Role Of Empathy In Intercultural Communication

To define intercultural communication, a definition of communication must first be given. Communication is, “the imparting or exchanging of information by speaking, writing, or using some other medium". It is the process through which people create shared meanings.
Culture is, “the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society”. It is more than the type of clothing worn; it is the values, traditions, beliefs and attitudes shared by a group of people. Every religious system has its own teaching, standard and belief. Followers of each religious system have varying behaviours which impact and affect their methods of communication. From town to town there are different cultures, different modes of interaction. Let us

Too often attention is given to the differing languages and non-verbal communication is neglected. Foreign language learners need to not only pay attention to the verbal language but should give suitable attention to being aware of each target countries social system, customs, ways of thinking, values and differences. The non-verbal behaviours associated with each group of individuals vary widely and being aware of this can certainly lend to better intercultural communication.
To effectively communicate with those who may share an opinion that is different from ours, we must have empathy. Empathy is defined as “the ability to understand and share the feelings of another”. Empathy in intercultural communication is the ability to consciously change your cultural position, to go beyond what you know and to put yourself in the other person’s cultural position, to feel their feelings, think their thoughts and then form proper verbal and non-verbal

The idea passed to me was that relationship was not based on what a person owned or had access to but rather on the way communication flowed from one person to another. My grandfather for example, the late Roodal Sookram, was a messenger at the then Royal Bank. On afternoons he would arrive to his modest house change into casual clothing, have a cup of coffee and announce that he was heading to the promenade in San Fernando. One overcast afternoon during which he was house bound I approached him to find out why he visited the promenade with such frequency. He said he went to spend time with the homeless men and women who lived there. Aghast I asked why, only to be informed that they were people no different than anyone else and that their situations should not define them as many were there without choice. This new light left me forever changed.
Your potential for success in life may well be boosted or limited by how well you can communicate with people from cultures different from your own. Should we as individuals embrace Mr. Henry Ford’s quote of "if there is any great secret of success in life, it lies in the ability to put yourself in the other person's place and to see things from his point of view", we have a chance to not only bridge intercultural communication gaps in the work or