Intercultural Communication

Culture plays an important role in the way people conduct communication. It determine,
among other things, how individuals encode and interpret messages. In an increasingly
globalized world individuals often have to communicate with people from different cultures.
Understanding how the culture of a given individual affects their communication helps in having
intercultural communication that is both appropriate and effective. This paper examines the
cultures of the people of Denmark and Thailand. It will show that even though they have
significant differences, they also have many similarities that impact the way they communicate.
What I liked about the Danish and Thai cultures
One common characteristic of the Thai and Danish cultures that I like is that they are
feminine. Feminine cultures are centered on relationships, are supportive, and thoughtful
(Squillace, 2019). I like such cultures because they do not involve one person subjugating
another because of their age, gender, or social class. Additionally, I like the collectivism of Thai
culture. Collectivist culture values personal relationships and activities and goals that benefit
groups (Squillace, 2019). I like such a culture because it is more supportive of members within
families or communities that may not be fortunate. As such, people live knowing that any time
they fall in difficulties or troubles, community members will come to their aid. Lastly, I liked the
values of both the Danish and Thai cultures. The Danes value trust and equality while the Thais
value self-satisfaction (Sample, 2019; Squillace, 2019). I believe that these values espoused by
both cultures have the potential of creating peaceful, prosperous, and contented societies.
What I did not like about the Danish and Thai cultures

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The aspect of Danish culture that I did not like is its individualism. Everyone is expected
to look after themselves (Sample, 2019). The reality, however, is that not everyone is able to take
care of their needs. It would have been better if people also considered it their responsibility to
take care of the needs of the less fortunate. As for the Thais, I did not like the vertical nature of
their culture. The hierarchical nature of such a culture is likely to lead to poor decision-making
as people are reluctant to question decisions made by persons in authority.
Understanding the two cultures from analyzing current events
Current events happening in both Denmark and Thailand can help to better understand
the two cultures. For instance, in 2016 the long-serving Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej died.
Following his death, the nation mourned for a whole year (Squillace, 2019). The very long
mourning period illustrates the country’s vertical culture where there is strong emphasis on
hierarchy. In Denmark, a noteworthy current event is concession of defeat by the Prime Minister
Rasmussen (Sample, 2019). The fact that a prime minister could be defeated and that he could
accept the loss shows that the Danish culture is horizontal and has low power distance. Anyone
can lead the nation and when they fail to meet the expectations of the electorate they are replaced
by other leaders.
What I explored about the two cultures
In conducting my own research about the two cultures, I found out that the Thais are very
non-confrontational and polite compared to the Danes. They are outwardly polite and amiable.
They try to be as helpful as possible even to strangers. Unlike the Thais, the Danes are more
direct (Jandt, 2017). They express exactly what they feel. I found this directness in Danish
communication interesting because the Danish culture is generally considered to be a high

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context one. I believe that this classification is in comparison with those of other Scandinavian
countries such as Sweden and Norway which are considered to be low context cultures (Jandt,
2017). Even though both Thailand and Denmark are considered high context cultures, the Thai
one is much high context than the Danish one.
How exploring the virtual vacation makes one a better communicator
There is more to communication than just language. The culture and values of a people
play a major role in their communication. To become a competent communicator, especially
when communicating with individuals from different cultures, one needs to have an
understanding of the values and culture of the people that they are communicating (Jandt, 2017).
This is particularly important because a lot of communication takes place non-verbally. As it has
been shown in the virtual vacation, both the people of Thailand and Denmark have high context
cultures. This means that they communicate more through implied greetings and gestures. As
such learning the meanings of various non-verbal cues of both cultures in addition to their
languages will greatly help in making one a competent communicator.
Conclusion
Globalization has greatly increased intercultural interactions in the spheres of education,
business, politics, sports, and hospitality. With this increased interactions between people of
different cultures there is increasing need for competent and effective intercultural
communication. One way of achieving this intercultural communication is understanding the
culture and values of different cultures. As the virtual vacation reveals, there are significant value
and cultural differences between Thailand and Denmark. Understanding these differences will
help persons visiting the two countries to competently communicate with the local people.

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References

Jandt, F. (2017). An introduction to intercultural communication: Identities Ina global
community. Sage Publications

Sample, J. (2019). Copy of Virtual Locations: Denmark. Prezi Retrieved on 22 nd November, 2019
from https://prezi.com/view/ZwYoqJJrjJBlppYjhN7p/

Squillace, C. (2019). Copy of Virtual Locations: Thailand. Prezi. Retrieved on 22 nd November,
2019 from https://prezi.com/view/ZwYoqJJrjJBlppYjhN7p/