A Case Study of Intercultural Communication Competence

Communication is the practice of transferring information from a sender to a

receiver. It can be in the form of verbal, non-verbal, written, or visual. Verbal
communication pertains to the use of words orally in transferring a message, it may be
face-to-face, or via telephone or radio. Non-verbal is done using non-verbal cues such
as gestures, facial expression, and body movements to convey the message without
using words. Written and visual communications are specialized form of communication
by using medium such as pen and paper in written communication, and figures in visual
communication (What is Communication, 2018).

Effective communication, in whatever form, is very significant in conveying clearly

the message the communicator wants to tell. Effective communication is not just
communicating, it is communicating with the intent to understand both the emotion and
intentions behind the information. Effective communication is done by combining both
verbal and non-verbal communication, by listening with empathy, and by engaging the
listeners by clearly stressing out the important points of the information. Effective
communication is important in intercultural communication as it breaks the barrier
between cultures (Robinson et al., 2018).

Intercultural communication competence refers to the ability to use different

languages efficiently in communicating information between cultures (ICC, 2018). Since
language vary from different cultures, intercultural communicative competence can be
difficult to attain; however, according to Sorrells (2018), an individual can attain
intercultural communicative competence by focusing on six points; namely framing,
positioning, dialogue, reflection, and action. Inquiry includes taking interest in learning
about other culture; framing is all about perspective-taking and how it can affect the way
a person communicates; positioning is associated to social, political, and geological
positions as it can affect our views. Dialogue, reflection, and action are the capacity for
self-introspection in accepting different cultures while promoting a socially just,
equitable, and peaceful world.

In studying intercultural communication competence, it is imperative to study the

culture where the subject resides. In this study, the subject will be a group of students
discussing about the modules regarding intercultural communication recorded in a video
presentation made in class. The purpose of the study is to give the students an
opportunity to study the group’s intercultural communication competence using
qualitative observations. Different topics regarding cultures will be discussed, these
topics may include low-context vs high context, direct vs. indirect, self-enhancing vs.
self self-effacing, and elaborate vs. understated.

In the Philippines, the culture where the subject resides, there are different
practices that showcase intercultural communication among the citizens. Since the
country is colonized for a long period of time, the influence brought upon by the
colonizers, mostly Western (American and European), is very distinct. Moreover, the
Filipino language is composed of over 100 indigenous dialects, thus it can be said that
the Philippines, even a small country, has a very diverse culture. As such, studying
about the intercultural communication among Filipinos can be a good start in attaining
the goal of this study.

According to Hall & Hall (1990), there are different verbal communication styles
that must be observed in studying intercultural communication. These are low-context
vs. high context, direct vs. indirect, self-enhancing vs. self-effacing, and elaborate vs.
understated. High context communication refers to the use of non-verbal cues in
conveying a message, people talks less and meanings are conveyed implicitly through
verbal and non-verbal codes; high context communication are usually linked with
indirect communication where speakers restraints themselves in expressing opposition
by using figurative speech. On the other hand, low context communication refers to
communicating through verbal codes explicitly, it can also be related with direct
communication in which the true intentions, ideas, and needs are expressed in an
outright manner. In addition, self-enhancing individuals are assertive and not shy in
stating his/her abilities/accomplishment while self-effacing individuals employs verbal
restraints and modest talk with some hesitations in sharing his/her achievements. The
last verbal communication style is the elaborate vs. understated. Hall & Hall (1990),
states that elaborate communication is through the use of expressive and animated
language while understated uses silence and understatement.
 In studying the Filipino culture, it can be seen that Filipinos usually practices high
context, indirect, understated, and self-effacing communication styles. Maggay (2002)
stated that Filipinos practices these styles of communication since they are trying to
avoid conflicts, and they are shy enough in communicating directly with others. This
communicative behavior is a complete opposite to Westerners, especially the
Americans in which they are straight forward in communicating.

On the video presentation, the group discussed about the works of Lacson and
Magay. In the paper presented by Lacson (2005) in his professional chair paper, he
stated that there are five Filipino Communicative Behaviors that can be observed easily
in Filipino culture. First is the “Deprivation-Deservation Syndrome” where Filipinos
doesn’t pass to opportunities especially when given free, the sayang and libre concept.
Second is the “Kulang sa Pansin Syndrome” in which he described that Filipinos are
credit seekers and always look for recognition, and attention. Third is the “Covenience
Approach to Living on” where he said that Filipinos clings towars the most convenient
and easy way of living compared to looking for long term success. The fourth behavior,
in which the group agrees, is the Filipinos having “sense of humor”, which enables
Filipinos to cope with the hardships of life. The last concept is the “evading
accountability” in which he said that Filipinos tends to evade accountabilities by making
palusot and blaming others with their own mistakes. In this part, the group unanimously
agreed with the concept of sense of humor, with the presence of opposing sides in
discussing the other behaviors.

After discussing about the work of Lacson, the group focuses on Maggay’s work.
The group was divided in Maggay’s work as they have their own opinion why or why not
they agreed with Maggay. Maggay (2002) states that there are different indigenous
Filipino ways of Interpersonal communication. These are pagpapahiwatig, mensaheng
may tagapamagitan, pagbubunyag, pagpapakitang giliw, paglalantad ng sarili, tuwirang
pagsasagutan, pagsisiwalat ng pansariling impormasyon, pakikipag-sosyalan, and
pagbibigay ng balita which all describes how Filipinos behaves in communicating with
others.
 In the video presentation, it can be observed that the students practice both
verbal and non-verbal forms of communication. The students uses eye movements,
facial expressions, and hand and body gestures in conveying the message they want.
This can be observed as they change their facial expressions, hand gestures and
postures while trying to explain their facts. It can also observe that the communication
style that they used is elaborated direct low-context communication styles in which they
present their facts articulately and straight to the point. As such, it can be surmised that
the explanations of Maggay about Filipino communicative behavior are now outdated or
does not apply to everyone. It is safe to say that the current generation’s communicative
behavior continues to change as time passes. Also, the educational attainment of the
students may be taken in consideration in the change in their communicative behavior.

Overall, based on the data obtained from the video presentation, the intercultural
communicative competence of the subjects is cannot be determined, since in the video
presentation, they are just talking from the same culture with almost the same
background about the topic that they are discussing. In this kind of studies, it is better to
analyze a communication between different cultures to properly determine the subject’s
intercultural communicative competence. Discussing a wide array of topics may also
help to effectively determine the intercultural communicative competence of the subject
rather than in discussing topics only found in the modules. Lastly, despite the fact that it
cannot be determined whether they are competent enough about intercultural
communication, it can be explicitly seen in the video that the subjects are effective
communicators as they present their arguments clearly and convey their messages
efficiently.

References:

Hall, E. & Hall, M. (1990). Understanding cultural differences. University of Michigan,

 MI, USA. Intercultural Press Inc.

Intercultural Communicative Competence. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.teaching

english.org.uk/article/intercultural-communicative-competence

Lacson, J.R. (2005). Mindsets of the Filipino: A research agenda for Filipino

communicative behavior [Professional Chair Paper]. University of the Philippines

Diliman, Quezon City: Modesto Farolan Professional Chair.

Maggay, M.P. (2002). Pahiwatig: Kagawiang pangkomunikasyon ng Filipino. Quezon

City, Philippines: Ateneo de Manila University Press

Robinson, L., Segal, J., & Smith, M.A. (2018). Effective communication. Retrieved from
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/relationships-communication/effective-
communication.htm

Sorrells, Kathryn. (2016). Intercultural communication: globalization and social justice.

California State University, Northridge, USA. SAGE Publications

What is Communication? (2018). Retrieved from https://skillsyouneed.com

ips/what-is-communication.html