Intercultural Communication

Summary

Dr. Steve Klein introduces the complexities of intercultural communication, emphasizing its importance in our globalized world. He discusses the concept of culture, the challenges of ethnocentrism, and the necessity of intercultural communication competence (ICC). Key cultural dimensions by Edward T. Hall and Gert Hofstede are explored, including context, individualism vs. collectivism, and power distance, using the film 'The Joy Luck Club' to illustrate cultural misunderstandings. The goal is to improve communication effectiveness across cultural boundaries.

Takeaways

• 🌐 Dr. Steve Klein introduces the concept of intercultural communication as a complex subfield within communication studies, emphasizing the importance of understanding cultural differences for effective and ethical communication.
• 🌟 Culture is defined as the ongoing negotiation of learned and patterned beliefs, attitudes, values, and behaviors, which is broader than just nationality or ethnicity and includes race, gender, socioeconomic class, and more.
• 🔄 Culture is dynamic, passed down through generations, and while it predates and will likely outlive individuals, it is not monolithic or unchanging.
• 🤝 Intercultural communication involves communication between people with differing cultural identities and can be prone to miscommunication due to differing learned norms and values.
• 👁️ Other-focused orientation is a common challenge in intercultural communication where one's own culture is seen as the norm, potentially leading to ethnocentrism or viewing one's own culture as superior.
• 🌱 Ethnocentrism is a problematic but common stance that arises from discomfort with cultural differences and a tendency to value one's own cultural norms over others.
• 📚 Intercultural Communication Competence (ICC) is the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately in various cultural contexts, which is increasingly important in a globalized world.
• 🏛 Edward T. Hall's concept of context in communication is crucial, with cultures varying between low context, where verbal communication is emphasized, and high context, where nonverbal and contextual cues are key.
• 🌍 Gert Hofstede's dimensions of cultural difference provide a framework for understanding specific communication tendencies across cultures, including individualism vs. collectivism and power distance.
• 🎬 The clip from 'The Joy Luck Club' illustrates the practical challenges of intercultural communication, highlighting the misunderstandings that can occur when cultural norms and expectations clash.
• 🛑 Understanding cultural differences such as low vs. high context and Hofstede's cultural dimensions can help avoid miscommunication and foster intercultural competence.

Q & A

Who is Dr. Steve Klein and what is his role in the video?

Dr. Steve Klein is a professor from the Department of Communication at the University of Missouri. In the video, he serves as the instructor, providing an introduction to intercultural communication.

What is the purpose of the video according to Dr. Klein?

The purpose of the video is to introduce fundamental concepts of intercultural communication, highlighting important issues faced in this field, and to help improve the effectiveness and ethical nature of communication across different cultural identities.

How does Dr. Klein define 'culture' in the context of the video?

Dr. Klein defines culture as the ongoing negotiation of learned and patterned beliefs, attitudes, values, and behaviors. It is not limited to nationality or ethnicity but includes a broad range of group identities such as race, regional identities, gender, sexuality, socioeconomic class, religion, etc.

What are the two common challenges to intercultural communication mentioned by Dr. Klein?

The two common challenges mentioned are having an 'other-focused orientation' and the potential for 'ethnocentrism', which is the tendency to view one's own culture as superior to others.

What is 'intercultural communication competence' (ICC) as described by Dr. Klein?

Intercultural communication competence (ICC) is the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately in various cultural contexts. It involves being aware of and understanding principles that enable one to see where another culture is coming from.

Who is Edward T. Hall and what concept did he introduce to understand cultural communication?

Edward T. Hall is an anthropologist who introduced the concept of 'context' to understand cultural communication. He proposed a continuum between low context and high context cultures to explain how meaning is generated within an interaction.

What does 'low context culture' mean according to Edward T. Hall?

A low context culture is one where much of the meaning in an interaction comes from verbal communication. It is characterized by saying what one means and meaning what one says, valuing clarity and directness in communication.

What is the difference between 'low power distance' and 'high power distance' cultures as per Hofstede's model?

In a low power distance culture, there is a preference for equality of status and power among members of various institutions. In contrast, a high power distance culture expects and accepts unequal power between superiors and subordinates.

What is the significance of the film 'The Joy Luck Club' in illustrating intercultural communication challenges?

The film 'The Joy Luck Club' is used to illustrate the challenges of intercultural communication through the story of Chinese-American women and their mothers. It shows the tensions between embracing U.S. culture and maintaining traditional Chinese cultural practices.

How does the dinner scene in 'The Joy Luck Club' demonstrate cultural misunderstandings?

The dinner scene demonstrates cultural misunderstandings through Rich's actions, such as taking more food than is customary, making a toast without understanding the social cues, and criticizing the cooking, which are all seen as disrespectful in a traditional Chinese context.

What are Hofstede's six dimensions of cultural difference?

Hofstede's six dimensions of cultural difference are individualism versus collectivism, high power distance versus low power distance, masculinity versus femininity, low tolerance for uncertainty versus high tolerance for uncertainty, long-term orientation versus short-term orientation, and indulgence versus restraint.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 Introduction to Intercultural Communication

Dr. Steve Klein introduces the concept of intercultural communication as a complex and multifaceted field within communication studies. He acknowledges the limitations of a single video in covering the entire field and instead focuses on providing fundamental concepts and important issues encountered in intercultural communication. Culture is defined as the ongoing negotiation of learned and patterned beliefs, attitudes, values, and behaviors, which are passed down through generations and affect how individuals perceive themselves and the world. The video aims to enhance the effectiveness and ethical nature of communication across different cultural identities.

05:01

🔄 Understanding Cultural Dynamics and Challenges

This paragraph delves into the broader understanding of culture beyond nationality and ethnicity, encompassing race, regional identities, gender, sexuality, socioeconomic class, religion, and more. It highlights the importance of recognizing the impact of culture on self-perception and worldview. The paragraph also discusses the potential for miscommunication in intercultural communication due to differing cultural matrices learned from birth and passed through generations. Two common challenges are identified: the other-focused orientation, which can lead to ethnocentrism, and the need for intercultural communication competence (ICC) in an increasingly globalized world.

10:02

🌐 Contextualizing Communication: Low vs. High Context Cultures

Dr. Klein explores the concept of context in communication as introduced by anthropologist Edward T. Hall. Cultures are viewed on a continuum between low and high context, with low context cultures relying heavily on verbal communication for meaning and high context cultures relying on nonverbal and contextual cues. The distinction is important for understanding how different cultures communicate and the potential for misunderstanding when these contexts are not recognized or respected.

15:04

📊 Hofstede's Dimensions of Cultural Differences

The paragraph discusses Gert Hofstede's six dimensions of cultural differences, which are individualism versus collectivism, high power distance versus low power distance, masculinity versus femininity, low tolerance for uncertainty versus high tolerance, long-term orientation versus short-term orientation, and indulgence versus restraint. These dimensions provide a framework for understanding the variations in communication patterns and preferences across cultures and are crucial for developing intercultural communication competence.

20:08

🎥 The Joy Luck Club: A Case Study in Intercultural Miscommunication

Using a clip from the 1993 film 'The Joy Luck Club,' the paragraph illustrates the challenges of intercultural communication through the story of Waverly and her American fiancé, Rich, who struggles to understand and navigate the traditional Chinese culture of Waverly's mother during a family dinner. The scene highlights the differences between individualistic and collectivist values, low and high context communication, and low and high power distance norms, emphasizing the importance of cultural awareness and sensitivity in intercultural interactions.

25:08

🚀 Advancing Intercultural Communication Competence

The final paragraph emphasizes the importance of understanding cultural differences, such as low versus high context cultures and Hofstede's six dimensions, in achieving intercultural communication competence. By recognizing and appreciating the cultural orientations of others, individuals can avoid ethnocentrism and improve their ability to communicate effectively in various cultural contexts. The video concludes by inviting viewers to ask questions and engage further with the topic.

Keywords

💡Intercultural Communication

Intercultural Communication refers to the exchange of information between individuals from different cultural backgrounds. It is the central theme of the video, emphasizing the complexity and importance of understanding cultural differences in communication. The script discusses how intercultural communication can be fraught with miscommunication due to differing cultural norms and values.

💡Culture

Culture is defined in the script as the ongoing negotiation of learned and patterned beliefs, attitudes, values, and behaviors. It is a broad concept that encompasses not only nationality and ethnicity but also race, gender, sexuality, and socioeconomic class. The script illustrates how culture is passed down through generations and impacts our self-perception and interactions with others.

💡Other-Focused Orientation

An other-focused orientation is a perspective where one's own culture is seen as the norm, and others are judged in comparison to this norm. The script warns that this can lead to ethnocentrism and hinders effective intercultural communication by establishing a power dynamic that is not conducive to mutual understanding and respect.

💡Ethnocentrism

Ethnocentrism is the tendency to view one's own culture as superior to others. The script explains that it stems from discomfort or anxiety when encountering cultural differences and can be problematic in intercultural communication as it prevents open-minded engagement with other cultures.

💡Intercultural Communication Competence (ICC)

Intercultural Communication Competence (ICC) is the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately in various cultural contexts. The script highlights ICC as a goal for those who wish to improve their intercultural communication skills, pointing out its relevance in an increasingly globalized world.

💡Context

Context, as introduced by anthropologist Edward T. Hall, refers to the way cultural communication is influenced by the environment and nonverbal cues. The script discusses low context and high context cultures, explaining how meaning is conveyed differently in each, with high context cultures relying more on nonverbal and contextual cues.

💡Low Context Culture

A low context culture is one where verbal communication is emphasized, and people tend to say what they mean and mean what they say. The script uses the United States as an example of a low context culture, where clarity and directness in verbal communication are valued.

💡High Context Culture

A high context culture relies heavily on nonverbal and contextual cues to convey meaning. The script explains that in such cultures, understanding the full meaning of communication requires being attuned to these cues, which can be challenging for those from low context cultures.

💡Gert Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions

Gert Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions are a framework for understanding cultural differences across six continuums: individualism vs. collectivism, power distance, masculinity vs. femininity, uncertainty avoidance, long-term vs. short-term orientation, and indulgence vs. restraint. The script uses these dimensions to explore how cultural values can affect communication patterns and preferences.

💡Individualism vs. Collectivism

Individualism vs. Collectivism is one of Hofstede's cultural dimensions that contrasts cultures valuing personal autonomy and independence with those emphasizing group interdependence. The script illustrates this concept through the example of the United States being more individualistic compared to more collectivist cultures in East Asia.

💡Power Distance

Power Distance is a cultural dimension that measures the extent to which less powerful members of a society accept and expect power to be distributed unequally. The script explains that low power distance cultures, like the United States, prefer equality, while high power distance cultures accept and expect significant power disparities.

💡The Joy Luck Club

The Joy Luck Club is a film used in the script to illustrate the challenges of intercultural communication. It depicts the tensions between Chinese-American daughters and their Chinese mothers, particularly around the dinner table, where cultural misunderstandings and differences in communication styles become apparent.

Highlights

Introduction to intercultural communication as a complex subfield in communication studies.

Fundamental concepts provided for understanding intercultural communication beyond just scholarship to practical effectiveness and ethics.

Culture defined as the ongoing negotiation of learned and patterned beliefs, attitudes, values, and behaviors.

The broad concept of culture includes not only nationality and ethnicity but also race, gender, sexuality, and socioeconomic class.

Intercultural communication is communication between people with differing cultural identities, prone to miscommunication.

Challenge of establishing common ground in intercultural communication due to differing learned matrices from birth.

The concept of an other-focused orientation and its potential to create power dynamics and ethnocentrism.

Ethnocentrism as a defense mechanism against discomfort in intercultural encounters.

Intercultural Communication Competence (ICC) as the ability to communicate effectively in various cultural contexts.

Importance of ICC in the 21st century's globalized world with porous national boundaries.

Edward T. Hall's concept of context in cultural communication, differentiating low context and high context cultures.

Gert Hofstede's dimensions of cultural differences providing a framework for understanding specific communication tendencies.

Individualism vs. Collectivism as a cultural continuum affecting communication and group identity.

Power Distance as a cultural dimension influencing perceptions of authority and equality.

The impact of low context vs. high context cultures, individualism vs. collectivism, and power distance on intercultural communication episodes.

Cultural differences depicted in the film 'The Joy Luck Club' illustrating challenges in intercultural communication.

The necessity of understanding cultural orientations for effective and appropriate communication in diverse contexts.

Encouragement for viewers to seek further understanding and ask questions about intercultural communication.

Transcripts

[Music]

hi

i'm dr steve klein from the department

of communication at the university of

missouri

this is the latest in a series of online

video lessons intended to provide you

important principles and helpful

concepts for the study of communication

this video is intended to be an

introduction to

intercultural communication now

intercultural communication

is a vast and multifaceted and complex

subfield in the area of communication

studies and one video

is just not going to be able to be

comprehensive and do the field justice

so i'm not going to try to do that

instead what i want to do

is to provide some fundamental concepts

to give you a sense

of some of the most important issues

that one faces when engaging

intercultural communication

and not just from the standpoint of

scholarship but importantly

from the standpoint of those of us who

want to try to improve the effectiveness

and the ethical nature of the

communication that we engage in

whenever we encounter folks from another

cultural standpoint

now in order to understand intercultural

communication

we need to have a good sense of what we

mean by culture and in a previous video

in the series

we took a look at what culture means and

the distinction between

understanding culture and understanding

society

as different ways of thinking about

group identity

simply put culture is the ongoing

negotiation of learned and patterned

beliefs

attitudes values and behaviors sometimes

when we think about culture

we often consider it to be a relatively

narrow thing that has to do

with a nationality or an ethnic

background

but culture really is something that's

more broad

and more important than that we're not

just talking about nationalities and

ethnicities

but we're talking about everything from

race to

regional identities to gender and

sexuality

ability and disability socioeconomic

class

religion what all of these group

identities have in common

is that over the course of history as

passed down in a communicative

and educational process passing down

beliefs attitudes values the norms

and rules of how one ought to think of

themselves

and how one ought to think of the world

and other people and how to act on those

norms

and culture is something that is passed

down from generation to generation

and provides a not a monolithic and

unchanging sense of who one is as a

member of a group

but it's something that is embedded in

our lives from the

time that we're born until the time that

we pass on it's something that predates

us

and chances are it's going to outlive us

and so

when we think about culture and the ways

in which

it has a profound impact on how we look

at ourselves and how we look at the

world

you can imagine that when we get into

intercultural communication

and here comes the easiest definition in

the video communication between people

with differing cultural identities

you can imagine that intercultural

communication is going to be something

that is potentially

fraught with miscommunication because

when you've got

two people or two groups and each of

those persons or groups

has been embedded in a complex matrix

learned from the time that they're born

and something that has been passed

throughout history and throughout

generations

regarding history and philosophy

and the norms for how we look at

ourselves and other people

rules and norms for how we're supposed

to act how we're supposed to treat other

people in different situations

this is something that is occasionally

going to be

really problematic to find common ground

if we're not trying to find that common

ground

and so two really common and

linked potential challenges to

intercultural communication

really need to be thought about

intentionally if we want to try to

improve our intercultural communication

skills

the first is what's referred to as an

other focused

orientation often when we communicate

with somebody from a different cultural

standpoint

we immediately and to some extent this

is natural

right we take the position that

ours is the norm the way in which

i think i act i look at the world on the

day-to-day

that's something that i take for granted

as

the way things are and so when i

encounter somebody

that brings difference to this encounter

i think about them

as the other i am going to judge them

and evaluate what they're doing as

something that is somehow

different from the norm the

default if you will that i embody in

myself

and of course the problem there is is it

automatically

establishes that the person with whom

you are engaged

is somehow off the norm somehow

different from what is supposed to be

rather than having a cultural standpoint

that is just as justified and just as

normal to that person as our cultural

standpoint is to us

so an other focused orientation

establishes

a power dynamic between the two of us

that is going to make

it really difficult to mutually

understand and treat each other

with the kind of respect that we need

now of course taken to

its logical conclusion and other focused

orientation

may in fact result in ethnocentrism our

tendency to view our own culture

as superior to other cultures when we

find ourselves in a situation

when we're dealing with someone from a

different cultural standpoint than the

one that we're used to

we feel uncomfortable because we are not

able to expect and anticipate all of

those things that we take for granted

when we're engaged in communication with

someone who is in the same

cultural framework that we are right so

one of the things that we often do to

defend ourselves against

that kind of discomfort that kind of

anxiety in some cases

is to look at the things that are

easiest and most comfortable for

us as better than those others because

well i don't feel any anxiety or

discomfort

when i look at things from the point of

view that i'm familiar with and

cultures and the ideologies that they

construct have a tendency to

inculcate a sense of comfort

and indeed pride in the kind of cultural

identity that we have

so ethnocentrism is

and this is not at all to justify

necessarily

maintaining an ethnocentric standpoint

it's only to recognize that

ethnocentrism

is something that is very common and

though it's problematic

it comes from a place that's relatively

easy to understand

now that being said we do not want to be

satisfied with

resting on an other focused ethnocentric

standpoint when communicating with those

from other cultural perspectives

the goal that we have rather is what a

lot of scholars in this area refer to as

intercultural communication competence

icc for short intercultural

communication competence essentially

is the ability to communicate

effectively and appropriately

in various cultural contexts and indeed

in a 21st century international

political economy

and information society where the

boundaries between nations

are becoming more porous than ever in a

whole host of professional careers

and public activities interacting with

those from other cultural standpoints

is something that is increasingly

impossible to avoid

and this is especially true when you

consider that we're not just talking

about

international or inter-ethnic

communication difference when we're

talking about intercultural

communication

we're talking about communication

between peoples of different races or

religions

or regional identities gender and sexual

orientations and so forth

so intercultural communication

competence involves being aware of

and consciously working on understanding

those principles

that enable us to see where another

culture is coming from

rather than just automatically defaulted

as well that's different than

us and so there's some important ideas

we want to think about

as we approach this idea the first and

one of the easiest to start getting a

handle on

comes from anthropologist edward t hall

who

came up with the idea of context

as a way of understanding cultural

communication

in his book the silent language in 1959

when we think about

context and culture from hall's

standpoint he's envisioning

thinking about cultures on a continuum

between

low context cultures and high context

cultures

on the one hand in a low context culture

much of the meaning generated within an

interaction

comes from the verbal communication

that's used

so if you live in the united states for

instance

and you identify yourself as part of u.s

culture you live in a low context

culture and we often describe this kind

of communication

as saying what we mean and meaning what

we say

when we use such cliches as getting

straight to the point or

avoiding beating around the bush the

idea is

we place a premium on the clarity

of using words in ways that we mean

as literally as possible and so

we get rather confused and sometimes

offended

when we encounter folks from other

cultures that

understand communication from a high

context perspective

a high context culture is one in which

much of the meaning comes from

nonverbal and contextual cues in other

words

we can say things using language using

words

but a lot of how we understand what

those words mean

are not going to come from the words

themselves but they're going to come

from

other kinds of assumptions that somebody

within the cultural framework is going

to understand

everything from facial expression and

body language

to the way that we say things in certain

environmental settings as opposed to

other environmental settings

and so we can't necessarily take for

granted

that what somebody explicitly says

word wise is necessarily everything that

they mean

now we want to make sure that we're

being clear that being low context

and being high context is not to be read

as being clear as opposed to

not being clear because someone that's

coming from a high context culture

is going to understand that the verbal

nonverbal and contextual cues and the

communication

that are put together in certain ways

are going to be

exceedingly clear for the people that

exist in those cultures

and then somebody coming in from a low

context culture

that can't understand and is unable to

read the nonverbal and contextual cues

well that person really isn't all that

competent as a communicator

from the standpoint of these cultural

norms

so let's take this idea of low context

and high context cultures

and bring to it another set of ideas

that were developed

in the middle part of the 20th century

that have come to really define

a lot of the state of the art and how we

understand

specific communication tendencies from

cultures

and these ideas these dimensions of

cultural communication

come from gert hofstede who actually did

much of his work as a personal

researcher for the ibm

corporation when he was trying to engage

in research

in order to understand how can we best

communicate

with one another as an international

multinational corporation with offices

all around the world

when we have people that communicate

from very different cultural standpoints

so in his 1980 book culture's

consequences international differences

and work-related values

hofstede articulated six dimensions of

culture

or rather six dimensions of cultural

difference again that we can understand

in terms of continuums

those dimensions are individualism

versus collectivism

high power distance versus low power

distance masculinity

versus femininity low tolerance for

uncertainty and a desire to avoid it

versus a higher tolerance and comfort

with uncertainty

long-term orientation versus short-term

orientation

and indulgence versus restraint

let's take a look at each of these

dimensions one at a time to see

how they might account for different

ways in which cultures

are going to look at the world and

subsequently the kinds of communication

patterns they're going to prefer

from the standpoint of individualism

versus collectivism

we're looking at a continuum that

essentially puts into tension

the individual isolated person versus

the community

so a culture that privileges

individualism values

independence in an individualist culture

individual choices and decisions are

expected

and those are the most important things

to do asserting yourself

as an individual as someone with

autonomy and free choice is absolutely

important

as opposed to a collectivist culture

where interdependence

is much more important folks in a

collectivist culture

see themselves not as much as

individuals

as they are members of larger wholes i

am a member of a family

i'm a member of a community i am an

employee

of a company i am a resident

of a province or a nation and i think

about my relationship to the rest of the

group

as something that's on balance more

important than my own autonomous

identity

so if you take a look at the world map

that uh hofstede and his

associates have done in their studies

you can see

that the lighter colored nations on the

map are going to be

nations that are more collectivist as

opposed to

the darker colored nations on the map

that are going to be more

individualist and it should come as no

surprise to anyone familiar with u.s

culture

that the united states is a far more

individualist culture

than most nations in the world

particularly when you think about more

collectivist cultures

in places like east asia

besides collectivism and individualism

another real

important continuum in these dimensions

of culture

has to do with power distance when

you're dealing with a low

power distance culture and the united

states is another example of this

we have a preference for equality of

status and power

between the members of various

institutions

when you think about family members when

you think about

people that work together in a workplace

when you think about leadership of

a state or a nation as opposed to the

citizens who

may be responsible for putting that

leader into power in a low power

distance culture

we really place a premium on the fact

that no one

is in a position of power or authority

that makes it impossible for the rest of

us

to have equal fair status now

by contrast in a high power distance

culture this kind of culture expects

and accepts unequal power between

superiors and subordinates

if you are a member of a family those

who are

older your parents your elders

they are going to be in a superior power

relationship

relative to you as a younger member of

that family and that's something that

you accept without question

and the same kind of acceptance of power

distance in things like the workplace

and in the political structure of the

nation

is something that people in a high power

distance culture

are going to take for granted and indeed

expect it

and those who are in a relatively

subordinate position

that somehow speak out and challenge the

authority of those

who are in an acceptably superior

position well

they're the ones that are being abnormal

and problematic

and as you can imagine again if you're

familiar with u.s culture

the united states as well as many other

western nations in europe

see themselves as very low power

distance

as opposed to many nations again we can

look to south and east asia

as well as many african nations as much

more high power distance cultures

where structures of authority and power

between superiors and subordinates is

something that's really taken for

granted

there are some other dimensions of

cultural difference that hofstede

talks about that we want to attend to

but before we do that

let's take an opportunity to try to

understand

how such things as low context versus

high context culture

individualism versus collectivism and

low power distance versus high power

distance

might have a profound effect on an

intercultural communication

episode what i want to do is share with

you a brief clip from a 1993 film called

the joy luck club

the joy luck club is about two

generations of

chinese and chinese-american women the

mothers in this story

all have emigrated from china to the

united states

at certain points in their lives and

then had chinese american daughters

while they were living in the united

states and the stories

talk about the tensions that exist

between

the chinese american daughters who

essentially were

raised to embrace u.s culture

uh struggling against the chinese

culture that really defines the lives of

their parents especially their mothers

and in the scene we're about to see

you're going to meet waverly

and her mother waverly is thinking about

getting married

to an anglo-american fiance

and brings this fiance rich home to meet

the family

for the mother's birthday party and

intercultural

communication problems start cropping up

once they hit the dinner table

[Music]

the next week i brought rich to mom's

birthday dinner sort of a surprise

present

i figured she was going to have to

accept rich like it or not

oh mitch this is my father how you doing

happy birthday how are you

i'm good and ma this is rich

great to meet you boy something smells

wonderful

i guess we came to the right place huh

there you are

you know waverly has been telling me

that you are the best

cook

i think maybe we got her

so many spots on his face

of course the night was still young

thank god i already prepped him on the

emily post of chinese manners

actually there were a few things i

forgot

to mention

uh let me make a toast he shouldn't have

had that second glass

when everyone else had had only half an

inch just for taste

shrimp my favorite

he should have taken only a small

spoonful of the best dish until everyone

had had a helping

he has good appetite

he shouldn't have bragged he was a fast

learner

but the worst was when rich criticized

my mother's cooking

and he didn't even know what he had done

as is the chinese cooks custom my mother

always

insults her own cooking but only with

the dishes he serves with special pride

this dish not salty enough

no flavor it's too bad to eat but

please

that was our cue to eat some

and proclaim it the best she'd ever made

you know linda

all this needs is a little soy sauce

so how'd your mom react when you told

her about the wedding

it never came up

how come

she'd rather get rectal cancer

oh

as you can probably gather from that

cringe-worthy episode we just saw

not only did rich have a difficult time

connecting with the traditional chinese

culture of waverly's mother

but he also was rather clueless about it

in a way that really speaks to the

cultural differences

between somebody who grew up very firmly

in a u.s

cultural standpoint as opposed to

someone who came of age

and practices a traditional chinese

cultural standpoint

rich is looking out for himself not only

in making sure that he is able to enjoy

the things that he wants to enjoy in the

meal

but also in taking a very active role

in communicating with the family trying

to essentially establish himself

as a very strong and charismatic figure

and so

there's a lot of emphasis on rich's

individualism

that really seems to ignore the

importance

of respecting the collective around that

chinese dinner table

sharing things making sure that

everybody has something

before having some extra for instance

we can also see that rich particularly

struggles

with the difference between a low

context and a high context culture

rich is assuming that when people say

things

they mean exactly what they say but the

traditional

chinese sitting around that dinner table

know

full well that when mom says certain

things and does certain

things during the ritual behaviors that

take place at a traditional family

dinner

that they don't necessarily always mean

what the words themselves say you have

to take it

in the context of the larger ritual of

the family dinner

and rich doesn't understand that and he

really screws up as a consequence

and finally in that very last moment

where he

expresses some confusion to waverly as

to why

waverly didn't bring up the fact that

they were going to get married

he doesn't understand that waverly is

really struggling

with a high power distance norm in the

family

it is absolutely important to waverly

that

her parents in particular her mother

approve of rich

before moving forward with something as

monumental as a wedding

she can't even possibly think about

making that kind of announcement

without first having the approval of

mother

whereas as far as rich is concerned

they're two grown adults

they're gonna get married and it really

doesn't make any difference if mom or

dad approve

or not and so he didn't really

understand

that waverly was simply not in a

position to be able to make that

announcement

and of course this isn't to say that he

had a problem with waverly's position

he was just confused because he missed

all of the important

nonverbal and contextual cues that went

down in that dinner

he thought everything went well whereas

waverly knew

that rich made a very poor impression

during that dinner

besides the cultural continuum between

individualist and collectivist cultures

and between low power distance and high

power distance cultures

hofstede's 6d model of national culture

has four additional continua

with dimensions that focus on a wide

variety of possible cultural differences

that those who want to engage in

effective cross-cultural communication

really need to consider what we've

talked about so far however

gives us a good introductory sense of

some of the most

important issues facing those who want

to be competent

in intercultural communication now

what's the point of

understanding low versus high context

cultures and

understanding the continuum of these six

dimensions of culture

well remember that the more we

understand about other cultures

the greater opportunity we have to reach

that ideal goal

of intercultural communication

competence we're going to be in a better

position

to be able to communicate effectively

and appropriately

in various cultural contexts if we have

some kind of

understanding going into those

encounters

first of all that folks are going to

have cultural orientations that can be

very different from ours

and even better if we have a sense of

what some of those

alternate cultural standpoints might be

we have a better shot

at being able to appreciate them on

their merits

rather than automatically default to an

other centered orientation

or rest in the comfort of problematic

ethnocentrism

if you've got questions about this or

any of the other videos in this series

please don't hesitate to let me know

otherwise

i'll see you next time

[Music]

you