They begin to realize that while they may not be able to change their own culture, they can attempt to understand and to respond to it in the light of the new knowledge about themselves and about their environment. This process of responding requires an ability and a desire to listen for the messages and the responses of those around them. They must also develop an awareness of the messages which they are sending out to others, and the interpretations which others may make of them. This is the learning phase of the reentry experience. It is also the stage where intercultural communication plays a vital role in the process of readjustment.
Intercultural communication occurs when individuals or groups form contact and exchange messages.
They react to the same stimuli, but their manner of responding as well as their responses may differ because of the filtering effect of their individual cultures upon their perceptions. A returnee who has had a significant involvement in another culture is likely to find that there are various aspects of his own communication behavior that have changed. If the returnee is aware of these changes, and of the potential reactions to such changes by others, that individual's readjustment may be eased considerably. The returnee becomes more sensitive to the cues to which he did not respond before. Most individuals assume that they already know all there is to know about the culture in which they were born and bred.