Intercultural communication - by Anthony Lopez

     
These presentations were a very thought out and impactful representation of how different cultures communicate and how stigmas and biases could possibly form. The different topics and sensitive situations truly open your eyes to completely different worlds there are in different cultures and religions. After having gone over topics such as race, ethnicity, religion, masculinity and femininity, and potential barriers. It was consistently pointed out in the presentations that sometimes we don’t even pay attention to the triggers and miscommunications we cause in conversations and communications, and I couldn’t agree more. We are so used to everyone thinking and being like us especially if we have never left the country that sometimes we assume everyone thinks the same and believes the same way we do and that is not even close to the truth.

Race and Ethnicity

     

A topic that was touched on during the presentations was race and ethnicity that I have not ever thought of before but made me think and reflect based on my own interactions and conversation with people from other races and ethnicities. I learned that race and ethnicity often correlate with cultural identities, and these identities bring different values, traditions, and norms to interactions and conversations.

     As my group presented, we gave an example of how these cultural norms and traditions contrast to our own with the Japanese culture. In Japan it is customary to bow as a greeting and as a form of apologizing or thanking the other person. Although in this culture it is taken as a sign of respect and attentiveness, in other cultures it might be taken as a sign of disrespect or challenging. These different behaviors from these different races and cultures deeply affect how cultures might interact and communicate.

     Race and ethnicity are also intertwined with language, and language itself is a powerful tool in intercultural communication. And it can be something as simple as different accents, dialects, and even nonverbal communication and cues that differ greatly depending on where around the world you’re looking. Language is constantly changing, and it has become very hard to keep up with since now it differs between generations as well as race and ethnicities.

Religion    

    

Religion is a big part of how different cultures communicate and understand each other as well. Different religions have different forms of communication and greatly differ between them and although there are various religions all around the world, they could not be more different from each other.

     A big portion of how religious people communicate and act with each other is due to their values and beliefs that stem from their religions. In a big way, religion shapes and molds the way people view values, ethics, and the rest of the world through the influence that it brings. An example of how values and beliefs might affect communication is how in some cultures being direct and looking people in the eye might be considered disrespectful but in other cultures influenced by religious humility, directness is preferable.

     Religion impacts communication styles and language barriers as well when it comes to verbal and nonverbal communication styles. Verbal communications might be influenced when religious teachings say that it is good to openly express opinions and talk about topics like sex, politics, or morality. Conversations like those might put a strain on the communications between people that don’t believe the same way. Nonverbal communications consist of anything around gestures, eye contact, touch, and physical space which might be acceptable and encouraged in one religion but shunned and taken as disrespectful in another. In Islam, modesty is emphasized so touch between men and women are very limited whereas in Christianity it is perfectly ok and sometimes encouraged to hold hands or touch someone’s shoulder in time of prayer.

Masculinity/ Femininity

    

Masculinity and femininity are dimensions in cultures that can strongly influence the communication between any cultures especially when it comes to expression of self, authority, conflict resolution, and defining social roles. The biggest difference comes down to what these two distinct cultures value most which group three did a fantastic job of covering in a way that made sense and brought to light how different these two cultures really are. Group 3 stated that masculine cultures value achievement, assertiveness, competition, and success while feminine cultures value cooperation, modesty, care for others, quality of life, and social support. Both cultures handle conflicts and celebrations very differently in the way they behave and communicate.

     In masculine cultures, men and women are expected to adhere to traditional gender roles and behaviors and masculine roles are valued more highly than feminine roles. Most men from masculine cultures tend to act in an assertive and dominant way and place the roles that are nurturing, caring, and service oriented on women. In masculine cultures, conflict resolution is a simple approach that is seeking to “win” an argument or battle.

     In feminine cultures, everyone assumes a variety of roles and are valued for doing so regardless of being a man or a woman. In countries like Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, both men and women are accustomed to being nurturing, caring, and service oriented while valuing those traits just as much as performance, ambition, and competitiveness. Conflict resolution in feminine cultures is much more likely to be a polite disagreement using diplomatic language such as “I see it differently”.

Conclusion

     The points talked about is just a small glimpse into how complicated, yet very important intercultural communication really is. It is a vital skill in our increasingly diverse and changing world. As all groups mentioned and talked about, intercultural communication is more than just speaking different languages, it requires an understanding of cultural values, beliefs, behaviors, and communication styles. Differences in religion, social norms, gender roles, race and ethnicity, and cultural dimensions can lead to misunderstandings in not approached with awareness and sensitivity. Effective intercultural communication promotes mutual respect, reduces conflict, and enhances collaboration across all distinct cultures. Cultivating this skill is key to achieving global cooperation and understanding.