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Three important features associated with intercultural communication as related to traveling abroad to foreign cultures include: (1) acculturation, (2) culture shock, and (3) intercultural communication competence. Acculturation is the process whereby you adapt to a new culture by adopting its values, attitudes, and practices. Culture shock is a multifaceted experience resulting from the stress associated with entering a new culture. Intercultural communication competence is defined as the degree to which you effectively adapt your verbal and nonverbal messages to the appropriate cultural context. When you communicate with someone from a different culture you will have to adjust and modify the kinds of verbal and nonverbal messages you send. This process requires that you have some knowledge about the person with whom you are communicating, that you are motivated to communicate with him or her, and that you have the appropriate verbal and nonverbal skills in order to encode and decode messages. Each of these variables affects the success rate of your intercultural communication experiences. When individuals or groups of individuals enter a new culture, they are faced with a different set of values, different behavioral patterns, and a different verbal and nonverbal communication system. In most (perhaps all) cases, such people are affected by their new cultural surroundings.

1. Video Link: International Student Experience, Part 1: Culture Shock|International Student Experience, Part 2: Culture Shock|International Student Experience, Part 3: Social Adjustment

Description: In the videos above, Dan Fishel, an Israeli international student studying at Columbia Business School, discusses his experiences with culture shock in the United States. Mr. Fishel adds a nice blend of humor to his presentation and walks through the stages of culture shock with a special focus on how communication in the United States is often misunderstood by international students.

2. Video Link: Reverse Culture Shock

Description: A young college woman who studied in South Korea discusses her experience with reverse culture shock after returning to the United States. She talks about differences in food, dress habits, feeling like a foreigner, driving, beds, ordering in US restaurants, and using forks again after she arrived back in the United States.