This week we have been studying the intricate nature of communication across cultures and the role we have as professionals of ensuring that we are communicating effectively with the various groups with whom we work. We have looked within ourselves to identify the biases and ideas we have about other groups and how that affects the ways in which we interact with them. We have studied the definitions of various culture groups again to remind us of the characteristics they hold.
I think that there are many strategies that we use to communicate effectively with others. The first is to reflect on and have a genuine understanding of our own culture and the groups with whom we identify. These ideals, traditions, and beliefs have an impact on the way we view the world and other individuals and groups and "it is critical that we reflect on the various aspects of our own cultural identity and examine their positive and negative impacts on our personal and professional development" (Vukovic, 2008, p. 49). The second is to identify your own biases and understandings of the communication partner's or group's culture. We need to understand our own ideas about the other person before we can truly listen to their ideas and share information. There may be ideals and beliefs that we do not fundamentally agree with or that do not align with our own ideals, but in a professional (and often personal) settings, we need to set those aside in order to reach the common goal. Finally, we need to understand our own communication style as it relates to others. Some of us are observers and take in other people's opinions before we offer our own. Others are initiators and lead the conversation. It is important that we understand how we choose to communicate and how others choose to communicate so that we can interpret the subtle behaviors correctly.
References:
Vuckovic, A. (2008). Inter-cultural communication: A foundation of communicative action. Multicultural Education and Technology Journal, 2(1), 47–59.
Katherine,
ReplyDeleteThose are some great strategies you shared to use in order to communicate effectively. I believe that if we can do these strategies in our everyday life when we come in contact with those of a different culture, we can learn to live together and appreciate each other's culture.
Your discussion about reflecting on others cultures reminds me of the book I am reading, The Help. Much of the book revolves around someone trying to not only understand another culture, but write it down so others can understand it. Ironically enough, it is being done by recounting their understanding of the other culture. At least in our time now, we are permitted and often encouraged to understand other cultures where in this book...they were not. In that time, there were not permitted to really speak to one another, let alone share secrets.
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