The hit TV show Modern Family focuses on a California clan whose members have different cultural backgrounds. Euro-American patriarch Jay is married to the (much younger) Gloria, who is originally from Colombia. In addition to their child together, Jay serves as stepfather to Gloria’s son Manny. Jay’s children from a previous marriage also have families of their own. His son Mitchell and his partner Cam have an adopted daughter from Vietnam, while Jay’s daughter Claire and her goofy husband Phil have three children. Given this diversity, interpersonal exchanges between the characters routinely cross lines of age, gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation—sometimes at the same time! Not surprisingly, there’s a lot of miscommunication stemming from these differences. For example, Gloria speaks with a Colombian accent and often tangles up her English words. On Halloween, she tells Jay he’s “going to be a gargle.” Manny chimes in to clarify, “She means ‘gargoyle.’” Later, when a box of Jesus figurines is mysteriously delivered to their house, Jay realizes the error: he had told Gloria to call his secretary and order a box of baby cheeses.

Shows like Modern Family poke lighthearted fun at cultural differences. However, the real-world communication distinctions between cultures can be profound. Scholars suggest that seven cultural characteristics shape our interpersonal communication: individualism versus collectivism, high and low context, uncertainty avoidance, emotion displays, power distance, masculinity versus femininity, and views of time. To improve your cross-cultural interpersonal communication skills, you need to understand these differences.