31 Components of Intercultural Competence (3.2.5)

Components of Intercultural Communication Competence

Intercultural communication competence (ICC) is communicating effectively and appropriately in different cultural contexts. Three key components of ICC are motivation, knowledge, and tolerance for uncertainty.

Motivation

Motivation refers to the reason someone wants to engage in intercultural communication. It can be intrinsic (driven by curiosity and interest in learning about others) or extrinsic (driven by external rewards like career advancement or recognition) (Martin & Nakayama, 2010).

People from dominant cultural groups may be less motivated to adapt in intercultural situations because they’re used to others adapting to them. For members of nondominant groups, however, intercultural communication can be a daily necessity. For example, someone may adjust their speech or behaviour to fit in with dominant norms, such as using standard English, adopting certain communication styles, or hiding personal information.

While intrinsic motivation promotes deeper engagement, motivation alone isn’t enough. A person may engage with another culture for personal gain and abandon the relationship once the goal is met. Effective ICC considers the motivations of everyone involved and emphasizes respect and relationship-building.

Knowledge

Knowledge includes self-awareness, other-awareness, mindfulness, and cognitive flexibility. It means understanding your own cultural identity and communication habits, and being open to learning about others.

We don’t develop cultural self-awareness passively—it takes effort and reflection. Listening to others, especially those with different backgrounds, helps us see how our behaviour may be interpreted. For example, Canadians may seem outgoing and friendly to others, but this may be perceived as superficial in cultures where deeper, longer-lasting relationships are valued.

Exposure to diverse people is key, but many people mainly interact with others who are similar to them. Making the effort to connect with people from different backgrounds—whether through work, education, media, or travel—can expand your other-knowledge. Learning another language is another way to understand how other cultures think and communicate.

Being mindful—paying attention to how a conversation is going and reflecting afterward helps improve ICC. For example, asking yourself, “What went well? What was challenging?” can help you adjust your behaviour next time. Cognitive flexibility means updating your thinking as you learn. It prevents rigid thinking and helps avoid stereotypes.

Tolerance for Uncertainty

Cultural encounters often involve uncertainty. You may not know the right thing to say or do. Tolerance for uncertainty refers to how comfortable a person is with this ambiguity (Martin & Nakayama, 2010).

Someone with a low tolerance may become anxious or withdraw. Someone with a high tolerance is likelier to stay calm, wait for clarity, or ask questions. This openness often leads to better outcomes. People who are curious and motivated to learn from others tend to handle uncertainty more effectively.

Attribution

This chapter contains material taken from Chapter 8.4 “Intercultural Communication Competence” in Intercultural Communication and is used under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

References

References are at the end of this chapter.