IC – LECTURE 1

INTRODUCTION TO
INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE

C C C U 4 0 3 9 – I N T E R C U LT U R A L
C O M M U N I C AT I O N
 I. The Imperatives for Intercultural
Competence
TOPICS IN
II. What is Communication?
LECTURE 1
III. The Challenge of Communicating in an
Intercultural World
I. THE IMPERATIVES
FOR INTERCULTURAL
COMPETENCE
W H Y D O W E N E E D T O U N D E R S TA N D T H E
R O L E O F C U LT U R E I N I N T E R P E R S O N A L
C O M M U N I C AT I O N ?
1. THE DEMOGRAPHIC IMPERATIVE

Imagine: if the world were a village of 100

people…
1. THE DEMOGRAPHIC IMPERATIVE

• The world is currently in the midst of the

largest and most extensive wave of cultural
mixing.
• There is an increasing pattern of cross-border
movements that is both changing the
demographics of people around the globe and
intensifying the political and social tensions
that accompany such population shifts.
• This demographic imperative requires a
heightened emphasis on intercultural Cultural mixing and tensions – controversy over
competence. the immigrant issue in some European countries
2. THE TECHNOLOGICAL IMPERATIVE

Marshall McLuhan coins the term global village,

which refers to an image that is used to describe the
worldwide web of interconnections that modern
technologies have created.
2. THE TECHNOLOGICAL IMPERATIVE

Modern transportation

Communication media

Many world events are experienced

almost instantaneously and are no longer
separated from us in time and space.

Modern information technologies

2. THE TECHNOLOGICAL
IMPERATIVE
• Thomas Friedman: “The world is flat.”
• The convergence of technologies is creating an
unprecedented degree of global competitiveness based on
equal opportunities and access to the marketplace.
- Internet-based social networking sites
- Technological innovation
- How do these widespread availability of technologies and
long-distance transportation systems change our
contemporary economic practices?

The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century –

a best-selling book on globalization by Thomas Friedman
3. THE ECONOMIC IMPERATIVE

• Globalization – the integration of capital,

technology, and information across
national borders – is creating a global
marketplace.
• Economic success = abilities to McDonald’s and Giorgio Armani – how do these
communicate competently with people companies cater the needs of their targeted market?
from other cultures – global
interdependence and intercultural
competence.

BRIC countries – global workforce International Tourism

of workers with low labour cost
3. THE ECONOMIC
IMPERATIVE
• Multinational corporations can move
people from one country to another –
leading to staff with multi-cultural
backgrounds.
• It is no longer safe to assume that
clients, customers, business partners,
and coworkers will have similar
cultural views about what is important
and appropriate.

What can we learn from these two interviews

of flight attendants working in Cathay Pacific,
a Hong Kong-based airline company?
4. THE PEACE IMPERATIVE

• The interdependence among cultural

groups through the world.
• The need to understand and appreciate
those who differ from ourselves has been
more important. (Cultural clashes)

Controversy over a traffic accident

involving a Sikh in Hong Kong
(2017)
Controversy over the inclusion of pork
in France’s school lunches (2021)
5. THE INTERPERSONAL IMPERATIVE

• The demographic, technological, economic, and peace imperatives all combine to create a
world in which human interactions are dominated by culture, cultural differences, and the
ability of humans to understand and interact within multiple cultural frameworks.
• Cultural mixing implies that people will not always feel completely comfortable as they
attempt to communicate in another language or as they try to talk with individuals who are not
proficient in theirs.
• Their sense of “rights” and “wrongs” will be threatened when challenged by the actions of
those with an alternative cultural framework.
5. THE INTERPERSONAL IMPERATIVE

• The consequences of failing to create a harmonious intercultural society are also obvious:
- human suffering, hatred passed on form one generation to another,
- disruptions in people’s lives, and
- unnecessary conflicts that destroy people’s creative talents and energies and that draw off
scarce resources from other important societal needs.
• The quality of your daily life – from work to play to family to community interactions – will
increasingly depend upon your ability to communicate competently with people from other
cultures.
II. WHAT IS
COMMUNICATION?
C O M M U N I C AT I O N I S A S Y M B O L I C , I N T E R P R E T I V E ,
TRANSACTIONAL AND CONTEXTUAL PROCESS IN
W H I C H P E O P L E C R E AT E S H A R E D M E A N I N G S .
COMMUNICATION IN
EVERYDAY CONTEXT –
SAFETY DEMONSTRATION
VIDEO

• What are the messages in

this safety demonstration
video?

• How can you understand

such messages from this
video?
Air France Safety Demonstration Video (2021)
1. COMMUNICATION IS SYMBOLIC

• A symbol is a word, action, or object that stands for or represents a unit of meaning.
• Meaning is a perception, thought, or feeling that a person experiences and might want to
communicate to others. Private meanings within a person cannot be shared directly with
others. Meanings are created only when they are shared and understood by the participants.
• A message refers to the “package” of symbols used to create shared meanings.
HOW DO SYMBOLS VARY IN THEIR
DEGREE OF ARBITRARINESS?
• Some symbol systems, such as verbal
languages and a special class of nonverbal
symbols called emblems are completely
unrelated to their referents except by
common agreement among the
participants to refer to things in a ‘10 surprising ways to offend people in other countries’ ,
particular way. Alltime 10

Hugh Bowman, an Australian leading jockey

who is famous for his OK hand gesture after
COMMUNICATION IN IC LESSON

• How do we communicate with each other

in IC lesson?

• What are the symbols, meanings and

messages in our communication?
2. COMMUNICATION IS
INTERPRETIVE
• Whenever people communicate, they must interpret the symbolic behaviors of others and to
create a meaningful account of the others’ actions. Each person may not necessarily interpret
the message in exactly the same way in a communication transaction.
1. The first outcome of communication is understanding what the others are trying to
communicate.
- Understanding means that the participants have imposed similar or shared interpretations about
what the messages actually mean.
2. The second outcome is reaching agreement on the particular issues that have been discussed.
Agreement means that each participant not only understands the other’s interpretations but
also holds a similar view.
IMPORTANT REMARK

• Although understanding is necessary, agreement is not a requirement of communication.

Example: I like rainy days. He looks handsome.
• Complete accuracy in interpreting the meanings that are shared by people is rare in
communication, but mutual understanding and respect will be essential.
3. COMMUNICATION IS
TRANSACTIONAL
• All participants in the communication process work together to create and sustain the
meanings that develop.
• A transactional view holds that communicators are simultaneously sending and receiving
messages at every instant that they are involved in conversations.
• Transactional communication emphasizes the construction or shared creation of messages and
meanings.
GOAL OF COMMUNICATION

• The goal of communication is not only to influence and persuade others but also to
- improve one’s knowledge,
- seek understanding,
- develop agreements, and
- negotiate shared meaning.
• It recognizes that no one is just sending or just receiving messages; therefore, *there are no
such entities as pure senders or pure receivers.*
WHY THERE ARE NO SUCH ENTITIES AS
PURE SENDERS OR PURE RECEIVERS?
• All participants are simultaneously interpreting multiple messages at all moments, including
the followings:
- the tone of voice, the types of gestures
- the frequency of body movements
- the motion of the eyes,
- the distance between people
- the formality of the language
- the seating arrangements
- the clothing worn
- the length of pauses
- the words unsaid, etc.
4. COMMUNICATION IS CONTEXTUAL

1. Physical context – The actual location of the interactants. (E.g. in a classroom or in a

cinema.)
2. Social context – Under what kinds of social events. (E.g. at a funeral or at a party.)
3. Interpersonal context – The relationships between interactants. (E.g. a friend or a family
member.)
REMARK 1
How the message ‘I love
you’ can be interpreted
differently when said at
different stages of
• Communication is a process – The very same
communication process?
message may be interpreted very differently when
said at different stages of communication process.

• Communication involves shared meanings – The

interpretive and transactional nature of
Why do some
communication suggests that correct meanings are
construction site
not just ‘out there’ to be discovered. Rather,
workers find the use
meanings are created and shared by groups of
of foul languages
people as they participate in the ordinary and
acceptable in their
everyday activities that form the context for
workplace?
common interpretations.
REMARK 2

• Interpersonal Communication
• Interpersonal communication is a form of
communication that involves a small
number of individuals who are interacting
exclusively with one another and who
therefore have the ability both to adapt
their messages specifically for those others
and to obtain immediate interpretations
An example of Interpersonal from them
Communication – Speed dating
III. CHALLENGE OF
COMMUNICATING IN
AN INTERCULTURAL
WORLD
W H Y D O P E O P L E F I N D I T D I F F I C U LT T O
C O M M U N I C AT E I N T H E C O N T E M P O R A RY
WORLD?
LIFE IN THE 21 CENTURY AND ST

COMMUNICATION
• Living in the 21st century, we no longer have a choice about whether to live and communicate
in a world of many cultures.
• It will inevitably introduce doubt about others’ expectations and will reduce the certainty
that specific behaviors, routines, and rituals ( 儀式 ) mean the same things to everyone.
• Encounters with “difference” are an inherent and inescapable part of modern urban life.
• In each of the settings in which we conduct our lives – in work, school, the neighborhood,
personal relationships, and the family – intercultural competence is crucial.
“CULTURE AS AN ICEBERG”(EDWARD
T. HALL)
 Visible components of culture

 Invisible component of culture

Source:
http://www.afs.org.in/site_images/0005/0397/ice_berg.png
IN-CLASS ACTIVITY –CIRCLE THE
‘INVISIBLE COMPONENTS OF CULTURE’
<Marvel Comics> Patriarchy <Pride and Prejudice>

Rule of Law Roasted piglet Gucci handbag

Obedience to the superior Meritocracy Mirror (Hong Kong pop group)

WHAT ARE THE CORE ASPECTS OF CULTURE
AND INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION?

What is the ‘right’ and ‘correct’ manner in France? Why do people avoid ordering
7 dishes in a Chinese feast?

Why do people serve

HSBC TV Commercial
suckling pigs in a Chinese-
– World’s local bank
style wedding banquet?
REFERENCE – LECTURE 1

• Textbook: Chapter 1