Communication in Multicultural Settings
At the end of this module, you are expected to:
1. Determine culturally-appropriate terms, expressions, and images (sensitivity to gender,
race, class, etc.)
2. Adopt cultural awareness and sensitivity in communication of ideas
3. Identify the culturally related terminologies
In this module, we will be discussing about:
Terminologies
A world of diversity
The global community
Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity
Gender Sensitivity
Political Correctness
LOCAL & GLOBAL COMMUNICATION IN MULTICULTURAL SETTING
Cultural related terminologies
Culture in this context means a set of learned values, internalized practices, and shared
beliefs among a group of people
Multicultural communication situation- When people from multiple backgrounds, with
different ways of communication, coexist without really interacting deeply
Intercultural communication acknowledges the coexistence of multiple cultures in a
single space. However, it goes one step further by focusing on the productive encounters
that are constantly taking place between cultures.
Cross-cultural communication is the comparison between two (or more) cultures
The Global Community
Refers to the people or nations of the world, considered as being closely connected by modern
telecommunications and as being economically, socially, and politically interdependent
Examples:
Major offices and some homes linked with optical fiber systems
Global multimedia services
Satellite transmissions
Cultural Awareness
is knowing that there are multiple different cultures
based on religion, ethnicity, nationality, and other factors- that have different attitudes
and outlooks.
Cultural Sensitivity
Cultural sensitivity refers to a set of skills that allows you to learn about and understand
people whose cultural background is not the same as yours.
Gender Sensitivity
Gender sensitivity refers to the aim of understanding and taking account of the societal
and cultural factors involved in gender-based exclusion and discrimination in the most
diverse spheres of public and private life.
Gender-sensitivity language is the realization of gender equality in written and spoken
language. Gender equality in language is attained when women and men and those who do
not conform to the binary gender system are made visible and addressed in language as
persons of equal value, dignity, integrity and respect. (http://eige.Europa.eu (Links to an
external site.))
Usual Language Gender-Sensitive
Terminology
Forefathers Ancestors/ forebears
Manmade Artificial/ manufactures
Common man Ordinary person/ average
Chairman Chairperson/ coordinator
Lady liked Cultured
Freshman First year
Congressman Legislator
Political Correctness
Political correctness is used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended
to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in society
Politically correct as agreeing with the idea that people should be careful to not use
language or behave in a way that could offend a particular group of people. (Molloy, 2015)
Usual Language Politically Correct
Terminology
Fat Chubby
Cheating Academic Dishonesty
Ugly Aesthetically Challenge
Bald Comb-free
Drug Addict Drug Dependent
Old Elderly
Stupid Intellectually Impaired
Communicating Across Cultures
High context culture Low context culture
Mediterranean, Slav, Central Germanic and English-speaking
European, Latin America, African, countries
Arab, Asian, American-Indian Expect messages to be explicit and
Leave much of the message specific.
unspecified, to be understood
through context, nonverbal cues,
and between the lines
interpretation of what is actually
said.
Sequential cultures Synchronic cultures
North American, English German, South America, southern Europe and
Swedish, and Dutch Asia
As a linear commodity to “spend”, Viewed time as a constant flow to be
“save” or “waste”.; business people give experienced in the moment, and as a
full attention to one agenda item after force that cannot be contained or
another. controlled; time as a sort of circle
(past, present, future); for long term
planning
Affective Neutral
Readily showing emotions Normal business activities, neutral
Italy, France, U.S., Singapore cultures are more careful to monitor
the amount to emotion they display.
Japan, Indonesia, UK, Norway,
Netherlands
