Discussion Board Chapter 2 - Essay Example

College PRINCIPLES FOR IMPROVING INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATIONS Intercultural communication generally means the exchange of basic information between people of different cultures. The diversity that comes with the cultures interacting may portray the ease of communication or the difficulty. However, there are a number of principles that when factored in during a conversation between individuals if different cultures, to improve communication or rather reduce communication problems.The principles are definitely crucial and play a clear role during conversations.

The main purpose of these principles is to help the parties involved understand each other and to avoid confusion. Most people have never interacted with other cultures, therefore need to be educated on the principles that they should incorporate. The main principle is making prior research on the person you wish to interact with from the different culture. This way one is familiar with the basics of the foreign culture and one can prepare on how to communicate. For instance, answering greetings from the foreign culture.

The other principles involved include having a purpose for interaction with the new culture. With this in mind conversation are easy to start and to keep going for a long time. Other principles include noting the tonal variation of the other party so as to help understand what they are putting across. A tone may help recognize emotions and feelings. In addition one should avoid using slang from your own culture that would definitely shut out the other party from conversing. Moreover, generally looking at the facial expression and body movement of the other party can improve communication.

In conclusion, improving intercultural communication requires efforts from both parties including being a good listener and having the need for communicating. Most individuals only go down that road with a purpose but with the knowledge on how to improve such communications, different cultures will bond easily and achieve an understanding from their conversations.Work citedWaner, Karen K, and Janet K. Winter. Cultural Context and the New Communication Principles for Intercultural Communication. , 1992. Print.