, gender, race, EXPLORING CULTURAL DIALECTICS
ethnicity, ability, religion, education, marital status, sexual ________________________________________________
orientation, and income.
INDIVIDUALISM VERSUS COLLECTIVISM
INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
Individualism refers to cultures in which individual goals are
When we speak about intercultural communication, we are stressed while collectivism refers to cultures in which group
concerning ourselves with the process of interpreting and goals are stressed.
sharing meanings with individuals from different cultures. This means that, while the “I” may be most important in
________________________________________________ individualistic cultures, the “we” is the dominant force in
INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION AND ITS VARIOUS collectivistic ones. While in collectivistic cultures the
FORMS individual is expected to fit into the group, in individualistic
________________________________________________ cultures emphasis is placed on developing a sense of self.

INTERRACIAL COMMUNICATION HIGH CONTEXT VERSUS LOW CONTEXT

 interpreting and sharing of meanings with COMMUNICATION
individuals from different races. It occurs when
interactants are of different races. High context communication is a tradition-bound
communication system which depends on indirectness while
INTERETHNIC COMMUNICATION low context communication is a system that encourages
 refers to interaction with individuals of different directness in communication.
ethnic origins. It occurs when the communicating
parties have different ethnic origins. HIGH POWER DISTANCE VERSUS LOW POWER
DISTANCE
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION
 the communication between persons representing Power distance measures the extent to which individuals are
different nations. It occurs between persons willing to accept power differences. High power distance
representing political structures. cultures are based on power differences in which
subordinates defer to superiors while low power distance
INTRACULTURAL COMMUNICATION cultures believe that power should be used only when
 the interaction with members of the same racial or legitimate.
ethnic group or co-culture as yours. It includes all
MASCULINE VERSUS FEMININE CULTURE
 National identity refers to our legal status or citizenship.
Cultures differ in their attitudes toward gender roles. People from different countries have been U.S. citizens for
Masculine cultures are cultures that value aggressiveness, generations, yet some still perceive them as foreigners.
strength, and material symbols of success.
ETHNOCENTRISM VS. CULTURAL RELATIVISM
Feminine cultures are cultures that value tenderness and Ethnocentrism, the tendency to see your own culture as
relationships. Among highly masculine cultures are Japan, superior to all others, is a key characteristic of failed
Italy, Germany, Mexico, and Great Britain. Among highly intercultural communication efforts.
feminine cultures are Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands,
Thailand, and Chile Cultural relativism is the opposite of ethnocentrism. When
you practice cultural relativism, instead of viewing the group
________________________________________________ to which you belong as superior to all others, you work to try
CULTURAL AND GLOBAL ISSUES AFFECTING to understand the behavior of other groups on the basis of
COMMUNICATION the context in which the behavior occurs rather than from
________________________________________________ your own frame of reference.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. identify the cultural and global issues affecting STEREOTYPE AND PREJUDICE
communication
2. explain how cultural and global issues affect Stereotypes are mental images or pictures we carry around
communication in our heads; they are shortcuts, whether positive or
3. determine ways on how such issues may be negative, that guide our reactions to others.
addressed
4. enumerate the guidelines to improve one’s ability to Prejudice describes how we feel about a group of people
communicate interculturally whom, more likely than not, we do not personally know.
5. make a slogan or participate in a small group
discussion to demonstrate understanding of the ________________________________________________
various ways on how to communicate interculturally WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE
6. write a reaction paper on the impact of globalization INTERCULTURALLY
based on the essay ________________________________________________
7. recognize the importance of communication on the
society and the world 1. Refrain from formulating expectations based solely on
your own culture.
________________________________________________ - When those you interact with have diverse communication
CULTURAL AND GLOBAL ISSUES AFFECTING styles, it is critical that you acknowledge the differences and
COMMUNICATION accept their validity.
________________________________________________
2. Recognize how faulty education can impede
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES: INFLUENCES ON CULTURAL understanding. It is important to identify and work to
IDENTITY eliminate any personal biases and prejudices you have
developed over the years.
Our cultural identity is based on our group memberships
which are determined by gender, age, racial, ethnic, 3. Make a commitment to develop communication skills and
religious, socioeconomic, political or even national abilities appropriate to life in a multicultural world.
affiliations. German et al. (2003) defines culture as a social
group’s system of meanings. Your ability to develop intercultural communication skills
depends in large part on how many of the following promises
Our racial and ethnic identities are similarly socially you are willing to make:
constructed. Some racial and ethnic groups, for example,
share experiences of oppression.  I will make a commitment to seek information from
persons whose cultures are different from my own.
Religious identity is at the root of countless contemporary  I will try to understand how the experiences of persons
conflicts occurring in the Middle East, India and Pakistan, from different cultures lead them to develop perspectives
and Bosnia- Herzegovina. that differ from mine.
 I will pay attention to the situation and the context when I
Similarly, socioeconomic identity frames how we respond to communicate with persons from different cultures.
issues of our day. The widening gap between the  I will make every effort to become a more flexible
ultrawealthy and the middle and lower classes in the different communicator.
parts of the world is contributing to their developing different  I will not insist that persons from other cultures
attitudes on a wide array of issues. communicate with me on my terms.
________________________________________________ American cultures stress group cohesion and
TERMS, EXPRESSIONS AND IMAGES REFLECTING loyalty, placing greater emphasis on group rather
DIFFERENT CULTURES than individual achievement.
________________________________________________  On the other hand, poor cross cultural awareness
LEARNING OBJECTIVES has many consequences, some serious, others
1. determine culturally appropriate terms, expressions, comical.
and images  These are some of the cross cultural blunders that
2. identify terms, expressions, and images present in could have been avoided if we are culturally
their own cultures sensitive.
3. describe the consequences of being culturally  A company advertised eyeglasses in Thailand by
ignorant in local and global communication featuring a variety of cute animals wearing glasses.
4. demonstrate how people communicate verbally or  The ad was a poor choice since animals are
nonverbally considered to be a form of low life and no self-
5. foster more respect, tolerance and acceptance as respecting Thai would wear anything worn by
they build cooperative relationships with one animals.
another  When former President George Bush went to Japan
________________________________________________ with Lee Iacocca and other American business
ENDURING UNDERSTANDING magnates, and directly made explicit and direct
________________________________________________ demands on Japanese leaders, they violated
Japanese etiquette.
HOW CAN WE UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER?  To the Japanese (who use high context language),
 Communication of any type usually happens very it is considered rude and a sign of ignorance or
quickly. desperation to lower oneself to make direct
 Communicating “across” cultures is even more demands.
complicated because we tend to interpret  These are some terms, expressions and images
messages in split seconds based on the past reflecting different cultures.
experiences and the cultural grids that were passed  Failing to develop insights into cultural nuances and
down to us in our home cultures. differences can be costly.
 We base much of our understanding on the verbal  Recognizing and responding to differences among
and nonverbal cues available to us. cultures allows for more meaningful relationships.
 Verbal cues are the words and sounds people emit  At the same time, one has to be mindful that not
when communicating. everyone from a particular culture exhibits the same
 Nonverbal cues are facial expressions, gestures, characteristics and communication traits.
and other things that don’t require sound, but still
offer a message.
 Communication must be placed into a framework of
understanding or it is meaningless.
 That framework is based on assumptions from our
home culture and any other cultures that we have
come into contact with.

WHAT IS CULTURAL IGNORANCE?

 Communicators who fail to realize that persons
from different cultures may not look, think, or act as
they themselves do run the risk of having those with
whom they interact judge them to be insensitive,
ignorant, or culturally confused.
 Cultural misunderstandings often lead to lost
opportunities and increased levels of tension
between people.
 The following examples demonstrate the extent to
which cultural ignorance affects communication:
 McDonald’s fast-food chain unintentionally offended
thousands of Muslims when it printed an excerpt
from the Koran on its throwaway hamburger bags.
Muslims saw this as sacrilegious. The mistake
could have been avoided if McDonald’s had
displayed greater sensitivity and awareness.
 Americans tend to value personal achievement and
individualism. In contrast, Asian and Native