Due to the rise of the globalization process, as well as development of social networks on the internet, there is a growing tendency of cross-cultural communication. People from various cultures engage into communication and, therefore, the emerging problems and barriers in communication is a frequent occasion.
Cultural differences, ethical concerns, personal judgments, and theoretical approaches often prevent people with different backgrounds from communicating successfully with each other.
In Australia, many people with diverse cultural origins have to communicate with each other. Within this context, it is often a challenge for people to find common topics because of different backgrounds and experiences. Moreover, a range of cultural groups located in one country might not share common historical experiences and outlooks on life.
For instance, a person of Australian origin is ignorant of the importance of body language, as well as intonation, which is important in Chinese culture. Therefore, this person will face serious difficulties while communicating with a Chinese person.
At the same time, Chinese Australians can face the challenges of adjusting to the dominant culture. The major barrier here is strongly associated with language learning because Chinese people experience great difficulties in mastering pronunciation, spelling, and grammar of the English language.
With regard to the above considerations, the value of good interpersonal communication is extremely high; otherwise, people with diverse historical and cultural backgrounds will have problems with adjusting to a host culture. In order to conceive the main principles of successful interaction in a culturally diverse environment, it is necessary to learn several very important concepts.
To begin with, the world community should be fully aware of the globalization process leading to multiculturalism in all spheres of life and, therefore, people should strive to adhere to ethical standards of global communication, as well as learn peculiarities of various cultures (Beebe, Beebe, & Redmond 2005).
Second, the emergence of multi-cultural societies should be accompanied by the creation of new rules and principles of interpersonal communication.
Finally, people should recognize and understand the actual importance of culture as a set of knowledge, experiences, beliefs, norms and values that is shared among a social group (Beebe, Beebe, & Redmond 2005). It also influences the lifestyles of individuals, shaping peculiar patterns of social behavior that develop over time (Lewis & Slade 2000).
A variety of ethnic backgrounds in one country can create a number of challenges in terms of social interaction and communication. The point is that smaller ethnic groups living within larger ethnicity are regarded as minority cultures but this situation should not influence the attitude of the host culture to these groups.
Greater respect and attention to various cultures improves significantly the process of communication (Lewis & Slade 2000). For instance, Chinese Australians living within the broader context of Australian culture should be provided with enough space for observing their traditions. In such a manner, they will never lose their cultural and ethnic identity.
Apart from considering specific ethnic and cultural differences that affect communication, equal importance should also be attained to such aspects as religion, age, social class, and sexual orientation.
The awareness of these features can also promote greatly the interaction between people with the above-described characteristics in mind. Each of the identified groups forms its own cultural values where the priorities are established in accordance to their historical backgrounds.
Therefore, negligence of such values does not contribute to effective interpersonal communication, regardless of the cultural identities involved into a conversation. According to Adler et al. (1998), “communication can even become a matter of life or death” (p. 3).
Hence, people as social beings cannot not exist and sustain normal life without establishing good relations with people. Lack of interpersonal communication can be one of the reasons of psychological pressures and even physical disorders.
In conclusion, interpersonal communication can be regarded as one of the vital components of balanced existence of various social groups into one society. Frustration with unsuccessful communication can stem from the divergence in beliefs, attitudes, values, and norms that people with various historical experiences hold.
Within the context of globalization process, the necessity to introduce effective patterns of interpersonal communication is crucial because it will enhance the overall value of the globalized community. In this respect, each person, irrespective of their culture and nationality, should be tolerant to other cultures and learn more about sub-cultures and minority cultures.
Influence of Self-Concept and Self-Esteem on Interpersonal Communication
Living in a multicultural society, people are significantly affected by the values, attitudes, and norms that other people support. Therefore, it has a great influence on their concept of the self, a range of perception that they form about themselves.
More importantly, the messages we deliver, as well as the interpretation we generate are closely associated with the surrounding environment serving as external factors shaping our self-esteem, or a personal evaluation of ourselves. According to Beebe, Beebe, and Redmond (2005), “When you are the communicator, you…code your thoughts and emotions to be interpreted by another.
When you receive a message, you interpret the information through your own frame or reference” (p. 33). In this respect, both the self-concept and self-esteem influence interpersonal communication in terms of interpretation of messages, interpersonal needs and multiple selves, and communication style.
While growing up, people draw many values and attitudes cultivated in their families and, therefore, it has a major influence on developing their self-image and self-concept. More importantly, it also connected to the way people perceive communication and social interaction within various cultural environments.
In particular, the success of interpersonal communication will depend on the prioritization of multiple selves within one individual including material, emotional, spiritual, and social self-identifications (Johnson 2000). All these dimensions of social life specifically influence the way individuals interpret messages from our friends, colleagues, teachers, and relatives.
Depending one the original foundations that have been introduced to personality, individuals can practice various communication styles while interacting with other individuals. In this respect, the external environment in which they interact also affect further development of their selves.
Because self-concept encompasses a number of values, assumptions, and beliefs, they might fail to coincide with those of other individuals involved into conversation. As a result, people start sharing their views and synthesize their attitudes to create the changed ones. At the same time, people with stronger moral and ethical foundations are less likely to be affected by other people’s assumptions and attitudes.
Self-esteem and self-concept often act out as powerful filters influencing individuals’ communication style (De Vito 2001). Thus, positive self-esteem contributes to a person’s sense of competency to communicate with others. If a person feels confident and expects to achieve success, the communication outcomes are likely to be much more positive.
In contrast, in case a person believes that he/she is not good at speaking in public, for instance, it is necessary to surpass those challenges and acquire skills that would improve public speaking.
With regard to the above, person should constantly strive to improve self-esteem and choose efficient strategies while interacting in socially and culturally diverse environments. Specifically, positive self-talk and self-image can provide a solid basis for an individual to improve their communication skills.
It is also advisable to avoid comparisons because each person is unique and there is no need to fit in with the specific norms and standards (Wood 2004). As soon as an individual recognizes his/her personal values and beliefs, he/she will be able to advance their self-esteem and improve communication with other individuals.
Critical self-reflection is another efficient approach to improving your self-concept and self-esteem. As Wood (2004) advises, “self-disclosure is an important way to learn about ourselves” (p. 57). As a person reveals fears, dreams, homes, and feelings, he/she is likely to receive responses from the surrounding people.
In such a way, it is possible to open new perspectives on personal evaluation, as well as gain insights into the selves through the way individuals interact with each other under new circumstances.
In conclusion, self-concept and self-esteem are basic conditions for expressing our attitudes, beliefs, and values while communicating with other people. Positive self-esteem, therefore, is likely to have a positive impact on communication.
Multiple selves, therefore, significantly affect interpersonal communication in terms of message delivery and interpretation, communication style, and interpersonal needs. Setting the priorities and understanding personal values and norms is pivotal for self-awareness. Reflective communication and interpersonal awareness can allow people to foster their social interaction and become good communicators.
References
Adler, RB, Rosenfeld, LB, Towne, N & Proctor, RF 1998, Interplay: The Process of Interpersonal Communication, 7th ed., Harcourt Brace & Jovanovich, Fort Worth.
Beebe, SA, Beebe, SJ & Redmond, MV 2011, Interpersonal Communication: Relating to Others, 6th ed., Pearson Education, Sydney.
De Vito, JA 2001, The Interpersonal Communication Book, 9th ed., Longman, New York.
Johnson, DW 2000, Reaching Out: Interpersonal Effectiveness and Self-actualization, 8th ed., Allyn and Bacon, Boston.
Lewis, G & Slade, C 2000, Critical Communication, 2nd ed., Prentice Hall, Sydney.
Wood, JT 2004, Interpersonal Communication: Everyday Encounters, 4th ed., Wadsworth, Belmont.