A Universal Moral Code
I do find myself
communicating to people of different cultures in a different way. I may adjust
my speech, my tone, and the choice of words.
I have learned in the readings that to be effective in seeking out our “other-oriented”
opportunities, we have to become flexible in our communication styles. The best
ways to do that are to;
1.
Adapt – meaning to adjust our behavior to accommodate
the other person’s differences and expectations. Adapting also means to be
sensitive to what the other person is saying, thinking, and doing. People who
adapt their behavior to others will have more success in positive
communication.
2.
Learn of the world
view of other cultures. This would reduce uncertainty when trying to
communicate.
3.
Avoid negative judgments. If an individual from another culture has a
practice of doing things that may not be an ordinary practice of my culture, I
should not stand in judgment or say that practice is all wrong. For example, it
is customary for many folks from The Asian areas of the world to speak softly
and not look a person directly in the eye. This behavior is showing respect and
humility to another. In the west, we
view that behavior as disrespectful.
All in all, we should learn
as we interact (Beebe,Beebe & Redmond) with others. We have to put
ourselves in the other person’s mindset and mental position. Being flexible is
the best way to have success in communication with those from other cultures.
References
Beebe, S. A., Beebe, S. J.,
& Redmond, M. V. (2011). Interpersonal communication: Relating to others
(6th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Hello Sheila,
ReplyDeleteWe have learned many great tips in how to communicate with each other, we do have to adapt to the situations and the people that we are talking to. Some people need you to talk to them softly and others you may have to speak up with, be we can all make the time to learn who they are and what they need from us, and not make a judgment about who they are. We just need to accept people for who they are.
Nice blog!
Sheila,
ReplyDeleteYou are right we should learn how to communicate with one another on many different levels. One thing I have always told myself while working in this field is to never pass judgment and always be open to thoughts and ideas of others. We need to be able to adapt to other cultures and accept people and their cultures not trying to change them but including their cultures within our classroom environments.
Learning to communicate effectively with all walks of life takes skill. It seems to me you are working hard to accomplish this skill! :)
ReplyDeleteJosie Zbaeren
I agree that we should all learn to communicate respectfully. I think this is one of the many tasks we have working with children and families. I believe we learn so much as we teach...in communication too.
ReplyDelete