What Is Intentional Communication?

Intercultural communication in its most basic form refers to understanding how people from different cultures behave, communicate, and perceive the world around them. Given the changing population dynamics in the US, intercultural communication research is actively being applied in healthcare settings so that doctors and their staffs can relate more effectively to their patients from diverse cultural backgrounds.

 when is a Communication Style cultural?

This question often comes up during intercultural communication trainings. Do people from some cultures talk louder, or is that just an individual’s habit? Similarly, some people seem overly assertive. What part of that behavior might be cultural? Why do people from some cultures stand so close when they speak? Why are some patients and family members reluctant to speak up? Why do they maintain only minimal eye contact? Why do some people from other cultures answer a simple question with a long story?

It Isn’t Either Culture Or Personality

Some of these communication styles and behaviors can indeed be culturally-based, but the individual personality is also at play in any interaction between two people. What is important is to pause before assuming communication styles are cultural. Instead, consider the context of a specific conversation and proceed with a more intentional approach that includes some awareness of cross-cultural communication differences.

 Demonstrate Non-Judgemental Interest

Being intentional is really about using the most effective communication skills you’ve got in your patient engagement tool kit. These are actually much the same skills needed to communicate better within our own culture: listen without judging, repeat what you understand, confirm meanings, give suggestions and acknowledge a mutual understanding. Add to that the ability to show interest in cultural differences you suspect may be affecting a given conversation. Learn to ask about cultural differences in a way that signals you are genuinely curious, interested in learning, and not judgemental.

 Context is Everything

You have to spend a lot of time in any culture to really understand the beliefs, customs, and taboos that make its people behave in different ways. You simply can’t memorize lists of cultural dos and don’ts. By way of example, you might be told that in Japan it is customary to bow when you are greeting someone. True, but you need to understand that this is a highly specific ritual of greeting. The status differences between people involved must be understood, and this can be very nuanced. If you don’t bow appropriately, you are more likely to offend someone. In fact, many Japanese will say they prefer that foreigners not bow unless they really understand what the gesture means within the context of the interaction. Obviously, it would be peculiar to bow to a Japanese patient during an office visit here in the U.S. It would be totally out of context, and context is everything. 

 We are always looking through our own lens

Consider the lens a person looks through when trying to understand cultural differences. That lens is always going to be the the person’s own culture. Many Americans can’t say much when asked to describe American culture – just as a fish can’t describe the water that surrounds him. It’s a good idea to learn more about the multiple cultures each of us indentifies. For healthcare professionals, that includes the culture of one’s profession and workplace. After all, doctors and other healthcare providers are expecting patients and their families to know how to engage with the western medical culture. It isn’t a culture they know first hand