Communication Competence
In this video we’ll review the concept of intercultural communication competence.
The information in this video provides a general overview of the topic.
Pease consult assigned readings on this topic for more in-depth information.
As the course progresses, many of the ideas discussed in this video will be covered in
more detail.
A primary aim of this course is to help students become more competent communicators across
a wide variety of intercultural contexts.
Communication competence is the ability to communicate one’s wants, needs, and thoughts
to others in ways that help maintain or improve the current state of their relationships.
Competent communicators have the want, knowledge, and skill to communicate with others in ways
that can keep the emotional tone of interactions positive, supportive, and non-threatening.
They also keep the content of their communication appropriate for the context in which communication
takes place, and can employ strategies to manage conflict during communication when
it occurs.
So, to summarize, competent communicators: want to maintain positive relationships, know
which behaviors are appropriate for various situations and can perform the behaviors effectively,
keep the content of communication appropriate to a given situation and, can manage conflict
when it occurs during communication
To become a competent communicator within a cultural group, a person needs: First, extensive
knowledge of the culture – a detailed understanding of the culture’s values, beliefs, and behavioral
patterns.
Second, fluency of primary language or languages – having knowledge of and the skill to appropriately
follow semantic, pragmatic, and syntactic rules of the language or languages used by
the cultural group.
And, third, a great deal of interaction with members within the culture.
It is through socializing with people within a culture that individuals gain intricate
knowledge of a culture, and its norms and its rules for language use.
While a person may be a highly competent communicator in her or his primary culture, it does not
necessarily follow that the person’s competence will transfer to a different cultural setting.
For a person to become a competent communicator when interacting with individuals from a foreign
culture, an additional set of attributes is needed.
For example, a person must have a relatively high tolerance for ambiguity.
When interactions include people from two or more different cultures, one needs to be
fairly comfortable communicating with people who may have different ways of interacting
and behaving than one is accustomed.
For instance, a person needs to be able to cope with situations where she or he doesn’t
quite know the rules, may not be fluent in the language being spoken, and may or may
not agree with the views of others.
Further, a person should be able to change her or his behavior to accommodate the cultural
expectations of others in the communication situation.
First recognizing then performing communication behaviors appropriate for a cultural context
is necessary to maintain effective communication.
Other attributes of intercultural communication competence are empathy and mindfulness.
A person practices empathy when trying to understand and mentally experience others’
situations and perspectives.
Mindfulness occurs when a person actively pays attention to a communication situation,
and takes into consideration the ideas and behaviors of others.
It is important to note that one does not necessarily need to agree with what she or
he observes during an intercultural interaction.
Empathy and mindfulness help a person to understand why others think, communicate, and behave
the way they do and to respect why they value their perspectives.
People are not born knowing how to communicate with others.
Communication is something that is learned.
Just about anyone, with enough practice, can learn to communicate competently across a
wide variety of situations.