Culture Influences Communication
Culture is often described as a set of traditions, rules, beliefs, norms, values, or standards of behaviors.
Sometimes it is described as the way you do things. You encounter different cultures every day, and it is
not always when you come into contact with people from different countries or ethnic backgrounds. Your
family has a culture that may be different from your neighbor's culture, even if you and your neighbor are
of the same ethnicity. Culture affects many aspects of life, including how you talk, what you wear, certain
rituals such as shaking hands, and how much space you allow between yourself and others. When
communicating with people, your culture has an impact.
Elements of Culture
Dominant Cultures
When multiple cultures blend together, such as what we see in
the United States, one culture usually emerges as the dominant
culture. This dominant culture usually is represented in the
culture via the established language, certain behaviors, religion,
and social customs. Although the society may acknowledge its
various cultures, it typically adopts the holidays and other
traditions of the dominant culture.
Cultural Characteristics in
Communication
Although all cultures communicate utilizing both non-verbal and
verbal elements, different cultures communicate differently.
Some cultures may depend more heavily on non-verbal cues,
environmental factors, the situation itself, while others tend to
focus more on what is spoken. Cultures that focus more on
words are called low-context cultures.
Ways to Improve Intercultural
Communication
Communicating with people from other cultures can cause
miscommunications. It is important to recognize that although
someone may look just like you, they may embody a completely
different culture than you do. One way to improve the
communication is to simply be interested in the cultures of
others. If you talk with someone from a different culture, express
an interest in learning about their culture.
Intrapersonal Communication
This module focuses on how your view of yourself and your general perception affects your
communication with others. Your personal thoughts, your dreams, and even those conversations you
have with yourself are examples of intrapersonal communication. Terms like self-concept, self-image,
self-esteem, and personality describe yourself and impact your communication, both interpersonal and
intrapersonal.
Elements Interpersonal Communication
Self-Concept
When you are asked to describe yourself you may present a list
of traits and characteristics such as your appearance, race,
talents, and your family role; this is your self-concept. Your selfconcept is an assessment of traits, characteristics and
judgments that you use to describe yourself.
Self-Image
Your self-image is similar to your self-concept, although it is a
more general and complete view of yourself. While your selfconcept can refer to the view you have of yourself in specific
situations, your self-image is a complete picture of yourself,
which is more permanent and includes a combination of how
you view yourself and the evaluation of how others see you.
Self-Esteem
Self-esteem consists of your sense of self-worth and the level of
satisfaction you have with yourself. Self-image directly affects
self-esteem. A good self-image raises your self-esteem, while a
poor self-image results in low self-esteem, insecurity, and little
confidence.
Self-Awareness
Self-awareness is the extent to which you know yourself.
Understanding your self-concept and how it develops provides
one way to increase your self-awareness. The more you
understand about why you view yourself a certain way, the more
you will understand about yourself in general and who you are.
Perception
Perception is the process of acquiring, interpreting, and
organizing information that is received through your senses. This
process allows you to become conscious of situations in your
environment that are dangerous and require attention in order to
survive. Everything that you perceive through your senses
(sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste) is called stimulus.
The Importance of Listening
Listening is a core competency skill necessary to effectively communicate. As our text explains, we spend
more time listening (45 percent) than speaking (30 percent), reading (16 percent) or writing (9 percent).
You would think that our listening skills would be better considering all our practice. Yet, internal and
external obstacles get in the way. Our lives are filled with various tasks and responsibilities. As students,
you must juggle personal and professional responsibilities, handling all those last-minute tasks that fight
for your attention. Who has the time to engage completely to one conversation, right? Effective listening
has the potential to be the biggest time saver for the overwhelmed individual. Think about how many
arguments or misunderstandings can be linked back to poor listening. Investing in listening makes better
use of your time. You spend less time asking people to repeat important information. In this module, we
will examine the art of listening and identify best practices for improvement.
Guidelines to Effective Listening
We have all said the following phrase: "Do you hear me?" Usually, what we really mean is: "Are you
listening to me?" Hearing and listening are not the same thing. Hearing is the physiological act of your
ears perceiving a sound and transmitting the auditory sensation to your brain. Listening consists of three
components: hearing, interpreting, and understanding.
There are six components of effective listening:
Motivating yourself to listen:
Making eye contact with the speaker will help you focus and pay
attention to the non-verbal indicators.
Clearly hearing the message:
Try to reduce noise (external or internal) or anything that fights
for your attention.
Paying attention to the
message:
Examine what the speaker says (verbal) and how the speaker
says it (non-verbal).
Correctly interpreting the
message:
Remember meaning is in people. To interpret correctly, you
need to be mindful of personal biases, past experiences, and
established relationships.
Evaluating the message:
In order to evaluate effectively, you have to listen to the entire
message. Avoid jumping to conclusions or inferring. Listen. Then
respond.
Remembering and responding
appropriately:
Don't be afraid to ask questions if you need clarification. You
can also paraphrase (using your own words to restate the
speaker's message).
Listening Types
This type of listening, also referred to as "critical listening," focuses on facts, information, or ideas. That
listening can be active or passive. It goes beyond just focusing on what we hear. We listen with our eyes
by monitoring body language and facial expressions. We listen by gauging the emotional climate of a
tense situation.
Remember to practice these positive listening skills:
Concentrate on every word.
Identify the main message.
Observe the speaker's feelings.
Paraphrase the speaker.
Focus on verbal and non-verbal.
Non-Listening: Poor Listening Habits
By now, we can all see the keys to effective listening. Now, let's cover the roadblocks. In today's hypercommunication environment, external noise comes in many shapes, sizes, and ringtones. Technological
mediums, like texting and social media sites, keep us away from active listening. There is a saturation of
communication tools at our disposal, but our listening skills are still lacking.
Prejudging the speaker or the
information:
Some of us will stop listening to a speaker after the first
sentence. Avoid this mindset. You never know what you will
miss. Keep an open mind. Ask questions to keep yourself
interested.
Interrupting:
This happens a lot during an argument. You interrupt the
speaker because you want to make your point. Or, you may
finish the speaker's sentence. Whatever the reason, interrupting
can have a negative effect. Be patient. Allow the speaker to
finish so you won't respond prematurely.
Daydreaming:
If a speaker fails to keep our attention, our minds will wander.
Then, we can be guilty of pseudo-listening, or pretending to
listen. You will offer filler phrases like "uh-huh" or "I know" to fool
the listener. Work on maintaining eye contact with the speaker.
Becoming distracted:
Distractions will always be around us. Turning off devices during
an important conversation will help the flow of communication.
Focusing on the speaker
instead of the message:
There are times when we focus more on the speaker than the
message. We fixate on appearance, language, delivery, or
personality. Before you know it, the speaker has finished, and
you're lost.
Becoming emotional:
This non-listening pitfall happens often. Both positive and
negative emotions can distract the listener. When you exhibit
emotions, it will also distract from the speaker's message. We all
have trigger words, or words that push our buttons to respond
immediately.
Listening only for facts:
There are times when we listen too intently. You can be focused
only on facts and not what the person means. If someone
misquotes a famous line, don't interrupt them to offer a
correction. Concentrate on the overall message.
Verbal Communication
Words can be concrete or abstract. Concrete words can be linked to a person or object (referent) to be
experienced in the physical sense. If I ask a room of children to draw a picture of a house, most of the
pictures will have similar traits…a standard building with walls, windows and doors. Abstract words,
however, exist mentally without representing a tangible object. If I ask that same group to draw a picture
of "home," those pictures will be very different and unique. We all have different definitions of what
"home" is. It's an abstract concept.
Adding to the language labyrinth are words that fall into the "confusing" category: slang, jargon, idioms,
clichés, and colloquialisms. You can also have miscommunication based on regional dialect and
language. These phrases can cause more problems than a tick in a strawberry patch.
Women's Speech Styles
Communication is a woman's primary way to establish and maintain relationships with others.
Equality between people is generally important.
Women choose words to show support for others.
During conversations, women pay more attention to feelings and the relationship between
communicators.
Women will invest in conversational "maintenance work" by working to sustain the conversation
by inviting others to speak and by prompting them to elaborate.
Women show responsiveness by way of inclusivity.
Women have a personal, concrete style of speaking.
Tentativeness can be seen in conversational style. This will include verbal hedges or qualifying
statements.
Men's Speech Styles
Men will define the goals of talk as exerting control, preserving independence, and enhancing
status.
Men like to establish their own status and value.
Men speak instrumentality and use speech to solve problems or get information.
Men display conversational dominance, oftentimes rerouting conversations by using what another
said as a "jump-off" point for their own topic.
Men express themselves in fairly absolute, assertive ways, tending to be more forceful, direct and
authoritative.
Men communicate more abstractly.
Men tend not to be highly responsive, especially not on the relationship level.
Key Terms for Verbal Communication
Denotation:
The denotation of words helps us wade through the uniqueness
of concrete and abstract language. Denotation is the dictionary
definition of a word. By using a word's denotation, we can
construct a mental picture of what the term means.
Connotation:
Through its connotation, a verbal message can evoke feelings.
Connotation is created by the emotional association you have
with a word, either positive or negative. While societies may
share connotative meanings, the level of emotional association
is based on personal experiences and feelings.
Polarization:
When verbal messages describe things in only two distinct areas
(right or wrong, good or bad, pretty or ugly, etc.), you are
practicing polarization, or thinking and talking in extremes. How
many things in life can be described using polarizing language?
Not many. For example, you may say that a television show is
good or bad. But, more specifically, you thought the acting was
bad, but the plot was good. It's better to be specific so your
audience won't have to decipher what you really mean.
Static Evaluation:
Change is inevitable. Yet, some people choose to not change
their language to match the change. Static evaluation is the
tendency to describe the world in outdated terms.
Non-Verbal Communication
Good communication skills can help you in both your personal and professional life. While verbal and
written communication skills are important, research has shown that non-verbal behaviors make up a
large percentage of our daily interpersonal communication. How can you improve your non-verbal
communication skills? The following top eight tips for non-verbal communication can help you learn to
read the non-verbal signals of other people and enhance your own ability to communicate effectively.
Non-Verbal Signals:
People can communicate information in numerous ways; so pay
attention to things like eye contact, gestures, posture, body
movements, and tone of voice.
Incongruent Behaviors:
If someone's words do not match their non-verbal behaviors,
you should pay careful attention
Tone of Voice:
Your tone of voice can convey a wealth of information, ranging
from enthusiasm to disinterest to anger.
Eye Contact:
When people fail to look others in the eye, it can seem as if they
are evading or trying to hide something. On the other hand, too
much eye contact can seem confrontational or intimidating.
While eye contact is an important part of communication, it's
important to remember that good eye contact does not mean
staring fixedly into someone's eyes.
Ask Questions About NonVerbal Signals
If you are confused about another person's non-verbal signals,
don't be afraid to ask questions. A good idea is to repeat back
your interpretation of what has been said and ask for
clarification.
Use Signals Appropriately
Remember that verbal and non-verbal communication work
together to convey a message. You can improve your spoken
communication by using non-verbal signals and gestures that
reinforce and support what you are saying.
Look at Group Signals
A single gesture can mean any number of things, or maybe even
nothing at all. The key to accurately reading non-verbal behavior
is to look for groups of signals that reinforce a common point.
Verbal and Non-Verbal Together
It is important to recognize the connection between verbal and non-verbal messages. Effective
communicators combine the two concepts to ensure clarity and comprehension. There are four
segments:
Substituting:
The non-verbal message replaces the verbal message.
Complementing:
The non-verbal message accompanies the verbal message.
Accenting:
The non-verbal message stresses or emphasizes the verbal
message.
Conflicting:
The verbal and non-verbal messages are in contrast to one
another.
Emotions and Feelings
In this module we will look at emotions and feelings. The words emotion and feeling tend to be used
interchangeably; however, they have somewhat different meanings. Learning the differences can help
you understand how thoughts, emotions, feelings, and behavior are intertwined.
It is important to have emotional awareness, develop empathy, and express feelings constructively. Your
capacity to understand, communicate, and manage emotions and feelings, as well as your ability to
understand and respond to the feelings of others, indicate your level of emotional intelligence (EI). EI
involves making good judgments about when to deal with emotions and when to put them on hold.
The Apology
The basic apology often references a simple "I'm sorry." According to the Harvard Business School
Working Knowledge Website, apologies are used for two main reasons: apologies help repair
relationships and help repair the reputation of the person apologizing. However, an apology may not be
as simple as it seems and often specific messages are needed to communicate an apology effectively. In
the reading for this week's lesson, "Effects of Timing and Sincerity of an Apology on Satisfaction and
Changes in Negative Feelings During Conflicts," the authors explore the nature of apologies and how
they help in repairing relationships and providing redemption for the wrongdoer.
Anger Management: SCREAM before you Scream
Self:
How important is this matter to you? Is it worth the physical and
emotional consequences that might affect you? For example, if
you face a conflict with another, could you be misperceiving the
situation? Are you reading too much into the communication?
What parts of the conflict are facts and what parts might you be
inferring? What is the intent of the other person regarding the
conflict? What is your part in the conflict?
Context:
Consider the situation where the conflict is occurring? Is it an
appropriate time and place to express concern or anger? Is
there another time and place that might be appropriate?
Receiver:
Is this the correct person with whom you want to express your
anger? For example, if you are angry at your significant other or
family member, is it appropriate to express anger to your boss
over a small incident at work? If you are angry at your coworkers
about a team project, should you express anger to your
children?
Effect (Immediate):
What outcome or effect do you want to achieve? Do you want to
express anger in hopes that your boss will take action against
your coworkers? Do you want to hurt another person? Do you
want to solve a problem? Do you want to express your point of
view?
Aftermath (Long term):
What are the long term implications of expressing your anger?
What might happen to the relationship? For example, if you
express anger to your significant other because you are angry at
your coworkers, will it damage your relationship? If you express
anger to your boss at work, will it affect your professional
demeanor?
Messages:
After you have reflected on each step and conclude that
expressing anger is appropriate, what message will you use to
communicate the anger? Are some expressions more
appropriate than others? What language will you use? Will you
be able to achieve the purpose through your intended message?
If you communication anger, do you have to do it in an angry
manner?
Relational Dialect Theory
Relational Dialect Theory, often referred to as RDT, was developed by theorists Baxter and Montgomery
in the late 1980s and refers to the constantly changing state of relationships. Much like communication,
relationships are not linear, but instead are in a constant state of change. RDT theory helps us
understand how communication and dialect inform and maintain different relationships.
Dialectal tension is known as the conflicting pulls that often cause relationships to be in a constant state
of change. Tensions can go back and forth in relationships and contradictions are a fundamental part of
relationships. The tensions happen on a daily basis. The contradictions are essential but sometimes
opposing, so it is important to recognize the pulls. Relational dialects are useful for helping interpret and
understand the varying dynamics of a relationship. Communication is central to navigating the conflicts or
pulls.
People will experience both internal and external dialects. Internal dialects exist within ourselves (two
people involved in a relationship), while external dialects happen with others outside the relationship. The
following pulls are part of the internal dialect.
Autonomy/Connection
This refers to the desire to be close and connected in a
relationship, as well as maintain individuality and independence
in the relationship. Individuals have to have time alone or they
may risk losing independent identity within a relationship.
Closedness/Openness
This refers to the desire to share everything with your partner,
but at the same time wanting to keep some information private.
Some feel it is important to share everything with their partner
and avoid keeping secrets. Others agree that privacy is
important for maintaining identity and unity in the relationship.
Novelty/Predictability
This refers to the pull or desire to achieve both predictability
while maintaining the variety that adds excitement, spontaneity
and mystery in a relationship to avoid becoming complacent or
bored. For example, you may find that you need more
excitement in your relationship if the activities you and your
partner participate in become repetitive.
Relationship Stages
Relationships are continuously changing. Some relationships may last a long time, while others may
deteriorate quickly. Researchers suggest that there are stages or cycles to every relationship. While
researchers label the relationships differently, there are parallels between the stages. The relationship
cycles generally fall into the following categories or stages.
Attraction
The interest and desire to get to know someone better is known
as attraction or contact. In your encounters, you may find that
there are people you would like to get to know and people that
do not interest you. This attraction is often called chemistry and
cannot be narrowed to one specific factor, because chemistry
between people is not completely understood by researchers.
Development of a Relationship
The next stage of the relationship, sometimes called
involvement, is to determine compatibility. In this stage, the
people in the relationship will work to get to know each other by
sharing more personal information. If the feeling is mutual, they
may desire to see the relationship progress.
Intimacy and Deterioration
Relationships rarely remain the same but instead move in a
direction toward greater intimacy or deterioration. Intimacy
involves sharing your most personal thoughts and ideas.
Deterioration on the other hand, refers to a breaking down of the
quality of a relationship and occurs when one or both parties in a
relationship feel their needs are not being met.
Dissolution
Eventually some relationships end through separation or
dissolution. Typical causes of dissolution start to happen in the
deterioration stage. This can include, diverting interests, lifestyle
changes, unresolved conflict, or betrayal. People often leave
relationships when the drawbacks outweigh the benefits.
Interpersonal Relationships: Friendship, Love, and Family
Friendship is an interpersonal relationship between two people that is mutually productive and
consists of mutual positive regard. Some characteristics of friendship include:
•
•
•
Communication interactions
Must be mutually productive
Characterized by mutual common regard
Reciprocity
Loyalty, self-sacrifice, and generosity
Receptivity
Positive imbalance between giver and receiver, mutual
satisfaction, a difference in status (such as teacher/student or
doctor/patient)
Association
People who have similar interests or are in similar
circumstances (such as classmates, neighbors, and coworkers)
Love is often considered the most important quality of interpersonal relationships. Love is a
feeling characterized by closeness, caring, intimacy, passion, and commitment. It can be
maintained or destroyed through communication. A relationship can thrive with communication
skills.
Eros
Beauty and sexuality
Ludus
Entertainment and excitement
Storge
Peaceful and slow
Pragma
Practical and traditional
Mania
Elation and depression
Agape
Compassionate and selfless
Conflict and Communication
Conflicts are part of interpersonal communication. You will not be in lock-step agreement with a person all
of the time. The best approach to handling conflicts is head-on. Conflicts can be healthy and hold positive
possibilities.
First, let's examine the concept. Conflicts are personal. Make no mistake about it. That is why some of the
most damaging conflicts happen between people who are close (e.g., family, friends, and spouses).
When conflicts go undetected, interaction can become poisonous, rotting away necessary elements like
fairness, empathy, trust, and honesty. Combatants become vengeful and judgmental, focusing only on
winning the conflict. In the worst cases, people will continue a conflict to such lengths that both sides
remain miserable indefinitely.
•
•
•
•
•
Disagreements often become conflicts under these circumstances:
Two people are interdependent; they each need something from the other.
Both parties blame the other or find fault with them for causing the problem.
One or more of the parties is angry or emotionally upset.
The parties' behaviors are affecting their relationship with each other and/or their relationships
with others.
Take Five
Workplace conflicts can test the mettle of a leader. If handled properly, a company can grow from
solving a conflict. Conflicts on the home front can test the strength of a marriage. Couples facing
conflicts together can come out stronger on the other side. However, you must manage conflict
resolution properly. When working toward a solution, you must incorporate the correct conflict
style.
•
•
•
•
•
Define the conflict.
Examine possible solutions.
Test the solution.
Evaluate the solution.
Accept solution and exit. Or reject solution and start the cycle over.
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1. Culture
2. Perception
3. Perception of Self
4. Listening
5. Verbal Messages
6. Non-Verbal Messages
7. Emotional & Conversational Messages
8. Interpersonal Relationships
9. Interpersonal Relationship Types
10. Interpersonal Conflict
11. Conflict Management
12. Interpersonal Power & Influence
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1. Culture
II. Perception
III. Verbal Messages
IV. Non-verbal Messages
V. Interpersonal
Relationships
VI. Conflict
Management
VII. Personal Evaluation
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sentences.
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► May need a couple of slides to complete this task
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Evaluate what you have learned about
communication - not just in reflection or connection
to the movie.
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Referenced Works (Final Slide)
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Sole, K. (2011). Making Connections: Understanding Interpersonal
Communications. Bridgepoint /Thuze.
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092890/?ref_=ny_sr_2
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► 4 cited resources, including textbook.
3 examples of your movie taken from YouTube or
another Internet source
you may use any scene(s) that you have previously
evaluated
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