Examine ethnocentrism and the effective elements of cross-cultural communication as discussed in the textbook.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Ethnocentrism is defined as the tendency to believe your culture or ethnicity is
superior to everyone else’s. To be an effective multicultural communicator, one should
not have ethnocentrism. Instead one should understand the difference between low-
context and high-context cultures. Low-context cultures--what you say is what you
mean. High-context cultures--what you say is not necessarily what you mean;
messages are conveyed through body language. Understand social contexts and the
formal or informal language depending on who one is talking to. Try not to use slang,
idioms, euphemisms, proverbs, humor, or verbal dueling when communicating with
other cultures.