Cultural Communication

This week I have learned about cultural myopia, or the idea that one's culture is superior to others.  Additionally, I have learned about the "Platinum Rule" and how it can be applied to communicaiton with diverse groups.  At first reflection, I am tempted to say that I don't communicate differently with culturally diverse people in my every day life, but I think I have become so comfortable in communicating with them that it is very natural.  According to Beebe, Beebe, & Redmond (2010), people who interact with one another over time tend to communicate in similar ways (p. 93). However, I do communicate differently with each person based on our experiences together. For example, the art teacher at my school never smiled or talked to me the first year that I worked at our school.  I always felt that I had pissed her off some how.  Four years later, I have realized that she does not like working with young children (I taught K).  Therefore, I had to learn to look past the frown, sour face as part of who she is and look for things that we had in common, such as our dogs, as starting point for positive communication.  Our religion is also night and day, so I am careful not to mention anything religious around her.

Strategies for Effective Communication

1. Don't take it personal. Get to know the other person first.  “Expanding the world inside one’s own head is the means to understanding people who are different from one’s self, and it goes way beyond just celebrating differences in ethnic foods, music, and customs. By acknowledging that each person has a different reality, you take the first step toward beginning to understand it.” (Gonzales-Mena, 2010, p. 36)
2. Find common ground. "We build bridges with others who are different from us when we can identify something we may have in common with them." (Beebe, Beebe, & Redmond, 2010, p. 103).
3. Be flexible. As we learn about another person, we should adapt our communication style by being mindful of their differences.
4. Apply the "Platinum Rule".  Learning to communicate effectively requires us to consider the other persons perspective (thoughts, feelings, etc...).

References
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.