1. Intercultural Communication
Week 15
Intercultural Communication

2. What are the Different Ways to Communicate Nonverbally Across Cultures?
subtitle.tedcdn.com/talk/podcast/2012G/None/ AmyCuddy_2012G-480p-zh-cn.mp4

3. What are the Different Ways to Communicate Nonverbally Across Cultures?
conscious and unconscious aspect of everyday life
carry strong identity and relational meaning, nonverbal cues are used to relate messages that may be too embarrassing or direct to disclose out loud, intentional or unintentional
create intercultural friction and miscommunication because the same nonverbal signal can mean different things, multiple nonverbal cues are sent and there are many display rule variations to consider (e.g. personality, gender, relational distance socioeconomic status, and situation)
NVC is important because it signals our emotions, attitudes, and the nature of our relationships with others; based on what we wear, how we speak, and how we present ourselves
NVC is communicating without words through multiple communication channels (how the meaning of nonverbal messages can be simultaneously signaled and interpreted through facial expressions, body gestures, spatial relationships, and the environment); they are learned and the heartbeat of a culture, as NVC embodies the rich meaning of a culture; one code can have many interpretations (i.e. “OK” gesture)
NVC and VC can be used independently or together. When used together, NV cues can repeat, contradict, substitute, complement, and accent verbal messages

4. Artifacts and Clothing
Physical appearance includes body type, height, weight, hair, and skin color.
Along with our appearance, we wear clothing and we also generally display artifacts.
Artifacts are ornaments or adornments we use to communicate just by wearing the actual item. Jewelry, shoes, glasses, gloves, nail polish, tattoos, body piercings, and face painting communicate our age, group membership, socioeconomic status and class, personality, and gender.

5. Paralanguage
is the sound and tones we use in conversation and the speech behavior that accompanies the message; how something is said, not what is said
includes accent, pitch range, pitch intensity, volume, articulation, and pace
we tend to use our own standards to judge others nonverbal markers
examples on p.206, first full paragraph

6. Facial Expressions
also called kinesics: the study of posture, body movement, gestures, and facial expressions
The face can produce about 250, 000 expressions
basic facial expressions have universality, relatively speaking (SADFISH); however, the ability to recognize specific emotions may vary
Cultural display rules are the procedures we learn for managing the way we express our emotions and when it is or is not acceptable to express them
emoticons

7. Gestures
are culturally specific and significant forms of NVC (four categories)
Emblems are substituted for words and phrases (culturally specific)
Illustrators are used along with the spoken message and they “illustrate” the verbal message
Regulators are used in conversation to control, maintain, or ‘regulate’ the pace and flow of the conversation (culturally specific)
Adaptors are habits or gestures that fulfill some kind of psychological or physical need ; some are learned and others are more automatic; not intended to communicate a message but are considered rude in the context of another culture

8. Haptics examines the perceptions and meanings of touch behavior
there are five functions of touch behavior: part of a greeting ritual, express affection, to be playful, to have controlling behavior, and having a task-related function
examples on p. 212, final paragraph
French, Russians Latin Americans and Italians are members of high-contact cultures: often look each other in the eye directly, face each other, touch and/or kiss each other, and speak in rather loud voices
East Asians and Asian Americans are from low-contact cultures: little if any touching, preferring indirect eye gazes and speaking in a lower tone
Moderate-contact cultures, such as the U.S., Canada, and Australia, are a blend of both
Southern Europeans touch more than Northern Europeans
haptics depends heavily on gender, age, context (very important, ‘buttock pat’ on p.213), duration of relationship, and personality factors

9. Multimedia Group Work Areas to Cover
Relationship between Language and Culture
Verbal Communication Styles
Low-context vs. High-context
Direct vs. Indirect
Informal vs. Formal
Talk vs. Silence
Nonverbal Communication Styles
Artifacts & Clothing
Paralanguage, or how something is said (accent, pitch range, pitch intensity, volume, articulation, pace)
Facial expressions
Gestures
Haptics, or perceptions and meanings of touch behavior

10. Language and Culture/Verbal Communication/Nonverbal Communication Multimedia Group Work Presentations

11. Final Paper Idea 1 Culture Interaction Essay:
This assignment requires that you have an intercultural interaction with someone from a culture different than your own, read about that different culture in depth, reflect upon it and write about it.
Once you have identified the “friend” you will be interacting with for this assignment, you should have read up about their culture and history ahead of time.  You should have spent a significant amount of time with the person or group from a culture different from your own. You should have talked to them about their culture or observed them. The purpose of this assignment is to help you learn about a cultural system that is different from yours through reading and through interactions with members of that cultural group. 
Write a 3-4 page reflective paper about the intercultural experience in which you have participated.  The paper should include:
a detailed description of the experience
a discussion of the history of the cultural group you interacted with, as well as the values and assumptions operating in the other cultural system (Wikipedia is an acceptable source for information gathering)
a discussion of how the other culture differs from your own and implications for future interactions
attention to the context in which the interactions occurred and how that affected the communication, as well as the power positions of your own race/ethnicity/group compared with that of the culture you interacted with.
an application of concepts, skills and attitudes learned in the course to your understanding of the experience.

12. Final Paper Idea 2 Country, Ethnicity, or Culture Introduction Essay
Pick a country, ethnicity, or culture to introduce in your paper. This paper should include:
an introduction to some surface-, intermediate-, and deep-level culture of the country, ethnicity, or culture
a discussion of that culture’s, country’s, or ethnicity’s norms, behaviors, rituals, traditions, festivals, symbols, or meanings as well as values
a discussion of how to manage culture shock if you sojourn to that country or interact with people from that ethnicity or culture
a discussion of that country’s, culture’s, or ethnicity’s relationship with language
a discussion of that country’s, culture’s, or ethnicity’s verbal and nonverbal communication styles
a discussion of how the other culture differs from your own and implications for potential future interactions
an application of concepts, skills and attitudes learned in the course to enrich your paper

13. Final Paper
General Requirements:
3-4 pages
Must hand in a hard copy during June 17’s class
Electronic copy due June 20 by noon in my QQ inbox
See sample paper on the class website for style and attribution requirements
I’ll be sending you materials that can help during the research process via the class addresses

14. Ch. 6, 7, 8 Wrap-up
Come up with three questions that remain about language and culture, verbal and nonverbal communication styles, in groups of three.
Write them down on a piece of scrap paper.
Once you’ve handed them in, you’re dismissed!