by Karlene Clark, Chester Fritz Library, University of North Dakota
EDI Committee Chair

Cross-Cultural Communication can lead to unintentional misunderstandings and are caused by inadequate cultural knowledge and the lack of intercultural communicative skills. So, here are some tips to raise your awareness!

Communication encompasses both verbal and nonverbal situations. Common barriers to cross-cultural communication are language, ethnocentrism and conflicting values, stereotyping, psychological barriers (attention, premature evaluation or retention) or emotional display (such as anxiety and uncertainty), and geographical distance. For example, those that operate under “Midwest-nice” might see east-coasters as rude while those from the east may have an aversion to the common personality perceptions of west-coasters as flaky and laidback to an extreme.

Nonverbal signals often weigh more in how a person interprets and accepts/rejects incoming messages Nonverbal communication can include the following: eye contact, distance between the speakers, facial expressions, touch, sitting positions, gestures or head movements. Adequate training in cross cultural communication and exposure to other cultures is essential in eliminating these barriers. By working to understand differences, not only around the world but within the US itself, we can help eliminate frustrations we may not have thought about before. The linked video is a presentation I contributed to during my MLIS. It is shared with permission of my teammates.