Charles Pereira - Group 1 - Reflection 1

Why Intercultural Communication is Important Now More Than Ever (And Especially for University Students like Ourselves)

Come on—college is where you meet individuals from literally all over the place. You're gonna be studying in a class with a dude who was in 'Nam, a lady who was from Venezuela, and a dude who was 20 minutes off campus but has a whole different world than you. That's why intercultural communication isn't ivory-tower school jargon we study about in class—it's what we're hit with every day.

I always thought that communication is all about how good you can write or talk, but what I've come to understand now isn't that. It's how you listen, how you get out of your own way trying to see things through other people's eyes, and how you negotiate when the person is from another culture than your own. That is what intercultural communication accomplishes—opening doors of understanding among individuals from a different culture so we could learn from one another on an actual level.

So What Even Is Culture?

Culture isn't holidays and food. It's a system of values with commoncustoms, habits, beliefs, and values that individuals share. It's what you doto put this on as opposed to that, how you talk, what you consider offensiveor respectful, and how you show emotion. Like glaring somebody down in order to talk to them in some cultures is being strong. In others, it's aggressive or hostile. These types of differences entirely alter what people are experiencing when they're doing something.

Dominant Cultures and Co-Cultures

Each dominant culture of a country is not always that of the dominant sometimes but occasionally Western, English, individualist, and male. But within each of these cultures, there areco-cultures as well: sub-groups such as the LGBTQ+ community, religious communities, immigrants, disabled, or racially and ethnically diverse people.

As a Venezuelan immigrant to the United States at the age of 8, I've learned that it's healthy to fight your co-culture and at the same time keep pace with the dominant one. It's being bilingual—both culturally and literally. And essentially, being able to switch back and forth between them equips you to translate school, friends, work, and quite honestly, pretty much everything else.

Race, Ethnicity, Religion—Yeah, It All Matters

Race is usually physical and what people use to separate individuals into groups (a social construct), whereas ethnicity is more cultural and about differences such as language, habits, and where your origins are. Religion, obviously, contributes significantly to the way people see the world.

Why do we require it? Because, if you don't know the differences, you can say something and hurt someone's feelings without even noticing it. We all have blind spots, but being open-minded and curious will get you far.

Gender, SES, and Generations

Gender is no longer "female" and "male" but the whole range. And theway a particular gender likes to comeforward to introduce themselves is thereason they cannot talk in a certainway. Like, there are some guys who will never, their entire life, ever show emotion, so it's more difficult to get them to open up. And then the ones who'll just refuse point-blank to embrace all those things.

Socioeconomic status. If you came up tough, you don't automatically appreciate half of college life the same way you'd have if you'd come up in a good neighborhood. Generation gaps? ENORMOUS. I talk to my parents in totally different language than I talk to my friends. Earlier generations too would then normally have to sit and get up to speed a bit in person, whereas Gen Z (you and me) can simply send a voice note or meme and get out. 

Learning About Sexual Orientation and Disability

Let's be real—there is still a lot of ignorance and bigotry out there concerning sexual orientation. If one is not straight, he or she may not necessarily want to be out dependingon the situation. The same applies toindividuals with disabilities, especiallyif the disability is concerning the way they speak, move, or learn.

It's just being able to communicate in an empathetic way. That is, communicate with openness, be patient, and not make assumptions. That sometimes takes the form of captioning on a video. Sometimes it's just, "Hey, how can I most help you?"

Cultural Values: The Stuff We Don't Always Notice

One of the things that was completely captivating in class was studying these dimensions of culture:

• Individualism vs. Collectivism – "Me, myself, and I" in the US but family or group first everywhere else.

• Masculinity vs. Femininity – Aggression and competitiveness encouraged in some cultures. Caring and cooperation in others.

• Monochronic vs. Polychronic Time – Germans are absolutely obsessed with punctuality. Dominicans? Don't even get me started.

• Uncertainty Avoidance – Foreigners do not like surprises and would want everything to be set up. Foreign cultures like randomness.

• Indulgence vs. Restraint – America likes "treat yourself." Foreign cultures like "restrain yourself."

• Short-Term vs. Long-Term Orientation – Spontaneity in foreign culture. Foreign cultures plan long-term.

• Low vs. High Context – Americans like straightforward talk. Asians can just wave or give it the look instead.

• Power Distance – Your supervisor is a buddy to some cultures; he's a god you don't mess with to others.

These to you in your head make all the difference in a matter of reading people's behavior. Something snotty or eccentric on the surface might simply be…different.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work (But Only If You Communicate

And then collaboration. Group work isgreat or a fantasy, isn't it? When eachhas varying expectations because of their culture. Some will require open debate and discussion. Another will say nothing because of respect for the team. Unless you are sensitive to the extremes of those differences, people get misinterpreted or left behind.

That is why in group work, particularly in university, it's worth:

• Provide a voice for all

• Listen for body language

• Never assume silence = agreement

• Watch for variation in communication style

When individuals feel heard and validated, they get the job done.

Leadership Isn't All About Talking—It's About Listening

If you wish to be a successful multicultural team leader, then you'd better learn how to communicate, above all else how to listen. Sure, there are those types of leaders, see, who always attempt to be the loudest man in a room. Come on, though? The best leaders just so happen to be the most diverse leaders.

In low power distance culture, you must lead by consensus. In high power distance culture, they might be willingto accept you as a leader. One or the other does take some forward thinking on your part to remain open to use emotional intelligence, cultural awareness, and shift gears accordingly.

Good leader:

• Cultural awareness of the team members

• Inclusive conversation building

• Style shift to the team

• Empathic leadership, not ego

Intercultural communication isn't diplomacy work for academics and ambassadors—but for folks like you and me. If you are an undergraduate college student, your odds are likelythat you already reside in one of the most multicultural places you'll ever be. The people that you meet today have the potential to influence your perspective for years to come, but only if you pause to actually see past where a person is from.

We all have our own space where we belong, but shared space is in communication with. We communicatethrough which we learn, throughwhich we lead, and through which we belong. Let us therefore keep learning, hearing, and constructing the world where each and every individual feels like home.