Intercultural Communication Competence Com 372: Theory and Research in Intercultural Communication Tiara Tucker Illinois State University A Closer Look At:

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How effectively would you verbally & nonverbally communicate with each of these people??

Intercultural Communication Competence “The degree to which you effectively adapt your verbal and nonverbal messages to the appropriate cultural context” (Neuliep, 2006, p. 441)

Intercultural Competence Qualities Verbal and Nonverbal Appropriateness – Communicating with an understanding of the rules, norms, and expectancies of a given culture AND Effectiveness – How well someone actually performs the behaviors that reveal an understanding of the rules, norms, and expectancies of the culture (Neuliep, 2006; Spitzberg & Cupach, 1984)

4 Interdependent Components K nowledge Component – Cognition A ffective Component – Motivation, Affect, Emotion P sychomotor Component – Behavior, Skills S ituational Features (Neuliep, 2006; Spitzberg & Cupach, 1984)

Don’t Slip Away, We Are Half Way Done…

K nowledge Component The degree of cultural awareness and education one has about someone from a different culture People perceived as being culturally knowledgeable: – Have an understanding of the values, beliefs, norms, rules, and behaviors of the other culture – Are aware of the political system (Individualism/Collectivism), context level (high or low), power distance level (high or low), and uncertainty avoidance level (high or low) of the culture – Have mental scripts, or plans, in line to guide their encounters – Possess an open cognitive system not limited to stereotypes (Neuliep, 2006; Spitzberg & Cupach, 1984)

What are some ways to gather information about another culture in order to increase your Knowledge? FYI: The more knowledge you have about people from another culture, the more motivated you may be to interact with them and vice versa….

A ffective Component The degree to which one is motivated and willing to communicate with people from different cultures People perceived as being culturally affective: – Have a tendency to approach (thus less likely to avoid) people from different cultures – Are low in Intercultural Communication Apprehension (ICA) – If given a choice, will be more willing to communicate interculturally (Neuliep, 2006; Spitzberg & Cupach, 1984)

If you have some free time, think about Your Willingness to Communicate! Remember, You Have Completely FREE CHOICE! See Neuliep, 2006, p. 447

Psychomotor Component This component is the “action” dimension that combines the Knowledge and Affective components Elements: – Verbal Performance (Being familiar with and able to use the language of a culture) – Nonverbal Performance (Understanding the kinesics, paralinguistic, haptic, olfactic, and proxemic codes of a culture) – Role Enactment (Knowing how to verbally and nonverbally perform based on one’s role- professor/student, employee/ supervisor, male/female, etc.) (Neuliep, 2006; Spitzberg & Cupach, 1984)

S ituational Features The real-life context in which the communication with someone from a different culture occurs Competence can be affected by: – The Environment (Each interaction may be different based on the situation) – Previous Contact (The more contact with people from another culture, the more knowledge, comfort, and experience) – Status Differential (Communication tactics may need to be modified based on the low, equal, or high status of the person) – Third-Party Interventions (The entire environment and status may change if another person enters the conversation) (Neuliep, 2006; Spitzberg & Cupach, 1984)

How culturally aware are you? Use the Cross-Cultural Awareness Self-Assessment on p. 445 (Neuliep, 2006) to measure your degree of cultural awareness! Do not fret if you have an “unhealthy” measure of cultural awareness… It is never too late to become great! Consider an Intercultural Training Program or Workshop for more knowledge!

Things to Keep In Mind… Interculturally competent people know how to effectively send AND understand received messages from people of a given culture People can have a higher degree of competency in one situation, but incompetent in another or with another cultural group Different cultures may have different perspectives on how one is to greet, smell, dress, sit, stand, touch, arrive, and depart

Now, get out of here & go learn about another culture!