Communication

Culture would have no effect without communication and at the same time provides the codes for effective communication. This close interrelationship between culture and communication is also visible in the study of communication. Whatever model of communication you take, each aspect of it is influenced by culture. For this reason, dealing with cultural differences is more often than not a question of adjusting ways and means of communication.

In one way, we all know what communication is, but a closer look shows a series of complexities. When two people talk to one another, it is communication. The communication partners do not need to be near one another; they do not even have to know one another (e.g. billboard, architecture).

The study of communication may focus on the process as such, aspects of communication, layers of communication, forms of communication and more. A simple model of communication is sufficient to realise that many communication problems may occur. The basic idea is the need for alignment between sender and receiver to get the message across.