The issue of intercultural dialogue

  What is intercultural communication?

Intercultural or cross cultural dialogue refers

to communication between individuals and
groups of different cultural backgrounds. In
business, this involves understanding different
professional norms, beliefs, perceptions and
mentalities, and communication strategies.
Everything from language, gestures,
mannerisms, customs, and systems of power
and authority can differ between cultures.

Importance Of Intercultural Communication

Intercultural communication is an important part of

intercultural competence — or the ability to effectively
function across cultures, and with those from other
cultures. As our world gets smaller and globalization gets
stronger, intercultural competence and great intercultural
communication become a necessity to be successful.

Common Traps And Problems

Every culture has their own gestures and ways of speaking. For example, a handshake may
not be the appropriate way of greeting in every culture. Similarly, Spanish speakers find that
specific words can have either neutral or negative meanings depending on the country you are
in.

Misunderstanding in
intercultural communication is a
potential problem, which is based on cultural differences. It is necessary to understand the
problems that can arise in cross-cultural communication and consciously try to overcome
them, to closely monitor the reaction of the interlocutor and, noting inadequate, from our point
of view, the reaction is to try to understand what caused it, to correct their behavior, their
speech.

Six Fundamental Patterns of Cultural Differences

1. Different Communication Styles

Across cultures, some words and phrases are used in different ways. For example, even in
countries that share the English language, the meaning of "yes" varies from "maybe, I'll
consider it" to "definitely so," with many
shades in between.

2. Different Attitudes Toward Conflict

In the U.S., conflict is not usually desirable;

but people often are encouraged to deal
directly with conflicts that do arise. In contrast,
in many Eastern countries, open conflict is
experienced as embarrassing or demeaning;
as a rule, differences are best worked out
quietly.

3. Different Approaches to Completing

Tasks

When it comes to working together effectively

on a task, cultures differ with respect to the
importance placed on establishing
relationships early on in the collaboration. A
case in point, Asian and Hispanic cultures tend to attach more value to developing
relationships at the beginning of a shared project and more emphasis on task completion
toward the end as compared with European-Americans. European-Americans tend to focus
immediately on the task at hand, and let relationships develop as they work on the task.

4. Different Decision-Making Styles

5. Different Attitudes Toward Disclosure

In some cultures, it is not appropriate to be frank about

emotions, about the reasons behind a conflict or a
misunderstanding, or about personal information.

6. Different Approaches to Knowing

Notable differences occur among cultural groups when

it comes to epistemologies -- that is, the ways people
come to know things. European cultures tend to consider information acquired through
cognitive means, such as counting and measuring, more valid than other ways of coming to
know things. Compare that to African cultures' preference for affective ways of knowing,
including symbolic imagery and rhythm. 

Ethan F. Becker suggests a three-part fix for cross-cultural communication

problems :

1. Paraphrase.
Repeat what others say in your own words to confirm your understanding.
2. Define terms.
When it’s your turn to speak, invest time in creating common definitions of terms; and its
okay to stop the flow of the meeting to do so. Taking time upfront to define terms and
meaning saves time and energy later on. Be patient, and plan for extra time for this.
3. Never assume.
Don’t take it for granted that everyone uses terms in the same way. Tone of voice may
suggest understanding, but that isn’t proof that both of you are on the same page. Always
double-check .

Conclusion

In addition to helping us to understand

ourselves and our own cultural frames
of reference, knowledge of these six
patterns of cultural difference can help
us to understand the people who are
different from us. An appreciation of
patterns of cultural difference can assist
us in processing what it means to be
different in ways that are respectful of
others, not faultfinding or damaging.