I do believe, when communicating with people from different cultures and groups, I communicate differently. I find myself hesitant and less confidant than I may be when communicating with people from my culture or group. I think it can be hard to find strategies that would benefit both sides as what they both need from the conversation is different. I believe the following strategies could begin to help communication with different groups or cultures.
- Allow for open line for communication and avoid starting the conversation on a negative front to allow for open communication to be the center of the conversation.
- Avoid assumptions about that persons culture or group as that can lead to treating them differently.
- Keep in mind that they may communicate with you differently because you are from a different culture or group. They may be working just as hard to keep the communication positive.
Great Blog! Finding ourselves nervous when communicating with those we do not know is normal and something many people struggle with. It is hard to make sure that we are not offensive with the things that we say. Thank you for sharing these helpful strategies with us. I get uneasy about what to say when I have to speak at a professional place like court. I also struggle with rethinking the conversation later and remembering the things I should have said and forgot to say. I will keep your strategies in mind. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteRachel,
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed reading your blog post this week. I have to agree with you that when we are not comfortable with the individuals we are communicating with we begin to doubt ourselves, who we are, and maybe even our skills. I think that learning about this is important because now that we are aware of this we can work on making changes to learn how to better communicate with others so that we can become better individuals as well as educators. Your suggestions make a lot of sense. I may have to borrow some of your ideas and learn to incorporate them more often when communicating with others.Thank you for sharing your observations.