Enhancing Understanding: The Atmospheric Dimension of Communication as a Catalyst for Creating Deeper Human Understanding

Abstract

In these times of globalisation, distances are getting smaller, enhancing the interactions between people of different cultural backgrounds. This is especially true in the area of tourism, a field that is shaped by manifold communication activities. The enormous increases in the numbers of Chinese tourists visiting Europe and other Western destinations require building up intercultural competencies to minimise conflicts and promote mutual understanding. It is therefore necessary to question one’s own cultural view, which is why the debate surrounding de-Westernisation is of crucial importance. The metaphor of the atmosphere – in Chinese qifen – offers a helpful access point to strengthen mutual understanding, because it creates a bridge between eastern and western thinking. Paul Watzlawick (1967) developed his well-known five axioms of communication, the second of which states that every communication has both content and a relational aspect, and the latter classifies the former. This chapter shows why the atmospheric dimension of communication should be established as the third axiom in order to understand communication holistically.

Citation

Herdin, T. (2019), "Enhancing Understanding: The Atmospheric Dimension of Communication as a Catalyst for Creating Deeper Human Understanding", Volgger, M. and Pfister, D. (Ed.) Atmospheric Turn in Culture and Tourism: Place, Design and Process Impacts on Customer Behaviour, Marketing and Branding (Advances in Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, Vol. 16), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 77-90. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1871-317320190000016012