This document discusses intercultural communication and competence. It introduces key concepts of culture, defines intercultural communication, and outlines frameworks for intercultural competence. Examples are provided to illustrate cultural stereotypes and misunderstandings that can occur during intercultural interactions due to different assumptions, behaviors, and communication styles between groups. The document emphasizes developing skills like cultural self-awareness, understanding other perspectives, and managing ambiguity to communicate appropriately in intercultural situations.

1. Intercultural Communication
VUB-BNU Summer School
“European Languages, culture and educational
systems”
Dr. Kamakshi Rajagopal

2. Structure of the session
• Introduction – Background
• Examples
• Your examples and role play
• Analysis

3. What is culture?
Socially constructed
Habits, Customs of a group of
people – “way of doing things”
What you have learnt
Imbibed
Unconscious / Subconscious
Unaware

4. Stereotypes are not wrong!
But………
Cultural Stereotypes

5. • Language
• Habits
• Clothes
• Body Language
• Unexpressed
Assumptions
• Implicit Expectations
What is intercultural communication?

6. Your examples

7. Intercultural Competence
• “the ability to communicate effectively and
appropriately in intercultural situations based on
one’s intercultural knowledge, skills, and
attitudes”
• “Knowledge of others; knowledge of self; skills to
interpret and relate; skills to discover and/or to
interact; valuing others’ values, beliefs, and
behaviors; and relativizing one’s self. Linguistic
competence plays a key role”
Deardorff, 2006

9. Savoir être
– Attitudes
Savoirs
– Knowledge
Savoir comprendre
– Interpreting & relating
Savoir apprendre /faire
– Discovery & interaction
Savoir s’engager
– Cultural awareness
Byram, 2009

10. Why does all this matter?

11. Are we making a big deal out of
something simple?

12. BEING A MOM

13. Your examples
Did you encounter a situation of intercultural
communication?
• Intercultural Setting
• People involved
• What happened
• Role play

14. • Was there a misunderstanding?
• Why did the misunderstanding occur?
• What were the underlying assumptions?
• What was the expected behaviour?
• How did the person react?
– Interculturally aware?
– Interculturally competent?

15. INCA criteria
KNOWLEDGE DISCOVERY
The ability to respond to others in non-judgmental ways, to be open to new
cultural knowledge
COMMUNICATIVE AWARENESS
The ability of listening responsively, making efforts to understand and find
ways to connect to the other
RESPECT FOR OTHERNESS
The ability to show respect and a positive regard for another person
(tolerance for accents, levels of proficiency)
TOLERANCE OF AMBIGUITY
The ability to react to new and ambiguous situations without being
overwhelmed

16. References
• Deardorff, D. K. (2006). Identification and Assessment of Intercultural Competence
as a Student Outcome of Internationalization. Journal of Studies in International
Education, 10(3), 241-266. doi: 10.1177/1028315306287002
• Byram, M. (1997). Teaching and assessing intercultural communicative
competence. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters Ltd.
• Byram, M. (2009). The Intercultural Speaker and the Pedagogy of Foreign Language
Education. In D. K. Deardorff (Ed.), The SAGE Handbook of Intercultural
Competence (pp. 321-332). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
• Byram, M. (Ed.). (2003). Intercultural Competence. Strasbourg: Council of Europe.
• Byram, M., Barrett, M., Ipgrave, J., Jackson, R., & Méndez Garcia, M. d. C. (2009).
Autobiography of Intercultural Encounters: Context, concepts and theories.
Strasbourg: Council of Europe.
• Byram, M., Gribkova, B., & Starkey, H. (2002). Developing the Intercultural
Dimension in Language Teaching: a practical introduction for teachers. Strasbourg:
Council of Europe.
• http://www.cefcult.eu