I hope nobody has been bored reading my previous post and it is time again for another post here! Today, we will be talking about Intercultural Communication. It is a form of communication that aims to get information across to people of a different culture. For each person, there are definitely influences of various cultures that are evident from the way the person speaks, behave and even think! It is important for us to note these aspects but more importantly, we should withheld our judgement until we get to know such person at a deeper level. Before we go into the discussion further, let us look at a short video clip that aims to introduce you to intercultural communication!
Influences of culture can vary between person to person. A person's birthplace, the place that he grew up in, the schools he attended, the kind of friends he made, his parents, his superiors and so on all will make an impart on the person himself and it manifest itself in the person's character traits and behavior. Emotional intelligence comes in handy as we begin to engage a person personally or professionally. An understanding of a person's culture can definitely help us to communicate better and be able to see from the other person point of view. This is especially crucial in resolving conflicts and misunderstandings. Now let us look at some interesting features of certain cultures.
From http://www.facts-about-japan.com/interesting.html, it says, "Religion does not play a big role in the lives of most Japanese and many do not understand the difference between Shintoism and Buddhism. However, there are also many Japanese who do understand the difference." It may be crucial to note this whenever talking to a Japanese and not assume that every Japanese is a Buddhist. Also, it may be wise to not discuss about religions when talking to a Japanese unless one has good knowledge in Shintoism.
Did you know that Spain is run as a monarchy? Therefore, assuming that Spain is a democracy may offend some Spaniards.
Remember that knowledge is important in understanding another person's culture and it is this knowledge that can guide you in your interactions with different people. One word of caution though, Do not stereotype or judge people based on their cultural traits or nationality, each of us are different in many ways despite our cultural influences. It is only through interactions and communicating personally then we will know a person well.
Thank you for reading and I wish you success in communicating with people!
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ReplyDeleteHi Soon Siang :) I like how you insert interesting features of certain cultures that we should mindful in your blog post. I am sure this information will be come in handy the future. Inter-cultural Intelligence level up!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that knowledge of various cultures will guide us in our interactions with people from different cultural background. However, I feel knowledge itself is not enough. I think acceptance is important as well. Acceptance will help us to be more understanding and tolerant of any differences that may arise when we communicate with person that has different culture. It will also help us to appreciate our differences.
The ability to adapt is crucial too because it will help us to find middle ground for cross-cultural communication.
An interesting post Soon Siang- I like how you brought up the point about how it isn't always a good idea to talk about religion because in some cultures - either it's not important or extremely important. Also I like how you worked in national perceptions about politics and how in countries like Spain (and UK) people are proud of their monarchs.
ReplyDeleteHi Soon Siang, I definitely agree with the aspects of cultural differences that you brought up. It is very important to show and utilise emotional intelligence when communicating with anyone in general, especially individuals from another culture.
ReplyDeleteI liked the facts you included from the Japanese and Spanish culture, both religion and politics are often overlooked when looking at intercultural differences, generally the more 'visible' differences (appearance, language etc) are in the focus even though the 'invisible' differences are just as important!
I also have to agree with Nabilah though, knowledge is important but is not always necessary. There will often be many a time when you don't have an understanding or knowledge of another person's culture - believe me, i've met so many students from such diverse backgrounds/cultures - then how do should you communicate effectively? Acceptance, openness and embracing the differences is key here :)