The study of intercultural communication, which concerns the interaction between people of different cultural backgrounds, attempts to discover how people from distinctively diverse cultures endeavor to communicate.  “Culture Talk" is both a radio program and a faculty/student collaborative research project, which explores how culture influences communication. Communication is a behavior affected by culture. What one is taught affects the values one maintains and how one behaves. The purpose of the research is to encourage understanding of how culture affects the messages one delivers as well as how one communicates.  The intercultural interviews conducted in this study  explore how culture, which can be thought of as "everything that people have, think or do" (Ferraro, 2006) or "programming of the mind" (Hofstede, 1980; 1984), influences communication. This research provides empirical data illustrating that an individual’s culture (mental programming), including the values, verbal and nonverbal behaviors one has been taught, affects the messages one delivers as well as how one communicates.  Data were gathered through interviews from a non-random sample of 24 participants (16 women and eight men) representing 20 cultures. A semi-structured interview schedule was used to gather data. Interviewees were asked a series of open and closed-ended questions that explored areas including: identity, verbal communication, nonverbal communication, values and culture shock. This research is significant as it provides recent, real-life examples exemplifying the influence of culture on communication.  The study of intercultural communication is mandated by issues of globalization, changing patterns of domestic and international migration, advances in internet technology that allow people worldwide to connect with each other, the need to understand ethical issues from a cultural perspective, and opportunities for peace (Martin & Nakayama, 2010, 39). Intercultural communication competence or “the degree to which one is able to effectively adapt their verbal and nonverbal messages to the appropriate cultural context” (Neuliep, 2009, 393) and thus, intercultural communication skills, are crucial in a multicultural world with an international marketplace.  The findings from this research can be applied to business, political and social settings. Today’s international marketplace demands globally and inter-culturally competent communicators. The key to such competence is cultural intelligence.   

Ferraro, G. (2006). The cultural dimension of international business (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Hofstede, G. (1980). Culture's consequences: International differences in work-related values. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Hofstede, G. (1984). Culture's consequences: International differences in work-related values. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

Martin, J. & Nakayama, T. (2007). Intercultural communication in contexts (4th ed.). Boston: McGraw Hill.

Listen to a "Spectrum West" interview about "Culture Talk" (WHWC 88.3 FM, November 13, 2008) 

Listen to "Culture Talk" streaming audio interviews on WUEC 89.7 FM