Bring your ancestors back from the dead.

CULTURAL
BLUNDERS
INTERCULTUR
AL
COMMUNICAT
ION
LESSON 4| ORAL COMMUNICATION
 LESSON
OBJECTIVES

1. DEFINE INTERCULTURAL 3. DEVELOP AN APPRECIATION

COMMUNICATION; FOR DIFFERENT CULTURAL
1.DEMONSTRATE EFFECTIVE PERSPECTIVES;
INTERCULTURAL 4. PRACTICE EFFECTIVE
COMMUNICATION SKILLS IN A INTERCULTURAL
SPEECH SITUATION; COMMUNICATION;
 LET'S PARTY
NOTE: YOUR FICTIONAL COUNTRY AND 5 DOS AND DON'T
SHOULD BE DONE BEFORE THE PARTY.

YOU ARE A CITIZEN OF YOUR FICTIONAL COUNTRY, AND YOU ARE

ATTENDING A DINNER PARTY WITH OTHER
nationalities. Your goal is to mingle with and introduce yourself and your
fictional country to
others.
 LET'S PARTY
GUIDELINES

THE “PARTY” WILL BE HOSTED BY YOUR TEACHER. HE/SHE WILL

GIVE THE SIGNAL FOR THE “PARTY” TO START.

ONCE THE “PARTY” STARTS, EACH OF YOU HAS TO ROAM AROUND

AND TALK WITH PEOPLE FROM OTHER
GROUPS. KEEP IN MIND THE FOLLOWING RULES.
 LET'S PARTY
THE “PARTY” WILL BE HOSTED BY YOUR TEACHER. HE/SHE WILL
GIVE THE SIGNAL FOR THE “PARTY” TO START.

ONCE THE “PARTY” STARTS, EACH OF YOU HAS TO ROAM AROUND

AND TALK WITH PEOPLE FROM OTHER
GROUPS. KEEP IN MIND THE FOLLOWING RULES.

A. REFRAIN FROM SPEAKING WITH YOUR GROUP MATES.

B. DO NOT TALK ABOUT THE RULES WHICH YOUR GROUP
CREATED.
 LET'S PARTY
THE “PARTY” WILL LAST FOR 5 MINUTES.

AFTERWARDS, CONFER WITH YOUR GROUP MATES AND DISCUSS

THE FOLLOWING:
A. WAS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOUR GROUP’S BEHAVIOR
AND OTHERS’?
B. HOW DID YOU HANDLE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN YOUR
BEHAVIORS?
intercultural communication
INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION HAPPENS WHEN INDIVIDUALS
INTERACT, NEGOTIATE, AND CREATE MEANINGS
while bringing in their varied cultural backgrounds (Ting-Toomey, 1999).
intercultural communication
FOR SOME SCHOLARS, INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
PERTAINS TO COMMUNICATION AMONG PEOPLE
from different nationalities (Gudykunst, 2003). Still, others look at intercultural
communication as
communication that is influenced by different ethnicities, religions, and sexual
orientations.while bringing in their varied cultural backgrounds (Ting-Toomey,
1999).
 simply put,
INTERCULTURAL
communication is the sending and receiving of
messages across languages and cultures.
for example
for example
 THE DEVELOPMENTAL
MODEL OF INTERCULTURAL
SENSITIVITY
 Definition
THE DEVELOPMENTAL MODEL OF INTERCULTURAL SENSITIVITY
(DMIS) OFFERS A STRUCTURE THAT EXPLORES
how people experience cultural differences. According to Bennett and Bennett
(2004), it has six
stages.
STAGE 1: THE INDIVIDUAL DOES
NOT RECOGNIZE

DENIAL CULTURAL DIFFERENCES.

AN INDIVIDUAL IN THE
DENIAL STAGE MIGHT BE
HEARD SAYING:

“ALL CITIES ARE THE

SAME; THEY ALL HAVE
TALL BUILDINGS, FAST
FOOD CHAINS, AND
COFFEE SHOPS.”
STAGE 2: THE INDIVIDUAL STARTS
TO RECOGNIZE CULTURAL

DEFENSE DIFFERENCES AND IS

INTIMIDATED BY
them, resulting in either a
superior view on own culture
or unjustified high regard for
the
new one.
STAGE 2: AN INDIVIDUAL IN THE
DEFENSE STAGE MIGHT

DEFENSE BE HEARD SAYING:

“This culture does not view life

the way we do; our culture is
certainly better.”
“Their ways are better than my
own; I wish I were one of
them.”
 STAGE 3:
ALTHOUGH INDIVIDUALS
SEE CULTURAL
DIFFERENCES, THEY

MINIMIZATI BANK MORE ON THE

universality of ideas rather than

ON. on cultural differences.

AN INDIVIDUAL IN THE
MINIMIZATION STAGE
MIGHT BE HEARD SAYING:

“ONCE WE SEE THROUGH

THE CULTURAL
DIFFERENCES, WE REALLY
ARE JUST THE SAME!”
 STAGE 4:
THE INDIVIDUAL BEGINS
TO APPRECIATE
IMPORTANT CULTURAL

ACCEPTAN DIFFERENCES IN
behaviors and eventually

CE. values.

AN INDIVIDUAL IN THE
ACCEPTANCE STAGE
MIGHT BE HEARD SAYING:

“THESE PEOPLE AND I

HAVE DIFFERENT VALUES
AND EXPERIENCES, AND I
THINK WE CAN LEARN
FROM ONE
ANOTHER.”
 STAGE 5:
THE INDIVIDUAL IS VERY
OPEN TO WORLD VIEWS
WHEN ACCEPTING NEW

ADAPTATIO PERSPECTIVES.

N. AN INDIVIDUAL IN THE
ADAPTATION STAGE
MIGHT BE HEARD SAYING:

“TO ADDRESS OUR ISSUE, I

HAVE TO ADJUST MY
APPROACH TO CONSIDER
BOTH MY OWN AND MY
COUNTERPART’S
BACKGROUND.”
 STAGE 6:
INDIVIDUALS START TO
GO BEYOND THEIR OWN
CULTURES AND SEE

INTEGRATI THEMSELVES AND

their actions based on

ON. multifarious cultural

viewpoints.

AN INDIVIDUAL IN THE
INTEGRATION STAGE
MIGHT BE HEARD SAYING:

“I CAN LOOK AT THINGS

FROM THE PERSPECTIVE
OF VARIOUS CULTURES.”
Once you understand these stages, you may apply it to

1) RECOGNIZE COMMUNICATION BEHAVIORS

which differ from your own,
2) TAKE INTO ACCOUNT WHAT CAN INFLUENCE THESE
TYPES OF BEHAVIORS,
3) TRY TO ANALYZE HOW LINGUISTIC AND CULTURAL
COMMUNITIES DIFFER IN TERMS OF COMMUNICATION
BEHAVIOR
AND INFLUENCING FACTORS
CHARACTERISTIC
S OF COMPETENT
INTERCULTURAL
COMMUNICATORS
• FLEXIBILITY AND
THE ABILITY TO
TOLERATE HIGH
LEVELS OF
UNCERTAINTY
2. REFLECTIVENESS OR
MINDFULNESS
3. OPEN-MINDEDNESS
4. SENSITIVITY
5. ADAPTABILITY
 6. ABILITY TO ENGAGE IN
DIVERGENT THINKING (OR
THINKING CREATIVELY) AND
SYSTEMS-LEVEL THINKING (OR
thinking how each one in a system or
organization influences each other)
7. POLITENESS
GENDER, AGE, SOCIAL
STATUS, AND
RELIGION
must also be taken into
consideration when
communicating with
GENDER, AGE, SOCIAL
STATUS, AND
RELIGION
must also be taken into
consideration when
communicating with
 TIPS
1. 2.
CHALLENGE GENDER NORMS;
AVOID STEREOTYPES, I.E., AVOID USING “HE” AND “MAN” TO
GENERALIZATIONS ABOUT A REFER TO A GENERAL GROUP OF
CERTAIN GROUP. PEOPLE.
To remedy this, you may use plural
pronouns or rewrite a sentence to avoid
using pronouns.
The use of his/her is also acceptable.
 TIPS
3. 4.
BE SENSITIVE TO THE RELIGIOUS
DO NOT TALK DOWN ON PRACTICES OF OTHERS.
YOUNGER PEOPLE AND THE
ELDERLY.
 TIPS
5.

BE POLITE AT ALL TIMES; DO

NOT BELITTLE PEOPLE YOU
PERCEIVE TO BE ON A LOWER
SOCIAL CLASS THAN
you.
 EXERCISE
Read each statement. If it displays bias or insensitivity, write the
group/element being
misrepresented (gender, social status, age, religion, culture). If not,
write “OK.” Once done,
compare and discuss your answers
 WHY IS
INTERCULTURAL
COMMUNICATION
IMPORTANT?
 HOW CAN
COMPETENCE IN
INTERCULTURAL
COMMUNICATION
HELP YOU?
THANK
YOU
SEE YOU NEXT TIME