Fostering Inter-cultural communication

In the midst of a breezy Sunday evening walk, my sight got struck at Kishan sitting alone at the YIH plaza. He seemed exasperate. The unusual frown in his eyes gave away that something was wrong. His quivering voice raised curiosity in me to know what was bothering him. Hence I decided to be an empathetic listener like ES2007s had taught me.

He was regretting the bad experience while working in a CCA. Although he had been working sincerely for more than a year, he was still not able to get along with the members from other nationalities which had resulted in not getting a fair share of votes in the election. From his perspective, it was the cultural difference that did not allow him to break the odds.

Culture is a simple shared pattern of behaviour observed amongst a group of people that is acquired through interactions. Its mind boggling to even think that such cultural practices over a period of time has led to the rise of various civilizations.

Cross cultural communication would therefore require knowledge about other cultural practices and a strong understanding about the parties involved.  

This is one of the most common issues encountered with professionals working in MNCs. Working in such multi-cultural environment would require more intercultural communication skills. Moreover studies reveal that international students from Asia encounter these issues especially in countries like Canada where the cultural divide is very high.

Such problems arise when people tend to stick to their own cultural identities and refuse to adapt in a new cultural setting. Retaining cultural identity is imperative. However being open towards learning other cultural practices through interactions with people from different nationalities would help widen our horizons.

A good start will be appreciating different cuisines or watching international movies.