Culture and Communication, EDUC 6165-6

Culture and Communication

     Do you find yourself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures?

 I have been blessed to have traveled to many places around the world.  Spent numerous hours speaking and communicating with people from other cultures.  Even in college, when I took Arabic classes, I made friends with a worker at a gas station that spoke Arabic and I went to visit him for an hour each week where we solely spoke Arabic to each other.  It was the only way I survived that class!

It is one of my passions, I am drawn to communicate with people from other cultures.  I don't think there is a difference in the way I communicate with people from different groups.  Instead there is a different approach to speaking with every person, whether it is the same culture or different, that gives respect to the other involved when you speak to them with inquiry and care within your conversation.  When I speak with anyone, I want them to know I care about what they think, say, and are concerned with.  In each culture there are different approaches to take, although before I change my approach with a person I communicate about proper etiquette with them.  I don't consider with communicating differently, instead communicating with respect for each other.

Based on what you have learned this week, share at least three strategies you could use to help you communicate more effectively with the people or groups you have identified.

1.    Applying the Platinum Rule (Beebe, Beebe & Redmond, 2011) with all communication areas will assist in strengthening and communicating more effectively.  Approaching communication with respect for each individual involved will assist and enable each party to exchange a few words within their thoughts.

2.    Knowledge, Francis Bacon said that "Knowledge is Power". One strategy in understanding  cross cultural communication is to understand what culture you are combining with.  When you gain knowledge, then you gain an understanding into the available lines of communication as well as the process for communicating within the culture and diverse relations that might be present.

3.    Body language.  Learning how to control emotions and supply a level of professionalism needs to include body language.  In order to communicate effectively, we must include the way our body is speaking as well as the words that are being said. (O'Hair & Weimann, 2012)

Beebe, S. A., Beebe, S. J., & Redmond, M. V. (2011). Interpersonal communication: Relating to others (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

O' Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.