Abstract
The present report concentrates on intercultural communication (IC) and my efforts to advance my IC skills. In the modern globalized world, IC has become essential but is often prevented by such barriers as stereotyping, which occurs in different areas of life. To determine what hinders my IC mastery, I have completed five self-assessments about communication, such as the Generalized Ethnocentrism Scale.
The measures revealed that I need to contact more people outside my family and friends, become confident about my interactions, address my responsiveness, and learn more about and be conscious of cultural distinctions. For the experiential activity, I resolved to explore Korean culture by cooking an ethnic meal since I used to avoid the cuisine due to my stereotyping of the food. Finally, I have chosen three changes to implement to improve my IC skills.
Background
Intercultural communication (IC) has become quite essential in the modern world. The advancing globalization has stimulated interactions between people from different countries and facilitated interactions between them (Zhu, 2020). Although miscommunication is associated with verbal and nonverbal barriers, affective obstacles significantly hinder intercultural relations (Lai, 2021; Zhu, 2020).
Among such hindrances is stereotyping, which refers to oversimplified assumptions about a person or a group belonging to a particular culture based on generalized information (Ilie, 2019; Lai, 2021; Zhu, 2020). For example, in the US, the Asian population has been treated differently from others because of labels put on by society. Asian Americans are often considered a model minority, characterized by hard work and silent stoicism (Ilie, 2019). People can interpret such categorization in several ways, but whether positive or negative, stereotyping generates prejudice and discrimination (Ilie, 2019; Lai, 2021; Tripathy, 2019; Zhu, 2020). IC is significant in the contemporary world but is often hindered by stereotyping, which is prevalent in many areas of life.
Self-Analysis
To improve one’s skills in IC, it is essential to start by analyzing one’s communication competency. The first self-assessment measure practical for IC I completed was the Dimensions of Privacy Questionnaire (DPQ). The test revealed that I have a stronger preference for two of the six types of privacy, namely solitude and intimacy with family (Neuliep, 2016). The results are accurate since my happiness does not depend on social interactions, and I enjoy being home alone or simply spending time with my loved ones. The implications of DPQ suggest that I need to improve my communication patterns in seeking more contact with those outside my family and friends.
The second self-assessment test I conducted was the Self-Perceived Communication Competence Scale. The measure exhibits one’s perceived skills regarding social interactions, and my results signify that I feel moderately competent when speaking in different contexts (McCroskey, n.d.). However, my communication effectiveness (CE) could have been better when talking with acquaintances and strangers (McCroskey, n.d.). The implications of my test outcomes indicate that I should work on becoming more confident about my interactions with others to increase my CE.
The Sociocommunicative Orientation/Style Instrument (SOSI) was the third measure I completed. The self-assessment is meant to demonstrate one’s ability to reduce the uncertainty during IC, and my results indicate that I, like typical US men, am moderately more assertive than I am responsive (Neuliep, 2016). SOSI suggests that people with results comparable to mine are likelier to initiate conversations and ask follow-up questions but are less likely to react to their interlocutor (Neuliep, 2016). The measure’s results imply that my CE is appropriate for communicating with others to clarify information, but I should pay attention to exhibiting more interest in what they say.
The fourth self-assessment I completed was the Personal Report on Intercultural Communication Apprehension. The results indicate that I feel slightly anxious about interacting with individuals from diverse cultures (McCroskey, n.d.; Neuliep, 2016). I would not say that I am very apprehensive when socializing with someone whose background differs from mine, yet I am sometimes concerned when meeting someone and not knowing anything about their culture. Talking with those of Mexican descent is easier because I have some understanding of their customs, but I may be nervous speaking to, for instance, Lebanese people, as I do not know much about Lebanon. The results imply that I should learn about various communities to feel more confident and increase my CE.
The final measure I completed was the Generalized Ethnocentrism Scale. The assessment illustrates one’s assumptions about their culture being better than all others, and my results revealed a moderately high association level with the concept (McCroskey, n.d.; Neuliep, 2016). As mentioned in one of the posts for the course’s Discussion Board, I find it challenging to disregard my cultural beliefs. However, while ethnocentrism can cloud a person’s perception of others, it is also associated with patriotism and loyalty (Neuliep, 2016). Overall, the test results imply that I should be more conscious of cultural distinctions for my CE to advance.
Experiential Activity for This Course
For the course’s intercultural event, I decided to learn more about ethnic Korean food. I have lived in quite multicultural environments since I was born and raised in Homestead, Florida, and served in the army for 23 years, with both settings having many people with diverse backgrounds. Therefore, I have met multiple individuals of Korean descent, and all interactions I can recall were pleasant. Nonetheless, I realized I had never eaten a proper Korean meal because of a stereotype of Korean cuisine as overly spicy. Therefore, I decided to seek more information about Korean food to become closer to the culture.
Soon after receiving instructions for the current assignment, I went to a Korean ethnic grocery store in my local area. The employees recommended I cook bibimbap, a rice bowl with meat, vegetables, egg, piquant paste, and gochujang. The workers at the shop said that the amount of the latter ingredient could be adjusted to regulate the overall spiciness. Since stereotyping about Korean cuisine prevented me from trying the food, I resolved to address the matter during the intercultural event.
By cooking an ethnic meal for the experiential activity, I also hoped to learn more about Korean culture. For example, I discovered that bibimbap originated in the Korean plains as opposed to seashore areas and that bibim can be translated as mixing, while bap refers to cooked rice (Meiselman, 2020; Soo, 2020). Bibimbap is usually prepared with sautéed ingredients, but can be served with beef tartare and a raw egg (Soo, 2020). The ethnic store employees told me that an essential feature of bibimbap is that all the components are supposed to be laid out separately and mixed only after the plate is served.
Therefore, the most challenging part was cooking the meat and all the vegetables individually, which made the process time-consuming. I shared the meal with my family and some of my friends. Everyone seemed to enjoy the dish, and those who had tried bibimbap said I did well. Overall, I am now more open to Korean cuisine and believe that the experience can be used to have better conversations with people of Korean descent.
Application of Textbook Principles
The above-presented intercultural event can be described by considering two principles related to stereotyping and uncertainty reduction. Food has a communicative function across cultures. However, my stereotyping of Korean dishes as spicy prevented me from exploring the cuisine and may have precluded me from better understanding the people (Neuliep, 2016). The illusory correlation principle may explain my categorization of Korean food. Perhaps, at some point in my life, I associated a Korean meal with a particular taste and used the connection to direct my perception of the cuisine in general (Neuliep, 2016).
My desire to learn more about Korean culture through its ethnic food may have been guided by one of the axioms of uncertainty reduction theory. In particular, my apprehension about approaching Korean practices through cooking facilitated my information-seeking and caused me to search for details about bibimbap in books (Neuliep, 2016). Therefore, my stereotyping of Korean food hindered my exploration of the culture, but a lack of understanding of Korean cooking customs led me to scour for more details. IC skills I need to improve are mindfulness of others’ experiences and motivation to learn about cultures.
Plan for Improving Communication Skills
My plan for improving my IC mastery includes three elements. First, I intend to seek more social interactions with individuals outside my family and friend group to manage my privacy preferences by attending one monthly intercultural event. Second, at the end of every day, I will reflect on my communication achievements to increase my responsiveness to others and advance my mindfulness skills (Neuliep, 2016). Third, I plan to ask friends or acquaintances from backgrounds other than mine to teach me to cook ethnic meals every two weeks. I expect the listed activities will help me learn about cultures and become more confident in socializing.
References
Ilie, O. A. (2019). Intercultural communication barriers. China and the USA, the difficulties of a dialogue. International Conference Knowledge-Based Organization, 25(2) 258-263. Web.
Lai, Y. (2021). A study of intercultural communication barriers between China and the United States: The case of American media reports on China. Academic Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences, 4(7), 47-56. Web.
McCroskey, J. (n.d.). Communication research measures. James McCroskey. Web.
Meiselman, H. L. (Ed.). (2020). Handbook of eating and drinking: Interdisciplinary perspectives. Springer.
Neuliep, J. W. (2016). Intercultural communication: A contextual approach. Sage Publications.
Soo, K. (2020). How to live Korean. White Lion Publishing.
Tripathy, M. (2019). Subduing cultural stereotype & ethnocentrism in business organizations: A soft skills stance. Jurnal Sosial Humaniora, 12(1), 28-38. Web.
Zhu, S. (2020). A study on affective barriers in intercultural communication and related strategies. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 10(12), 1651-1655. Web.