Unit C.2.2 Intercultural communication & how to implement it in your workshop
Intercultural communication &
Learn the meaning of intercultural >br>communication and the ways of communicating with cultures
which are different from your
own when conducting your workshop
Learn the meaning of intercultural >br>communication and the ways of communicating with cultures
which are different from your
own when conducting your workshop
Learn the meaning of intercultural >br>communication and the ways of communicating with cultures
which are different from your
own when conducting your workshop
Communicating positively and effectively during encounters can be quite a challenge if your interlocutor’s cultural background is different from yours, especially when you do not know very much about their cultural and social behavioural norms. It’s a bit like having to learn to communicate all over again, just as when we were children.
Communicating with people from other cultures can be hard, not just because their language might be different from ours, but because different cultures have different approaches to communication.
Of course we cannot possibly learn all the cultural approaches of the world, but surely we can be aware of this diversity and try to be careful and respectful that our communication is not unclear or – worse – offensive.
If you are a globetrotter, have moved to another country, or if you would like to become a tutor, being able to encounter and communicate with people from other cultures will be of fundamental importance. The fact is that communication goes beyond language and words.
Even if you fluently speak the same language of your interlocutor, misunderstandings and clashes are always a small step away. Communication is made of a series of social and behavioural norms and values which dictate the way in which people address and speak to each other. Being aware of these norms and values might be the only way of communicating effectively.
The meaning people attach to messages and experiences depends on the culture they belong to (SPENCER-OATEY, What is culture?, GlobalPAD, 2012, p.12).
Individuals from different cultures have different ways to convey a message and to interpret it: they do it according to cultural communication codes and through verbal as well as non-verbal communication. Intercultural communication describes a situation in which two people with different cultural communication codes communicate.
So, what is intercultural communication?
Intercultural communication is the verbal and nonverbal interaction between people from different cultural backgrounds. Basically, ‘inter-‘ is a prefix that means ‘between’ and cultural means… well, from a culture, so intercultural communication is the communication between cultures.
Sometimes, this is used to describe a single person trying to interact in a foreign environment but more often it is a two-way street, where people from both cultures are trying to improve their communication .
Intercultural communication is targeted at allowing for positive and productive interaction with a person you encounter. You are not joining this culture, you are not becoming a member of another society, you are not abandoning your own culture. That would be assimilation and that’s not what we’re after.
This definition of intercultural communication emphasizes a very important characteristic: we are not after assimilation. Nobody requires you to sacrifice your cultural values and communicative norms.
On the contrary, the more cultural diversity is accepted, the better and richer communication will be.
Intercultural communication skills checklist [5]
Read each of the strategies and techniques for communicating effectively across cultures included in the List below.
Summarize frequently
–Confirm and reconfirm your understanding and intentions at every step in the dialogue.
–Use big, bold signposts to tell people where you are going.
Aim for dialogue, not debate.
–If your counterparts are unwilling to negotiate, aim for a better understanding of each other and
–establish a positive relationship, without pressuring others to change their own views.
–Identify common goals and develop a shared perception of equal status.
Be structured and clear.
–Say exactly what you mean and mean exactly what you say.
–Structure your language in a clear and logical way with one idea per sentence.
–Be realistic about what you can achieve.
Invite feedback; don't just expect it.
–Ask how people are doing and make sure that they have understood you correctly.
–Look for covert or hidden signs of disagreement.
–Watch out for suggestions that are really requests.
Use questions effectively and often.
–Use simple, straightforward questions.
–Make sure that the answer you get is the answer to the question you asked.
Stay positive.
–Keep your language positive, constructive and optimistic.
–Use tone and tempo to stress the important information.
–Build in pauses for understanding.
Adapt your language to that of your counterpart.
–Try to evaluate your counterpart’s language competences and do not overestimate it.
–Keep your sentences short and simple.
–Avoid idioms or sarcasm and be careful with humour.
Make sure your verbal and non-verbal communication go hand in hand.
–Make sure that your body language mirrors your spoken language: all communication channels need to reinforce the same message.
–Be yourself, and use body language that is natural to you.
Know yourself to know others.
–Identify and keep the response you want from the communication in mind.
–Be aware of your stereotypes and communication styles – and the way in which you may come across to other people.
Now copy and paste the table below in your notebook. 
Then in front of each strategy write down some specific behaviors that describe how you can put each strategy or technique into practice, especially thinking in the context of conducting your workshop.
chapter-c-unit-2-2-com-strategies
| Chapter C Unit 2.2 Effective strategies for intercultural communication | |
| Strategy title | how to put in practice |
| Summarise frequently | |
| Aim for dialogue, not debate. | |
| Be structured and clear. | |
| Be open and friendly. | |
| Invite feedback; do not just expect it. | |
| Use questions effectively and often. | |
| Stay positive. | |
| Adapt your language to that of your counterpart. | |
| Make sure your verbal and non-verbal communication go hand in hand. | |
| Know yourself to know others. | |
What about intercultural communication when tutoring other people?
If you got to this stage of the Chapter on intercultural communication it means you are interested in making the most of your communication skills. Let us now try to imagine the specific situation of tutoring people from different cultural backgrounds. In particular, try to imagine what it means to conduct a workshop with people from different cultural backgrounds.
In Chapter AÂ you learned how to identify and boost your skills and competences in order to transfer them to other people. You also learned how exciting it can be to inspire other people through your personal experience and knowledge.
It won’t come as a surprise to you at this stage, but all the principles and techniques you have learned so far with this course – especially intercultural communication skills – will be very helpful when tutoring and giving a workshop in your community. If one of your students comes from a different culture, it will be very important for you to reflect on this difference, ask yourself how you can both find common ground for communication while being respectful of both cultures and styles.
Let’s find out how!Â
To start with, did you ever ask yourself what all successful tutors have in common?
The answer is, well, several things. Educator and teacher Set Linden has some important advice in this sense, which can be applied regardless of the cultural background you encounter when tutoring:
1. Successful tutors are able to build strong and personal relationships with their students (in other words, they empathize)
As a tutor, you represent a category which is neither that of a parent nor that of a teacher. This is good news, because you are able to build a type of relationship with your students which is less formal and vertical. Personal relationships which act on horizontal information-sharing are fundamental to make the learning experience smoother and (let’s be honest) more exciting.
Here are some tips you might wish to follow in your tutoring:
– Personalize the learning experience.
– Connect your tutoring to the student’s personal interests.
– Emphasize the student’s strengths.
– Minimize their weaknesses.
2. Successful tutors are able to listen in an active way (sounds familiar?)
The one key word is – as often the case – LISTEN. You can listen with your ears of course, but try to extend your listening by doing so with your eyes as well. In other words, listen to what the student has to say, but also observe their body language to understand how the student is feeling and whether you need to adapt your tutoring style to increase their confidence and make them feel comfortable as they learn.
You will be surprised to notice that you can learn a great deal from your students! Don’t miss out on this opportunity.
3. They have specific content expertise (of course, you need to know what you are talking about!)
This might sound obvious to you, but there are many people out there tutoring about topics they are not truly familiar with. As a result, the learning experience ends up being pretty empty for the students. In Chapter A you learned how to identify your skills, and what you need to do in order to continuously improve them. There is no end to learning and self-improvement. Here is the main message: as a tutor, you are first and foremost, a learner. Build expertise by accepting your knowledge gaps and try to fill them by asking questions, talking to other people/experts in that field, and of course by putting your knowledge into practice. Your students will thank you 😊
Encourage intercultural encounters and intercultural communication during your workshop
You came to the end of this Chapter that has invited you to look closely into culture(s), identity(ies), relation of cultural knowledge and cultural encounters, and encouraged your awareness on the complexity of intercultural learning and intercultural communication.
Both Units invited you to think about your workshop as a space where different cultural encounters among people from different backgrounds (including you) will take place, and where communication among you and local people will play an important role.
Since the workshop you will implement will become the intercultural space, we encourage you to prepare yourself and others for the intercultural encounters and learning with the following tasks.
At the end of Chapter C Unit 1.2 you had a task to think on the following questions and write your answers in you personal notebook:
– What encounters with local people do I expect in the workshop?
– How do I feel when I think about this encounter?
– What is important to do in the workshop that so that encounters will happen in a positive way?
– What do I want to learn from these?
So, come back to the answers you wrote on your personal notebook. What would you add to your answers after Unit 2 of this Chapter?
Answer these questions:
–Which communication styles should be important for me as a tutor of the workshop?
–Which intercultural communication skills should I use in my workshop so that encounters will happen in a positive way?
–Think about arguments. Why did you choose these?
Look into Arabic language and culture workshop description created by Khaled Khudr and answer below questions:
–Â Identify, where will intercultural learning and communication happen? What do you think, how intense will it be?
–Â What communication styles and intercultural communication skills did Kahled Khudr plan to use in this workshop?
– What would you add in your workshop from Kahled’s example? (look into answers you wrote)
–Â Would you add something else in relation to intercultural learning and communication in this workshop description?
Share ideas on how you will enable intercultural learning/encounters/communication in your workshop and compare with the ideas of other participants.
1. Go to the Intercultural communication forum:
2. Share your thoughts on intercultural learning/encounter/communication on the Arabic language and culture workshop description created by Khaled (for sharing you can follow the given questions);
3. Share your thoughts on how you will enable learning/encounters/communication in your workshop:
â—‹ What encounters do you expect in the workshop?
â—‹ What communication styles/strategies will you integrate in your workshop, etc.?
3. Read others forum topics and reply:
â—‹ What similarities and differences do you see? What aspects should you be aware of?
