In an increasingly interconnected world, effective and meaningful communication across cultures is a goal we must embrace. It is important to balance improving our intercultural communication skills while maintaining our cultural identity to achieve this aim. This sounds easy, but it is a significant challenge. In my experience living and working abroad for most of my adult life, I have not achieved this balance and sometimes doubt I ever will. However elusive this balance is, learning about other cultures while gaining a deeper understanding of yourself is worthwhile.

One concept we can use to improve our intercultural communication is Cultural Intelligence (CQ). CQ is the aptitude to communicate effectively across cultures and focuses on adapting to and showing empathy for other cultures. People with a high CQ level are motivated to learn about different cultures, understand that culture affects people’s actions, plan to respond to cultural differences, and are culturally sensitive in various settings. Misunderstandings are natural during cross-cultural exchanges, but CQ helps us recognize and overcome these challenges respectfully and empathetically.

We all know that communication styles differ depending on cultural background. By increasing your knowledge of different cultures and how they impact communication, you can adjust your approach, which can help you to convey your message accurately. For instance, in some cultures, such as the US, direct communication is highly valued, while in others, such as Japan, indirect or implicit communication is more common. Understanding such differences is crucial for effective cross-cultural interactions, and it allows us to communicate in a way that creates a deeper connection and mutual appreciation with others.

While increasing your cultural intelligence is a great way to improve your global communication skills, it’s also important to keep your cultural identity. We sometimes overlook the importance of this as we try to improve our language skills and adapt to other cultures. Your cultural identity is who you are as a person; it influences your values, beliefs, and perspectives. Our upbringing, traditions, and personal experiences all mold our cultural identity. Even though I have lived abroad for the same length of time as I lived in my home country, my cultural experiences in Canada shape how I approach intercultural encounters. In my early experiences in Japan, I mostly tried to adapt to Japanese communication styles. This was effective for avoiding conflicts, but I never felt I was making any meaningful connections.

Having a strong cultural identity might lead to more meaningful and authentic communication with people from other cultures because you bring a unique perspective to the exchange. For example, you can connect your history, customs, or traditions to the discussion. By doing this, the people you interact with get to know you better, and they might be exposed to new perspectives that they had never considered. Many believe that embracing your cultural identity can increase confidence; typically, confident people are more comfortable learning new things. When you communicate across cultures, being open and willing to learn goes a long way to gaining respect and connecting with others.

A great first step to strengthening your cultural identity is learning about your own culture. Regardless of where we were born, we all share cultural universals, but these can be tricky to identify without a solid understanding of your own customs, traditions, and history. Once you recognize cultural universals, you can focus more on similarities and what binds us with people from other cultures rather than the differences that might cause division.

For GC students who are just starting out or those about to graduate, you will have many opportunities to communicate across cultures. No matter what stage you are at, remember that improving your intercultural communication skills does not mean hiding your cultural identity. In fact, the two are intertwined, and each works to strengthen the other. While cultural intelligence gives us the tools to communicate effectively across cultures, our cultural identity allows us to approach intercultural encounters with confidence and authenticity.