Tentative Techniques against Barriers to Intercultural Communication

石玉

【Abstract】This paper seeks to describe a model for selecting techniques and exercises by experimenting both quantitatively and qualitatively to help students break barriers to intercultural communication.The results indicate that Exercises such as listening to or reading autobiography of people from the target culture contribute to reducing ethnocentrism； simulation role-play， i.e.to behave like a native of the target culture， is useful to the breakthrough of stereotype； dialogues about intercultural conflicts caused by non-verbal language can be made to acquaint students with some non-verbal language.

【Key words】intercultural communication； barriers； techniques and exercises

【摘要】跨文化交際時通常有四大障礙：民族優越感、刻板印象、言語及非言語因素、壓力。如果能建立一個模式，選擇一些技巧和練習來幫助學生克服跨文化交際障礙，讓他們勇于和外國人交談，對外語教師是大有益處的。此模式涉及一個定量和定性的教學實驗研究。教學實驗證明：實驗組在經過克服跨文化交際障礙培訓之后，在與外國人交流時表現得更好。一些經歷性的練習，比如聽讀目標文化者的自傳，是有利于減小民族優越感的；模擬角色扮演，比如像目標文化者那樣表現自己，對克服刻板印象有益；做一些因為非言語因素引起的跨文化沖突對話會讓學生了解更多的非言語因素；而壓力是一個情感因素，只能通過更多的跨文化交際來減小了。

【關鍵詞】跨文化交際；障礙；技巧與練習

1.Introduction

Four major barriers to intercultural communication are ethnocentrism， stereotyping， language both verbal and non-verbal， and stress.It will be useful in devising strategies for breaking down these barriers.Ethnocentrism is the tendency to evaluate others as inferior to ones own ethnic group.Stereotyping is the overgeneralizing about other groups on the basis of scarce information.One language barrier may result from the use of non-standard English.A tone of voice， how close people stand， the position people sit in， etc， are examples of non-verbal signals that can powerfully affect perceptions.Finally， the most pervasive accompaniment to intercultural interaction is stress.

2.Research purpose and question

What kind of techniques and exercises can help students break barriers to intercultural communication？ Nagdas（2006） theoretical framework for intergroup interventions emphasizes appreciating differences through listening and learning from others experiences， feelings， and beliefs.

Hypotheses： Experiential activities， such as listening to or reading autobiographies of people from the target culture， are helpful to reduce ethnocentrism.Simulations of fictitious cultures such as role-play， i.e.to behave like a native of the target culture， is useful to breakthrough stereotype.Dialogues about intercultural conflicts caused by non-verbal language can be made to acquaint students with some non-verbal language.endprint

3.Method

This model is illustrated by an experiment both quantitative and qualitative.New scales were pre-tested in two freshmen classes of the Wuhan Donghu University.A group of foreign students were invited to talk with experimental group and control group.The result indicated both groups did not have significant difference in terms of breaking barriers to intercultural communication.The task in the next stage was to select techniques and exercises to train students in experimental group.The basic pedagogical features of the dialogues had been devised previously （Nagda & Maxwell， 2011） and are used as a basis for our approach.In the class， autobiographies of those foreign students were read by students of experimental group.Students in experimental group were asked to role-play.Students were acquainted with different non-verbal communication elements of different cultures.The experiment lasted a semester in length.They were also asked to complete a follow-up questionnaire and more than 80% did so.

4.Tests of the hypotheses

The results indicate that students in experimental group perform better than those in control group.Experimental group began to realize that they can not over-generalize about other groups on the basis of scarce information.After acquaintance with some non-verbal languages in other cultures， students find it easier to understand those non-verbal languages than before.The analyses of the questionnaire measures demonstrated that experimental participants increased in their openness to multiple perspectives relative to controls.

5.Implications and conclusion

At a specific level， these results have implications for the design of future intergroup and intercultural programs.Using an evidence-based approach has the advantage of forcing us to elaborate causal models that specify the processes involved in creating the changes we desire.

References：

[1]Cheng， L.L.and Clark， L.（1993） Profile of Asian and Pacific Island students.In L.Clark （ed.） Faculty and Student Challenges in Facing Cultural and Linguistic Diversity （pp.114_136）.Springfield， IL： Charles， C.Thomas.

[2]Condon， J & Yousef， F.（1975）.An introduction to intercultural communication.Indianapolis： The BobbsMerrill Co.endprint