Essay On Cross-Cultural Communication

In the modern era, the globalization of the economies of the world have made individuals increasingly reliant on utilizing intercultural communication skills during human communication. Culture is a perceived set of values that a group of individuals maintain of the world (“Culture”, 2000). Many times within a culture, individuals have a tendency to not realize the extent that their culture has over their communication with others. The culture an individual was raised in has a direct correlation with the individual’s understanding of certain nonverbal and verbal responses. “Communication styles and meaning, as well as realities, as perceived by individuals are culturally induced (Ihator, A, 2000).” Cross-cultural problems can be experience through differences in language/accents, context, modes of communications, concept of time, and nonverbal actions.

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The concept of time in these cultures can either be classified as either sequential or synchronous. The sequential concept of time is a highly developed concept based on series or timeline of events or the flow of time is more linear. On the other hand, the synchronous follows much less of a timeline approach and maintains a more circular view of time. Western Cultures, specifically European and North American societies, tend to maintain a sequential view of time. Other cultures, such as Hispanic, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern cultures, maintain a more synchronous view of time when it comes to human communication. Middle Easterners have a concept of time that incorporates the use of the phrase, God Willing. This concept leads them to have no set view of when events will occur and can lead to confusion amongst the different cultures. These variations in the concept of time can deeply impact the perceptions of people that are from different cultures (Goman, 2011; Ihator, A,