Reference no: EM132262819

Respond to...

According to Baack, "international and intercultural barriers to communication magnify problems. They include differences in language and slang, greetings, directness of address, speaking versus silence, use of eye contact, and other factors such as ethnocentrism, stereotyping, differences in the meanings of nonverbal cues, personal space issues, the use of symbols and cultural icons and other elements of cultural contact" (2.5)

I think, based on my understanding of this, is that everyone should want to achieve a certain level of intercultural communication competence as it signals respect between you and whoever you come in contact with.

I think increasing my level of competence would not only benefit me personally, but also professionally and academically. Self-awareness is key, and understanding your education limitations allows you to see where you can grow and if your cultural education is lacking, you may come across as insensitive or worse case scenario, racist or prejudice.

Speaking for myself, I would love if the entire world (I know this is a long way away) viewed women and men equally, in all ways of life. I think the moment we discredit someone based on their socioeconomic class, their gender, their race, their age, etc., speaks to the level of cultural education we've received. I want to see everyone exhibit signs of femininity and masculinity and know that it's not a crime to have traits of both.

For example, why is open communication, and caring about others only associated with femininity? Why is it frowned upon (sometimes) if a man is emotionally vulnerable with his partner or appreciates art (both physical and otherwise represented)? In my opinion, being strong isn't an admirable quality if you can't equally admire those who are vulnerable.

Baack, D. (2012). Management Communication.