Intercultural communication effectiveness: A field research on Kilis tradesmen and artisans customer interaction with Syrian

One of the most important requirements to become a global citizen in the 21st century is to have the ability of understanding and recognizing other cultures. In a continuously shrinking world with globalization, it became indispensable for nations with different cultures to come together as the incessant developments in communication and transportation technologies made the world a sort of global village. Therefore, learning intercultural communication skills became a critical objective for individuals and organizations wanting to gain an effective success in the world. As the international interaction became so indispensable, it was impossible for Turkey not to be affected by positive or negative events occurring in the vicinity of Turkey. After the breakout of civil war in Syria, millions of refugees fleeing from the country had to take refuge in Turkey. In the arrent which was study conducted in this regard, the interaction effectiveness between local artisans and craftsmen and Syrian refugees from 2011 to 2016 was measured. In this study, the intercultural interaction effectiveness, which consists of variables such as interaction comfort, behavioral flexibility, respect in interaction, ability to give message, identity protection and interaction management, was measured. According to the results obtained, the perception related to interaction comfort, behavioral flexibility and interaction management variables was low in general; the perception related to respect in interaction, ability to give message and identity protection variables was high in general. In addition the effects of demographic factors in the interaction activities between local artisans and craftsmen and their Syrian customers was also investigated in the study. This study is considered important in that intercultural communication activity positively helps local artisans and craftsmen to understand its variables (interaction comfort, behavioral flexibility, respect in interaction, ability to give message, identity protection and interaction management) and to better implement it. Furthermore, this study is considered a guideway and modest contribution to future research in the relevant field. Keywords: culture, communication, intercultural communication effectiveness, Syrian refugees, artisans and craftsmen.