Grounding in intercultural communication.

The study of effective intercultural communication is relevant to the Canadian multicultural society. This experimental study explores the effect of intercultural (Chinese/Canadian) grounding strategies as a function of social role (doctor/patient) and communicative role (listener/speaker). Grounding activities (e.g., questioning) serve to construct a mutual frame for interactions once a misunderstanding is perceived in the communication. The process of grounding enhances mutual understanding through the reactivation and deactivation of information units. Data obtained from intercultural conversations were analyzed for the use of grounding and its relationship with the information transmitted and retrieved in the communication. Results showed increased use of grounding activities associated with more units of information presented and retrieved in the treatment groups. Cultural variability affected the interactional process but did not influence the information exchanged or the use of grounding in the conversations. This study illustrates that training in grounding is an efficient strategy to facilitate intercultural communication.