Cross-Cultural Communication: Barriers, Ways to Overcome, Theories, and Importance in International Business

Individual Assignment: Cross-Cultural
Communication
1

Table of Contents
Cross-Cultural Communication.................................................................................................3
Barriers to effective cross-cultural communication...................................................................3
Ways to overcome barriers.........................................................................................................4
Theories of cross-cultural communication.................................................................................5
Cross-cultural communication in international business organizations.....................................7
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................8
References..................................................................................................................................9
2

Cross-Cultural Communication
Cross-cultural communication can be defined as the communication between persons who are
different based on nationality, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, working age and ethnicity
etc. Cross-cultural communication are also the attempts that are made in context of
negotiating, exchanging and mediating the cultural difference by different means such body
language, gestures and language. In simple words, cross-cultural communication is in context
of communication among people of different cultures (Communication Theory, 2018).1 This
paper will focus on cross-cultural communication by discussing on theories of cross-cultural
communication, barriers of cross-cultural communication along with other important insights.
Barriers to effective cross-cultural communication
In a rapidly changing business environment, more and more organizations are thinking of
extending their business in different countries. Global expansion has now become one of the
major needs of organization. Communication with people from different cultures is however
challenging. It has been recognized that cultural barriers are the invisible barriers in the area
of international communication. This section will discuss major barriers that are usually
encountered during cross-cultural communication.
Stereotyping - One of the hurdles in cross-cultural communication is stereotyping. People do
not have adequate information about other culture and hence, people overgeneralize or
exaggerate the perception about an individual. The stereotypes associated with culture leads
to miscommunication.
Language barriers - Another most common form of barrier is the language barrier. The
differences in language of two individuals are one of the major barriers that employees in an
1 Communication Theory. (2018). Cross Cultural Communication. Retrieved from Communicationtheory.org:
https://www.communicationtheory.org/cross-cultural-communication/
3