The Ten Commandments of Intercultural Communication

As I have learned throughout my studies in communications, culture is all around us, but is often misunderstood. The Western culture is indeed the dominant culture in United States, however, there are many other cultures that are present in America. Hispanics, Africans, Indians, Asians, and individuals from other foreign countries collectively make up subcultures throughout the U.S. Although nearly impossible to ignore, it is important to acknowledge and respect the different cultures that exist so ethical communication is possible. Hahn (2005) offers “Ten Commandments” that can help individuals achieve intercultural communication.

One of the commandments that I can relate to is “Be aware of personal space: people from different cultures have different 'comfort zones’…” One of my coworkers is from a country where individuals conduct conversations very close to one another, something that Americans often reserve for intimate relationships. Someone may feel uncomfortable if they believe their personal space is being violated, which can change the effect of a message. It was not easy telling my coworker to back up a bit!

Understanding cultural relativism is one way to ensure that you are not offending others. Cultural relativism involves respecting the moral, values, and beliefs of other cultures, and considering them equal to your culture. A good example where you can apply the commandments mentioned in the Hahn article is in the workplace. Let’s say you are asked to show a new employee around the office, and they tell you they have just moved here from France. Since it is common in the U.S to shake hands when introducing yourself, it would be beneficial to ask the employee what the appropriate greeting in their culture is, or to explain how greeting are usually done in the U.S. 

Source:

Hahn, M. (2005, December 30). Ten Commandments of Intercultural Communication. Ezine @rticles. Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?Ten-Commandments-of-Intercultural-Communication&id=120247