Individual Cultural Communication: Study of Indian Culture

In reference to chapter 1, the term intercultural communication equates similarly to culture communication around the world. Intercultural communication refers “to communication between persons who have different cultural beliefs, values, or ways of behaving.” (DeVito 40) In order to be more aware culturally, a person should open their mind to new experiences and not be afraid to learn more about a person’s culture. For this assignment, I decided to research a culture that has stark differences than mine which was the: Indian Wedding ceremony versus the Traditional American wedding ceremony. Unfortunately, it was hard for me to attend an Indian wedding so I mainly had to do research for this assignment. The main differences between these weddings had to do with: attire, wedding ceremony, and traditions.

This text is a good reference point. This text is used to understanding communication within culture. This source also gave a better understanding

You know that feeling of home whether it’s with family members or even your loved ones? I don’t think that home is something that is automatically there, I believe that it is something that’s created. I learned that lesson through the eyes of one of my older friends who came from India with his brother when he was 16 in order to make a living. My friend Vikas, told me everything he had to do and the struggles he conquered in order to make his own successful business here in the U.S. Some things he told be reminded me of interpersonal communication, intercultural communication, and intracultural communication. He had to have a lot of communication with his friend who also happened to be from India and some new friends and colleagues he met through his journey. Of course there was homesickness and the occasional depression, but that didn’t stop him from creating his now successful business.

India is a captivating country full of humble traditions, lively festivals, and honest beliefs. With over 2 billion people, India has a vast array of religions and languages with Hindi being the most popular. The Hindu culture is a culture of love, respect, honoring others and humbling one's own ego so that the inner nature, which is naturally pure and modest, will shine forth (Mailerindia Infotek Limited). Hindi is a kind and peaceful religion. It is only fitting to combine a temperate religion with a humble society of people. Indians were raised to treat their elders with respect and to always be humble to guests. Strangers will great you with the utmost benevolence and friends will invite you into their home and make sure you are

Just like any other culture the Indian culture had its own customs beliefs and practices. This beliefs and practices affect their lifestyles and interaction with the modern culture. One unique aspect of the Indian culture is their relation with guests. The Indians treat with high regards any guests that they host. They also hold close their economic status with preference for the wealthy status compared to the low and middle economic status. Religion is also highly held in the Indian culture. Indians hold the belief that god and goddesses are the drivers of one’s life.

India’s culture blends from it rich historic background and the influence of the current western culture. Hence, as Indians, we have grown up to be a very tolerant culture. We honor and respect all religions, races, and ethnic backgrounds. Our culture teaches us to have a deep respect for elders and has a tradition of joint families.

India is a unique country. Home to close to a billion people, it boasts a rich cultural history spanning over 4 millennia. India's vast geographical coverage features all kinds of different terrain; from the cold, magnificent peaks and valleys of Kashmir to the hot, barren lands of Jacobabad. With such terrain comes a culture so vast that it is almost impossible to define. India possesses an array of different races, languages, religions and customs (Bryman & Hardy, 2009).

India, or more specifically the Republic of India, is the second highest populated country in the world and holds an incredibly diverse amount of people. It is almost impossible to describe in detail the basis of the culture in India, because India itself is so diverse. It has been called a “mixing pot” of culture and religion, and represented by “the plurality of its culture.” (Molina Healthcare) Being one of the oldest civilizations, it is the home of some of the oldest religions such as Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam. So it is important that possible practice of these religions is noted. Also, 40% of the population speaks Hindi, along

Alberts, Martin and Nakayama (2011) describe communication as “ a transactional process in which people generate meaning through the exchange of verbal and nonverbal messages in in specific contexts, influenced by individual and societal forces and embedded in culture.”(p.7) They then go on to state that intercultural communication “occurs in interactions between people who are culturally different.”(p.122) Cultural differences thus affect many interactions, with the communication process being one.

Many assume that their daily life and basic education is enough to be fluent in communication, gender and culture, but they are severely mistaken. As our society becomes more diverse the need to learn about communication and culture increases ever more, for with communication and understanding of one's identification, we can limit and decrease the bigotry in the world. Therefore, allowing to build a stronger foundation for a better society.

The article by Mary Munter was a useful, interesting piece about certain techniques and communication styles that can be used in the event that a manager must deal with cross cultural communication issues. It does a great job of outlining potential issues and how to deal with them. Culture is first defined as the values, attitudes, or behavior of a certain group of individuals. Any person in a management position will most likely have to deal with a diverse workforce with some individuals from different parts of the country. When doing so, choosing an effective communication style is essential. There are five options when choosing a style; “Telling” informs employees and explains specifically what you need. It doesn’t involve them in the communication. “Selling” on the other hand, attempts to persuade people to do something.

On page 102 in the chapter it connects to the article because Sarita and Bir were separated by different villages and couldn’t be alone represents a form of cross cultural communication ( Guest 102). I can compare this to my own experience a lot of time growing up when playing certain games the teacher would separate the boy from the girls. While the boys were very competitive the girls were more laid back which represents cross cultural communication.

Family traditions and religion greatly impact the lives of many people in India. These elements of culture are reasons that form the way that Indians lead their lives. Both factors make up what type of person that individual will become. That is the reason why religion and family traditions are so valued in Indian society.

Intercultural communication competence refers to the ability of an individual to adapt and communicate appropriately and effectively across a wide array of cultural contexts. That is to say, for an individual to be considered an intercultural communicator they must understand other’s cultures as well as they understand their own, and apply this understanding to communication (Chen 1-2). With the increasing diversity at the workplace, school and other social settings, it has become increasingly important to learn how to communicate with people from a diverse array of cultures. More importantly, adapting to a more effective intercultural communication competence model provides us with learning opportunities occasioned by the interaction with people from other backgrounds. The intercultural communication competence model comes with some key components including tolerance for uncertainty, self-knowledge, and motivation. The greatest and most important of these aspects is motivation. An individual must be willing to foster relationships with people from a different cultural background. If an individual lacks the willingness to promote intercultural relationships, then other aspects of the intercultural communication model become moot.

"We didn 't all come over on the same ship, but we 're all in the same boat."- Bernard Baruch