I. Practical reasons to study intercultural communication

A. Adapting to global and domestic workforce diversity

1. Global diversity: 10–34% of U.S. employees fail overseas assignments

2. Domestic diversity: increased multicultural complexities and nuances

B. Improving multicultural health-care communication between health-care workers and immigrants

C. Engaging in creative problem solving: a synergistic perspective combines the best cultural approaches

D. Enhancing intercultural relationship satisfaction: the dramatic rise of intercultural relationships is fertile ground for culture shock and clashes

E. Deepening self-awareness: deepen self-awareness of values, perspectives

F. Fostering global and intrapersonal peace

1. Dialogues and deeper contacts with other nations or groups

2. If at peace with ourselves, we’ll have more compassion and caring for others

II. Intercultural communication flexibility

A. Flexible intercultural communication: integrate knowledge, have an open-minded attitude, put into adaptive practice in everyday communication

B. Inflexible intercultural communication: continuing in our own cultural values, judgments, and routines

C. Ethnocentric mindset: stuck in our own cultural worldviews and values as standards to evaluate others’ behaviors

D. Ethnorelative mindset: understanding others’ cultural frames of reference

E. Three components of flexible intercultural communication:

1. Knowledge: through formal studying and informal learning

2. Attitude: can include both cognitive and affective layers

a. Cognitive: suspend ethnocentrism and be open-minded in learning about cultural difference issues

b. Affective: emotional commitment to perspective-taking and cultivation of an empathetic heart

3. Skills: the ability to integrate knowledge, a responsive attitude, and adaptive practice                                                            

F. Flexible intercultural communication: four criteria

1. Appropriateness: degree to which the exchanged behaviors are regarded as proper by cultural insiders           

2. Effectiveness: degree to which communicators achieve mutually shared meaning and integrative goal-related outcomes

3. Communication adaptability: ability to change our interaction behaviors and goals to meet the specific needs of a situation

4. Communication creativity: to produce something inventive through imaginative lens and flexible skills

III. Mastering intercultural communication flexibility

A. A staircase model: four stages of flexible intercultural communication

1. Unconscious incompetence: unaware of blunders

2. Conscious incompetence: aware but not changing

3. Conscious competence: aware and committed to changing

4. Unconscious competence: spontaneously practicing knowledge and skills

B. Communicating flexibly: a flexible communicator practices:

1. Convergent thinking: problem solving to reach a clear outcome

2. Divergent thinking: fluid switching of perspectives

3. Mindful cultural scanning: openness, receptivity, and commitment