Culture and Communication
In this modern world, there exists cultural diversity in our society, and therefore it stands out as the primary communication barrier; this raises several questions, including what should be done to leverage the cultural diversity, and the answers remain to be one: people should study intercultural communication. The study of intercultural communication has several implications for the general population, including that individuals will learn how to communicate with other people within diverse cultural backgrounds effectively.
Communication is a tool that people use in every day to day activities; however, with the different cultural identities, it makes it difficult to communicate even in an organization setting effectively. “In order to live, work, and play in an increasingly interconnected and interdependent world, we all need to communicate effectively with people of diverse backgrounds.” Cultural identity defines the language one speaks, the clothing one wears as well as the values we use to define our behavior. Through the study of intercultural communication, “students see the broader challenges and raise the issues of immigration, treatment of women, clash of religions and terrorism, corporate influence over the cultures and countries exerting unwelcome influence over other countries.”
Further, it is essential to note that identity, including cultural identity and religious identity, among other identities, are developed. There are several sources of identities, including the environment we live in. The environment we live in is so complex; thus, the development of the culture is necessary to enhance survival in this environment. Further, there exist several forms of human life and identity, this is according to Cannadine (2013), and they include religion, class, gender, race as well as civilization. Religion is one of the most ancient sources of human identity as it can define how people live as well as interact in their daily lives, thus creating a sense of identity. On the other hand, national identity is perceived to have suppressed the religious identity; this type of identity has been used to identify people in modern times. Most of the individuals identify with national identity as cultural diversity due to its contextualization. On the other hand, class identity is defined by the social class of individuals, including skill and education. Gender and race identity, on the other hand, are defined are the most influential identities with race identities based on color, while gender identity is based on the sex of individuals.
Barriers to intercultural communication include anxiety, assuming similarity, and ethnocentrism, racism, stereotypes, and prejudice. It is for the fact that individuals with high levels of anxiety tend to do things with less conscious; thus, they cannot present a proper communication transaction. High levels of anxiety lead to high levels of mistakes as well as lack of attention; thus, one cannot deliver a communication transaction effectively. Another intercultural communication barrier in Ethnocentrism refers to the negative judgment of another culture’s aspects based on the standards of one’s culture. In this case, if individuals believe that one’s culture is superior over the other, it creates a conflict of interest, including that one may communicate rudely to others. People should be able to understand that behaviors and beliefs are tied to individuals; however, this does not mean that everything is equal. Stereotypes, on the other, had, are barriers to communication, including that they have a fixed mind, and they hold onto whatever they believe.
Various communication variables include perception, context, and competencies. “Our cultural identification affects how we perceive the world… from this simple fact that individuals can perceive differently, and that can impede communication.” I tend to believe that there is an external world in which our perceptions are made, people can make assumptions depending on the shape of the external world.
In conclusion, I agree with the application of effective intercultural communication, including marketing. Intercultural communication is necessary in the modern world in various aspects, and people must learn to interact with each other in this diverse world effectively. Understanding. It is necessary to develop effective intercultural communicators in the sense that they can expand the range of non-verbal communication skills, individuals can also effectively communicate effectively in unfamiliar settings, and expand their knowledge on different cultural traditions. Additionally, individuals can recognize the influence of their own culture, thus giving them a sense of belonging to the majority.