of rocks, moss, and water and misty landscapes, I visited the Katsura Imperial Gardens in Kyoto. At the appointedtime of the tour a young Japanese guide approached the group of20 waiting Americans and remarked how fortunate it was that theday was cloudy. This brought hesitant smiles to the group whowere less than pleased with the prospect of a shower. The guide'snext statement was that the timing of the midsummer visit wasparticularly appropriate in that the azalea and rhododendron blossoms were gone and the trees had not yet turned totheir brilliant, fall colors. The group laughed loudly now convincedtime the young man had a line sense of humor. I winced at his bewildered expression, realizing that had I come before attendingthe conference I, also evaluating the weather as\not be serious.
16. Communication cutoff caused by immediate evaluation is heightened when feelings and emotions are deeply involved; yetthis is just the time when listening with understanding is mostneeded. Look and listen empathetically rather than through thethick screen of value judgments that impede a fair understanding. 17. High Anxiety
High anxiety or tension is common in cross-cultural experiences due to the number of uncertainties present and the personalinvolvement and risk. Moderate arousal and positive attitudes prepare one to meet challenges with energy, but high arousal, caused by a buildup of continued moderate stress, depletes thebody's energy reserve quickly and defense must be used whetheror not the person wills it. If the stay in a foreign country is prolonged and the newcomer cannot let down his or her high alertlevel, the\culture shock”phenomenon occurs. Illness may result, the body forcing needed rest and recuperation.
18. Anxious feelings usually permeate both parties in an intercultural dialogue. The host national is uncomfortable when talkingwith a foreigner because he or she cannot maintain the normal flow of verbal and nonverbal
interaction. There are language andperception barriers;silences are too long or too short;proxemicand other norms may be violated. He or she is also threatened bythe other's unknown knowledge, experience,and evaluation--the visitor's potential for scrutiny and rejection of the host national and his or her country. The foreign members of dyads are evenmore threatened. They feel strange and vulnerable, helpless to cope with messages that swamp them. Their self-esteem is often intolerably undermined unless they employ such defenses as withdrawal into their own reference group or into themselves, screening out or misperceiving stimuli, or becoming aggressive or hostile. None of these defenses leads to effective communication.
19. Knowing the six stumbling blocks is certainly a help in avoiding them, but these particular ones cannot be easily circumvented. For most people it takes insight, training, and sometimesan alteration of long-standing habit or cherished beliefs beforeprogress can be made. However, the increasing need for globalunderstanding and cooperation makes the effort vital. we canstudy other languages and learn to expect differences in nonverbal forms and other cultural aspects. We can train ourselves to meetintercultural encounters with more attention to situational details,using an investigative approach rather than preconceptions and stereotypes. We can gradually expose ourselves to differences so that they become less threatening. By practicing conscious relaxation techniques, we can also learn to lower our tension levelwhen needed to avoid triggering defensive reactions. Roger Harrison summarizes what the intercultural communicator must seek toachieve:
The communicator cannot stop at knowing that the people he is working with have different customs,goals, and though pattern from his own. He must be able to feel his way into intimate contact with these alien values, attitudes, and feelings. He must be able to work with them and within them, neither losing his own values in the confrontation nor protecting himselfbehind a wall of intellectual detachment.
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