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Intercultural communication 
Session 6: 
Intercultural communication and the co-creation of meaning
Learning journal

Except where otherwise noted, the content contained in this document is licensed under a 
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License v 4.0. 
The work is attributable to: 
Project Team „ Edubox Intercultural communication “ / HOOU

Content / Tasks

6.1	Prelude
6.2	Introduction
6.3	Culture, communication, and intercultural communication
	My speech communities	
6.4	Expanding the transactional model of communication
	Exploring my communicative resources and preferences	
6.5	Managing challenging communication situations
	Active listening	
6.6	Summary
6.7	Learning review
	Case “Waiting for my colleague to be ready”	
6.8	Sources, further reading and web links

► 6.3 Culture, communication, and intercultural communication
	My speech communities	
Identify the language collectives or speech communities to which you belong, and select one of them to showcase linguistic idiosyncrasies that might cause surprises, confusion, or misunderstandings when interacting with people who are not members of your collective. These idiosyncrasies could relate to terminology, specialised vocabulary, a dialect, or specific expressions used within your ingroup conversations.
My language collectives / speech communities:
	
Linguistic idiosyncrasies that might cause surprises, confusion, or misunderstandings when interacting with people who are not members of this collective:
Chosen language collective / speech community:

Linguistic idiosyncrasies that might lead to confusion and misunderstandings:
	
► 6.4 Expanding the transactional model of communication
	Exploring my communicative resources and preferences	
My personal communication profile: a self-assessment
Part 1: My communicative resources
Please indicate the languages and dialects you are familiar with and, using the scales provided, assess your level of competency (by inserting an “x” in the respective field of the scale).
I speak / understand this language or dialect:		

hardly at all											very well	

I speak / understand this language or dialect:		

hardly at all											very well	

I speak / understand this language or dialect:		

hardly at all											very well	

I speak / understand this language or dialect:		

hardly at all											very well	

I speak / understand this language or dialect:		

hardly at all											very well	

I speak / understand this language or dialect:		

hardly at all											very well	
Other languages or dialects I speak:

Part 2: My communicative preferences
How would you rate your personal communication preferences? Please indicate your preference for the following dimensions / orientations on the scales provided below:
linear	< –––––––––––––––––––––––– >	circular	
I prefer a straightforward 
and information-focused 
communication style.	I prefer to speak at length and 
focus on communicating my point 
by providing comprehensive 
explanations including examples.	

direct	< –––––––––––––––––––––––– >	indirect	
I communicate my opinions clearly 
and transparently and am comfortable formulating critical feedback	I tend to paraphrase my opinion 
and only hint at critical issues.	

task-oriented	< –––––––––––––––––––––––– >	relationship-
oriented	
I prefer a straightforward 
and information-focused 
communication style.	In my approach, people need to 
come first. I am really good at 
collaborating with others, especially 
when a  foundation of trust 
has already been established.	

reserved	< –––––––––––––––––––––––– >	expressive	
I tend to withhold my feelings in conversations and consider it valuable to discuss things 
in a matter-of-fact manner.	I express my emotions 
in conversations and engage 
in emotionally charged discussions.	

formal	< –––––––––––––––––––––––– >	informal	
I prefer to employ a refined vocabulary, incorporate technical terms, 
and consider it essential to apply 
the rules of the language used.	I communicate 
in an informal and casual manner, 
and I may not always strictly adhere 
to spelling and grammar rules.	

Please assess your preferences by inserting an “x” in the respective field of the scale.
By connecting your x-marks (preferredly with a colored line) you will get a visual illustration of your communicative preference profile.
linear											circular	
direct											indirect	
task-oriented											relationship-oriented	
reserved											expressive	
formal											informal	

► 6.5 Managing challenging communication situations
	Active listening	
After watching the first 3 minutes of Simon Sinek's YouTube video on “The art of listening” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpnNsSyDw-g), note down the central elements of active listening and what you can expect to achieve by applying it.
	
► 6.7 Learning review
	Case “Waiting for my colleague to be ready”	
Read the case description and, employing the expanded transactional model of communication, analyse this scenario. Formulate hypotheses and consider potential responses from the perspective of the person recalling the situation, demonstrating how the co-creation of meaning could unfold.