Intercultural Communication: Experiential Learning in Communities

This essay provides a summary and reflection on intercultural communication, emphasizing its importance in diverse communities. It highlights key concepts such as cultural competence, cultural awareness, and the challenges associated with intercultural interactions, including language differences and nonverbal communication. The reflection section details the student's personal application of these concepts in a mentoring partnership, focusing on the use of inclusive language, avoiding stereotypes, and developing intercultural competencies to foster understanding and address communication barriers. The essay concludes by referencing how the reading material has aided in overcoming intercultural communication challenges.

Running head: EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING IN COMMUNITIES 1
Experiential Learning in Communities
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING IN COMMUNITIES 2
Summary
Intercultural communication is seen as communication existing between various groups
or persons from different cultural and linguistic origins. For example, a university enrolls
students from different cultural origins and hence they have great chances to acquire educational
experiences such as competence together. Cultural competence is a central concept discussed in
intercultural communication and it focuses on knowledge of various cultures, cultural attitudes,
cultural awareness, and skills for cross-cultural associations (Grellier & Goerke, 2010). Cultural
competence closely relates to cultural diversity as it involves ethnicity or racial identity.
However, the intercultural communication is dynamic and therefore individuals should access
new resources which may guide them as they communicate with the aboriginal Australians.
Intercultural communication is associated with various challenges such as meeting new
persons. Meeting new persons is a challenge as people relate with others from various cultural
backgrounds and they need to learn how to communicate with them to overcome the problem. A
verbal language difference is a challenge as people may meet those who communicate in
languages that they are not familiar (Jandt, 2017). Therefore, people should listen carefully and
ensure they understand to avoid issues associated with colloquialisms, grammar, and ascents.
Dress and nonverbal language is also a challenge as it focuses on understanding how other
people look. Samovar, Porter, McDaniel & Roy (2014) confirms that how people do their hair
and make-up also matters. However, an individual must be open-minded to accommodate
anyone regardless of dress and nonverbal language to overcome this challenge (House, 2014).
Finally, understanding time is also important. To summarize, people should learn the inclusive
language and learn to exercise patience as they communicate with people from other cultural

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING IN COMMUNITIES 3
backgrounds. This step ensures that there is understanding among people hence the challenge of
unique and complex relations are addressed.
Reflection
After analyzing this article “Intercultural communication”, I think it is educative as
people will learn how to relate to new people from different cultural backgrounds. From my
experience, I have had unique and complex relations with people from different cultural
backgrounds. Hence I believe that at some point, communications can go wrong. Therefore, this
issue of intercultural communication should be handled with care as people need to observe
respect and patience. Based on the reading, I have applied the themes when learning together
with others in my mentoring partnership through various ways. For instance, I know the value of
inclusive language which is English and I use it to communicate effectively. I try not to
marginalize and I communicate with all people in the mentoring partnership. I do not label
people whom we do not share stereotypes to avoid offending them. Moreover, I present a
sophisticated and accurate view using the inclusive language when communicating with other
people. Also, I have learned it is important to avoid using words like them and us in
communications. I try to develop intercultural competencies for people in the mentoring
partnership to ensure that understanding is achieved as language is connected to thoughts.
Finally, the reading has helped me learn to overcome challenges associated with the intercultural
communication.

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING IN COMMUNITIES 4
References
Grellier, J., & Goerke, V. (2010). Intercultural Communication. Communication Skills Toolkit:
Unlocking the Secrets of Tertiary Success (pp. 196-207). South Melbourne: Cengage
Learning.
House, J. (2014). Moving across languages and cultures in translation as intercultural
communication. In Translational action and intercultural communication (pp. 14-46).
Routledge.
Jandt, F. E. (2017). An introduction to intercultural communication: Identities in a global
community. Sage Publications.
Samovar, L. A., Porter, R. E., McDaniel, E. R., & Roy, C. S. (2014). Intercultural
communication: A reader. Cengage Learning.