Imagine you’re in a meeting with international colleagues when your boss casually instructs you to “think outside the box”. Everyone nods politely and you feel energized by the challenge. But you find out later that your team members from Germany and Japan were left feeling torn.
Idioms like “think outside the box” can carry deep-seated cultural values. In other cultures, like Germany or Japan, companies expect employees to follow established procedures and value group consensus over individual innovation. While intercultural communication sparks collaboration and innovation, it can also create misunderstandings.
Whether you’re planning to work with international teams, study abroad, or connect with people from different backgrounds, understanding intercultural communication is essential. In this article, we’ll explore:
Intercultural communication is how people from different cultures share ideas and make sense of one another. It doesn’t only refer to people from different countries—it can also include differences in language, gender, age, religion, profession, or social identity.
It happens when two powerful forces intersect: culture and communication.
Culture shapes our values, beliefs and sense of belonging.
Communication defines what you mean and how others interpret it.
Misunderstandings can happen anywhere, but they’re far more likely when we cross cultures or social boundaries and these two forces meet.
When we communicate with people across the globe, we’re translating words and differing worldviews. Learning how to bridge those gaps helps us connect, collaborate, and build understanding in a globalized world.
English is often considered the international language: There are 1.46 billion English speakers in the world, including 346 million native speakers. Mandarin Chinese is a close second, with 1.14 billion speakers. This is one gap we’re closing across the world.
But communication goes beyond words. To truly connect, you also need to “speak context”: understand nonverbal cues, tone, and cultural expectations that shape meaning.
Even when people speak the same language, differences in context can completely change a conversation. Let’s look at a few examples.
In the United States and other Western countries, eye contact signals confidence and attentiveness. In countries like South Korea or Japan, intense eye contact can be seen as rude or confrontational.
Did you know that email etiquette also differs between cultures?
A German manager will usually jump straight to the point—for example: “Please send the quarterly report by Monday.” An American counterpart may soften the tone: “Could you please send over the quarterly report when you get a chance?”
The intent is the same, but the delivery reflects very different cultural norms.
Reason and emotion govern the human experience, but cultures filter how we express them. In the United States, publicly showing emotion—such as expressing frustration—is mostly accepted. In countries like the United Kingdom, emotion is expected to be subdued—hence the British term “stiff upper lip.”
Certain hand gestures—like a thumbs up—are appropriate in the United States but offensive in some Middle Eastern countries. Even emojis and memes can be tricky to use across different cultures.
Some cultures value storytelling, emotion, or nonverbal cues, while others prioritize data and logic. Knowing your audience shapes your communication style and broadens your empathy.
For centuries, globalization has powered prosperity, economic development, and trade. Communication is critical to this growth. Let’s see how it’s affected us on a global scale:
Culture shapes meaning. And being culturally literate has never been more important.
The good news? You already have some of these skills. When you walk into a room, you automatically filter your thoughts and adjust your approach depending on who you’re talking to. You speak differently to your professor than to your best friend. You shift your tone in a job interview versus a casual hangout. Intercultural communication works the same way—it just requires a wider lens.
Here’s how to strengthen your skills:
Intercultural communication helps us decode and bridge the invisible gaps between cultures.
Here’s what we’ve discovered:
As a communicator, it’s important to show up as your best self—sensitive, adaptive, and aware.
If connecting with people across cultures, contexts, or corners of the world sounds like your calling, why not make it into a career? The University of Texas Permian Basin’s 100% online Bachelor of Arts in Communication is designed to help you gain communication skills that you can apply almost anywhere.
You can focus your studies with four specializations:
Do you see yourself as a future bridge-builder? Transcontinental journalist? International marketing professional? Find out with UTPB and turn your passion into your future.
Sources:
https://www.asme.org/topics-resources/content/communicating-across-cultures
https://iso.mit.edu/americanisms/eye-contact-in-the-united-states/
https://hbr.org/2014/05/one-reason-cross-cultural-small-talk-is-so-tricky
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