Intercultural Communication Styles, Essay Example

After going over my responses on the survey, I realize the survey has been a very productive exercise because it has helped me identify my communication strengths and weaknesses. I will rate my communication skills average but believe that my communication style is closer to the high-context environment as compared to the low-context environment. One thing I particularly noticed is that I need to become a better listener. My average listening skills may have been the reason why I have encountered communication misunderstandings in the past, mostly involving people from other cultural backgrounds.

Before looking at the survey, I assumed that I do pay attention but the survey questions forced me to think hard about my communication habits. I have also learnt that I equated listening with being able to hear what the speaker is saying but it seems that listening involves a lot more than just being able to hear the speaker’s message. Listening is an active process in which we have to pay attention to the speaker so that not only we are able to observe non-verbal cues such as body language and hand signs but also encourage the speaker to express himself/herself freely.

The survey has given me ideas as to what specific steps I can take to improve my communication including listening skills. First of all, I should always pay attention to the speaker and it means looking at him, observing non-verbal cues, and not be afraid to ask for clarification if I am confused. My strong communication skills are that I do not interrupt the speaker and encourage the speaker to express himself freely. I also smile and present a friendly tone to develop reputation with the speaker and put him at ease.

From now onwards, I am going to adopt few strategies which will help me become a better communicator. First of all, I will try to learn more about the speaker’s background whether professional or cultural. This will help me better understand the speaker’s verbal and non-verbal messages and also the meanings behind words. I will also improve my knowledge on both high-context and low-context cultures so I could avoid situations that may embarrass the speaker or make him/her uneasy.

I should also give more attention to strangers because I am already familiar with the communication style and background of my friends and acquaintances but I may not have the same luxury in a stranger’s case. The more we understand someone, the better aware we are of their values and biases, thus, when we communicate with someone we do not know, we also have to learn of their values and biases to make better sense of the message.

The survey has also confirmed my suspicions that I have a passive communication style. I remain calm even when the speaker’s tone may be unfriendly and I only spend an average effort in understanding the meanings behind the message. In addition, I ask questions only occasionally if I may not have understood something. This is because I do not want to create a negative impression of myself and I also fear it would negatively affect the harmony between me and the speaker if he/she thinks I was not paying attention. But I should change it because the costs of misunderstanding a message are usually quite high and it hurts long-term reputation.