Communication
between Different Groups and Cultures
I do communicate differently when I speak with
people from different groups or cultures.
It is amazing how sometimes we are laid back, professional, humorous, or
intrigued by other groups or cultures.
When communicating with my family I am more laid back and talk about
almost anything. I have four sisters and
three brothers. When we are at
gatherings we talk about the old days and when we were in school and how it was
growing up. I am very informal meaning I
use slang words more. It makes me feel
very comfortable communicating with them because of how close we all are.
I am a school teacher who teaches children with
disabilities and developmental delays.
When I interact with my colleagues I am more formal because I take my
job seriously. I am courteous, speak clearly, listen
carefully, and make sure that I have eye contact act all times. I can tell the difference from when I am with
my family and when I am at work.
I have friends from Jamaica who I frequently
socialize with. I found that when communicating
with them, I have to be respectful and choose my words carefully so as not to
overstep by boundaries or say something that is offensive to them or their culture
unintentionally. I use less facial
expression and more body language when communicating with them because I find
that it is easier to interact with them this way.
Three
strategies that I could use to help me communicate more effectively with the
people or groups I have identified include:
(1)
I must communicate constructively in order to
develop and maintain
effective
relationships, mutual trust and confidence.
(2)
I must
make efforts where language barriers exist, to communicate
in the most effective way possible, verbally
and non-verbally.
(3)
I must be a good listener in order to
communicate in ways that will
enhance my growth personally and
professionally.
I enjoyed reading your post! It does seem like we must be a good listener in order to communicate in an effective professional way.
ReplyDeleteKesha,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post. I also find that when I am with my family I am much more laid back and use slang. I think that as a family and good friends you develop a type of verbal shorthand that others would find hard to follow. This evolves as part of our family culture. Additionally, I appreciated your three strategies for effective communication. Specifically, number two, when there is some sort of language barrier we have to make additional efforts to make sure that our meaning is clear. This is especially important when the matter concerns children in our care. A phone conversation may not be enough and need to be followed up by a clearly worded email.
Thanks for your thoughtful post,
Amanda
Kesha,
ReplyDeleteI found what you had to say about communicating with your friends from Jamaica very interesting. Perhaps it is a cultural thing, but it surprises me that if they are your friends that you have to be careful in what you say to them. Is it because you are not of that culture or is it because of some other reason. The older I get I find that if I cannot be myself with someone that I do not consider them friend. I even use this in who I accept on my Facebook page, if I feel I cannot post what I would say in person then I do not accept them. - Jolene Hernandez-Romero
Kesha,
ReplyDeleteI can respect the fact that you are careful when communicating with your friends from Jamaica. It simply means that you recognize and respect their cultural differences. We can never make assumptions about anyone's culture even if they are our friends. Here again, you are more or less applying segments of the Platinum Rule where you are communicating and treating your Jamaican friends in a manner that they wish to be treated. It's imperative that we acknowledge and adjust our mode of communication according to the person or group of people we are addressing in conversation. Being other oriented makes us more aware of offensive behavior towards others.
Great post!
Beebe, S. A., Beebe, S. J., & Redmond, M. V. (2011). Interpersonal communication: Relating to others (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2010). 50 strategies for communicating and working with diverse families. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication: An introduction. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.
Kesha,
ReplyDeleteIt's wonderful how you adjust your communication techniques to who you are communicating with which proves that you have learned to put others needs above your own.