Inter-cultural Business Communication: Reflective Report Analysis

This reflective report examines the evolving landscape of inter-cultural business communication, focusing on the impact of technology on communication methods and the importance of emotional intelligence, self-talk, and assertiveness. The report begins by analyzing how communication has changed rapidly, from traditional methods to the use of mobile phones and social media. It then presents personal reflections on the challenges of balancing technological communication with face-to-face interactions. The report also delves into emotional intelligence, defining its components and highlighting its significance in professional settings. The importance of self-talk and its impact on personal and professional success is also discussed. The author emphasizes the need to develop emotional intelligence, to improve communication skills, and to create strong relationships with others. References to support the arguments are also provided.

Inter-cultural Business Communication 1
Inter-Cultural Business Communication
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Course
Professor’s Name
University
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Inter-cultural Business Communication 2
Reflective Report
Communication Today
From the topic, communication today, there are different things that I learnt, some which I was
aware of and some that I had not thought of prior to the lessons. In the recent past decades the
ways that people used to communicate with each other have changed rapidly. Within a period of
one century, the methods of communication have changed from the use of telegraphs and letters
to the use of mobile phones which were closely accompanied by the use of social networks.
Today, communication is very much faster than it was before. It is very easy to know matters
that are happening globally in a matter of seconds (Tenopir et al., 2009). Technology has
therefore improved communication levels very highly in the present day, as compared to any
other time ever before.
Different means of communication
The different means of communication that are used presently depend on whether the
communication is business related or personal. For personal conversations, people use different
means. Texting via mobile phones is one very widely used tool of communicating. People also
put up updates online through the different social media platform to pass on information. These
platforms include; Face book, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat among others. Emails are also used
frequently. There are also different applications that are used to pass information to many people
all at once.
For business and professional matters, emails are very frequently used to pass across
information. Many professionals also make use of their mobile phones to call their clients to set

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up meetings. Business meetings are also very frequently conducted through Skype where people
in different geographical locations are able to hold meetings.
Today, it is very hard to communicate to a person who does not have a mobile phone. Mobile
phones are very useful because aside from calling and texting, they have the ability to connect to
the internet which enables many people to send photos, emails, and even watch television
programs. The presence of more efficient means of communication does not mean that people
now communicate better than they did before.
Personal Reflections and Opinion
Incidentally, very many people today spend most of their time staring at their screens, be they
their phones or computers. Many of these people are normally chatting with people who they
will never meet. Very many people do not talk to people who are physically present. Even family
members may be seated around a table but no one is talking to another as they are all busy
communicating with other people who are not physically there (Ferguson, Plo and Pérez-
Llantada, 2011). This has caused many family members to have strained relationships because
they don’t not properly communicate with each other on the different issues in existence.
After much reflection, I realized that I was one of these people. I am constantly on my phone.
Whether I am waiting for the bus, or in a queue, my attention is always directed to my phone. I
learnt that it is important to communicate to people through technology but it also very important
to communicate to people who are there physically. This aids in creating good relationships and
developing bonds between people.
People are forced to continually learn about new technology due to the ever changing
technological innovations. The time that people spend learning the new technologies could

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instead be freed and people could use it in performing other productive activities. Very many
people are on social media where they have to keep updating their status and viewing what other
people are saying. It also very fashionable in this day and age, especially for young people to
have blogs that must be frequently updated (Jinha, 2010). I believe that all these activities are
important but should be carried out in moderation.
My view is that people nowadays are extremely interested in using only technology to
communicate which has made us lose our abilities to talk face to face. In my opinion, we should
use technology to supplement our communication and not to completely replace the satisfaction
that we derive from connecting emotionally and the other feelings that we experience from the
face to face communication method.
Learning on this topic and being able to have a different perspective is very important for me
now. I believe that in places of work it is important for colleagues to communicate physically
whenever possible. This will enable people to express themselves in the right manner. People
will be able to show their true reactions in relation to different activities and the decision making
process will also be easier and based on the actual feelings that people have concerning different
issues.
Proper communication is also paramount for proper and healthy family relationships. Parents
who take the time to talk to their children on different matters are likely to have a bigger impact
on their lives as compared to those who simply text or call their children on the phone. This is
due to the presence of emotions in face to face conversations and the ability to view reactions,
gestures, and facial expressions.

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Therefore, I still view the technology that has eased communication in a positive light. However,
I am of the opinion that we should not only rely on technology to communicate but we should try
as much as possible to interact with our immediate environment and create connections.
Emotional Intelligence, Self-Talk, and Assertiveness
Emotional Intelligence
The second topic that I will reflect upon in this report is on emotional intelligence, self-talk, and
assertiveness. This is a field that is very recent in psychology research. Emotional intelligence
refers to the ability that people have to manage their individual emotions as well as those of other
people and discriminate among them, as well as be able to use this information as a guide to how
they behave and think. Emotional intelligence is grouped into four main competencies and
domains. These are; self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, and relationship
management (Arora et al., 2010).
Self-awareness refers to how well people understand themselves and their emotions. Self-
management refers to the ability of people to be able to maintain emotional self-control, have a
positive outlook on different situations, have an orientation towards achievements, and be able to
adapt easily. Social awareness refers to the ability of people to possess organizational awareness,
and be empathetic. To a large extent, emotional intelligence involves emotional empathy. This
refers to the ability of people to concentrate on their own emotions as well as recognize their
moods as well as those of other people (Gisder et al., 2010). Finally, relationship management
shows how well people are able to interact with others. This is depicted in teamwork activities,
conflict management, coaching and mentorship activities, as well as in inspirational leadership.
Lessons Learnt

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One very important lesson that I learnt regarding emotional intelligence is that it is very
important to develop a balance in terms of the strengths across all the emotional intelligence
competencies. Therefore, having emotional intelligence helps people to be able to reduce
negative emotions, stay cool even in stressful circumstances, and be able to manage the
situations and be assertive. I also learnt about different emotional intelligence models but the one
that resonated the most with me is the emotional intelligence that is based on ability. This model
asserts that emotions are important sources of information that enable people to properly make
use of the social environment. This model provides four types of abilities. These are; the ability
to perceive information, use the information, comprehend emotions, and initiate the emotions.
When all these abilities are used correctly, one’s emotional intelligence improves dramatically.
When this model was developed, there was a measurement instrument that was named after its
proponents, Mayer-Salovey-Caruso, which was founded on different emotional solving
problems. One’s ability is measured based on the four main branches, after which a score is
generated and used to calculate a final score (Bulmer, McGrathaGreta and Cummings, 2009).
Importance of Self -Talk
One other important thing that I learnt was the importance of self-talk. It enables us to manifest
our beliefs and thoughts. One thing that was revealed was that most people have negative self-
talk. They often criticize themselves as opposed to motivate themselves. This in turn breeds
negative behavior and responses. I learnt that it is very important to have positive affirmations
especially because they counter our negative thoughts (Donaldson, Dollwet and Rao, 2014). Our
subconscious can be re-programmed to get rid of any negative thoughts by feeding it with
positive statements. Therefore, every time I feel a negative way, I counter it through self-

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affirmation. Incidentally, I always tell myself that fear cannot hold me back and that I possess the
strength to make my dreams come true.
Personal Reflections
I have learnt that to be successful in any profession today, it is paramount to have emotional
intelligence. Initially, I thought that only the intelligence quotient was important in professions.
However, I learnt that emotional intelligence is just as important or even more important than
intelligence quotient. This information is important to me because since I now know the
significance of emotional intelligence, I will continually improve my emotional intelligence and
continually review by participating in the different tests that measure it. This will aid me in
identifying my deficiencies in regards to my emotional intelligence levels which will assist me
capitalize on my strengths and work on my weaknesses.

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References
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Arora, S., Ashrafian, H., Davis, R., Athanasiou, T., Darzi, A. and Sevda, N. (2010). Emotional
intelligence in medicine: a systematic review through the context of the ACGME competencies.
Bulmer, K., McGrathaGreta, S. and Cummings, G. (2009). Emotional intelligence and nursing:
An integrative literature review. International Journal of Nursing Studies.
Donaldson, S., Dollwet, M. and Rao, M. (2014). Happiness, excellence, and optimal human
functioning revisited: Examining the peer-reviewed literature linked to positive psychology. the
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FERGUSON, G., PLO, R. and PÉREZ-LLANTADA, C. (2011). English as an international
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Gisder, S., Hedtke, K., Frielitz, M., Genersch, E. and Linde, A. (2010). Five-Year Cohort Study
of Nosema spp. in Germany: Does Climate Shape Virulence and Assertiveness of Nosema
ceranae?. applied and environmental microbiology.
Jinha, A. (2010). Article 50 million: an estimate of the number of scholarly articles in
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Tenopir, C., King, D., Edwards, S. and Wu, L. (2009). Electronic journals and changes in
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