International Communication Day Remarks
Remarks from the International Communication Day Panel Discussion on Optimizing Your Global Success through Study Abroad, an event from International Education Week, November 2023.
Welcome to the International Communication Day Panel Discussion on Optimizing Your Global Success through Study Abroad. My name is Blair Thomson, and I serve as the Senior International Officer, managing the Office of Global Engagement at the University of Mississippi, and also the Director of Study Abroad. These are both exciting roles and ones in which I find great joy and accomplishment.
The panelists today will discuss the potential for success through study abroad. Data shows that students who study abroad get jobs sooner than their peers who do not study abroad.[1] They also graduate earlier than those peers[2] and make higher salaries upon entry into the workforce.[3] Listing a study abroad experience on a resume shows a potential employer that the applicant has intercultural experience, giving them a skillset that includes negotiation skills, intercultural communication skills, respect for coworkers, and flexibility. If you’ve ever tried to turn on the hot water in a new country, you are flexible!
To the students in the room: at this point in your life, you are probably wondering what you’ll be “when you grow up.” You may be questioning whether the major you selected is right for you. You may be setting goals for yourself through your 20s, 30s, and god forbid, your 40s! You may be excited about moving to a new city or country but also be a little nostalgic about leaving Oxford and Ole Miss. All of these worries and opportunities are valid and part of your growth, and I can tell you right now not to worry. Pursuing goals and opportunities that you love will lead you to success – the key is finding what you love. Persevere, and you’ll find it.
One indicator for success is being able to work respectfully and inclusively with other people. After you graduate and begin your career path, you will be working with people who are different than you. They may be from a different city or town, they will have a different upbringing, they will cook different comfort foods, they may have a different first language, they may be from a completely different country than you. How do you effectively communicate and negotiate with people who aren’t like you? What can you learn about people, cultures, religions, languages, and work environments that will diminish conflict and encourage respect and positive experiences throughout your life?
As someone whose life and career has been shaped by studying abroad, I am an advocate for global experiences for everyone as these experiences lead to intercultural competence and intercultural communication skills. These outcomes are learned through exposure, and we are always growing and increasing our capacity for intercultural competence. Intercultural competence is the capability to shift perspective and adapt behavior to cultural difference and commonality. Intercultural competence reflects the degree to which cultural differences and commonalities in values, expectations, beliefs, and practices are effectively bridged, an inclusive environment is achieved, and specific differences that exist are addressed from a “mutual adaptation” perspective. All of us in the Office of Global Engagement have room to grow – and we serve international students, faculty, and staff every day, and reflect with students who have studied abroad on what they’ve learned when they return. This constant learning is a lifelong endeavor.
Studying abroad is the perfect way to develop your intercultural competence and intercultural communication skills. Being inquisitive and reflective during your time abroad – asking WHY – is a key part of this growth. From learning why you can’t take long showers in Jordan, why it is easy to be vegetarian in India, why American Southerners eat so much pork, to why collectivism is valued in certain cultures and that patriotism and feminism mean different things around the world – the answers to these questions gives you perspective on where people you meet throughout your life might be coming from, be it personally or professionally. Studying abroad also allows you to reflect on why YOU do certain things, react in certain ways, and make choices based on your own culture and upbringing.
Intercultural communication skills are often called “soft skills.” I disagree with this terminology. These are hard skills to learn, much less reflect upon and practice. I prefer to call these skills “critical skills” – critical for the human experience. What does it mean to be human? And a good one at that? Cultivating empathy and respect for everyone is the ultimate goal we strive to achieve in increasing our capacity for intercultural competence, for learning these critical, human skills. These are the skills that will diminish conflict, because you can put yourself in someone else’s shoes, because you know they are coming from a different perspective. Maybe you don’t yet know the WHY, but you can ask and find out! You have the ability to think critically by reflecting on why you are perceiving a situation a certain way, because you’ve also learned about yourself and your own biases and background through global exposure. This is the hallmark of a good employee, a good boss, and a good person. Having global experiences, from studying abroad or engaging with different people and new activities locally, is essential to cultivating an environment of respect.
I believe that nurturing these critical, human skills of valuing empathy and respect and developing our intercultural competence leads to world peace. Senator William Fulbright stated this much more eloquently when he said, “The rapprochement of peoples is only possible when differences of culture and outlook are respected and appreciated rather than feared and condemned, when the common bond of human dignity is recognized as the essential bond for a peaceful world.” He believed in the recognition of human dignity through mutual respect so much that he created the Fulbright Program, which provides intercultural experiences across the world – and I encourage all our faculty and students to become involved in the program.
As we witness current events, some of the most captivating voices in the news and on the ground are those who recognize the backgrounds and the “whys” of those involved. While conflicts are always complicated, there must also be an understanding of culture and a respect for the dignity of the innocents affected. We should also be cognizant of the conflicts, struggles, and humanitarian crises that happen every day but are less publicized. YOU can be part of the work in bringing global crises to an end through meaningful reflection, a constant search for knowledge, and effort to develop intercultural competence leading to the “respect for the dignity of each person,” to borrow a line from the University of Mississippi Creed.
Even as we think about the climate crisis and sustainable living, we are cultivating these skills. How do our choices affect others around the world? In Japan, you are charged if you need a plastic bag at the 7-11, and we see this movement happening across the US. Large chain grocers like Kroger and Wal Mart have pledged to eliminate plastic bags. What if Oxford gas stations and restaurants did the same? Or you brought your own bags? Our small actions, like eliminating single-use plastic, can conserve our ocean life which provides sustenance to people around the world. Small actions that affect our planet – and asking why we do it – shows your respect for the dignity of people you may never meet.
I challenge everyone in this room to be inquisitive, reflective, respectful, and empathetic in all aspects of your lives. Strengthen those critical human skills that are learned through engagement with different cultures and be thoughtful about your actions, big and small. For students, studying abroad during your time at the University of Mississippi is the perfect way to acquire these skills, and it should be required of every college student. For those of you already studying abroad at the University of Mississippi, continue to grow and develop the intercultural competence and intercultural communication skills you’ve learned by being in the Southern United States. Let’s all imagine a world where everyone nurtured their respect and empathy toward others. It would be an even more remarkable place.
I would like to thank Dr. Zenebe Beyene, Associate Professor and Coordinator of International Programs in the School of Journalism and New Media at the University of Mississippi, who led the International Education Week planning committee and invited so many wonderful speakers to our campus this week. Thank you to the IEW planning committee, with a special shout out to Roc Cook, whose efforts have resulted in a fantastic week-long program in celebration of the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. Check out our social media accounts @olemissabroad and @olemissinternational for the schedule of events this week.
Thank you.
[1] Benefits of Study Abroad, IES Abroad.
[2] UM IREP analysis of UM student data.
[3] Does studying abroad influence graduates’ wages?, Journal of International Students, 2021.