• Definition & Nature

• Developmental Model of
Intercultural Sensitivity
2

• Characteristics of
Intercultural
3
Competent Intercultural
Communication Communication
 Definition & Nature

Recall all the lessons in the

fundamentals of communication
 Definition & Nature
 Form five groups.
 Each group will represent a particular
country (Japan, France, China,
Philippines, and Mexico).
 Imagine yourselves as the ambassadors of
the country assigned to your group. You
will be provided with some source-based
materials like photographs, newspaper
clippings, and letters.
 Definition & Nature
 Using these pieces of information, work
together and come up with some
interesting data about your country.
 Write questions (how, what, why, where,
when and who) and provide corresponding
answers.
 Definition & Nature
Intercultural communication happens
when individuals interact, negotiate, and
create meanings while bringing in their
varied cultural backgrounds (Ting-Toomey,
1999).

For some scholars, intercultural

communication pertains to communication
among people from different nationalities
(Gudykunst, 2003).
 Definition & Nature
Moreover, this facet of communication can
also be seen as a bargained understanding
of human experiences across diverse
societies.

Simply put, intercultural

communication is the sending and receiving
of messages across languages and cultures.
 Definition & Nature
Sometimes, intercultural
communication can flow smoothly and
become very interesting for across-cultural
group.
However, things may not go as planned
when communication is disrupted by
cultural collisions.
When you speak, your speech is
continuously accompanied by gestures,
facial expressions, and other body
movements that add to what you are saying
in different ways.
 Definition & Nature
For example,
nodding means “yes” in the Indian
subcontinent, Iran, most of Europe, Latin
America, and North America.

However, in Greece, Lebanon, Syria,

Palestine, Turkey, Macedonia, Bulgaria, and
Albania, nodding indicates disagreement.
 Definition & Nature
Moreover, in the case of Japanese
culture, silence as a form of communication
is more integrated in their customs than in
Western languages.

It is therefore important for you to

acknowledge and understand the many
communication patterns present in other
cultures.
 Definition & Nature
What can you say in the following words
considering the people around the world?
 Gender
 Social status
 Age
 Religion
 Culture
 Definition & Nature
Read each statement. If it displays bias or
insensitivity, write the group/element being
misrepresented (gender, social status, age,
religion, culture). If not, write “OK.” Once
done, compare and discuss your answers
with a partner.
___________
gender 1. “Each employee must wear
his ID at all times.”
age
___________ 2. “You won’t understand if I
explain; you’re too young.”
___________
culture 3. “Japanese people are so rigid
and stoic!”
 Definition & Nature
___________
Social status 4. “Don’t buy those shades; only
low-class people wear those.”
___________
age 5. “Lolo, this is an iPhone. ‘i-
Phone.’ It is a very complicated device, but
I’ll explain it to you simply. It is used to talk
to people from other places.”
___________
ok 6. “All staff members have to
submit their leave requests before the day
ends.”
___________
religion 7. “My belief is the absolute
truth. Other religions simply got it wrong.”
 Definition & Nature
___________
Social status 8. “Manang, let’s go, I’ll treat

you. I bet you haven’t eaten sushi in your

entire life.”
OK
___________ 9. “Catholics and Protestants do
have big differences, but we must respect
each other’s beliefs.”
___________
OK 10. “You’re the youngest person
in the family, but I trust that you can
handle the situation well.”
 Definition & Nature
Do you have instances in your life which
you had interaction with people whose
beliefs differ from you in terms of;
culture,
gender,
age,
religion,
or social status?
 Developmental Model of
Intercultural Sensitivity

Does successful intercultural

communication happen instantly?
Why? Why not?
 Developmental Model of
Intercultural Sensitivity
The Developmental Model of
Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS) offers a
structure that explores how people
experience cultural differences. According to
Bennett and Bennett (2004), it has six
stages.
Stage 1: Denial. The individual does not
recognize cultural differences.
An individual in the denial stage might be heard saying:
“All cities are the same; they all have tall buildings, fast
food chains, and coffee shops.”
 Developmental Model of
Intercultural Sensitivity
Stage 2: Defense.
The individual starts to recognize cultural
differences and is intimidated by them,
resulting in either a superior view on own
culture or an unjustified high regard for the
new one
An individual in the defense stage might be heard saying:
“This culture does not view life the way we do; our culture
is certainly better.”
“Their ways are better than my own; I wish I were one of
them.”
 Developmental Model of
Intercultural Sensitivity
Stage 3: Minimization.
Although individuals see cultural
differences, they bank more on the
universality of ideas rather than on cultural
differences.

An individual in the minimization stage might be heard

saying:
“Once we see through the cultural differences, we really
are just the same!”
 Developmental Model of
Intercultural Sensitivity
Stage 4: Acceptance.
The individual begins to appreciate
important cultural differences in behaviors
and eventually in values.

An individual in the acceptance stage might be heard

saying:
“These people and I have different values and
experiences, and I think we can learn from one
another.
 Developmental Model of
Intercultural Sensitivity
Stage 5: Adaptation.
The individual is very open to world views
when accepting new perspectives.

An individual in the adaptation stage might be heard

saying:
“To address our issue, I have to adjust my approach to
consider both my own and my
counterpart’s background.”
 Developmental Model of
Intercultural Sensitivity
Stage 6: Integration.
Individuals start to go beyond their own
cultures and see themselves and their
actions based on multifarious cultural
viewpoints.

An individual in the integration stage might be heard

saying:
“I can look at things from the perspective of various
cultures.”
 Developmental Model of
Intercultural Sensitivity
Once you understand these stages, you may
apply it to;
1) recognize communication behaviors
which differ from your own,
2) take into account what can influence
these types of behaviors, and
3) try to analyze how linguistic and cultural
communities differ in terms of
communication behavior and influencing
factors (Allwood, 1985).
 Developmental Model of
Intercultural Sensitivity
Let’s identify the following situation: tell on
what stage it falls in DMIS.
Denial 1. "With my experience, I can be
successful in any culture without any special
effort."
Acceptance 2. "Our new student is from
Mexico. Where can I learn about Mexican
culture so I can be more effective in the
classroom?"
Integration 3. "I feel most comfortable when
I'm Bridging differences between the cultures
I know."
 Developmental Model of
Intercultural Sensitivity
Defense 4. "When you go to other cultures,
it makes you realize how much better the
U.S. is."
Adaptation 5. "To really help this student,
I'm going to have to change my approach."
Minimization 6. "No matter what their
culture, people are pretty much motivated
by the same things."
 Characteristics of Competent
Intercultural Communication

Describe your experiences when talking to:

a member of the opposite sex;

b) a person from a different religion

 Characteristics of Competent
Intercultural Communication

World Bank (2010) identifies the following

traits that define a competent intercultural
Communicator.
1. flexibility and the ability to tolerate high
levels of uncertainty
2. reflectiveness or mindfulness
3. open-mindedness
4. sensitivity
 Characteristics of Competent
Intercultural Communication

5. adaptability
6. ability to engage in divergent thinking (or
thinking creatively) and systems-level
thinking (or
thinking how each one in a system or
organization influences each other)
7. politeness
 Characteristics of Competent
Intercultural Communication

Note that in addition to culture, other

elements such as gender, age, social status,
and religion must also be taken into
consideration when communicating with
others. Refrain from showing bias when
talking to someone by following the tips
below.

1. Avoid stereotypes, i.e., generalizations

about a certain group.
 Characteristics of Competent
Intercultural Communication
2. Challenge gender norms; avoid using “he”
and “man” to refer to a general group of people.
To remedy this, you may use plural pronouns
or rewrite a sentence to avoid using pronouns.
The use of his/her is also acceptable.
3. Do not talk down on younger people and the
elderly.
4. Be sensitive to the religious practices of
others.
5. Be polite at all times; do not belittle people
you perceive to be on a lower social class than
you.
 Characteristics of Competent
Intercultural Communication

Write T before each number if the statement

is true and F if the statement is false.
_____
T 1. Intercultural communication occurs
when there is interaction and negotiation
between or among individuals from different
cultural backgrounds.
_____
F
2. Intercultural communication refers
only to communication that happens
between or among individuals from different
nations
 Characteristics of Competent
Intercultural Communication
F
_____ 3. Communication that exists between
or among individuals from different ethnic,
religious, and regional backgrounds and
sexual orientations is not considered as
intercultural.
T
_____ 4. The DMIS by Bennett and Bennett
(2004) can be used to understand those who
do not recognize other cultures and cannot
communicate interculturally.
F
_____ 5. The denial stage could be interpreted
as distrust towards other cultures.
 Characteristics of Competent
Intercultural Communication
T
_____ 6. The acceptance stage refers to
recognition of cultural differences.
_____
T 7. In the adaptation stage, individuals
begin to integrate with other cultures.
_____
T 8. Cultural sensitivity matters in
intercultural communication.
T
_____ 9. One character trait of a competent
communicator is sensitivity to nonverbal cues
in other cultures.
T
_____ 10. A competent communicator is a
person who is effective in intercultural
communication.
 Characteristics of Competent
Intercultural Communication

Think of some people whom you interacted

with who differ from you in terms of culture,
gender, age, religion, or social status.

So what can you say about the interaction?

 Characteristics of Competent
Intercultural Communication

What can you say about this?

“The essence of effective cross-

cultural communication has more
to do with releasing the right
responses than with sending the
‘right’ message.”