Intercultural Communication in the Form of Verbal Nonverbal Symbols

Communication can be an extensive statement that covers how people from all walks of life relate and connect with each another. In today’s world we are currently living within the communication age. What’s the communication age? As stated in The Communication Age: Connecting & Engaging, “The communication age is an age in which communication, technology and media converge and deeply permeate daily life” (Edwards, Edwards, Wahl, & Myers, 2020). The communication age offers an extensive selection of ways for people to engage and communicate with others.

Every person can look at their individual communication style and develop a way or style that will increase their communication with others. Along with the several different ways in which communication is used, specific topics will be addressed in order to discuss why ways that will improve communication. These topics include, but are not limited to, strengthening verbal and non-verbal communication, listening skills, interpersonal relationships, and lastly intercultural communication. Once these topics are improved upon, communicating can be effectively done with others.

When thinking of verbal communication, we want to convey our thoughts and feelings to others using our words through voice. Verbal communication has its roots in language and can come in many forms. It can be transmitted vocally through words or even sounds such as a baby crying. Non-verbal communication, on the other hand, is used more so to convey feelings and impressions (Edwards, Edwards, Wahl, & Myers, 2020). This can be important because nonverbal can be more convincing than verbal communication and tell you more than what they sender is actually saying verbally.

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An example of nonverbal communication is reading a person facial expressions and voice flexion during a conversation. In order to be effective in both communication styles you need to possess qualities that are unique to each communication style. For most people, the ability to verbally and non-verbally communicate comes naturally. However, there is always room for improvement. By basically communicating with others in any setting and actively trying to better your non-verbal cues, this will help to aid in your verbal communication and strengthen your communication skills.

One of the most important and probably overlooked factors in effective communication is listening. Our text defines listening as an active process of receiving and understanding messages received either through listening to words or by reading text (Edwards, Edwards, Wahl, & Myers, 2020). A majority of happens in communication is listening. An effective listener gives active attention to processing and understanding the meaning of the message that is being received. This includes, but is not limited to, situational and source distractions. Since a majority of communication is listening, we must get past the distractions to be able to receive the message being communicated to us and to be able to respond properly. An example of situational distractions can be described as simply having music playing while you try to read or talk with someone. Having that background noise can distract you from your task or what someone else is saying to you.

Source distractions are more complex than their situational distraction counterparts. Distractions occur when the person or mediated message we are listening to displays a behavior that prevents our ability to listen (Edwards, Edwards, Wahl, & Myers, 2020). A good example of a source distraction is a person with an accent. Even if you are speaking the same language, the way they pronounce words or how fast or slow they speak can distract you from what they are trying to communicate to you and cause your listening to lack. Becoming a better listener will increase your communication skills and it is not hard to better yourself. I often attempt to multitask although, most times I fail at it. I get distracted by my surroundings. If I don’t make an effort to eliminate distractions, I will eventually become distracted by those things and lose focus on what I am supposed to be listening to. To become better listeners in the Communication Age, we need to learn to focus and give our attention to one message at a time, and to try to resist the urge to multitask. In order for me to become an improved listener I will need to incorporate all these elements.

Developing and participating in interpersonal relationships is another influencer of effective communication between people. Interpersonal relationships refer to communication with or between people who approach one another as individuals in a relationship (Edwards, Edwards, Wahl, & Myers, 2020). Interpersonal relationships also involve conflicts between one person and another. Mark Knapp and Anita Vangelisti created a model showing how communication enhances relationships. This model, The Model of Interaction, comprises five stages of coming together – initiating, experimenting, intensifying, integrating, and bonding – and five stages of coming apart – differentiating, circumscribing, stagnating, avoiding, and terminating (Edwards, Edwards, Wahl, & Myers, 2020). Since we are focusing on how to improve communication, we will stick to the stages of coming together. These stages of coming together demonstrate how normal communication is made between people and how it evolves into a relationship. The relationships formed can be normal friendships, romantic relationships, etc.… This model is providing us with a great tool on figuring out where a relationship stands. Not only does it provide this tool, but it also shows the importance of listening to your partner, friend, or whoever you have a relationship with.

Intercultural communication is defined as the verbal and nonverbal communication between people from different cultural backgrounds or geographic locations. Intercultural communication is not just about learning the language. It’s also about learning the verbal, nonverbal cues and norms associated with the culture you are interacting with. In today society we experience communication with so many other cultures due to the melting pot of cultural diversity. Communicating with other cultures is a skill acquired by active listening and learning in order to show respect and to get your message across properly. Effective intercultural communication requires cultural proficiency on behalf of all those involved. Cultural proficiency refers to the level of knowledge a person has about others, who differ in some way in comparison to self (Edwards, Edwards, Wahl, & Myers, 2020). In order to exhibit cultural competence, a mutual respect and understanding must be had between those present. Mutual respect can relieve or prevent cultural tensions, misunderstanding, and conflict. When dealing with cultures foreign to your own, differences may occur. For instance, cultures across the world have varying beliefs when it comes to religion. Not everyone has the same views so in order to avoid conflict, the previously mentioned cultural competence must be present. Without effective intercultural communication, people may become unintentionally offended due to negligence. To avoid this, simply practicing mutual respect and having cultural competence will allow for more effective intercultural communication.

Communicating is something we all do every single day our lives. And no matter how much experience we have, there is always room for improvement. Improving our verbal and non-verbal communication, listening, interpersonal relations, and intercultural communication is important to developing your communication style. As expressed by Peter Shepheard, “Communication is the solvent of all problems and is the foundation for personal development.” When we look at our own unique communication style, we see the person we are, the problems we cause, and the way in which we can self-improve.

References

1. Edwards, A., Edwards, C., Wahl, S. T., & Myers, S. A. (2020). The communication age : connecting and engaging. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications, Inc.
2. Shepherd, P. (n.d.). Communication Sayings and Communication Quotes: Wise Old Sayings. Retrieved November 24, 2019, from http://www.wiseoldsayings.com/communication-quotes/.