Activity 12: My Intercultural Communication Experience

Throughout this class, I have learned a lot about intercultural communication and about my own communication abilities. First of all, I have learned to analyze our society and how different cultures relate to our society. As a member of the dominant culture both racially and economically, I hadn't really considered how much of our society (including our historical texts and media) is dominated by white culture. This class made me realize that I need to spend some time studying and learning about other cultures. I also gained a better understanding of how minority cultures relate to and are a part of our society. By understanding power structures in the U.S., I can better understand the issues minorities face every day. I will never completely understand what it means to be a minority in America, but I feel that this class has given me some understanding which will help me be a better communicator. Before judging someone from another culture, I will now try to understand how they view the world and the issue at hand. My view of the world is not necessarily right, and in the future I will listen to people from other cultures and try to understand their points of view as well. In addition to understanding other cultures, this class and the daily activities have helped me understand and appreciate my own culture. I've learned that I can love my culture and still appreciate other cultures and communicate with other cultures.

Not only have I learned to try understand other cultures, I've learned a lot about communicating with other cultures. I've learned that my way of communicating is not the only way and is not necessarily correct. Before this class, I had never learned about different communication styles, such as high context and low context communication or the various ways people deal with conflict. I am now able to understand and recognize different communication styles, which will make me a better communicator. If I am having trouble communicating with someone from a different culture in the future, I will try to recognize our communication styles to determine if these styles are causing the problem.

Although this class has given me a better understanding of intercultural communication and the issues surrounding it, I am by no means a perfect communicator. I am definitely motivated to learn about and communicate with different cultures. However, I am lacking in knowledge, both about my communication strengths/weaknesses and about how other cultures communicate. I plan to ask others about my communication abilities to discover how I am perceived as a communicator. Once I know my strengths and weaknesses, I can work to correct my weaknesses and become a better communicator. I also need to learn that making mistakes is okay. I tend to be a perfectionist and hate making mistakes. However, making mistakes is a necessary part of learning how to communicate interculturally. Most importantly, I will be open to communicating with people from other cultures. The only way to improve my communication skills is to practice! When I am communicating with someone from another culture, I will try to be open to new ideas, ask questions, listen and be understanding, and avoid making assumptions.

Learning about and interacting with other cultures is an important part of learning to be an effective intercultural communicator. What is one culture you would like to learn more about or have more interactions with?