Communication starts with a sender and concludes with a receiver. The source initiates communication and is responsible for the success of the message. The sender's attitudes, knowledge, and culture can influence the message communicated. Any written, spoken words or non-verbal language are significant in ensuring the message received is as intended by a disseminator. This essay documents how to properly communicate with someone from Brazil in South America.
I will be the source and will begin communicating with the recipient. As the source, I would be responsible for the success of the message, which means I would have to structure my message appropriately, choose the right channel to convey the message, and ensure it is understood by the recipient. As a behavioral source, I would carefully contemplate how I would want to establish communication with the receiver. I would choose the right order of words to present to the recipient so that I can establish effective communication. For instance, I would think of saying hello while offering my hand for a shake to suggest a greeting. I would observe the recipient's reaction to assess whether they understand me. I would then respond with clarification information to aid their understanding.
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I would begin by encoding the message I want to pass across. I would carefully assess what I want to pass across. Encoding entails phrasing the message I want to convey by structuring messages, symbols, ideas, and concepts that will be easily understood by the recipient. The encoding process details translating information into symbols that represent ideas. The symbols could be language, words, or non-verbal cues such as gestures (Ting-Toomey, 2018). I would be keen to observe that the sender's skill, perceptions, and culture might influence the message.
In engaging communication with the Brazilian recipient, I would take note of the message I want to pass across. The message entails the meaning that is produced by the source for the recipient. The message entails the proper arrangement of words to convey meaning. I would, therefore, be keen to structure my content well such that the recipient can understand me. For instance, I would make them understand that I come from a different place where we communicate in English. The message can also be conveyed through non-verbal cues; for instance, I would point to the horizon when stating where I come from.
In engaging communication with the Brazilian recipient, the channel I would use is a face-to-face to face conversation. I find that this is the best pathway or medium for which we can understand each other. Additional channels I would use later when the recipient learns some English would be phone conversation and email. The responder will receive the message, analyze, and interpret it as intended by me the source.
The process through which the responder interprets the message is called decoding. The recipient will decode the message when a stimulus is sent to the brain to comprehend some of the words spoken by the source. The brain will then assign some meaning to the message. The receiver of the message will also decode the context based on their skill, perception, and attitudes. The recipient will interpret the symbols sent by the sender and comprehend the symbols to make them meaningful.
After successful decoding, the recipient will give a response. The response will likely be how they understood the message in their own way. The response will involve how much the recipient knows about the topic, their receptivity to the message, and the relationship that has been established with the sender. The response may be influenced by the knowledge, skill, culture, and attitudes of the recipient. In the final stage of communication, there is feedback. I will then discern whether there has been successful communication when the recipient signals some form of feedback. The recipient can either have understood or misunderstood the message. The feedback will be significant in identifying some of the barriers to the communication process.
Some of the categories of culture I could employ in establishing communication include artifacts, concepts, and behaviors. I can use artifacts to aid non-verbal communication with the recipient. For instance, in face-to-face communication, I would wear apparel that reflects the Brazilian culture to enhance rapport with the recipient. Artifacts such as clothing convey personal and social beliefs. Conforming to the local culture can convey that I come in peace and would want to make a friend. It is critical to note that some cultural artifacts may convey a negative message (Education, 2017). I would, therefore, be careful to research the cultural artifacts of the Brazilian people that denote happiness, peacefulness, and friendship.
One interesting thing I learned about Brazilian way of communication is that the English version of "come here" which is assured using the palm and fingers, for the Brazilians, it is done with the palm facing downwards waving their fingers in a downward motion (Kelm & Victor, 2017). When visiting Brazil, I would do a background check on the cultural concepts that are welcomed and those that are not. Some concepts may convey negative comments to the local people. For instance, the okay gesture is considered vulgar in Brazil, and people would rather use the thumbs-up gesture (Kelm & Victor, 2017). I would, therefore, research the relevant concepts I can use while communicating with the Brazilian recipient. Behavior is also critical to establishing effective communication. The Brazilians actively avoid silence and tend to talk over each other (Wells, 2018). This can be a reference point for me. How one carries about themselves can tell you a lot about their character and personality. I would, therefore, approach the Brazilian responder in a friendly and charismatic manner. I would greet them in their locally preferred way and let out an aura of friendliness.
Reference(s)
Education, B. I. (2017). 2 Intercultural Communication in South America. Global Perspectives on Intercultural Communication , 14.
Kelm, O. R., & Victor, D. A. (2017). The Seven Keys to Communicating in Brazil: An Intercultural Approach . Georgetown University Press.
Ting-Toomey, S., & Dorjee, T. (2018). Communicating across cultures . Guilford Publications.
Wells, A. (2018). The Tech Professional's Guide to Communicating in a Global Workplace: Adapting Across Cultural and Gender Boundaries . Apress.
