Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................. 3
Review......................................................................................................................... 3
Ministry Application....................................................................................................... 4
Ministry Application....................................................................................................... 6
Bibliography................................................................................................................. 8
Introduction
There are many books on leadership, communication, and business relationships, but few of
them combine all of the topics as well as Understanding Intercultural Intelligence by Chung and
Stella Ting Toomey. This book is intelligent, yet easy to read, and doesn’t leave out much
surrounding the world of culture and how it affects our everyday lives. This book is a must read
for anyone looking to effectively engage in communication with people of other cultures both
domestically and internationally.
Review
This book is not for the weak. It is informative, intelligent and does take time to read and
absorb all the information that the book lays out. One positive about the book itself, is you can
tell it is well researched and the authors were very careful not to leave anything out. For the
reader, though it may be overwhelming at first it is still digestible, and a good resource for the
important topics that are intercultural communication. One thing I appreciated as I began to read
the book is that the book begins with the why we study intercultural communication.
I think with any concept that you are about to study, a good understanding of why you are
doing it is essential. Whether in ministry or in the secular circuit, this book shows you the
practical reasons to study intercultural communication and then dives more in depth throughout
the rest of the book. The authors state “Neighborhoods and communities are changing. In what
was once a homogeneous community, we may now find more diversity and cultural values in
flux.”1 Once one understands why they are learning this concept, the more they can patiently go
through the book.
I appreciated that it was an intelligent read, but also used stories from people in different
scenarios in order to help the reader understand and engage with the text. To take the reader even
further into intercultural communication, the book engaged in discussion and practical
application questions as well as key terms in order to help the reader not only gain a broad
understanding, but how to apply it to their lives and remember terms that they can take with them
as well.
Ministry Application
There were several things that I learned from this book that I will carry into my own
personal ministry. I have already seen a difference in my secular workplace, after reading this
book, considering the culture that comes with some of my coworkers I had never thought about
before. Putting these principles to use has helped me interact and engage with them vastly.
Biblical engagement and sharing the gospel does require a bit of cultural sensitivity. One
takeaway I got was communicating with someone, say who was German who is more matter of
fact, as opposed to a Japanese person who is more feelings oriented. The formal term for this is
low vs high contextual interaction patterns (LCC vs HCC). The authors describe this context as
“In the LCC system, the speaker is expected to be responsible for constructing a clear, persuasive
message that the listener can decode easily. The value priority in LCC style is “say what you
1 Ting-Toomey, Stella, and Leeva C Chung. 2012. Understanding Intercultural Communication. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University
Press.
mean, mean what you say” as a mode of respect for verbal honesty and personal accountability”
2vs HCC described as communication patterns of indirect; tactful, nonverbal tone; diplomatic
talk; self-humbling speech; and receiver-sensitive values (i.e., the interpreter of the message
assumes the responsibility to infer the hidden or contextual meanings of the message.”3 Or
reading between the lines.
I have previous experience as a linguist in the military, and as someone who studied the
Russian culture immensely, I can tell you that from, Russia is not going to want to interpret
much, however someone from Japan, would like a gentler form of communication where
feelings are considered. Something that is funny to a Russian may not be funny to American, as I
have learned, Jokes are not universal. Another concept that I can apply is to make sure and note
the self enhancement vs self-humbling. Obviously, some people culturally want you to qualify
yourself while others would appreciate you bending down, serving and speaking only of Jesus
and others.
Direct communication is important, but indirect communication is also something that is
taken very seriously in cultures. Learning how to communicate nonverbally is something that
will be used, especially when I interact with those that do not speak the same language as I do.
The terms cultural universalists and relativists speak of facial expression and if those are
universal. I do believe that facial communication can be interpreted across the board, therefore
this has given me the knowledge to watch how I react to things such as food that I do not want to
try. The authors pointed out that it is important that “As a flexible nonverbal communicator,
express emotions and attitudes that correspond to your comfort level; but, at the same time, be
2 Ibid 151
3 Ibid 151
adaptive and sensitive to the appropriate nonverbal display rules in a particular situation and
within a particular cultural community.”4
The reading also drove me to evaluate any biases I may unknowingly or even knowingly
have. This is important in life and in ministry. Racial matters for one are a very sensitive matter,
and we may carry biases that we don’t even realize due to the culture that we have grown up in.
One question I had to ask myself is, will I truly fulfill the great commission wherever I am
called, or do I have conditions? In sharing the gospel with those of other religions, though I
believe Jesus is the only way, I appear to be ethnocentric which is defined as means that we
consider the views and standards of our own ingroup as more important than any outgroups.”5 It
is important that in life and in ministry that we continue learning, reading and gaining knowledge
about those who are around me.
I finally learned that there are ethics involved within communication and that is very
important in the ministry setting as well. We have to look at our own standards, but we must look
at society as a whole. Bribery, for example, is perfectly acceptable in some countries. How do we
feel about bribery in the US? I know in my surroundings we don’t take it lightly, but
understanding that in different cultures doesn’t mean you condone it, but can use that
understanding in ministry.
Ministry Application
Overall this book was a great read, full of insight that will help with not only my secular
dealings in my 9-5 job, but in my role as a bi-vocational music minister. Culture is all around us,
whether we live in a large city, or a small town, intercultural communication is extremely
4 Ibid H28
5 Ibid 198
important. We must be cautious about our misconceptions, aware of how we communicate
whether it is direct or indirect, and how our body language and tone of voice comes across. The
importance of intercultural communication boils down to one thing, and that is the great
commission. Jesus has given us the tools, including the Holy Spirit as well as books like this one
to help us learn to engage and interact with those around us. It is important that we take these
things that we learn as a privilege, and we continue to learn as we continue to engage with those
around us.
