Essay Sample on Multicultural Communication

As travel and communication have become more efficient, easier and faster, the interaction between people with different cultures has become usual already. Almost every day we find ourselves in situations where we need to communicate with people who are culturally different from us. Culture influences communication, whether we are aware of it or not. In that case, for people with different cultures to have some interaction, they should be able to communicate effectively with each other whether it be verbal or non-verbal.

Multicultural Communication concentrates on the dynamics of cross-cultural communication. It basically tells us what happens when people from diverse cultures join together in one organization, community, or country. If you’re wondering how important it is then keep reading. In general, multicultural communication is vital for business, learning, and community to communicate with people from different cultural backgrounds. How do you think people from businesses with different cultures trade and understand each other? In addition to that, it provides the ability to socialize with people from other cultures, which is becoming increasingly crucial as the world becomes smaller. Getting smaller doesn’t mean that different parts of the globe are getting more identical from each other; it simply means having more and more interaction with people from diverse cultures. 

Above any other, the education sector relies heavily on good interactions between teachers and students. Intercultural communication is becoming increasingly important as schools and institutions become more diverse. The number of international schools all over the world are even increasing already. Clear and effective communication between teachers and students is essential as it allows efficient knowledge transfer in the classroom. Both verbal and non-verbal communication are included. To promote learning and maintain a healthy environment,  both teachers and students need to know how to engage in discussions with compassion and understanding.

In essence, cultural diversity is about accepting and respecting people's differences and understanding that everyone is unique in our own beautiful ways. The same applies to communication. Getting it right requires understanding your audience and relaying your message in a way that makes the most sense to them. In order to have effective communication in a culturally diverse environment, it requires you to be considerate, polite, and sensitive enough to know what is offensive and not for their culture. The culturally ignorant pay a heavy price as it often leads to missed opportunities and increased tensions between people. Hence, research and learn more about their culture so it can help you communicate effectively in a diverse environment and build harmonious relationships with others of different cultures. However, we must study not just about their cultures but also about our own. Learning about such differences will help you respond appropriately to different communication styles, recognize the importance of expanding your capabilities as a communicator, and increase the effectiveness of your interactions with people from different cultures. 

The challenge we face today is obvious: learning to accept cultural differences and differences in communication. When we see the world shortsightedly, we distort our ability to respond appropriately which makes it hard to promote harmony and for most countries to thrive. Those who refuse to accept cultural diversity will simply fail to meet the communication needs of our society and our world and will continue to do so.