Intercultural Communication
Carolyn Petersen
Workshop Objective:
To deepen participants’ understanding of intercultural competency
and gain insight into how these skills and behaviours can be
developed
ACTIVITIES:
* Watch TED, Derek Sivers “Weird, or just
different?”
http://www.ted.com/talks/derek_sivers_
weird_or_just_different#t-41376
* Reflect: What are you most confident
about and what do you find
challenging when interacting with
people from other cultures?
Some ground rules:
• Presume goodwill
• Be open by sharing and listening
• Honour confidentiality
• Respect time frames
• Pay attention to your own reactions (what are your triggers)
Intercultural Competence:
The capability to shift cultural perspective and
appropriately adapt behavior to cultural differences and
commonalities. (Hammer, 2009)
Three dimensions:
1.
Mindset – intercultural awareness (ability to understand
similarities and differences)
2.
Heartset – intercultural sensitivity (emotional desire to
acknowledge, appreciate and accept cultural differences)
3.
Skillset – intercultural adroitness (ability to reach communication
goals while interacting with people from other cultures)
* All three are important to intercultural competence
(Bennett, J.M., 2003)
- Intercultural competence has a
developmental continuum (theoretical
model developed by Milton Bennett)
- Intercultural Development Inventory
(IDI) is a measure of intercultural
competency based on Bennett’s model
- Can be used to increase self-awareness
and encourage further development /
useful for multicultural teams
- More information on the IDI is available
in the attached handout and at:
http://idiinventory.com/
“Culture hides much more than it
reveals, and strangely enough what it
hides, it hides most effectively from
its own participants. Years of study
have convinced me that the real job
is not to understand foreign culture
but to understand our own.”
- Edward T. Hall, “The Silent
Language”
Gardenswartz & Rowe, 2003
- Many factors contribute to cultural
identity (personality, internal
dimensions, external dimensions,
organizational dimensions)
*ACTIVITY:
- Write 15 descriptive statements that
begin with “I am…”
- Identify 10 descriptors that are most
important to you and then choose top 5
- Traits we use to describe ourselves
reflect our values and beliefs.
- Identifying values similarities and
differences can improve teamwork and
relationship development.
What is culture?
- Culture as an iceberg
- Above the waterline (can only see
about 10%) – behaviours that can be
observed (objective culture)
- Below the waterline (hidden)–
informs behaviour, worldview /
“normal” (values, attitudes,
beliefs)
Stereotypes are:
• Inflexible – do not change
• Restrictive – do not allow for differences
• Prescriptive – make assumptions first
The behaviour of an individual applied absolutely to all
members of a group.
(NorQuest College, Critical Incidents for Intercultural
Communication)
Generalizations are:
• Flexible – can change
• Inclusive – can accommodate difference
• Descriptive – make generalizations from observations
The observable behaviours of a group applied for possible
understanding of individuals.
(NorQuest College, Critical Incidents for Intercultural
Communication)
Cultural Orientations:
General observational categories which provide clues to better
understand the motivations and values that influence peoples’
behaviours, and to recognize cultural differences that exist at a group,
rather than individual, level
(NorQuest College, Critical Incidents for Intercultural Communication)
Cultural Orientations:
Individualism
Collectivism
Direct
Indirect
Task-oriented
Relationship-oriented
Achieved status
Ascribed status
- Cultural orientations are a continuum
with two perspectives on opposite ends
of the spectrum (individuals from any
particular orientation will fall
somewhere along the continuum)
- Also need to consider context and
power dynamics (dominant/nondominant groups)
- Each person takes cultural values with
them into every interaction (often
unconscious)
Something’s
Up
Suspend
Judgment
Informed
Action
Make Sense
(NorQuest College, Critical Incidents for Intercultural
Communication)
Describe the
Something’s Up
What happened?
How does each person
feel?
Focus on facts and
feelings – don’t try to
make sense of it or solve
it at this stage)
Notice triggers – usually
happens when a person’s
behaviour doesn’t meet
our expectations
Something’s
Up
Identify and
Suspend
Judgment
- Judgment is a natural
response, influences
behaviour and decisions
(displays cultural values)
What are the judgments
of the people involved?
What are each person’s
conclusions or perceptions
of the other?
Think about how others
might see us.
Suspend
Judgment
Make Sense
 Step 1:
 What is this about?
 What did each person
expect? (What is their
“normal?”)
 Step 2:
How are the
expectations of each
similar and/or different?
• Try to understand using
cultural orientations
• Intent and impact are
not the same (assume
good intentions)
Make Sense
Informed Action
What can be done to move
forward?
 Short term
 Long term
• Look for shared goals
and adapt behaviour.
Informed
Action
Practice:
• Watch examples and practice using “Something’s Up”:
http://media.norquest.ca/mds/owls/somethings_up_cycle.htm
• More information is available at:
http://www.norquest.ca/NorquestCollege/media/pdf/centres/
intercultural/CriticalIncidentsBooklet.pdf
http://www.norquest.ca/NorquestCollege/media/pdf/centres/
intercultural/CIICH_final_facilitatorsguide.pdf
Going forward …
• Be aware of your own “normal”
• Ask questions and be curious about other worldviews
• Check understanding (don’t make assumptions)
• Treat others as they would like to be treated
• See difference as value-added
• Forgive and learn from mistakes
• Be aware of slang, informal expressions
Carolyn Petersen
Intercultural Communication Facilitator
Email: carolyn.p@sasktel.net