A summary of the course Intercultural Communication (1st year IBC), which includes all the information from lectures and the additional readings. * This got me a 9.5 in the exam
The word ‘communication’ is derived from the Latin word ‘to make common’, as in sharing thoughts,
hopes and knowledge. = the process by which people use shared verbal or nonverbal codes, systems, and
media to exchange information in a particular cultural context. Every cultural pattern and every act of
social behavior involves communication. Culture and communication are inseparable.
Small world experiment (1967)
Six degrees of separation between people
How many steps (via other ppl) does it take to connect two random people in the world?
Sent chain letters for experiment
Small world experiment 2.0 (2012)
“Facebook” calculated the distance between two random FB users
~3.75 degree of separation
People become more globalized, connected
A ‘marginal’ person is an individual who lives in two different worlds, and is a stranger in both =
cultural hybrid. -> higher crime rate.
Intercultural communication - communication between individuals who might differ, for example, in
ethnicity, socioeconomic status, age, gender, or lifestyle
‘Global village’ – a future world in which communication technology (such as television, radio, and
news services) brings news and information to the most remote parts of the world. Because of
advances in technology, modern transport systems, global economy, international business transactions,
and mass migration, exchange (<- contributors to cultural diversity). However it’s still not reality
because of censors, limited internet access in some regions.
Today: Info is ubiquitous (mass media), 24/7 communication, global.
Own cultural perspective influences how we see the world.
Globalization - process of increasing interconnectedness between societies, so that events in one
place of the world have more and deeper effects on people and societies far away.
Globalization in business – increase of trade in the world.
Economic (trade, import/export), social (international stores, contact info flows) , political (foreign
embassies, int. organizations) globalization.
3 different perspectives on globalization: globalist, traditionalist, transformationalist.
Globalists - inevitable development which cannot be resisted or significantly influenced by human
intervention.
Traditionalists - the significance of globalization as a new phase has been exaggerated; most economic
and social activity is regional; big role of nation-states. (ex british people who voted to leave EU).
, Transformationalists - a significant shift, but they question the inevitability of its impacts; importance
for national, local agencies.
Global transformation – globalized local markets.
International expansion – companies operating globally.
The flow of migrant workers as a result of economic transformation leads to an increase in ethnic
competition. (ex. north Africans in Europe). This is a challenge we face in the business context of
intercultural communication.
Multiculturalism – a society with diverse cultures (descriptive level)
/ tolerance of society towards diversity (attitude level)
Challenge -> understanding other cultures.
Some countries try to control diversity through tighter entry requirements. Other countries are
developing governmental policies concerning the rights of immigrants to preserve their home culture
within the host country.
Ethnocentrism- seeing our own culture as the best one, and seeing other cultures as insignificant.
Leads to prejudice, stereotypes, or discrimination.
Cultural relativism - the degree to which an individual judges another culture by its context.
3 competencies that are essential in the global workplace: intercultural communication skills,
problem-solving ability, and global leadership.
One of the main reasons for multinational corporations to move their operations overseas -> cheaper
labor costs.
Chapter 2
Components of communication:
1)Source - the origin of information. The need may be conscious, such as asking someone directions, or
non-conscious, for example, frowning when hearing music one does not like.
2) message - verbal and/or nonverbal form of ideas, thought or feelings that one person wishes to
communicate to another person or group in some place at some time within a specific context.
3) channel - means by which messages move from one person to another; sound, sight, words,
telephone, the internet etc.
4) receiver - the target of the message.
5) encoding - the process by which the source uses shared codes to convert concepts, thoughts, and
feelings into a message. Message is external to the source whilst encoding is internal.
6)decoding - receiver, converts the coded message back into meaning
, 7) noise - All factors that interfere with information transfer. ; Physical, ex distracting sounds or
sights,/ psychological ex having a headache or worrying about bills.;/ semantic ex. different
interpretations of a concept.
8)feedback - the response of the receiver after receiving the message.
The closer the interpreted meaning(receiver) is to the intended meaning(sender/scource), the more
effective the communication
Managers are rhetors in that they strategically communicate with organizational members at different
levels. The manager-as-rhetor notion is a way of understanding how persuasion is part of an
organizational leader’s role.
Communication accommodation theory:
Ingroups and outgroups: Individuals are attracted to groups to which they belong and tend to create
group boundaries to exclude people from outgroups.
Accommodation (or attuning): Communicators adjust their behaviour
Non-accommodation (or non-attuning): Speakers maintain social distance from others by accentuating
differences and treating interactants as group members.
Communication is:
A dynamic process by which people use shared verbal or nonverbal codes, systems, and media to
exchange information in a particular cultural context.
ongoing and continuous
No exact beginning or the end point of a communication exchange
Interactive (even intrapersonal!)
Flexible, adaptive
Symbolic (abstract, arbitrary, nonverbal codes)
Contextual (influenced by physical/relational/cultural/perceptual/historical context)
a multifaceted concept
Models of communication:
1. Linear / Transmission.
- do not account for the complexity/semantic dimensions of communication
- Communication is a merely technical process
- One-way communication only
– no room for feedback
-Non-verbal communication not represented
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