Blog Post #2: Intercultural Conflict

Intercultural communication is a form of communication that shares information across groups of individuals with different ethnic, social, religious or educational backgrounds. As Singapore becomes more cosmopolitan, it is important for us to learn and understand the backgrounds of these different groups. Certain actions or behaviors may be considered sacred to one group but to others, they may be considered as strange. Hence, it is important for each individual to stay open-minded and be tolerant to different cultures and their practices.

Interpersonal and intercultural communication are closely related. For example, gestures are a form of non-verbal communication and understanding such NVCs would help in developing good interpersonal skills. However, some gestures may have different interpretations in different cultures. From a short Youtube video that I watched, I picked out a few different interpretations of NVCs in different cultures. For example, beckoning using your finger to a local in the Philippines is considered to be rude and is deemed punishable by arrest. To a Singaporean, beckoning to someone using your finger might simply be a harmless gesture to call someone over to you. However, to a Filipino, it is considered an act deemed suitable only for dogs and he or she might feel insulted if you were to use such gestures on him or her. Lack of understanding of someone else’s culture may then lead to conflict.

Sometimes, not having adequate knowledge of another’s culture may not only lead to conflicts but also to awkward or embarrassing situations. For example, if you pay your Arabic friend a compliment on his new sofa, he might take it seriously and feel awkwardly obliged in giving you the sofa due to his cultural beliefs. To you, a Singaporean, a compliment might be made out of goodwill or politeness but to an Arab, he might think that you actually loved the sofa so much that you wanted to own it.

As described above, it is very important to research on a country’s culture before you travel in order to avoid any conflicts or awkward situations. It can also help us develop our interpersonal communication. This is because culture plays a part in developing our personality. If we understand someone else’s culture, we can understand why he or she behaves in a certain way and therefore, improve our EQ skills. Below is an interesting video that I found on Youtube and might be useful should you travel to any of the countries stated. If you have encountered any conflicts or situations in other countries due to lack of understanding of their cultures, do comment below. (: