The coronavirus pandemic has necessitated digital communication as more people work from home but still need to collaborate in teams. I have personally encountered several internal and external barriers to effective intercultural communication. An example of my experience with internal barriers to intercultural communication is during a period when I was having online group discussions with some classmates. We found each other using hard language in our communication, which we do not use in regular day-to-day communication.
Based on interviews with five of my classmates, the use of technical terms and unfamiliar words made it hard to understand each other. I also experienced barriers in communication due to poor listening skills coupled with inadequate digital communication etiquette. During the Zoom meetings, some people would mute conversations and undertake other tasks without paying attention. There were also instances of word vomit where someone would talk for a long time to a point that the rest got bored and distracted.
I also experienced external barriers to intercultural digital communication because of background noise. There were many disruptions to the conference video calls as the chatter from the background reduced audibility. Furthermore, it made the communication almost impossible as there were different sources of sound such as traffic and neighbors. Another external barrier to communication experienced is the malfunction of technology. There were instances of voice breaks and disruptions due to the poor signal and power failure. These disruptions greatly hindered digital communication during the corona pandemic.
I would suggest that students and any other parties communicating online use standard and simple language in their communication. Furthermore, there is a need to take turns speaking to encourage the participation of all members. Turn-taking can be realized through proper training of the participants as there will be more online meetings. Schools should take time to train their students on how to conduct themselves during such meetings. Furthermore, to deal with background noise and interruptions, I suggest that people set up sections of their houses with minor disturbance to make calls. For instance, one could lock themselves up in their home office or bedroom to avoid disturbance. In conclusion, online meetings and digital communication have become a norm, and, as a result, people should invest in power backups and faster Internet to promote effective intercultural digital communication.