Competent Intercultural Communication

Beebe, Beebe & Redmond define intercultural communication competence as the, “ability to adapt one’s behavior toward another in ways that are appropriate to the other person’s culture” (p. 104, ¶ 3, 2011).  Implementing these strategies suggested by Beebe, Beebe & Redmond to become competent in my communications will hopefully bridge any communication barriers that exist with the culturally diverse people I communicate with on a daily basis.

·    Creating a third culture will combine the perspectives and assumptions from two different cultures to construct a third culture.  The third culture develops over time when people from two different cultures engage in constructive dialogue.  “Developing a third culture mentality can reduce our tendency to approach cultural differences from an “us-versus them” point of view” (p. 107, ¶ 3, 2011).  Bridging the two cultures through the development of a third culture will support a greater understanding of all participants involved.

·    Becoming mindful by using self-talk when I feel uncomfortable about communicating with someone from a different culture.  My innermost thoughts drive my behavior; if I can be positive oriented by being consciously aware of what I am thinking and sensing about my communication I can overcome any discomfort I may be feeling about the situation.  I will be able to avoid any negative judgments and be other-oriented by “considering the other individual’s frame of reference, or worldview, and to use his or her cultural priorities and assumptions” (p. 108, ¶ 2, 2011) when I am communicating.

• To establish common ground I will want to learn more about the culture and styles of communication from the cultures I am working with.  “Seeking information helps manage the uncertainty and anxiety that we may feel when we interact with people who are different from us” (p. 106, ¶ 1, 2011).  It will take more than just reading books and research on the Internet to learn about a new culture; whenever possible you will want to learn from elders and local community members from the respective culture you want to establish a strong communication connection with.

References
Beebe, S. A., Beebe, S. J., & Redmond, M. V. (2011). Interpersonal communication: Relating to others (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.