MODULE 2: LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES FOR The other reason is more abstract, but perhaps more

GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT compelling – with modern technology and transportation, the world
is indeed a smaller place. News travels faster, people move faster and
• Lesson 1: Effective Communication Skills for Intercultural further, innovations spread more quickly, ideas spread more quickly,
Interactions disease spreads more quickly, etc. It has become trite to point out
• Lesson 2: Enhancing Verbal and Non-verbal Communication
that today’s big problems, requiring new and innovative solutions, are
Skills
Global engagement: committed, meaningful interaction with the
• Lesson 3: Digital Tools for Global Communication
world as a whole.
Introduction:
Global Problems, Transcending National, Cultural, and Generational
Boundaries, and From Which No Nation Can Isolate Itself

What is global engagement? • climate change

• melting of the polar ice cap
It’s a phrase we hear everywhere these days, and both • extreme weather
individual words, “global” and “engagement,” are increasingly used in • global flows of migrants and refugees
their own right as buzzwords, in university taglines, commercial • airborne and waterborne pollution of the natural
environment and disease propagation
slogans, planning documents, etc.
• terrorism and cyberterrorism
Dictionaries define “global” as “of or relating to the whole
To be prepared to live well and responsibly in this current
world, worldwide; complete or comprehensive;” interestingly a
and future world, education must also include engagement, not just
business-oriented dictionary, businessdictionary.com, defines
fleeting exposure, to multiple perspectives on these inescapable
“global” as “pertaining to the whole world, rather than a single
global problems.
country or region,” introducing a very specifically geographical sense.
“Global” has much wider scope than “international,” which it is now Reference:
tending to replace, generating a far more all-encompassing aspect.
Embleton, Shiela. (2025). What is Global Engagement?. Canadian
“Engagement” is more difficult, with the most common Bureau for International Education. Retrieved from
meanings until recently being “a formal agreement to get married,” https://cbie.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/CBIE-
“an arrangement to do something or go somewhere at a fixed time,” briefing-note-global-engagement.pdf
or “a job as a performer.” There are more specialized meanings in
medicine, finance, mechanics (“condition of being in gear”) and
military terminology (“hostile encounter or battle”), and occasionally
a more recent usage, “the feeling of being involved in a particular
activity” is acknowledged. What these definitions all have in common
is both a sense of commitment and of there being two parties which
interact. So perhaps a good definition for our purpose is simply “a
committed or meaningful interaction.”

Now going back to combine “global” into the phrase, we

would have a definition for “global engagement” something like “a
committed, meaningful interaction with the world as a whole.”

Ambitious indeed!

Why be engaged globally?

There are two most commonly cited reasons to be more

globally engaged.

One reason is very instrumental — for our graduates to be

considered educated “global citizens” and/or “job-ready” in today’s
world, some level of international competence is required. Whether
our graduates work at home or abroad, they will need to work
effectively with others from very different and diverse backgrounds.
This may be made more explicit in some fields (e.g. business) than in
others, but the need is there no matter what and where the job.
LESSON 1: Effective Communication Skills for Intercultural to get a phonetic equivalent and came up with “ko-kou-ko-
Interactions le,” which roughly translates to “happiness in the mouth.”

• Business Relationships
Language Learning: Why Is Intercultural Communication Important?
Respecting the social norms of another culture
Thanks to fast transportation, global media, and the world requires an understanding that practices may vary. While
wide web, we are now more connected than ever to other people Americans value making small talk with potential business
worldwide. Working with the international community for economic partners, the British may try humor, while the Germans may
survival means countries and cultures can no longer operate in a jump right to the point.
vacuum. Because of this, intercultural communication is no longer a
choice but a must.
In contrast, people from Thailand don’t bat an eye
when asked what may be seen as intrusive questions in the
In addition, misunderstandings resulting from a lack of West, such as whether you’re married or what you do for a
familiarity with another culture are often embarrassing. Blunders like living. In a similar vein, first names are preferred by
these can make it difficult, if not impossible, to reach an agreement Americans, but in Austria, titles are used to prevent coming
with another country or close a business contract with a foreign off as disrespectful.
partner. For travelers, a faux pas can also make interactions more
awkward. In this article, we’ll be discussing the importance of
intercultural communication. • Advertising

Intercultural Communication Definition You may have heard the popular myth that the
Chevrolet Nova of the 1970s was a resounding flop in Latin
America due to its name, since “no va” translates to “no go”
The capacity to communicate with people from diverse
in Spanish. In reality, the car was a smashing success —
cultures is referred to as intercultural communication. Interacting
since the name “nova” also means “new.” Nevertheless,
effectively across cultural lines requires perseverance and sensitivity
there are innumerable examples of poorly translated
to one another’s differences. This encompasses language skills,
advertisements across cultures that led to more
customs, ways of thinking, social norms, and habits.
severe outcomes.

There are many ways in which people all around the world
For example, the Spanish equivalent of the
are similar, yet it is our differences that truly define us. To put it
American “Got Milk?” campaign featured the phrase
simply, communication is the exchange of ideas and information
“Tienes leche?” which translates as “Are you lactating?” The
between individuals by any means, verbal or otherwise. Sharing
campaign completely bombed, ruining the reputation of the
knowledge with others requires familiarity with social norms, body
brand in that area. This mishap could have been avoided
language, and etiquette.
with more thorough focus group testing of
intercultural communication.
Having the ability to communicate effectively across
cultural boundaries is critical for the success of any intercultural or
• Public Relations and Media Events
multinational endeavor. Additionally, it helps improve relationships
by facilitating two-way conversations, which in turn foster mutual
understanding between people of diverse backgrounds. Executives from the United States frequently
interview international media and make public appearances
in other countries. Working knowledge of the language is
Intercultural Communication Examples
obviously necessary for such work, but words alone can’t
account for how people will interpret things like tone of
There are several facets to intercultural communication voice, the pace of speech, gestures, and facial expressions.
competence, from language skills to knowledge of social practices and In Japan, for instance, it’s rude to point out. Instead, you
cultural norms. These capabilities are constantly used throughout should wave politely in that direction. Similarly, the Indian
organizations and in all forms of communication. Here are a few equivalents of “please” and “thank you” are sometimes
examples of intercultural communication in action: seen as overly formal and even disrespectful.

• Branding The Importance of Intercultural Communication

It can be challenging for multinational

corporations to find appropriate product names that will
not offend customers in their target markets due to When we investigate the cultural influences on
linguistic differences. For instance, Coca-Cola initially communication, we gain a deeper understanding of both areas.
considered renaming its brand KeKou-KeLa for the Chinese Additionally, it aids in expanding our knowledge of who we are as
market. However, they didn’t take into account that this individuals and as a society.
cute moniker means “female horse stuffed with wax” or
“bite the wax tadpole.” Unsurprisingly, a rebrand was
necessary. Coke then looked up 40,000 Chinese characters Understanding our communication styles, habits, and
tendencies and how they may serve or work against us when
interacting with others from other cultural backgrounds is a valuable not because someone was trying to be deliberately unclear.
personal benefit of studying intercultural communication. Those of us who aren’t well-versed in other cultures often
fail to grasp the intended meaning of a message. This is why
When seen in a broader context, intercultural it’s essential to look at every intercultural exchange in a
communication can shed light on a wide range of human experiences, constructive light.
from the process of defining the workings of the brain to the power
of languages in bringing people together. Improving Your Intercultural Communication Skills

As the world gets more interconnected, the ability to Here are some steps you can take to begin improving your
communicate successfully across cultural boundaries is becoming intercultural communication skills:
more and more vital. Since we are now able to travel to more places,
we are exposed to other cultures and ways of living. • Acquire Cultural Knowledge
Discovering the world through the lens of other people’s
The ability to communicate effectively across cultural beliefs, values, and ways of expression is a fascinating and
boundaries is crucial for the successful collaboration and relationship- eye-opening experience. Educating yourself on the
building of multiethnic and international communities. It is also fundamentals of intercultural communication, such as
essential for avoiding and resolving conflicts. If you want to learn language and gestures, is just as important as expanding
about other people and their customs and find common ground your knowledge of the world’s diverse cultures.
around the world, this is how to do it.
• Watch International Shows
Intercultural Communication Competence If you want to get a feel for how people speak in a different
culture, it’s better to see an international film in its original
language than to suffer through a bad English dub. If you’re
There are a variety of skills that are necessary for effective
interested in learning more about Indian, Turkish, or
intercultural communication; some of them may be taught, while
Chinese culture, you can find TV shows from those
others are inherent and just require practice. Let’s take a look at some
countries and more on modern streaming platforms
of the most crucial personal competencies for intercultural
like Netflix.
communication, as opposed to just linguistic ones like speaking,
listening, and body language.
• Speak to People
When you have coworkers or neighbors from other
• Self-awareness: Recognizing how your personal views,
countries, you gain access to a wealth of undiscovered
behaviors, and possible prejudices and stereotypes might
possibilities. In-depth conversations with people about
affect a conversation is a massive step in improving your
their backgrounds and the culture shock they may have felt
ability to have meaningful interactions with others.
upon arriving in your country can yield a great deal of
• Empathy: Intercultural communication relies heavily on valuable knowledge and perspective. If they are treated
empathizing with others and gaining insight into their with respect and dignity, people all around the world are
experiences. happy to have their voices heard.
• Respect: Even if you don’t agree with or appreciate every
aspect of another person’s or group’s culture, you may still
• Take in What You Hear and See
respect them by recognizing their right to do so.
There are a wide variety of ways to enhance your
• Emotional intelligence: Learning to pick up on the intercultural communication competence. Among these are
subtleties of communication is essential when working with learning when to ask open-ended questions, stick to yes/no
people from other cultures. Whether you get what is being answers, and decide when to use humor. The two most
communicated or not depends on how well you use your crucial pieces of advice for improving your communication
senses, how well you know yourself, and how well you can skills are to listen attentively and to watch what others do.
empathize with others.
• Adaptability: One of the goals of intercultural
Final Thoughts
communication is to teach people how to modify their way
of speaking to replace ambiguity, conflict, and antagonism
with clarity, harmony, and cooperation. That’s why it’s Whether you’re a tourist taking a trip overseas, a
important to be adaptable in our thinking, reactions, and businessperson negotiating a merger, or a professor teaching a
interactions with others, as well as in our speech, listening, classroom full of international students, you need to be aware of the
and body language. importance of effective intercultural communication.
• Patience: Effective communication across cultural
boundaries doesn’t happen immediately. That’s why you In today’s interconnected world, the ability to communicate
need to have patience. Don’t rush through the process of across cultural boundaries is more important than ever. It facilitates
becoming well-versed in best practices; instead, take your communication across linguistic and cultural boundaries, leading to
time and make them part of your routine. Due to cultural more tolerance, acceptance, and, ultimately, stronger relationships
differences, it may take more or less time than usual to amongst people of diverse backgrounds.
absorb new information.
• Positivity: Maintaining an optimistic attitude when LESSON 2: Enhancing Verbal and Non-verbal Communication Skills
interacting with people of other cultures is crucial.
Misunderstandings occur all the time, and in most cases, it’s
 9 Effective Communication Strategies to Connect Better with Your speech rate, etc. Additionally, listening skills also matter a lot in
Team deciding the overall success of verbal communication.

Communication is one of the crucial factors that can either make • Written Communication
or break a project. Let us take a look at the following statistics and
Written communication is another communication method
figures:
teams use to disseminate information in the form of words or symbols
written usually on paper or similar materials. The individual who
• 86% of employees and executives cite lack of collaboration wants to communicate the message or information needs to write on
or ineffective communication for workplace failures a paper and the individual at the receiving end has to read the
• About 75% of employers rate teamwork and collaboration information in order to understand it. The best thing about written
as very important communication is that it provides a record of information that one
• Less than half of survey respondents said that their can access and go through multiple times.
organizations discuss issues truthfully and effectively
Words are of paramount importance when opting for written
Working in a team requires much more than hard work, team information. Unlike verbal communication, the person at the
spirit, and readiness to work alongside a bunch of people. The most receiving end cannot perceive the emotions of the individual drafting
important yet most ignored thing that is responsible for a team’s the message. Thus, the tone of writing and selection of words is
success is effective communication. crucial to ensure the reader gets the right information.

Communication is a vital part of any business environment • Non-Verbal Communication

because it facilitates the flow of information.
During non-verbal communication, information is transmitted
Whether it’s the details about the sales leads generated by using gestures, postures, and facial expressions. An individual can
convey information using visual cues like body language, eye contact,
your marketing team, or you need to get innovative ideas from your
etc.
team members to solve a particular issue, the common thing you
need is to communicate.
One important thing to notice about non-verbal communication
is that it can also happen unintentionally. For instance, not looking at
Well, communication is more like an activity that involves the
the person who is sharing an idea with you most likely means that you
exchange of information, but how that information flow is going to
are either not interested or disagree with the idea.
happen is decided by the communication strategies that you use.

What is the main role of communication? • Visual Communication

Communication is all about the exchange of information
between two or more people. In any organization, employees need to Visual communication makes use of signs, drawings,
communicate with one another to achieve desired outcomes. illustrations, graphics, pictures, etc. to transmit information and
messages. The choice of the right visual elements can make it easier
for individuals to interpret the information.
When it comes to team communication, the purpose of
interaction among the members is to share information that is
essential for achieving organizational goals. Moreover, good Both verbal and written communication can make use of
communication makes it easy for team members to coordinate with visual elements to make the information more understandable. The
one another effectively. most common instance where visual communication is used
alongside verbal and written communication is during team
meetings.
What are the four methods of communication?

Generally, there are several methods of communication that

individuals can use to exchange information with one another.
However, the 4 most common methods of communication used in How important is communication?
organizations are as follows:
At the workplace, teams are in a constant state of
communication via email, video conferences, phone calls, texts, and
• Verbal Communication
face-to-face meetings. If project goals and objectives are clearly
communicated, you can increase your chances of achieving those
Verbal communication is the most common method of
goals.
communication used by teams within organizations. It is a
communication method in which the information is exchanged
verbally. The individual behaving as the source transmits the With the increasing number of failed projects, the need for
information by speaking words or making patterns of sound, whereas implementing effective communication strategies is increasing day by
the person at the receiving end needs to listen to the words or sound day. Before we go ahead and discuss various methods to implement
to get the information. a communication strategy, let’s first understand what it takes to
develop a communication strategy.
There are several factors that decide the effectiveness of verbal
communication, such as clarity of speech, tone, word selection,
 A communication strategy can be both short and focused or that they are most comfortable with, know about the visual cues that
long and detailed depending upon the outcome you’d like to achieve. they use more, etc.
Whatever the case, you need to define the following things first:
Additionally, when you need to share some confidential
1. Understand your needs and requirements information with someone, you need to communicate one-on-one
Before team members start working, make them with someone who you trust. You can easily talk about matters in
understand why the strategy exists in the first place. A private, and get suggestions from a single person without involving
communication strategy should be made so that it serves a other people on your team.
business or an organizational goal. Figure out the problem,
seek solutions, and define roles accordingly. 2. Let Everyone Speak in Meetings
Team meetings are usually boring and seem more like a
2. Involve people formality. But this usually happens when a limited number of
While the formulation of a strategy is taking place, involving participants have the privilege of sharing what’s on their minds.
others is a great idea. Bringing in other team members Meetings with defined agendas and the involvement of only those
means getting more input which increases the chances of who are directly related to the issues being discussed are not
an effective communication strategy being made. productive for everyone.

3. Know your audience It doesn’t matter whether you are a team leader or a team
Knowledge of the target audience is a must to successfully member, you need to express your thoughts openly during a meeting.
execute your strategy. Figure out your audience – local, It‘s the responsibility of the manager or the meeting organizer to
national, or global. Understand their needs and ensure that every participant gets an equal chance to express what’s
requirements by putting yourself in their shoes. on their mind. Moreover, participants need to listen carefully to what
others have to say without interrupting them. This will not only make
4. Define clear objectives the meeting more open but also gives a fair chance to everyone to
Whether it’s a marketing campaign or an organizational hone their speaking and listening skills.
goal, well-defined communication objectives will take your
strategy to another level. Clear objectives lead to increased 3. Make Use of Multiple Modes of Communication
focus and clarity which results in quality communication. Some people prefer talking face-to-face while others find it
more effective to send text messages to convey information. You may
5. Evaluate want to stick with your favorite communication channels but this isn’t
Evaluate as you go to check what’s working and what’s not. going to make communication with others easy for you in the long
Even if you’ve been successful with your strategy, keep run.
checking, improving, and refining it. This evaluation will
help you to figure out whether tactics should be changed or Just like you, everyone has their own set of preferred modes
not, resources should be added or not, and new plans of communication. However, to convey your messages to everyone
should be implemented or not. on your team without any friction, you need to make yourself
comfortable with different modes of communication. You can get
9 Best Strategies for Effective Communication yourself one step closer to becoming a communication expert by
making use of different channels for communicating with your team.
In any team, members need to interact and communicate
with one another from time to time. Good communication not only 4. Bring in Some Humour: Why So Serious?
strengthens the bond among the team members but also facilitates Too serious conversations can put you and other
the overall process of information-sharing. Additionally, as participants in a negative state of mind. And this will affect how you
communication is a vital part of our life outside work, it’s better to perceive information and draw conclusions. Moreover, when a
level up your communication skills and make it one of your key communication session becomes too serious, everyone wants to
strengths. leave it at the earliest and the flow of information gets hindered
significantly.
Here’s a popular quote by John Powell that will motivate
you to put effort for improving your communication skills: Sometimes, you need to put across information that is
intense and it is not possible to avoid a stressful communication
“Communication works for those who work at it.” session. In such a case, you should know how to lighten the mood of
yourself as well as others. A good joke can do the trick and help
everyone to relax and retain their interest in the matter being
Now, let us take a look at the most effective communication
discussed.
strategies that you and your teammates should follow to make team
interaction both fun and rewarding:
5. Prepare Yourself Beforehand
Don’t take things too lightly and always ready yourself
1. Encourage One-to-One Communication
beforehand when you have to share some important information
One-to-one communication is important to develop a bond
with your teammates. You definitely don’t want any piece of
and understand your teammates in a better way. When you talk to
information from getting skipped while communicating the message
others on a personal level, you get to know more about them. You can
with your team.
read their body language, know about the communication methods
 It’s always a good idea to note down all the important 1. Assuming Everyone Understand Things the Same Way
points that you want to communicate with your team. Also, you need
to focus on presenting information in an interesting and engaging When you communicate with several people at a
manner. It’s a good practice to customize the information that you time, it is normal that some of them will get it easily while
want to share with a particular audience. others are unable to understand your point. It happens
because of the difference in the understanding level and
6. Promote Feedback During Communication Sessions preferred learning style. Moreover, you can never assume
Communication is a two-way process and information that all the people interpret your message in a similar way.
cannot be exchanged effectively if the flow of information is Thus, it’s better to observe and develop a communication
unidirectional. From unidirectional what I mean here is that the strategy that can work for all the members of the group
information is only flowing in a single direction. For instance, you whom you want to address. The one-size-fits-all approach
shared some information with your team and no one asked or never works when it comes to team communication.
discussed the information with you.
2. Bad at Listening
Feedback plays a vital role in improving the overall
effectiveness of communication by enabling the flow of information Communication is not only about speaking and
in the backward direction also. The most common example of transmitting information but is also about listening and
feedback is the questions that you ask at the end of a presentation. receiving information. In any conversation, one person
Feedback can be in the form of doubts, suggestions, or thoughts that shares the information by speaking while the other person
you will get after you communicate your message. listens and interprets the information. So, what you need to
understand here is that listening skills matter as much as
7. Be Ready to Involve Yourself in Difficult Conversations speaking skills. By listening carefully to others, you will be
Sometimes, you may find yourself in a conversation with able to understand things easily and learning becomes
someone whose thoughts, opinions, and feelings are completely easier for you. Individuals who are bad at listening, are less
different than yours. The two most obvious choices that you have in likely to extract the correct information from the
such a circumstance are to either avoid the conversation or get conversations.
yourself involved in an argument.
3. Ignoring the Tone of Your Voice
But neither of the ways is going to do the trick, which is to
make the communication happen effectively while keeping personal When you are communicating verbally, the tone
differences aside. So, what you need to do for tackling a difficult of your voice matters a lot. Voice creates a major impact on
conversation is to stay relaxed and try to understand what the other your listeners and also acts as a key factor that decides how
person wants to say before responding. Also, you can practice how well your listeners get connected with you. Communicating
you respond when you get into tricky conversations that can happen in a harsh and annoying tone is likely to put a negative
with your manager or your team members. impact on your listener and in worst-case scenarios, results
in conflicts. You need to make sure that the tone of your
8. Jot Down All the Key Points of a Discussion voice is gentle, confident, educating, and should imply that
While communicating with your team, especially during a you are also willing to listen.
discussion or a meeting, you witness the flow of a significant amount
of information and ideas. However, it’s difficult to retain all the useful
information that is shared verbally with one another. As a result, it is
likely to lose most parts of the conversation that may come in handy.

To ensure that discussion brings productive results and 4. Emotions Overpowering Logic
information does not get lost, you need to note down every piece of
information that seems valuable. This way, you can secure many ideas
Conversations influenced by your emotions are
that otherwise would have been lost.
ineffective and are likely to bring in undesired outcomes,
especially in the office environment. You need to think and
9. Make use of Communication Tools communicate logically while keeping your emotions aside.
Today, several tools have emerged that make it easy for the Most decisions that are guided by emotions are likely to be
team to communicate and share their thoughts and ideas the ones that you regret later. It’s quite difficult but you
conveniently. You can use online team collaboration tools for instant need to resist your emotions from taking over your logical
messaging, video conferencing, brainstorming, note-taking, etc. thinking.

Most Common Communication Mistakes That You Must Avoid 5. Hold Back Your Thoughts and Ideas

Before you start implementing the communication Not expressing your thoughts while
strategies, just make sure that you are not making any common communicating can bring conversations to a dead end. It’s
communication mistakes. very important to share what’s on your mind with others to
get your issues and requests noticed. You need to
Here are some of the most common communication communicate your opinions with confidence to make sure
blunders that can lead to ineffective conversations: that others don’t take them too lightly.
 6. Reacting More and Responding Less

Reacting and responding are two different things.

When you react, you take action without giving proper
thought to the consequences and the impact that they are
going to make. Generally, reactions are aggressive and
tense in nature. On the other hand, responding means that
you take time to think about the issue or the situation and
then take action accordingly. Reactions are not good,
especially when you are communicating with people on a
professional level. A single reaction during a conversation
can induce multiple reactions that will create a hateful
environment and kill productivity.

7. Getting Distracted Easily

While exchanging information with others, you

always need to pay attention to ensure that you don’t miss
anything that is important. Distractions can put you in a
situation where you are physically present in a conversation
but mentally you become absent. There can be many
reasons for getting distracted while communicating with
your team like a bad attitude, the use of mobile phones, etc.
For making any conversation successful, you need to keep
distractions at bay and engage yourself with a positive
attitude.

Wrapping it Up

Good communication skills are imperative for becoming successful in

the workplace. Whether you are communicating with your team or
with your boss, you should practice effective communication
strategies to take your conversations to the next level. I also suggest
that you should try to avoid common mistakes that affect the overall
communication process and disrupt the flow of information.

Reference:

https://www.proofhub.com/articles/communication-strategies
LESSON 3: Utilizing Digital Tools for Global Communication Global communication has been significantly transformed
by the advent and widespread use of digital tools. These digital tools
have revolutionized the way people interact, collaborate, and share
What is Digital Communication? information on a global scale. In this discussion, we'll explore the
various aspects of how digital tools have influenced global
In just a few decades, digital communication has become communication.
the primary way people communicate with one another. But what
exactly is digital communication and why should it matter? Instant Communication: Digital tools like email, messaging apps, and
social media platforms have made instant communication possible
Digital communication is the use of online tools like email, across vast distances. People can now connect with each other in real-
social media messaging and texting to reach other individuals or a time, irrespective of their geographic locations. This has accelerated
specific audience in order to share a message. Even something as
the speed of information exchange and enhanced global connectivity.
simple as reading the text on a webpage like this can be considered
digital communication.
Social Media: Social media platforms have played a crucial role in
Over the last 20 years, many businesses, organizations, and shaping global communication. They provide a space for individuals,
industries have had to ask themselves, “what is digital organizations, and even governments to share information, opinions,
communication?” and adapt to the changing environment where and news. Social media has become a powerful tool for spreading
digital communication has replaced not just older forms of awareness about global issues, mobilizing communities, and
communication like writing and sending letters but face-to-face facilitating cross-cultural exchanges.
communication as well.
Video Conferencing and Telepresence: Digital tools such as video
In an effort to better serve the needs of citizens,
conferencing software have bridged the gap between individuals and
governments have also asked themselves this question of “what is
digital communication?” and adapted many of their services so they businesses worldwide. Virtual meetings, webinars, and telepresence
could better serve the needs of their citizens. This process, commonly technologies enable face-to-face interactions despite physical
referred to as the digital government transformation, is ongoing and distance, promoting international collaboration and saving time and
as there are more advancements in technology, the answer to a resources on travel.
question like, “what is digital communication?” may change to include
more things. Multilingual Communication: Online translation tools have broken
language barriers in global communication. Automatic translation
Why is digital communication important? services allow people to communicate in different languages, opening
up opportunities for cross-border collaboration and understanding.
The whole world learned why digital communication was
important throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. If a business hadn’t Blogs and Online Forums: Digital platforms like blogs and forums
already asked themselves, “what is digital communication?” prior to have given individuals a space to express their thoughts and opinions
the pandemic, they would have had to in order to stay afloat because on global issues. These platforms facilitate discussions, debates, and
many could not operate in person or at least not at full capacity.
the exchange of diverse perspectives from people all over the world.
Meetings shifted to video conference calls, and email
became the main way coworkers communicated with one another, Citizen Journalism: The rise of digital tools has empowered ordinary
making it abundantly clear how important digital communication is. citizens to become journalists. People can capture and share news,
Social distancing also meant that friends and family couldn’t gather
events, and stories in real-time through their smartphones and social
like they used to, so they had to rely on texts, social media, and video
media. This has democratized media and allowed for the
calls to stay connected.
dissemination of information that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Beyond the pandemic, digital communication was
important for a variety of other reasons. E-Commerce: Digital tools have transformed the way businesses
operate globally. E-commerce platforms enable companies to sell
Firstly, it’s important for governments because of how products and services to customers worldwide, creating new
popular digital communication is among the population. Citizens opportunities for international trade and economic growth.
aren’t asking questions like “what is digital communication?” they’re
wondering why many governments have been slower to adopt it and Global News and Information Sharing: The internet and digital media
offer the digital services they expect to see.
have revolutionized how news and information are accessed and
Digital communication is important for governments, not just distributed globally. People can now get real-time updates on global
because citizens expect more of it from governments, but also events, crises, and developments from various online sources, making
because governments can get citizens more meaningfully engaged by
it easier to stay informed about global issues.
using digital communication.
Cultural Exchange and Collaboration: Digital tools have facilitated
Digital communication can also streamline many processes
and make communication between different local governments or cultural exchange and collaboration between individuals from diverse
agencies easier. This frees up time for more important tasks and can backgrounds. Online communities, social networks, and content
reduce miscommunication or generally poor internal communication. sharing platforms enable people to learn about other cultures, share
their own traditions, and foster understanding and appreciation for
global diversity.

Social Movements and Activism: Digital tools have played a

significant role in driving social movements and activism worldwide.
Online campaigns, petitions, and social media advocacy have
mobilized global support for various causes, making it easier for
people to participate in collective actions for change.

Challenges and Concerns: While digital tools have undoubtedly

enhanced global communication, they also come with challenges and
concerns. Misinformation and fake news can spread rapidly, causing
harm and confusion. Privacy and security concerns arise as personal
data is shared and stored online. Additionally, the digital divide can
create disparities in access to information and communication
technologies, hindering the full potential of global communication.

In conclusion, digital tools have revolutionized global communication,

empowering individuals, businesses, and communities to connect,
collaborate, and share information on an unprecedented scale. While
these tools offer numerous benefits, it's essential to address the
challenges they bring to ensure a more inclusive, secure, and
responsible global communication landscape.

Reference:

https://govos.com/blog/what-is-digital
communication/#:~:text=Digital%20communication%20is%20the%2
0use,can%20be%20considered%20digital%20communication.