Better Strategies for Communication

I do find that I communicate with different groups and cultures; being because I need to make sure I do not disrespect them unintentionally. I find that when I am talking to people of cultures that I am not familiar with, I am worried that I may offend them due to lack of knowledge of their culture. I communicate differently by making sure I do not make judgments or jokes that may be offensive even in the slightest, even if they are silly.

The three strategies that can help me to communicate more effectively are:

1.    “Look beyond first impressions”. This strategy is important and can help me to communicate better because if I am not judging others based off what I first think of them, I can take the time to get to know them personally and understand their culture.

2.    “Question your assumptions”. The reason I chose this for my second strategy is because as humans, it is normal for us to quickly make assumptions about others based off of the little knowledge that we know about their cultures. If one takes the time to ask questions, instead of making assumptions, other cultures may even become more appealing.

3.    “Look thoughtful when you seek explanation”. The reason I chose this for my third communication strategy is because it is hard to understand others cultures and their traditions, this may make one sound ignorant or rude when asking questions about the others culture. Taking the time to understand the background or reasoning behind ones culture and cultural hidden rules may help to not make false assumptions. This also helps to not let cultural myopia happen as often as it does.

O'Hair, D., Wiemann, M., Mullin, D. I., & Teven, J. (2015). Real communication (3rd. ed). New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.

·       Chapter 2, "Perceiving the Self and Others" (pp. 41-45)