Mc Keiver's Perspective On Intercultural Communication

Individual Perspective Similar to Stephen Robbins in his research on intercultural communication barriers, Kathy McKeiver (2013) suggests three barriers that impact the way people interact and communicate. McKeiver explains in her article that people can no longer expect to live their lives with only the people in their communities. The world is becoming more and more diverse. Due to this, people need to be well-versed in effective communication with people from other cultures. Opposed to Robbins’ views on the barriers that affect workplace communication, McKeiver looks at this problem from an individual perspective within universities. Here, the author explains how the United States is one of the top locations where international students come to learn. As the numbers for international students grow, students are facing more and more cultural differences. Because of these differences, McKeiver found specific communication barriers developing amongst people. Within Kathy McKeiver’s studies, she found three barriers preventing people from communicating effectively. The first barrier she found is called ethnocentrism. This is “the belief that one’s culture (in-group) is superior to another’s culture …show more content…
This is similar to the challenges Stephen Robbins found in his studies. Anxiety can build up in a person when he or she experiences communication difficulties such as a person’s language abilities, their tone differences, and emotional expression. These are all challenges Robbins found in this studies which can lead to ineffective communication amongst people. Like mentioned before, this quality can be high or low depending on the person. Someone with high levels of anxiety will likely avoid situations that involve people with different ideas, views, and beliefs. By being aware of these barriers Kathy McKeiver addresses, people can be more open and interactive to those of different