What Is Intercultural Communication?

Introduction According to Matthews & Thakkar (2012) achieving the most effective form of intercultural communication has been an ongoing challenge for global organizations. In the cases of schools, medical facilities, and organizations all over the world, it is plausible to conceive how bilingualism is rapidly transitioning to multicultural and multilingual. Being a leader in a multinational organization and being married to a Cuban man, my own life is inundated with an explosion of intercultural interactions. Therefore, I found it intriguing to research intercultural communication between people of Latin decent and Anglo Saxon decent to best gauge effectiveness in intercultural communication. This will be done by evaluating what symbolic

There are many studies on communication, but from a fundamental approach Williams’ analysis of communication is that it is a basic human need, a basic human right; and more than this, it is a basic human power. (Williams, 2000) Further research suggests there are many forms of communication in the world today such as body language, expression of verbal words, written text, images and pictures. More specifically, we know that words carry meanings, which we learn initially through socialization and education. (Dinica, 2013) It is the social and educational influences around us, in any culture, that at early ages dictates our view and use of communication.

Communication occurs through symbolism. (Gudykunst & Kim, 2003) Symbols convey concepts (Light & McNaughton, 2014) and in the realm of communication, symbolic communication transmits messages interpreted by the receiver. (Gudykunst & Kim, 2003) Symbolic communication is probably the most powerful form of communication. Symbolic communication comes in various forms such as the facial expressions displayed from one person to another, as well as the positioning of one’s body indicating the level of interest in the

Through the process of developing our own personalities and perspectives in life, we begin to identify with a particular culture. Gudykunst & Kim (2003) identify that symbols and language usage remind us of our cultures, but they operate mindlessly, beyond our conscious awareness. Thus, we display our cultural identity subconsciously in the form of our language, dialect, appearance, and behavior in different situations. As an individual connects with a cultural identity, all the people around us connects with a culture, although not the same cultures, and often conflict with one