When I communicate with people from different groups and
cultures I try to be mindful and courteous to everyone I communicate with. For
example when I communicate with children or adults who may have a developmental
delay or disability I try to make sure I talk to them in a way they can
understand and not like they are just completely handicapped. When I communicate
with people of different cultures that are still learning English, I mainly
focus on listening so I can interpret what it is they need and I repeat what
they said back to me just so they get that I understand and I assist them by
any means. Based on what I have learned this week the strategies I could use to
communicate effectively being mindful of other’s perspectives other than my
own. Keep the platinum rule in mind when I communicate with others no matter
the situation. Making sure that I have
patience for those who are struggling with communicating effectively because of
their native language and cultural background.
I like your strategies for being a more sensitive and effective communicator. This weekend I made an appointment to get my eyebrows waxed by my Vietnamese hairdresser Ha Do. Ha speaks English fairly well, and is quite a character, someone I really like as a person and respect. As I made the call to schedule my appointment I caught myself doing one of the worst cross-cultural faux pas, I was talking really loud over the phone in hopes she would understand me better. Even as I was doing it I realized how rude it was and tried to stop. Funny thing is, I don't feel the need to do that when we talk in person. I assumed she would not be able to understand me over the phone, and did not allow her to try.
ReplyDeleteJasymn
ReplyDeleteAs wonderful as it sounds to say that we treat people with the platinum rule, it is a fatally flawed premise. We as people just do not go around telling people how we want to be treated in communication based on our culture. It is inefficient to include that information in every communication exchange. Thus we are left to "guess" at how others "wish to be treated". Sometimes we guess correctly, usually based on knoweldge and previous interactions... and sometimes we don't.
Lora