In a world that is growing and becoming more diverse with each passing day, there are many cultures that are leaving their hometown cultures and creating roots in a new one. With these changes and moves, are coming the different ways of communication and conflict styles as well. According to the United Nations, “in 2020, there were an estimated 281 million international migrants, which is 3.5% of the global population.” In comparison, the 1970’s had 93 million people moving internationally. We have seen a drastic change in the amount of people moving and bringing their mindset and cultures with them.
We have to learn how to work with each other, especially as different ways and patterns of communicating are reaching the other sides of the world. The best way to do this is to first understand the flexible communication skills. These minor details can change the way an entire conversation could lead and creates an atmosphere for peace to reign and reach a common goal more efficiently. Flexible intercultural conflict skills is ultimately the habit of staying open-minded to another’s way of communication.
A huge factor to understanding those with a different communication style than us is losing our pre-conceived notion first. We may know bits and pieces of someone, but we really cannot understand the full story until we sit down and try. As a flexible communication skill, this is labeled as “mindful of categorization.” Even in the story of David being chosen as King in the Bible, we see that Samuel saw those who looked the part of a position, yet they were not what God had chosen. “But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.’ (1 Samuel 16:7).” God is looking past the outside of someone, and instead searching the motives, the intentions, and the heart of someone.
Another example would be a conversation I recently had with a friend. They came to me, explaining that their friend from Asia has a vastly different way of hearing the things that they tell them. Through this, they have had to learn how to stay open-minded in hearing each other out and have become flexible in wording things differently than they may be used. This would be an example of having “information openness.” This means that even at times when you cannot understand one another, you stay open to wanting to hear them out. My friend continued their story saying that it took ten minutes to try and realize something quite simple. The relationship means enough to them that they want to understand each other. They could only reach this place if they had first dropped a mindset of categorization and chose to lean into what the other said.
Overall, intercultural communication can be eye-opening, growing, and helpful. You just have to put in the effort, keep an open mindset towards the other person or people, and ask God for His help. As Philippians 2:4 says, “Let each of you look not only yo his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” If we all searched for the desire to understand each other, we could be serving another in such a simple way.
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