CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION

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After listening to Pellegrino Riccardi's talk about Cross-Cultural Communication, I have
understood that countries with different cultures can co-exist next to each other through adapting and
respecting each other's diverse backgrounds. On some occasions, it also occurred to me that people
usually treat you differently based on what they want to perceive. According to Riccardi, "One of the
challenges today is that people see want to they want to see, and they don't always see what you see."
This quote means that the meaning of things may vary from one person to another, depending on their
beliefs. It often happens in real life. In Japan, if you don't slurp when you eat, that means the food is
terrible. But this manner isn't practiced in the Philippines, so if ever a Filipino will dine in Japan, he/she
might feel awkward hearing people always slurp as they eat.

Furthermore, Riccardi delivered his speech by mixing facts, personal experiences, and senses of
humor to gain the audience's attention and strengthen his point on the topic. One exciting incident he
illustrated is when he talked about his Italian father, who asked his wife to stop the car so that he could
take a decent photograph of the scenery. His wife said nothing was on it, but his father replied that he
hadn't seen "nothing" before. Like Riccardi, I am also amazed at how people see the same image or view
but define it differently. The speaker explained this concept very well by defining some terms and giving
some historical background.

Furthermore, he also stated how Nordic countries express long Italian words into one word. But
the way they speak this message might be misperceived by others. For us to understand them is to be
curious. Riccardi said: "Misperception is when we focus on the negative side." I also believe that when
we want to analyze and better understand how things work for others, we must research and ask. In his
statement, I learned to see more of what communication is all about, especially dealing with people with
different cultures and beliefs. Additionally, I have understood that we should start to take out each one's
right sides and extend our cultural boundary through mutual understanding, respect, and merging all the
positive aspects of each culture.