So today’s blog will be about ICC and it’s importance in our day to day lives.

First off, lets define ICC:

It stands for Intercultural Communicative Competence, which essentially means understanding the cultural differences and being able to communicate effectively and appropriately with others from different cultural backgrounds who may speak another language. In his book “Teaching and Assessing Intercultural Communicative Competence”, Michael Byram concludes ICC to be “The ability to communicate and interact across linguistic and cultural borders appropriately and efficiently”. (Byram, 1997).  Its not as complicated as it sounds when you break it down. And this image helps make it even clearer. (Deardoff, 2006).

So as a language learner, I think we can sometimes put a lot of emphasis on perfecting our grammar or pronunciation but there is a lot more to it, in order to fully engage in a certain culture. It is vital to be able to understand their behavioral norms, traditions, and general way of life just as much as it is to be able to speak with them.

Byram has created a list of “The 5 Savoirs” neccessary to fully develop ICC, they are as follows:

1. Savoir – This is the concept of knowledge itself (of self and others), the knowledge of social groups and their particular practices.
2. Savoir etre – This concerns attitudes, and ones readiness to disregard beliefs about one own or others cultures. This essentially means willingness to be open-minded
3. Savoir comprendre – “Comprendre” literally concerns itself with the ability to interpret and relate, usually a symbol/tradition from an individual’s own culture.
4. Savoir s’engager – The ability to evaluate different perspectives in a critical manner.
5. Savoir faire – This certain criteria refers to whether one is capable or not of applying the cultural practices and behaviors in real time communication situations.

Essentially, to be fully competent with intercultural communication, you would have to meet the above criteria. I think one of the best ways to become competent is to fully immerse yourself in the chosen culture, as real life experience is next to none. In my opinion it is essential in order to move towards a more connected and blended world.

Hopefully you enjoyed reading this blog,

Until next time,

Tara