This document defines culture and communication and discusses their relationship to intercultural interactions. It defines culture as the characteristics of a particular group, including language, customs, religion, and arts. Communication is defined as the process of sharing messages, information, and ideas through encoding and decoding signals. Intercultural communication can lead to misunderstandings when people from different cultures do not share the same understanding of gestures, values or language. Key barriers to effective intercultural communication include assumptions of similarity between cultures, differences in language, misinterpreting nonverbal cues, stereotypes, the tendency to evaluate others based on one's own culture, and high anxiety during intercultural interactions.

1. Assigned by Sir Inam
Prepared by Shahid

2. What is Culture??
 Definition:
The ideas, customs, and social
behavior of a particular people or society.
OR
Culture is the characteristics and
knowledge of a particular group of people,
having same language, religion, food,
social habits, music and arts.

3. What is communication
Definition:
The process through which people share
their message, information and idea’s.
 Message:
Information and meaning exchanged
during communication
 Encoding:
Process by which people select, imbed
messages in signals, and send signals to others

4. Communication
Signals:
Specific verbal language and nonverbal
behaviors that are encoded when message sent
Channels:
Sensory modalities by which signals sent and
messages retrieved
Decoding:
Process by which people receives signal from
encoder and translates those signals to meaningful
messages

5. Communication process

6. Intercultural
Communication:
Associated with a host of additional
social and psychological issues.

7. Intra-cultural
communication:
Where message senders and
receivers share the same ground
rules

8. Conflict
 Once we engage in intercultural
communication, some conflict and
misunderstanding is inevitable.
 Conflict arises when people’s behavior does
not confirm to our expectations.
 We tend to interpret such behaviors as
transgressions against our values.

9. CULTURAL INFLUENCES ONCULTURAL INFLUENCES ON
NONVERBALNONVERBAL
COMMUNICATIONCOMMUNICATION

10.  Nonverbal behaviors: all behaviors that occur
during communication that do not include
verbal language
 Nonverbal channels are more important in
understanding meaning and emotional states
of speakers than verbal language
 It is imperative to be most attentive to
nonverbal cues that occur in communication

11. The Functions of
Nonverbal Behaviors
 Nonverbal behaviors serve as symbol,
speech illustrators, conversation
regulators, and convey emotions.

12. INTRACULTURAL ANDINTRACULTURAL AND
INTERCULTURALINTERCULTURAL
COMMUNICATIONCOMMUNICATION

13. Intracultural
communication Communication between people of the
same cultural background
Interactants share same ground rules; they
encode and decode using the same cultural
codes
Can be negative because of expectations created
by cultural filters and ethnocentrism
We tend to read more than is intended

14. Intracultural
communication Communication between people of the
cross cultural background
Interactants do not share same ground rules;
they encode and decode using different cultural
codes
Can lead to
○ Uncertainty and ambiguity
○ Conflict

15. Barriers to Effective
Intercultural communication
1. Assumptions of similarities
2. Language differences
3. Nonverbal misinterpretations
4. Preconceptions and stereotypes
5. Tendency to evaluate
6. High anxiety or tension

16. Barriers
1. Assumptions of similarities
 communication is a uniquely human
trait shaped by culture.
 In fact, communication itself is a
product of culture, and cultures vary in
their assumptions of similarities.

17. Barriers
2. Language differences
 The use of words which may be highly
effective at conveying meaning within a
particular culture often communicate
unintended meanings across cultures.

18. Barriers
3. Nonverbal misinterpretations
 This is the single most frequent cause of
breakdowns in the communication
process across cultures.
4. Preconceptions and stereotypes
 These are natural and inevitable
psychological processes that have a
strong influence on our perceptions and
communications.

19. Barriers
5. Tendency to evaluate
 We make attributions about the behavior
of others based on our own cultural
values.
6. High anxiety or tension
 While some degree of anxiety may be
conducive to optimal performance, too
much anxiety or stress can lead to
dysfunctional thought processes and
behaviors.

20. Any Question
??
The End