incc ex1 ch 1 2 Flashcards
Culture
a learned meaning system that consists of patterns of traditions, beliefs, values, norms, meanings, and symbols that are passed on from one generation to the next and are shared to varying degrees by interacting members of a community.
Surface-Level Culture
Popular Culture
Intermediate-Level Culture
Symbols, Meanings, and Norms
Intermediate-Level Culture
Symbol
sign, artifact, word(s), gesture, or nonverbal behavior that stands for or reflects something meaningful; language is a symbol system.
Intermediate-Level Culture
Cultural norms:
collective expectations of what constitutes proper or improper behavior in a given interaction.
Intermediate-Level Culture
interaction goal
the objective of the meeting.
Intermediate-Level Culture
The relationship expectation
how much role formality/informality or task/social tone you want to forge.
Intermediate-Level Culture
Cultural competence skills
internalized cultural knowledge and the operational skills able to apply in the communication scene.
Deep-Level Culture
Traditions, Beliefs, and Values
Deep-Level Culture
Normative culture
patterned way of living by group of interacting individuals who share a common set of history, traditions, beliefs, and values and an interdependent fate.
Deep-Level Culture
Subjective culture
refers to the individual level, whereby members of a culture can attach different degrees of importance to cultural beliefs and values.
Deep-Level Culture
Culturally shared traditions
include myths, legends, ceremonies, and rituals passed on from one generation to the next via oral or written medium; they reinforce ingroup solidarity, communal memory, cultural stability, and continuity functions.
Deep-Level Culture
Culturally shared beliefs
fundamental assumptions or worldviews people hold dearly without question; can revolve around questions as to human origins, concepts of time, space, reality, existence of a supernatural being, and so on.
Deep-Level Culture
Cultural values
priorities that guide “good” or “bad” behaviors, “desirable” or “undesirable” practices, “fair” or “unfair” actions.
Intercultural communication
symbolic exchange process whereby individuals from two (or more) different cultural communities attempt to negotiate shared meanings in an interactive situation within an embedded societal system.
Intercultural communication Symbolic exchange (Characteristic 1):
use of verbal and nonverbal symbols between a minimum of two individuals to accomplish shared meanings
Intercultural communication
Symbolic exchange (Characteristic 1):
Digital aspects of communication
content information we convey to a listener. Arbitrary relationship between digital cue (e.g., the word “angry”) and its interpretation (meaning).
Intercultural communication
Symbolic exchange (Characteristic 1):
Analogical aspects of communication
“picturesque” or affective meanings we convey through use of nonverbal cues. Resemblance between nonverbal cue (e.g., frown) and its interpretation (dislike
Intercultural communication
Process (Characteristic 2
interdependent nature of the encounter.
Intercultural communication
Process (Characteristic 2
Transactional nature of intercultural communication
simultaneous encoding (i.e., sender chooses words/gestures to express intentions) and decoding (i.e., receiver translates words/nonverbal cues into comprehensible meanings) of the exchanged messages.
Intercultural communication
Process (Characteristic 2
Irreversible process
because the decoder may form different impressions even in regard to the same repeated message.
Intercultural communication. Cultural community (Characteristic 3):
group of interacting individuals within a bounded unit who uphold a set of shared traditions and way of life.
Intercultural communication.
Cultural community (Characteristic 3):
Culture
frame of reference or knowledge system shared by a large group within a perceived bounded unit.
i. Group-level concept: a patterned way of living.
ii. Individuals’ subjective sense of group membership.
Intercultural communication.
Negotiate shared meanings (Characteristic 4):
general goal of intercultural communication encounter: have our message understood. Negotiate: creative give-and-take nature of the fluid process of communication.
Three layers of meaning are critical to understand how people express themselves:
Content meaning
the factual (digital) information conveyed
Three layers of meaning are critical to understand how people express themselves:
information concerning the state of the relationship between the two communicators: conveys both power distance (e.g., equal–unequal) meanings and relational distance (e.g., friendly–unfriendly) meanings.
Three layers of meaning are critical to understand how people express themselves:
Who am I and who are you in this interaction episode?” Displays of respect/disrespect and identity approval/disapproval.
Intercultural communication. Interactive situation (Characteristic 5):
communication occurs in contexts (relational, psychological, physical).
Practicing Intercultural Communication Flexibility
Flexible intercultural communication
integrate knowledge and open-minded attitude, put into adaptive and creative practice.
Practicing Intercultural Communication Flexibility
Inflexible intercultural communication
use own cultural values, judgments, routines in communicating with different others
Practicing Intercultural Communication Flexibility
Ethnocentric mindset
stuck in own cultural worldviews, use our own cultural values as standards to evaluate others’ behaviors
Practicing Intercultural Communication Flexibility.
Ethnorelative mindset
understand behavior from other person’s cultural frame of reference.
Practicing Intercultural Communication Flexibility
Three Content Components
Knowledge, Attitude, and Skills
Practicing Intercultural Communication Flexibility
Three Content Components: Knowledge, Attitude, and Skills
Skills
operational abilities to integrate knowledge and a responsive attitude with adaptive intercultural practice.
Practicing Intercultural Communication Flexibility
Three Content Components: Knowledge, Attitude, and Skills.
Knowledge
systematic, conscious learning of essential themes and concepts in intercultural communication flexibility. Developed via:
a. Formal studying: classes, seminars, diversity-related training.
b. Informal learning: travel, study abroad, volunteer, read, interact with culturally different others, etc.
Practicing Intercultural Communication Flexibility
Three Content Components: Knowledge, Attitude, and Skills
Attitude:
: includes both cognitive and affective layers. Flexible attitude: engage in ethnorelative thinking to understand someone’s behavior from his or her cultural point of view.
a. Cognitive: willing to suspend ethnocentric judgment, be open-minded in learning about cross-cultural differences.
b. Affective: emotional commitment to engage in cultural perspective-taking and cultivation of empathetic heart to reach out to culturally identity, emotional vulnerability issues.
Practicing Intercultural Communication Flexibility
Three Criteria
: Appropriateness, Effectiveness, and Adaptability
Practicing Intercultural Communication Flexibility
Three Criteria: Appropriateness, Effectiveness, and Adaptability
Appropriateness
degree to which exchanged behaviors are regarded as proper and match expectations of cultural insiders.
Practicing Intercultural Communication Flexibility
Three Criteria: Appropriateness, Effectiveness, and Adaptability
Effectiveness,
degree to which communicators achieve mutually shared meaning and integrative goal-related outcomes.
Practicing Intercultural Communication Flexibility
Three Criteria: Appropriateness, Effectiveness, and Adaptability
Adaptability
ability to change interaction behaviors and goals to meet specific needs of the situation.
Developing Intercultural Communication Flexibility
Staircase Model
Four Stages of Flexible Intercultural Communication
Developing Intercultural Communication Flexibility
Staircase Model: Four Stages of Flexible Intercultural Communication
Unconscious incompetence
blissfully ignorant stage. Individual is unaware of blunders committed with cultural strangers.
Developing Intercultural Communication Flexibility
Staircase Model: Four Stages of Flexible Intercultural Communication
Conscious incompetence
semiawareness stage. Aware of incompetence but does not do anything (or know how to) change behavior in situation.
Developing Intercultural Communication Flexibility
Staircase Model: Four Stages of Flexible Intercultural Communication
Conscious competence
full mindfulness” stage. Aware of “nonfluency,” committed to integrate new knowledge, attitude, and skills into competent practice.
Developing Intercultural Communication Flexibility
Staircase Model: Four Stages of Flexible Intercultural Communication
Unconscious competence:
mindlessly mindful” stage. Can code-switch so effortlessly that interaction process flows smoothly and from “out-of-conscious yet mindful awareness” rhythm.
Developing Intercultural Communication Flexibility
An Essential Hook: A Mindful Perspective. A flexible communicator:
- Is well-trained, with vast knowledge of intercultural communication;
- Is a mindful cultural scanner, with inward and outward mindfulness; and
- Understands the complexity of intercultural communication.
Deepening Intercultural Process Thinking
Process Consciousness: Underlying Principles of Intercultural Communication
Principle 1
Mismatched expectations stem from group differences. Can include deep-level differences (cultural worldviews, values, etc.), norms, expectations
Deepening Intercultural Process Thinking
Process Consciousness: Underlying Principles of Intercultural Communication
Principle 2
Involves degrees of biased intergroup perceptions, overgeneralizations, stereotypes. Intergroup: person viewed as a representation of the group, deemphasizing the person’s uniqueness.
Deepening Intercultural Process Thinking
Process Consciousness: Underlying Principles of Intercultural Communication
Principle 3
Simultaneous encoding and decoding of verbal/nonverbal messages. Need cultural decoding competence or likely to misjudge other’s intentions.
Deepening Intercultural Process Thinking
Process Consciousness: Underlying Principles of Intercultural Communication
Principle 4
Multiple goals, largely dependent on how an interaction episode is defined. Three types of goals:
a. Content goals: external, substantive issues.
b. Relational goals: socioemotional, relational role issues.
c. Identity goals: projected self-image or self-worth issues.
Deepening Intercultural Process Thinking
Process Consciousness: Underlying Principles of Intercultural Communication
Principle 5
Calls for understanding and acceptance of diverse communication approaches and styles.
Deepening Intercultural Process Thinking
Process Consciousness: Underlying Principles of Intercultural Communication
Principle 6
Often involves well-meaning culture bumps or clashes.
a. Culture bump: cultural violation on behavioral level; our meanings do not overlap in viewing the same behavior, creating communication awkwardness or embarrassment.
b. Well-meaning clash: misunderstanding an encounter in which people are actually behaving in a “socially skilled manner” and with “good intentions” according to their norms. Well-meaning: no one intentionally behaves obnoxiously or unpleasantly.
Deepening Intercultural Process Thinking
Process Consciousness: Underlying Principles of Intercultural Communication
Principle 7
Always takes place in context; includes physical setting, psychological or emotional meanings, expected roles of participants, and degree of cultural knowledge.
Deepening Intercultural Process Thinking
Process Consciousness: Underlying Principles of Intercultural Communication
Principle 8
Always takes place in embedded systems. A system is an interdependent set of components that constitute a whole and simultaneously influence each other
Intercultural Reality Check: Do-Ables
A flexible intercultural communicator:
A. Emphasizes a process-focused approach to intercultural communication.
B. Recognizes separate, ethnocentric realities that divide individuals and groups.
C. Is willing to suspend evaluative snap judgments concerning culture-based verbal and nonverbal style differences
D. Can deal with ambiguities and paradoxes in uncertain intercultural situations.
E. Can communicate appropriately, effectively, adaptively, and creatively through the use of constructive and nonverbal communication skills.
