A Research On The Effectiveness Of Intercultural Communication From The Perspective Of AUM Theory

In intercultural communication, misunderstandings or conflicts always reduce theeffectiveness of intercultural communication. To solve the problem, first we need toexplore what factors influence the effectiveness of intercultural communication withaccuracy; and then suggest solutions to the problem. However, researches are seldom donefrom Chinese culture perspective both at home and abroad. Moreover, the influentialfactors and solutions found from the perspective of Chinese culture cannot meet the needsof intercultural communication researches either in theory or in practice. Conducting theresearches mentioned above will promote localization of intercultural communicationtheory, and increase the effectiveness of intercultural communication.This research is conducted under the guidance of anxiety/uncertainty management(AUM) theory, which is a typical theory in the field of intercultural communication. Sincecommunication has the character of being practical, this research adopts case analysis asthe research method. Cases in this paper are from the book of Doing Culture written byDavis. This book is influential in intercultural communication field in China, and its casesare all typical, novel and authentic. From the interview the author finds out that motivation,knowledge and skills are the three main factors that influence the effectiveness of Chinesepeople’s intercultural communication. This paper makes deep and meticulous analysisfrom the above three perspectives.Through the research, the author finds out that motivation, knowledge and skills domainly influence the effectiveness of Chinese people’s intercultural communication.Motivation has bi-directional influence on effectiveness of intercultural communication. Itdirectly influences the attitude of communicators as well as the quality and depth of thecommunication. Knowledge is the basis of effective communication. It influences to whatdegree communicators know about foreign cultures, and determines whethercommunicators are able to predict the meaning of messages exchanged in thecommunication. Skills directly influence the realization of effective communication. Based on this research, the author also suggests solutions to improve the effectiveness ofintercultural communication.