COURSE

MATERIAL
This module has been designed to: Purposive Communication
▪ Prepare you for effective
communication with different
audiences in diverse contexts and
situations through the integration
of listening, speaking, reading,
writing, and viewing. Prepared by:
Tiffanny Gail M. Nova
▪ Enhance your competencies in the
recognition and use of verbal and
non-verbal cues in real-world
contexts by determining
appropriate approaches through
heightened cultural and
intercultural awareness to adapt
oneself in various local and global
circumstances.

▪ Provide you opportunity to develop

communication skills needed in
different real-life scenarios and
thus, the you are not only being WEEK

4
prepared professionally for your
chosen career paths, but also as
ethical, moral and responsible
individual in dealing with others.
 Course Material: Purposive Communication 2

TABLE
OF
CONTENTS

Pre – test 3
Learning Outcomes
Required Materials and Resources
Pre -activity
5
Content and Discussion 6
Assessment Activities 10
Online Resources and Activities 12
References 13
Posttest 14
Summary 15
Key Terms
References
Answers to Exercises
16
 Course Material: Purposive Communication 3

LOCAL AND GLOBAL COMMUNICATION IN MULTICULTURAL SETTING

Pre-test
” Human beings draw close to one another by
their common nature, but habits and customs keep
them apart.” - Confucius
In order to understand communication in a multicultural setting, it is necessary for you to
recall or be familiarized with certain terms and definitions. One of which is culture.

Culture is the customary beliefs,

https://www.google.com/search?q=culture&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwiwku6
f4PHqAhUeTZQKHclPBE8Q2-cCegQIABAA#imgrc=t85d00jkitgpIM
social forms, and material traits of a racial,
religious, or social group (Merriam-Webster).
The culture wheel is a graphic organizer to
help you to identify the common traits that
culture share.
You would often hear from other people
the word ‘diversity’ when they talk about the
world or society that we live in. Apparently, this is
the exact word that applies in describing a
society. As definition according to Merriam-

Webster, diversity is the inclusion of different

types of people (such as people of different races or cultures) in a group or organization.
Knowing that diversity is related to culture, you can also consider that communication
plays an important role in each culture. Thus, it is vital for you to understand multiculturalism.
What is it? Chu (2020) defined multiculturalism as the co-existence of diverse cultures, where
culture includes racial, religious, or cultural groups and is manifested in customary behaviors,
cultural assumptions and values, patterns of thinking, and communicative styles.
 Course Material: Purposive Communication 4

Multicultural societies consisted of people of different nationalities, races, and ethnicities

living together in the same or shared community. Let us learn why it is important to use our
senses in communicating to others.

Embracing Multiculturalism

TING is a Chinese word for ‘to listen’. In order to listen effectively, you need to use
your ear, mind, eye, and heart. It is important to listen with all four senses to genuinely
communicate with another person.
But why do you need to use these four senses? I want to hear from you. Share
your answers below.

EAR - _____________________________________________________________________
MIND - ___________________________________________________________________

EYE - _____________________________________________________________________
HEART - __________________________________________________________________

See answers in ‘Answers to Exercise’

Adapted from https://www.mobt3ath.com/uplode/book/book-56008.pdf

 Course Material: Purposive Communication 5

Learning Outcomes

- Assess multiculturalism
- Appreciate the impact of communication on society and the world
- Demonstrate proficient and effective communication (speaking, writing, and use of
new technologies).
- Adopt cultural and intercultural awareness and sensitivity in communication of ideas

Required Materials and Resources

- worksheets
- PowerPoint presentation
- Recorded videos

Pre-activity

Well, you need to understand and accept that communication in a

multicultural setting would be quite hard. But if you have the knowledge and you
are equipped, it will be a piece of a cake for you.
In a society, we expect and even assume that the way we communicate
should be how everyone is communicating. So, when someone is different, we
may easily judge them.
More so, when we speak a non- Most experts agree that
native language, at some point, we could
70 – 93 percent of
probably be misunderstood or
communication is
misinterpreted. Even when we speak our
native language, we still encounter nonverbal.
 Course Material: Purposive Communication 6

miscommunication. This is much more when we communicate nonverbally. As we

communicate intended and unintended messages, misinterpretations may occur.
There are rules that you need to follow when communicating nonverbally
to people. Let us see if you know the ‘appropriate’ nonverbal rules

Nonverbal Rules
Read the statements below. Then write A if you think the statement or
situation is appropriate. If not, leave it blank.
____________1. Looking directly to a person’s eye in a conversation.

____________2. Nodding the head when listening to a person.

____________3. Standing quite a distance when talking to people.

____________4. Tapping your feet or fidgeting when having a conversation.

____________5. Vocalizing fillers such as “um”, “ah”, and “er” when delivering a speech.

____________6. Interrupting others when they speak.

____________7. Folding arms firmly when speaking to others.

____________8. Smiling during serious conversation.

See the answers in ‘Answers to Exercise’

Content and Discussion

Local and Global Communication in Multicultural Settings

Communicating across cultures is challenging. Each culture has set rules that its members take
for granted. Few of us are aware of our own cultural biases because cultural imprinting is begun at a very
early age. And while some of a culture's knowledge, rules, beliefs, values, phobias, and anxieties are taught
explicitly, most of the information is absorbed subconsciously (Goman, 2010).
 Course Material: Purposive Communication 7

Indeed, it is challenging when you communicate to other people with different cultures.
But when you equip yourself, communicating with them will not be a challenge anymore. So, let
me make you understand first the difference between local and global communication.

Local communication is being able to

communicate with the members of your local
area. It can either be in your local language
(mother tongue), or a common language that
you speak within your town.

https://www.google.com/search?q=photos+of+filipino+community&tbm=isch&chips=q:filipino+community,g_1:clipart:HBYUEWHNByQ%3D&r lz=1C1SQJL_enPH893PH893&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2
ahUKEwiw7p3kyoDrAhVJa5QKHftcDoEQ4lYoAHoECAEQFQ&biw=1499&bih=694#imgrc=jBvVTQCNjm_WtM

The languages spoken in the

Philippines is more than 170. But
Tagalog is spoken as a first language
by approximately a third of the
population and as a second language
by the remaining population. This
means that Filipinos communicate in a
common language, which is Tagalog.
That’s a perfect example of local
communication!
 Course Material: Purposive Communication 8

Now, let us proceed to global

communication. Global communication
is the term used to describe ways to
connect, share, relate and mobilize across
geographic, political, economic, social,
and cultural divides.
Today, the internet and
advancement in technologies have
https://www.google.com/search?q=global+communication&rlz=1C1SQJL_enPH893PH893&sxsrf=ALeKk00F9rHw2gH5-
opened vast opportunities for people mH0a3GUL71PcQxJ_Q:1596511726701&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiM3uXSzYDrAhXCFogKHdTcAIcQ_AUoAXoECA8QAw&biw=1
517&bih=694#imgrc=Pyx_N5EWnrBOvM

from other countries to communicate to

one another. However, not only are you going to face technological challenges, but also you need
to address language barriers and cultural distinctions.
Email is one of the most common forms of global communication.
The message is then encoded, which is sent across the internet to
the recipient. In another country, the receiver decodes the
message by opening the email and retrieving the message.
Note: Recall the Communication process.

Multicultural Intercultural Cross-cultural

•Multicultural •Intercultural •Cross-cultural As you now know the

refers to a society describes deals with the
that contains communities in comparison of difference between local and
several cultural or which there is a different cultures.
ethnic groups. deep In cross-cultural
global communication, it is also
People live understanding and communication, important for you to
alongside one respect for all differences are
another, but each cultures. understood and understand multicultural,
cultural group acknowledged,
does not and can bring intercultural, and cross-
necessarily have about individual
engaging change, but not cultural.
interactions with collective
each other. transformations.

Now that local and global communication and multicultural have already been defined,
in this section, you will learn communicating in a multicultural setting.
 Course Material: Purposive Communication 9

Let us start! Say for example, even fellow Filipinos have a preconceived notion that
Filipinos are always late that’s why the “Filipino time” was coined. You might project that belief
in your interactions with your friends, classmates, or with other people whenever there is a class,
meeting, or an affair. But because now you know that in a multicultural setting, a society contains
several cultures, you would understand that this and other preconceived notions about Filipinos
are simply not true. This goes the same when you deal with foreigners. Here are some examples:
1. Indians - Filipinos call Indian
nationals “Bumbay/Bombay” when
Bombay (Mumbai) is actually a place.
They are also considered as money
lenders. Some are being rude telling
that they all have a distinctive smell.
2. Koreans - Not all Koreans love spicy food. Even a
Korean student of mine shared that not all Koreans
enjoy eating spicy food just like what they see in
Mukbang.

3. Americans - In an American company, even a

manager or a supervisor does not need to be called
as a boss, ma’am, or sir. You can call them in a first
name basis, and they will not be offended. Just the
right tone of voice would be okay for respect.

That is why it is imperative to discuss Diversity, Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity,

Gender Sensitivity, and Political Correctness when dealing with communication in a multicultural
setting.
 Course Material: Purposive Communication 10

Diversity
Previously, we defined diversity as
the inclusion of different types of people
(such as people of different races or
cultures) in a group or organization. You
need to always remember that you need to
be culturally mindful and gradually
adaptable when communicating with
people of different background.

Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity

It is not enough that you know about
some cultural characteristics, history, values,
beliefs, and behaviors of another ethnic or
cultural group. That is only “Cultural Knowledge”.
What you need is to be open to the idea of
changing cultural attitudes. You need to be open
to knowing that there are multiple different
cultures – based on religion, ethnicity,
nationality, and other aspects like attitudes and
perceptions. That is “Cultural Awareness”.
More so, you need to know that
differences exist between cultures, but not
assigning values to the differences. That is what
you call Cultural Sensitivity. You need to accept
others culture without insisting that yours is
better.
Gender Sensitivity
This refers to the aim of
understanding and taking account of
the societal and cultural factors
involved in gender-based exclusion and
discrimination in the most diverse
spheres of public and private life.
Political Correctness
This is used to describe language,
policies, or measures that are intended
to avoid offense or disadvantage to
members of particular groups in
society.

Assessment Activities

I. Gender-neutral words are words that avoid bias towards a particular gender or
social gender. In short, these words can refer to men and women. Replace the
following words with a gender-neutral word.
1. craftsman - ___________________________
2. fireman - ___________________________
3. policeman - ___________________________
4. housemaid - ___________________________
5. mankind - ___________________________
6. man - ___________________________
 Course Material: Purposive Communication 11

7. freshman - ___________________________
8. steward/stewardess - ___________________________
9. congressman - ___________________________
10. chairman - ___________________________
II. Politically correct words or terms are used to show differences between people or
groups in a non – offensive way. Let us see if you have encountered the politically
correct words. Answer the following words by replacing it with a politically correct
word.
1. cheating - ___________________________
2. ugly - ___________________________
3. negro - ___________________________
4. disabled - ___________________________
5. drug addict - ___________________________
6. broken home - ___________________________
7. poor - ___________________________
8. old - ___________________________
9. deaf - ___________________________
10. squatters - ___________________________

III. Briefly answer the question. What other preconceived notions do you know about
Filipino culture? What is your perspective about it?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
 Course Material: Purposive Communication 12

RUBRIC
KEY CONCEPTS 5 4 3 2-1
Highly Effective Effective Developing Ineffective SCORE
GRAMMAR -There are no -There are 2-3 -There are 4 or more -The answer needs
grammatical error/s grammatical error/s grammatical error/s revision.
5 points seen in the answer seen in the answer seen in the answer.
KNOWLEDGE - The students The students The students The students
demonstrate high demonstrate demonstrate some demonstrate limited
degree of considerable understanding of the understanding of the
understanding of the understanding of the lesson and task. lesson and task.
lesson and task. lesson and task.
5 points

CONTENT - Words are selected - Some words are - Words need to be The answer needs
wisely selected wisely selected wisely revision.
5 points - Answers are - answers just needed - some ideas are not
organized and logically few editing well-thought of
presented

TOTAL
/15

Online resources and activities

Communicating Across Cultures

Nov 22, 2010, by Carol Kinsey Goman, Ph.D.
Courtesy of American Management Association, ASME's Affinity Partner

When it comes to communication, what's proper and correct in one culture may be ineffective or even
offensive in another. In reality, no culture is right or wrong, better or worse—just different. In today's
global business community, there is no single best approach to communicating with one another. The
key to cross-cultural success is to develop an understanding of, and a deep respect for, the
differences.

Click here to continue reading an article on Communicating Across Culture

Question. How does each of the items in the following contrasting pairs differ from the other?
Briefly explain. You may share the answers to me in the next available session.
a. High – context vs. low – context
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__________________________________________________________________
 Course Material: Purposive Communication 13

b. Sequential vs. synchronic

__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

c. Affective vs. neutral

__________________________________________________________________
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References

- Defining Multiculturalism from https://www.ifla.org/publications/defining-

multiculturalism#:~:text=%22Multiculturalism%22%20is%20the%20co%2D,of%20thinking%2C%
20and%20communicative%20styles.
- 52 Activities for Improving Cross-Cultural Communication from
https://www.mobt3ath.com/uplode/book/book-56008.pdf
- https://www.lifesize.com/en/video-conferencing-blog/speaking-without-
words#:~:text=He%20concluded%20that%20the%20interpretation,is%20%E2%80%9Cnonverbal
%E2%80%9D%20in%20nature.
- 7 Cultural Differences in Nonverbal Communication
https://online.pointpark.edu/business/cultural-differences-in-nonverbal-communication/
- Communicating Across Cultures from https://www.asme.org/topics-
resources/content/communicating-across-cultures
- Local and Global Communication in Multicultural Setting from
https://prezi.com/p/l6jdzmonfl9b/local-and-global-communication-in-multicultural-setting/
- How many languages are spoken in the Philippines? from
https://www.marstranslation.com/blog/how-many-languages-are-spoken-in-
philippines#:~:text=But%20stop%20to%20think%20just,the%20colonial%20influence%20of%20
Spain.
- A Definition of Global Communication from https://bizfluent.com/facts-7601794-definition-
global-communication.html
- https://www.google.com/search?q=bombay+filipinos&rlz=1C1SQJL_enPH893PH893&sxsrf=ALe
Kk026yt1_KKClmbgphCCqUR3vWIqQAw:1596521989630&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2
ahUKEwiNnMXw84DrAhXFaN4KHX5sBVMQ_AUoAXoECA0QAw&biw=1517&bih=694#imgrc=hJ3
a10Y7ocm4uM
 Course Material: Purposive Communication 14

- Level of Cultural Competency from https://www.glenguyton.com/2019/09/11/promoting-

cultural-competence-in-the-workplace-understanding-the-difference-between-cultural-
competence-and-
awareness/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CCultural%20awareness%E2%80%9D%20is%20the%20next,wors
e%2C%20right%20or%20wrong).
- Gender Sensitivity from https://eige.europa.eu/thesaurus/terms/1218

Posttest

Self-Assessment Questions

Congratulations! You have successfully completed Week 4. You may now assess yourself if you
have achieved the expected learning outcomes of this section. Write your answers and discuss it
with me at the next available session.

1. For a student like you, what issue/issues regarding diversities have you encountered
already? How were you able to overcome it/those?

__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
2. What do you think are the cultural barriers in online learning? Explain briefly.
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

➢SUMMARY
1. Culture is the customary beliefs,
social forms, and material traits of a
racial, religious, or social group.
2. Diversity is the inclusion of different types
of people (such as people of different races
or cultures) in a group or organization.
2. Multiculturalism is the co-existence
of diverse cultures, where culture
includes racial, religious, or cultural
groups and is manifested in
customary behaviors, cultural
assumptions and values, patterns of
thinking, and communicative styles.
4. Most experts agree that 70 – 93 percent of
communication is nonverbal.
5. Local communication is being able to
communicate with the members of
your local area. It can either be in
your local language (mother tongue),
or a common language that you
speak within your town.
6. Global communication is the term used to
describe ways to connect, share, relate and
mobilize across geographic, political,
economic, social, and cultural divides.
Course Material: Purposive Communication 15
7. Cross-cultural deals with the comparison
of different cultures.
8. Cultural Awareness is being open to
knowing that there are multiple different
cultures – based on religion, ethnicity,
nationality, and other aspects like attitudes
and perceptions.
9. Gender Sensitivity refers to the aim of
understanding and taking account of the
societal and cultural factors involved in
gender-based exclusion and discrimination in
the most diverse spheres of public and
private life.
10. Political Correctness is used to describe
language, policies, or measures that are
intended to avoid offense or disadvantage
to members of particular groups in society.
11. Intercultural describes communities in
which there is a deep understanding and
respect for all cultures.
12. Multicultural refers to a society that
contains several cultural or ethnic groups.
 Course Material: Purposive Communication 16

➢KEY TERMS

Culture Local communication Intercultural Gender Sensitivity

Diversity Global communication Cross-cultural Political Correctness
Multiculturalism Multicultural Cultural Awareness

References
Anderson, P. V. (2018) Technical Communication: a reader-centered approach, 9th ed.
Pascual, J. C. , et.al (2016) Purposive Communication
Sebastian, E. L. (2017) English Communication 2
Abulencia, E. F. (2014) Fundamentals of Business Communication
Krizan, A.C. et.al., (2014) Business Communication: theories and best practices 7th ed.
no author (2013) Principles of Business Communication
Hennings, D. G. (2000) Communication in action: teaching literature-based language arts 7th ed.
McCrum, R. , Cran, W. and MacNeil, R. (1986) The story of English, 1st American ed.
Madrunio (2018). Purposive Communication: using English in Multilingual Contexts

ANSWERS TO EXERCISE
Embracing Multiculturalism
Ear – to literally hear the words
Mind – to understand the words
Eye – to observe nonverbal messages
Heart – to understand the feelings of the speaker

Nonverbal Cues
These are the appropriate cues:
1. Looking directly to a person’s eye in a conversation.
2. Nodding the head when listening to a person.
3. Standing quite a distance when talking to people.

Assessment Activities
I. Gender-Neutral Words II. Politically Correct Words
1. artisan 1. academic dishonesty
2. fire fighter 2. aesthetically challenged
3. police officer 3. black
4. house helper 4. differently abled
5. humanity, humankind 5. drug dependent
6. person, individual 6. dysfunctional family
7. first year student 7. economically marginalized
8. flight attendant 8. elderly, senior
9. representative 9. hearing impaired
10. chair, coordinator 10. informal settler