3.5. Clarifying Misunderstandings. Readings

How do misunderstandings occur?

Researchers have developed a great diversity of approaches and theories about how to achieve efficient and authentic communication. Some rules and fundamental principles can be established on this basis. The first rule is that what is essential for a good communication is the quality of the relationship between the persons involved in this communication. It is a question of capacity to create a relational context that will facilitate expression and receptivity.

As a second rule, for communication to be effective and of high quality, it is necessary to listen, observe, analyse, express oneself and control. Listening means taking the other person's point of view into account, showing interest verbally or non-verbally; observing and analysing in order to understand the explicit and implicit part of the communication, according to psychological and social components of the persons involved in communication; expressing yourself according to the person you are talking to and the nature of the subject of the communication; controlling through the feedback given to the message. 

A third rule is crucial: all communication takes place in a psychological context, which is always a social and ideological context. The role and weight of social norms, social representations and reference values are considerable. Communication must always be studied and understood in terms of the interaction between three types of factors: psychological, cognitive and social.

It is well known that reluctance or even fear have always been part of human interactions, leading inevitably to misinterpretation and miscomprehension. In any encounter, misunderstandings happen frequently because our own culture heavily influences how we perceive other’s intentions. Rejecting otherness, people intend to protect themselves from a form of threat regarding values, ways of life, or identities they are familiar with. Research about racism shows that there was a substantial change in the definition of this concept. It is no longer a question of biological, physical, or intellectual inferiority, but an incompatibility that exists between cultural, national, religious, ethnic specificities. This new definition of racism insists on the fact that the differences of the minority group can be seen as a threat for the dominant group. In the context of education, lecturers must learn how to reflect about their own beliefs, values, and attitudes, and avoid an ethnocentric evaluation of situations of misunderstandings among students. 

What happens in a higher education context?

Initially, lecturers may hesitate between two different attitudes to adopt in classroom occurrences. They may react on the bases of equal treatment of both parts of the problem, trying not to point out to the identity of the migrant student. But this method seems to be totally unrealistic. Lecturers need to address all different cultural codes of students and be aware that preventing and managing misunderstandings will be a difficult task. 

In fact, those misunderstandings may even extend to other social issues like, for example, gender relations, socialization, religion, and occur in verbal as well as non-verbal communication.

Intercultural Communication Strategies

To foster inclusive and effective communication in culturally diverse context, lecturers can adopt the following strategies:

• Speak more slowly than usual to ensure clarity and allow time for processing.

• Practice active listening, showing genuine interest and attentiveness to others’ perspectives.

• Avoid assumptions or generalizations based on the dominant culture or one’s own cultural framework.

• Simplify information by using short sentences and focusing on key messages.

• Repeat key messages to reinforce understanding and retention.

• Support oral communication with written and visual materials whenever possible.

• Translate essential information into other languages when relevant and feasible, especially for administrative or assessment-related content.

Tips that lecturers can give to their students for managing cultural difference:

• Stay open-minded: embrace new perspectives and practices without judgment.

• Observe and ask questions: learn by observing locals and asking questions whenever you are feeling uncertain.

• Learn the language: even a basic understanding of the local language can make your transition easier.

• Connect with peers: joining international student groups can offer support and shared experiences.

• Engage in cultural exchange: participate in local events and activities to immerse yourself in the culture.

External causes for misunderstandings

Other elements can leave to misunderstandings, such as propaganda, misinformation, and fake news. These terms are used to refer to a range of ways in which sharing information causes harm, intentionally or unintentionally. Although none of these phenomena are new, they have taken on new significance in the past decades with the development of an extensive range of sophisticated forms of information and communication technology. 

To give a brief definition of these terms, according to the European Council: 

• Propaganda is information intentionally crafted and distributed to influence people's way of thinking or behaving, usually in support of a political or ideological agenda. Propaganda can contain factual information, but it is usually one-sided or biased, emphasising certain viewpoints strategically.

• Misinformation is wrong information that people who believe it to be true share without the intent to deceive. Misinformation can arise from misunderstandings, rumours or inadequate research. 

• Fake news is intentionally designed false or exaggerated news to mislead people, create confusion or promote hidden agendas. Fake news is often presented in a way that imitates real news reporting.     

All of them can polarize public opinion and even promote violent extremism and hate speech.

As students spend a significant amount of their time watching television, playing online games, chatting, blogging, listening to music, posting photos of themselves and searching for other people with whom to communicate online, they rely heavily on information circulated online for their knowledge of the world and how they perceive reality. Being young people, they are particularly vulnerable to propaganda, misinformation and fake news.

To prevent those situations, it is vital for schools to provide students with a solid education on media and information literacy as part of the curriculum. Teachers must be well-trained in the subject to empower students with the necessary competences to critically understand and assess in formation reported by all forms of media.