Intercultural communication, the sending and receiving of messages across languages and cultures, is a negotiated understanding among different cultures based on human experiences across various social systems and societies. Communication today is affected by different aspects of human language and behaviour which also include non-verbal communication. Communication across cultures is rather complicated as we tend to interpret messages in split seconds based on the past experiences and cultural grids that were passed down to us in our own cultures. However, we are often not aware of the assumptions and beliefs involved in a communication exchange with someone from another culture. We are also often unaware of the many different ways that culture can influence the way we listen to, speak to and understand others.
Fred, an exchange student from Germany, was the fundraising team’s IC for my OCIP. During the planning of fundraising activities, Fred came out with ideas that fit in her Germany culture without realising the vast differences between Singapore culture and Germany culture in various aspects. She lacks the understanding of Singaporean’s behaviour and culture, which leads to her decision. She is also unaware that what will work in her country, will not necessary work in Singapore. One of the fundraising activities she suggested was to plan a movie screening, with donations by entry, in one of the lecture theatres in NUS in the midst of exams period. As she was the fundraising team’s IC, her team members had no power to object her ideas despite knowing that this movie screening would not work out as intended. In the end, the movie screening was executed but no one turned up at all.
In my opinion, this intercultural scenario depicts the different cultural behaviours between Singapore and Germany. As Germany is less academically-focused and if a movie screening is organised, the turn-up rate will be good as students over there enjoy this kind of activities. However, in Singapore, students are more academically-focused, especially when exams are near, would unlikely to go for such movie screening which they deemed as wasting of time. The lack of understanding of different cultures has led to the failure of intercultural communication. Hence, an effective communication requires the understanding of various cultures before executing a plan so as to ensure the maximum turn-out.
Here's a video that introduces the tips we should bear in mind when dealing with other cultures, which include different forms of communication, body language, decision making styles, task completion, ways of understanding information, business as well as personal life.
Here's a video that introduces the tips we should bear in mind when dealing with other cultures, which include different forms of communication, body language, decision making styles, task completion, ways of understanding information, business as well as personal life.
