Intercultural Communication - Essay Example

He murmured some harsh words and threw a stream of insults at me beneath his breath. I really did not understand why the Italian responded negatively to my humble appeal for love and peace. I felt humiliated especially considering that so many people in the venue had witnessed my move and the foreigner’s reaction. Several years later, I came to realize that the V-sign is an insult in Italian culture, quite the opposite of what I meant. In order to avoid conflicts that arise from non-verbal communication, I always try to learn people’s cultures and thereby improve my intercultural communication skills as much as I can by reading books on intercultural communication, in line with Novinger’s suggestion (Novinger, 2001).

I have become more careful about the gestures that I use when communicating.