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. (:
