Chapter Recap

• A culture is a set of widely shared beliefs, attitudes, values, and practices; cultures are learned, communicated, layered, and lived.

• Judging someone as a member of a shared co-culture, as an ingrouper, or as an outgrouper influences how you perceive and communicate with that person.

• Cultures vary in terms of where they fall in certain spectrums. Communication styles and tolerance for uncertainty avoidance are highly influenced by whether people identify as coming from an individualistic or a collectivistic culture, or from a high- or low-context culture.

• Additional cultural influences on communication include emotion displays, power distance preferences, and views of time. Considering these factors can help you better communicate with others.

• You can strengthen your intercultural competence through world-mindedness, attributional complexity, and communication accommodation.

1. Exploring Your Cultural Layers

   Question

   A basic truth about culture is that we all exist as multiple layers of cultural influences—including age, class, nationality, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, and religion. To better understand how your varied cultural and co-cultural identities impact your communication, list what you think are your most important cultural markers (e.g., “I’m an upper-middle-class, Evangelical, Latina female from the Southwest United States”). Then, write a brief comment (no more than one to two sentences for each cultural marker) explaining how exactly each culture or co-culture impacts your communication with others, both positively and negatively. Finally, connect your layered cultural identities to outcomes in your life. What personal and professional challenges and benefits have you experienced? How do those challenges and benefits influence your communication with others? If you feel comfortable, present this information to your class in a two- to three-minute speech.

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   1. A basic truth about culture is that we all exist as multiple layers of cultural influences—including age, class, nationality, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, and religion. To better understand how your varied cultural and co-cultural identities impact your communication, list what you think are your most important cultural markers (e.g., “I’m an upper-middle-class, Evangelical, Latina female from the Southwest United States”). Then, write a brief comment (no more than one to two sentences for each cultural marker) explaining how exactly each culture or co-culture impacts your communication with others, both positively and negatively. Finally, connect your layered cultural identities to outcomes in your life. What personal and professional challenges and benefits have you experienced? How do those challenges and benefits influence your communication with others? If you feel comfortable, present this information to your class in a two- to three-minute speech.

2. Culture in the Media

   Question

   Many TV shows and movies base their jokes on stereotypical communication problems between men and women or between people from different cultures. For example, think about how shows like Fresh Off the Boat or movies like Trainwreck get a lot of their laughs. With a partner, find an example from the media that uses culture and communication in this way. Discuss how the example embodies or violates principles discussed in this chapter. How could the media better represent communication between people from different cultures?

   r7CokDU8ZLs=

   2. Many TV shows and movies base their jokes on stereotypical communication problems between men and women or between people from different cultures. For example, think about how shows like Fresh Off the Boat or movies like Trainwreck get a lot of their laughs. With a partner, find an example from the media that uses culture and communication in this way. Discuss how the example embodies or violates principles discussed in this chapter. How could the media better represent communication between people from different cultures?