BACHELOR OF MANAGEMENT WITH HONOURS

MAY 2020

ABCC1103
INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION

E-MAIL : tanga90@oum.edu.my
LEARNING CENTRE : Banting Learning Centre
Title Page

1.0 Introduction 1

2.0 The importance of Intercultural Communication 2-3

3.0 Three challenges 4-5

i. Direct versus Indirect Communication 4

ii. Trouble with Accents and Fluency 4
iii. Different Attitudes toward Hierarchy and Authority 5

4.0 Three example effective intercultural communication

i. Open house during festivals 6
ii. Diverse Strength in workplace 7
iii. Innovations in organization 8

5.0 Effective strategy on how to improve intercultural communication skill 9-12

6.0 Summary 13

7.0 Reference 14
1.0 Introduction

In a present globalisation, ability to communicate effectively can be tremendously

challenging. Even if both persons speak the same language, misunderstandings can still exist 
due to differences in cultural. Humans evolve through the cultural cycle of enculturation and
socialization, as is evidenced by the variety of cultures through societies. Culture is defined
as traditions, customs, norms, beliefs, values and believes handed down from generation to
[ CITATION Jud00 \l 17417 ]generation according to [ CITATION Mic \l 17417 ] Then
communication act as a medium to share message. of In classical Latin, communicare which
is communication intended “to share with,” “to share out,” “to make generally available” or
“to discuss together” (Glare, 1968) Communication can be characterized as a complex
transactional behaviour-affecting mechanism in which people behave deliberately in order to
elicit or cause a particular response from another individual.[ CITATION Sam91 \l
17417 ].Interaction between individuals and society from various backgrounds, which
explores the effect of community on how people are, how they behave, sound, perceive and,
naturally, talk and listen. In reality, cultures have somewhat different ways of
communication. Some cultures are informal, some cultures use a whole series of ritual
greetings before they have a conversation, and some cultures consider it rude to attend a
meeting on time. Intercultural communication is a verbal and non-verbal exchange between
people of various cultural backgrounds. Essentially, 'trans-' is a suffix that means 'both' and
cultural implies, well, culture, and intercultural contact is contact both cultures. Often that is
used to define a single individual attempting to communicate with a foreign world, but more
frequently than not. Interaction between individuals with different culture context.[ CITATION
Jud00 \l 17417 ].This assignment derived to deliberate the importance of intercultural
communication among Malaysian society in globalised world. Globalisation bring challenges
to intercultural communication locally and globally. As a consequence of globalisation, this
assignment analyse challenges triggered due to intercultural communication in both locally
and internationally. Moreover, this unfold to what extend intercultural communication
effective in Malaysia. The assignment end with ideas for effective approach to intercultural
communication skills that needed among Malaysian netizen.

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2.0 The importance of intercultural communication among Malaysian society.

Salam, Nǐ hǎǒ, Vanakam is a most communal words that can be heard or seen in Malaysia
while in meetings or gathering or in all sort meeting in Malaysia. This is because of the
multiracial culture that make unique Malaysia. Malaysia with the population of
approximately 32 million in the year 2020. The main ethnic Malays as in bumipetera,
Chinese and Indians. According to Department of statistics Malaysia out of the 32 million
Citizens, the composition of Bumiputera (69.6%), Chinese (22.6), Indian (6.8%) and others
races remained as 1%. (Department of Statistics Official Portal, 2020). Even though it has
only 3 major ethnics there are more than ethnics in Malaysia that makes Malaysia as
multiracial nation.

i. Education

Learning depends on a good association with the educator and the student. Intercultural
contact has become critical as schools in Malaysia are becoming culturally more diverse. In
his paper,[ CITATION Rou02 \l 17417 ] concluded that good educators are effective
communicators and thus culturally skilled in cross-cultural experiences. Teachers would also
be alert to the highly negative consequences of intercultural contact within a culturally
diverse community. Communication can be a valuable source of intercultural understanding
and shared learning for culturally different students, if proactively handled by the instructor.
Otherwise, communication may be a cause of irritation, misapprehension, intercultural
tension and, inevitably, school failure. Cross-cultural contact in education is thus dynamic
and inherently troublesome. Successful communicating in schools are important for a
successful transition of information in classrooms. A broad array of verbal and non-verbal
activities relevant to the intercultural scenario, as well as an affective capacity to respond
sensitively to fellow communicators from other communities, is a requirement for
knowledge[ CITATION Lin97 \l 17417 ]. Obstacles to successful intercultural contact involve
behaviours and beliefs, stereotyping, and ethnocentrism.

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 ii. Business

The business community is potentially most influenced by the problems of intercultural

contact. Currently, with the advent of international corporations and financial businesses, it is
impossible to do business without cross-cultural contact. Targowski and Metwalli (2003) saw
this period as an age in which multinational organisations are continually focused on the
essential importance of cross-cultural contact, effectiveness and efficiency and expense of
doing business. Knowledge and comprehension of cultural influences such as principles,
perceptions, opinions and actions will be learned in order to effectively interact cross-
culturally. Good cross-cultural cooperation in the global market offers strategic opportunities
for identifying a communication plan, for preparing leaders and for holding business talks in
order to achieve performance.

Figure 1showingl Intercultural interaction in an organisation Source-Google

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3.0 Three challenges faced by intercultural communication locally and globally

i. Direct versus Indirect Communication

The type of communication in Western societies is straightforward and the meaning appears to be
clear. Some cultures including Malaysia tend to be more discreet in their way of presenting their
message. As a consequence, contact between a Westerner and a non-Westerner will contribute to
misunderstanding in the workplace. It may happen through face-to - face encounters and when
contact becomes interactive whereby attending meetings and so on. Needless to mention, how
workers with different cultures react to each other is a core determinant of the unity of an
enterprise. For example, in a Western society, the question might be, "Is Option A or Option B
more effective? And in a non-Western society, workers might have to infer or indicate a clear
choice without explicitly mentioning it. Also, in Western society, during a board meeting, when
someone agrees, like to believe that they comply with the argument. Nevertheless, in many
languages, node does not actually imply collective consent, but only acknowledgment.

ii. Trouble with Accents and Fluency

The language inequality for workers, including accents and fluency, becomes a more apparent
obstacle in an organizationally diverse workforce in locally either internationally. While English
is the main language for business abroad and locally in Malaysia, many non-English speakers
may feel ignored and unappreciated at work because they have trouble conveying what they want
to communicate in their non-native language. Employees who may be topic experts may take a
back seat to contribute to the team due to their inability to get a message across in their second
language. This may also give rise to anger and interpersonal tension. And employees less
involved and uninspired as a team member and become a hindrance to the collective learning
process as a whole. A company will be adversely impacted and cannot expect an improvement in
the return on investment.

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 iii. Different Attitudes toward Hierarchy and Authority

In every organization, collaboration is important for performance and productivity. Nonetheless,

in Malaysian traditions, workers are handled differently on the basis of their position within the
company. Workplace diversity preparation would allow for negotiation strategies across diverse
cultures. Multicultural workers, for example, have various methods of expressing a proposal to
the president or CEO. In certain Malaysian companies, workers must report to higher-ranking
staff leaders and up the organizational ladder until they hit the executive stage. Many
organisations like the globalized corporation have fairly rectangular organizational systems under
which staff and members function as a single unit. Lack of cultural knowledge will contribute to
a fragmented workplace and leave certain workers feeling left behind and unrecognized either in
locally or globally.

Figure 2 Workplace hierarchy for Malaysia, Source-Google

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4.0 Three example effective intercultural communication

i) Open house during festivals

At whatever point an open house is held, those living in nearness are welcome. It is a brilliant
chance to become acquainted with even the most hermitic of neighbour’s. Babbling and
having some good times together fortify ties and it additionally improve intercultural
correspondence. New companionships are will undoubtedly shape. A solid neighbourhood
soul is significant as neighbours are the ones who live nearer to us than the greater part of our
family members. Should any untoward episodes crop up, they are the initial ones to have the
option to offer us some assistance. Accordingly, it is completely clear that the open house
assumes a conspicuous job in producing solid binds with neighbours. This is shows genuine
where diverse ethnic gatherings exist together with societies of their own paying little mind to
culture. Getting, regard and resistance is the way to agreement. The open house empowers
better comprehend the customs and culture of a specific race, for example, their convictions,
beyond reach and rules to submit to just as their conventional food and move. Through such
understanding, we can live by the brilliant guideline of regarding and enduring the
inconsistency in convictions and culture and lift harmony. Apart from that, the open house
additionally brings solidarity among races. At whatever point a family chooses to sort out an
open house, different families race to help paying little heed to race, convictions and culture.
Bias and prejudice are decreased to a base and we endeavour as one towards a shared
objective. A united Malaysia is one of the best example of for effective intercultural
communication.

Figure 3 Pictures shows Open House Tradition in Malaysia, Source- Google

 ii) Diverse Strength in workplace

Malaysia has effective organizations utilize the diverse workforce of its employees in
accomplishing work environment objectives, tasks, and the organization strategic vision.
Besides assorted variety's capacity to energize basic reasoning and critical thinking, it
likewise ready to advance worker development and improvement, corporate engaging quality.
Every one of these traits are factors in accomplishing the unification of differing qualities
brings successful interculcural communication. Besides, decent variety additionally can
possibly join the aggregate quality in an association for its potential benefits. Because of age
decent variety exists in the workforce, it can bring together the association to interact
frequently. Every age has its particular qualities, which ready to carry an assortment of
qualities to the work environment. The representatives regard each other in any case they
originate from various foundations and societies. Through multifaceted learning and
comprehension, the representative scholarly one owns way of life and gratefulness for social
contrasts to invigorate a superior workplace. Effective association improvement trainings
lead towards scattering generalizing, preference and confusions towards different workers
with various foundations to improvement of intercultural communication.

Figure 4 One of multiracial organization in Malaysia, Source-google

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 iii) Innovations in organization

Innovation help organizations to create new ideas and produce new products. An organization
that ready to improve serious in the market. Many Malaysians these days can communicate in
more than one language. There are examines related with multilingualism and sociocultural
aptitudes which show the capacity to encourage advancement, benefit expansion, and work
environment engaging quality. Because of the decent variety foundation of workers, this give
noteworthy points of interest towards the association to develop advancement culture as the
representatives accomplish unique and adopt skills sets and belief system that have capacity
to produce new plans to advance basic reasoning and dynamic. With the quick changing
patterns in the business atmospheres, the best need for organizations to pick up
accomplishment through development and making new situation in the market by advancing
their item or administration extend.

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5.0 Effective strategy on how to improve intercultural communication skills among
people living in Malaysian.

In current globalization, Malaysian from multicultural background will have respond to a

modern era in which workers from several diverse cultures participate and cooperate
concurrently. Nations consider the cultural variations simulated netizens present unique
difficulties and opportunities that have not been expected. The important news is that others
have evolved skills in solving these barriers and are now exploring how to do so effectively.
Malaysian must know how to collaborate efficiently through societies in order to achieve the
desired outcomes. By adopting five approaches stated below one can improve intercultural
communication skill and more successful in living in Malaysia.

i. Listening

Active listening is the most valuable approach to tackle obstacles to successful contact. We
listen to the context by communicating in with the speaker to make sure that we have learned
and interpreted precisely what has been said. Communicating through societies introduces
another dimension to the "noise" that is already there, which makes it important to
incorporate the additional phase to check back.

ii. Effectively communicating

Virtual professionals have to account for the absence of visual and physical signals. The goal
is to maintain the channels of contact accessible and clear such that a remedy can be sought
easily as disputes occur.

Here's a simple four-step method to hold the cultural contact channels accessible.

a) Respond with appropriate words

b) Deliver balanced feedback
c) Build on an idea
d) Give credit and positive reinforcement.
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 iii. Avoid ambiguity

Avoiding or tolerating uncertainty does not automatically imply that you deliberately avoid
unclear circumstances. The aim is to stop the discomfort that might contribute to irritation
that inhibits the ability to connect effectively. Including intimate understanding of the nature
of team leaders will often serve to reduce uncertainty.

a) Make interest to know at least one aspect about the community of every member.
b) No one wants to learn a bunch of foreign languages but, please use the phrases and
thank you in their native tongue.
c) Be mindful of the typical festivals in the communities. (e. g Hari Raya Puasa,
Deepavali, Chinese new year). They would really enjoy an email or greeting on that
day.

iv. Respect differences

Although various societies vary in the way they express reverence (e.g. salam or vanakam
when meeting) Following these basic principles, consistent outcomes can be achieved.

a) Make it interest to know at least one aspect about the community of each member.
b) Assume a simple and friendly tone while talking on the line.
c) Demonstrate versatility and be open to the consideration of certain choices.
d) No one wants learn a bunch of foreign languages but try use the phrases and like
thank you and please in their language
e) Respect various time zones while organizing interactive meetings. Work on balancing
that burden such that everyone's flexibility and time needs are fairly valued. (e.g.
Friday prayers)

v. No judgment
Respecting people requires making decisions. Find a number of alternate solutions and follow
this three-step appraisal approach:

a) Describe the problem

b) Interpret
c) Evaluate

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The basic value of developing intercultural communicating abilities of different cultural
contexts is that they communicate effectively and respectfully and accept existing cultural
differences in order to adapt their communicative behaviors to the good of the person in

community. In Byram’s model [ CITATION Byr09 \l 17417 ]presented in

Figure 1 below, Intercultural competence is supplemented by five values: intercultural
attitudes, knowledge, skills of interpreting and relating, skills of discovery and
interaction, critical cultural awareness These five major intercultural competences are
strongly interrelated. Byram’s argues that “the basis of intercultural competence is in the
attitudes of the person interacting with people of another culture.” Without this basic
competence, the other four cannot truly develop. The model can be used in Malaysia as a
strategy to improve intercultural communication in more depth by Malaysian as a skill.

i. Savoirs (Knowledge) – this refers to the common knowledge would have its own
history and other cultures and the basic capacity to communicate with individuals
from other cultures.

ii. Savoir Comprende (Skills of Interpret & Relate) – refers to an individual’s Learning
traditions of another culture and being able to apply them to their own experiences of
their culture.

iii. Savoir Apprende/ Faire (Skills of Discover & Interact) – the ability to gain
new awareness of cultural norms and to utilize this information, behaviours and
expertise in real-time interactions, such as face-to - face talks.

iv. Savoir s’engager (Critical culture Awareness) – this is an ability to interpret various
behaviours and viewpoints from a range of cultural contexts

v. Savoir êntre (Attitudes) – this relates to the interest, the attitude and the accessibility
of the person towards other societies, as well as their cultural awareness and the
acceptance to uncertainty.

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Figure 5 Michael Byram’s (1997) Model of Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC)

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6.0 Summary

The globalization idea builds the significance of intercultural communication is very vital. By
learning culture of other individuals from Malaysia and globally will tremendously help
individually and intercultural which will make way of life easier for own and professional.
This assignment provides importance of intercultural and challenges that bring to
intercultural communication in locally and globally. Learning about to what extend
intercultural communication is effective is an eye opener for intercultural communication in
Malaysia. This assignment also contributes ideas for an effective communication skill for
improve intercultural communication locally which needed by Malaysian society.

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7.0 Reference

(n.d.). Retrieved from BIAGI, F., BRACCI, L., FILIPPONE, A., & NASH, E. (2012).
Instilling Reflective Intercultural Competence in Education Abroad Experiences in
Italy: The FICCS Approach Reflective Education. Italica, 89(1), 21-33. Retrieved
August 22, 2020, from http://www.js

Byram, M. (2009). The SAG The Intercultural Speaker and the Pedagogy of Foreign
Language Education. In D. K. Deardorff, Handbook of Intercultural Competence. (pp.
321-332). CA Sage: Thousand Oaks.

Department of Statistics Official Portal. (15 July, 2020). Retrieved from www.dosm.gov.my:
https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1_/

Glare, P. G. (1968). Oxford Latin dictionary. London UK: Oxford University Press.

Judith N. Martin, T. K. (2000). Intercultural Communication in Contexts. Mayfield

Publishing Company.

Linde, V. D. (1997). Intercultural communication within multicultural. Educational

management insight [Electronic Version], Education 118(2),.

Prosser, M. H. (n.d.). The Cultural Dialogue: An Introduction to Intercultural

Communication. Houghton Mifflin, 1978.

Roux, J. L. (2002). Effective educators are culturally competent. Intercultural Education,

13(1), 37-47.

Samovar, L. &. (1991). Communication between Cultures.

Targowski, A. &. (2003). A framework for asymmetric communication. Dialogue and

Universalism (Electronic Version), 13(7/8), 49-67.

Waliński, J. (2012). Enhancing intercultural communicative competence in an online

collaborative assessment environment. CEFcult project., 55-56.

Byram, M. (1997). Teaching and assessing intercultural communicative competence.

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Word count: 2730 approximately

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