Week 6: Culture and Communication Contexts

The image depicts a panel of culturally diverse people. The woman in the middle appears to be speaking to an audience and is gesturing with her hands. Communication is a complex human phenomenon. Consider the complexity of communicating a message at a United Nations meeting to representatives of every culture on Earth. American anthropologist and cross-cultural researcher, Edward Hall, asserts that “…one of the functions of culture is to provide a screen between the person and all of those [perceptual] stimuli to indicate what perceptions to notice and how to interpret them” (Lustig & Koester, 2013, p. 102). More specifically, the “screen” represents context. What role does context play in intercultural communication? How can communicators demonstrate intercultural competence in a variety of contexts?

In this week you examine the role of communication context in determining meaning. You consider the multiple contexts that exist within various cultures. You explore how the expectations and patterns determined by context influence communication behaviors. You also reflect on your intercultural competence journey in this course by completing your Final Reflection.

Photo credit: Bridiers, E. (Photographer). (2011). Rebiya Kadeer addresses a panel entitled “Guaranteeing the rights of minority women” at the forum on minority issues, United Nations at Geneva [Print Photo]. U.S. Mission to the United Nations Geneva. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/us-mission/6432002113/

Learning Objectives

Students will:

Analyze the impact of context on intercultural communication
Evaluate personal intercultural competence

Photo Credit: [Blend Images/John Fedele]/[Brand X Pictures]/Getty Images

Learning Resources

Required Readings

Lustig, M. W., & Koester, J. (2013).
Intercultural competence: Interpersonal communication across cultures (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

Chapter 11, “Episodes, Contexts, and Intercultural Interactions” (pp. 250–285)

Discussion: Would You Act Like That in Front of Your Grandmother?: Context and Intercultural Communication

The image depicts a group of culturally diverse people in conversation on a balcony overlooking a lake surrounded by mountains. Context guides communication. Informal language intended for a comedy club audience often does not transfer well to a formal speaking situation such as a corporate board meeting. Nonverbal behavior present in a conversation among friends becomes inappropriate around a dinner table with extended family. Communication styles among co-workers could create problems when used to speak to a police officer. Accepted communication behaviors for one culture may be offensive or even illegal in another culture. Informal gatherings as part of a larger, more formal diplomatic meeting (as shown in the image) require a very sophisticated level of contextual communication expertise that takes years to develop. In short, understanding the context of a communication scenario plays a very large role in successful interaction.

In this week’s Discussion, you consider how communication behaviors change based on the context in which they take place. You explore the influence of context on communication style andthe impact of context on intercultural communication.

Photo credit: Bridiers, E. (Photographer). (2011). U.S. Mission hosts delegates of UNHCR Executive Committee in Geneva [Print Photo]. U.S. Mission to the United Nations Geneva. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/us-mission/6219793133/

To prepare for your Discussion:

Review cultural contexts in Chapter 11 of the course text.
Consider the relationship between context and communication. How does your communication change based on where and to whom you are speaking? Why do you alter the way you communicate to fit the context in which you are speaking?
Select two of the three following contexts to focus on for this Discussion: educational, personal, and professional.
For each of the two contexts you selected above, ask yourself the following questions:
- What language do you use?
- How formal or informal is it?
- Do you speak loudly or more softly?
- Do you speak faster or more slowly?
- What kinds of nonverbal communication behaviors do you use? Do you look someone in the eye? Use hand gestures? Change your facial expressions?
Reflect on how understanding context can help you overcome intercultural communication challenges. How can you apply this knowledge to future intercultural interactions that you may face?
Select two different communication contexts. Consider the communication style choices individuals would have in these two contexts:
- Would they use a formal or informal style or register?
- What nonverbal behaviors would be effective?
- How would the communication be paced?

Note: One of the goals of this course is to promote a wide variety of views. You are encouraged to present your honest personal viewpoint while at all times reflecting a respectful tone for the views of others.

By Day 3

Post a 2- to 3-paragraph comparison of the communication styles in your selected contexts. Explain how context has an impact on style choices such as the use of formal or informal language, pacing, volume, and nonverbal behaviors.

Be sure to support you ideas by connecting them to at least one of this week’s Learning Resources. Additionally, you may opt to include an outside academic resource that you have identified.

By Day 5

Respond to the posts of at least two different colleagues in one of the following ways:

Share an insight from having read your colleague’s posting.
Expand on your colleague’s posting by providing additional examples of communication styles used in specific contexts.
Offer an alternative view of the communication style that fits the context.

Support all responses by citing your resources or other scholarly material. For assistance with APA citation, review the Writing Center’s information on APA referencing in the Week 1 Learning Resources.

Submission and Grading Information

Grading Criteria

To access your rubric:

Week 6 Discussion Rubric

Post by Day 3 and Respond by Day 5

To participate in this Discussion:

Week 6 Discussion

Assignment: Your Intercultural Competence Journey: Final Reflection

The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.

– Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss), American writer, poet, and cartoonist

The image depicts a small girl dressed in jeans and a striped shirt standing in the middle of a deserted road. Her back is toward the viewer and she appears to be gazing down the road. In many ways, the quest for intercultural competence resembles a journey. When you first started this course, you may have already had some concepts of communication and culture to aid you in your travels in intercultural communication. As you progressed through the learning experiences of the last 4 weeks, you have hopefully added many additional understandings of communication and culture to improve your intercultural competence. Now, where will you journey with your newly developed intercultural competence knowledge and skills?

As you consider the knowledge and skills you have gained, consider the contexts in which you interact with other cultures every day. How might intercultural competence benefit you personally and professionally going forward? In this Final Reflection, you evaluate your experiences in this course and how you can apply this knowledge in the future.

Photo credit: Microsoft Corporation. (Producer). MP900438811 [Young girl looking down a road]. Retrieved January 17, 2014, from http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/results.aspx?qu=journey&ex=1#ai:MP900438811

To prepare for this Assignment:

Review your papers from Weeks 2–5. What are some of the key areas of learning that you gained from the course so far? After using the BASIC and D-I-E tools in the Week 2 Assignment, how have you changed your cultural perceptions and ways of communicating with other cultures?
Consider what you have learned from this course. What have you learned about yourself? What do you consider as your strengths in communicating across cultures? What are the areas that you need to work on developing in order to become more interculturally competent?
Bring to mind an experience in which you interacted with someone from another culture since beginning this course. What knowledge have you already been able to apply to your experiences with people from other cultures? How might you use your knowledge of intercultural communication and competency to improve upon your intercultural interactions in the future?
Reflect on how you can apply your knowledge to other areas of your life. What do you see as some of the challenges you will face when you communicate with people of other cultures? How might you anticipate and overcome these challenges? What application does this course have to you personally and professionally? How can you benefit your community and society at large by implementing the methods and tools of intercultural communication and competency?

By Day 7

Submit a 3- to 4-page paper in which you:

Describe the changes you have seen in your perceptions of and reactions to interactions with other cultures. Use your Week 2 Assignment paper and the BASIC and D-I-E tools as the basis of your response.
Explain two or three key elements that you have learned about yourself and your culture. In addition to these elements, identify the strengths you have noticed about your communication with other cultures, as well as the areas in which you need to work to become more interculturally competent.
Using the example you brought to mind in the “To prepare” section above, describe how you have already been able to apply knowledge gained from this course in a real-world experience.
Considering your personal and professional life, articulate how you might use your knowledge of intercultural communication to be an effective communicator across cultures. Define the challenges that you may face when you interact with other cultures in the future, and anticipate how you might overcome these challenges.
Conclude by summarizing how your learning from this course, your experiences interacting with other cultures, and the concept of how being interculturally competent will benefit your community and society in an increasingly globalized, multicultural context.

Submission and Grading Information

To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following:

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