Claire Denise M. Padayao Ms.

Mary Grace Fabi

BSED – ENGLISH SE – 13

As an English major student, I have gained a lot of knowledge in the seminar we attended
last week. I have learned the importance of Cross-culture communication which was discussed
by Mr. Matthew Ryan Gleason and the importance of International Diplomacy which was
discussed by Miss Rachel Citrin. The seminar was organized by our Language and Literature
Unit, Ms. Mary Grace Fabi, Mr. Rogelio Ticoy Jr. and Mrs. Ritzie Flores. The seminar helped us
a lot especially English Majors because we were able to know about the cross-culture
communication.

Culture is a way of thinking and living whereby one picks up a set of attitudes, values,
norms and beliefs that are taught and reinforced by other members in the group. This set of basic
assumptions and solutions to the problems of the world is a shared system that is passed on from
generation to generation to ensure survival. A culture consists of unwritten and written principles
and laws that guide how an individual interacts with the outside world. Members of a culture can
be identified by the fact that they share some similarity. They may be united by religion, by
geography, by race or ethnicity. Cross cultural communication can also refer to the attempts that
are made to exchange, negotiate and mediate cultural differences by means of language, gestures
and body language. It is how people belonging to different cultures communicate with each
other. Cross-cultural communication has become strategically important to companies due to the
growth of global business, technology, and the internet. This type of communication involves
an understanding of how people from different cultures speak, communicate, and perceive the
world around them.

The significant of cross-culture communication as a student is for example, I am studying

in aboard, I have come across variety of learners from different cultures. International students
often arrive at a foreign university and will experience culture shock like me because the
surroundings are so different to the ones that I’m used to and it can take a while to adjust. And
with this, I can learn their culture and respect it so I can cope up and adjust to the environment
that I am in. It is important for you to learn the NCA CREDO for Ethical Communication for you
to know the other people’s way of communication and for you to understand their ways. Like for
example; just like what Mr. Matthew Gleason said in the seminar, Americans are very frank
about their words. So when you hear American’s talking or you get to talk to an American you
might say that the way they say things are a little bit harsh but from them it’s just natural.
According to Laray Barna (2019) for you to avoid this kind of miscommunication you should
learn these; 1) Assumption of similarities- This refers to our tendency to think how we behave
and act is the universally accepted rule of behavior. 2) Language Differences - Problems occur
when there is an inability to understand what the other is saying because different languages are
being spoken. 3) Nonverbal Misinterpretation - The way we dress, the way we express
ourselves through our body language, eye contact and gestures also communicates something. 4)
Preconceptions and Stereotypes - Stereotypes involves putting people into pre-defined slots
based on our image of how we think they are or should be. 5) Tendency to evaluate - Humans
tend to make sense of the behavior and communication of others by analyzing them from one’s
own cultural point of view without taking into consideration why the other person is behaving or
communicating a certain way. And lastly 6) High anxiety - Sometimes being confronted with a
different cultural perspective will create an anxious state in an individual who does not know
how to act or behave and what is considered to be appropriate. So to reduce these
miscommunications one can take the effort to develop one’s listening skills. This will ensure that
we start hearing the real meaning of what is being said instead of understanding at face value
(NCA CREDO for Ethical Communication, Principle 3 “We strive to understand and respect
other communicators before evaluating and responding to their messages”.)

So in Diplomacy, I have learned a lot about it, it made me open my eyes very wide and I
have gained more knowledge about it. From the seminar, Miss Rachel made us do an activity
where each one of us would play a role and I got the role as the Head of DNR, which is similar
to NDRRMC. The topic was “There are 2 NPA who were digging the land and they were
demanding into the land that there digging will be theirs. And if not, war is coming. Many people
will be hurt.” As we were portraying our roles, it opened up my knowledge about diplomacy
because its purpose is to strengthen the state, nation, or organization it serves in relation to others
by advancing the interests in its charge and we did it exactly like that when we were portraying
our role play. During our play we applied the 2nd principle from the NCA CREDO for Ethical
Communication. We were expressing our own opinions and freedoms and at the end we have
come up a responsible decision into giving them 60/40% and in the next 10 years the land will be
theirs.

Overall, the seminar was great it was facilitated very well. The audience were having fun
because the speakers where really having a connection with their audience. Most of us thought
that it would be just another boring seminar but we thought wrong. It was very fun and we had
gained a lot about it.
 References

Lara Barna (2019). Cross Cultural Communication in Cultural Communication, Intercultural

Communication. Retrieved from https://www.communicationtheory.org/cross-cultural-
communication/?fbclid=IwAR3LUoYVi4fOd3rcvdmH3AANB3d-
mANC9prj4gfCnSfx1_fgTSp_EFFfwu0

NCA Credo for Ethical Communication (approved by the NCA Legislative Council, November
1999). Retrieved from
https://www.natcom.org/sites/default/files/pages/1999_Public_Statements_NCA_Credo_for
_Ethical_Communication_November.pdf

Iver B Neumann, Halvard Leira (2004). SAGE Library of International Relations. International
Diplomacy. Retrieved from http://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/international-
diplomacy/book240434