Think about the various intercultural encounters you experience on an everyday basis. How might you improve those interactions using your intercultural communication skills?

Answer:

Perhaps the most important component is motivation. Without the motivation to be an effective communicator, no other skills will be relevant. In addition to being motivated, you become a more effective intercultural communicator if you educate yourself about intercultural communication. Having some knowledge about the history, background, and values of people from other cultures can help you communicate better, both face to face and online. When you demonstrate this type of knowledge to people from other cultures, you communicate that you're interested in them and you affirm their sense of identity. Self-knowledge also is important. If you were socialized to be individualistic and direct in your communication style, you may initially have a hard time understanding collectivistic tendencies or indirect communication. Once you become aware of these differences, however, you can more easily communicate with someone who holds a different perspective. The more one interacts across cultures, the more one learns about oneself, and then the more prepared one is to interact interculturally, and so on. However, increased exposure and understanding do not happen automatically. Being aware of the influence of culture on oneself and others is essential to increasing one's intercultural experience and competence.