Cultural Diversity & Communication

Week 3 is upon us already! This week we began to examine the idea of culture in relation to communication. We discussed the meaning of being inter culturally competent in communication, cultural myopia, and the importance of "The Platinum Rule" in regards to being an effective and competent communicator. Each of the aforementioned concepts relate to producing effective communication in many ways. In order to better understand the concepts discussed this week, we had to take time to examine our own communication skills in regards to interacting with various culturally diverse groups. The groups can be culturally diverse in many ways, such as by race, religion, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender, varying abilities, age, and more. After considering and discussing our personal communication strengths and weaknesses in this area, we need to create at least three strategies for improving our communication skills in relation to interacting with culturally diverse groups of individuals.


Considering the assignment at hand, I reflected upon my own interactions with individuals from culturally diverse groups and populations and the communication skills in which I have utilized in such interactions. I have realized that when communicating with individuals of a different religion, I tend to be more cautious in the wording I choose when speaking on such a topic. Due to the fact that I am trying to be more cautious, I may end up over thinking and not actively listening to the conversation enough. Another example would be when speaking about politics. While I believe I am a Democrat, I tend to avoid all political conversation as it can become a very charged and heated debate in conversation. I may venture into the topic with another individual only to find they are extremely set on their opinion or defensive of their affiliation's beliefs to which I attempt to change the subject as avoidance of the conflict. This is a flaw in my communication skills as I should incorporate the meanings of "The Platinum Rule" in this instance, empathize with the individual and attempt to utilize effective communication skills to complete the debate civilly and appropriately. Lastly, I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve. In other words, you can read my emotions, thoughts, feelings, etc. all over my face or through my body language very easily. Therefore, I have to be very conscious of the nonverbal signals and cues I am utilizing when communicating with others, particularly when communicating with children and families, in order to avoid detrimental impact or tension.


In light of the aforementioned revelations, I have come up with three strategies to begin communicating more effectively with other culturally diverse individuals. First of all, I need to become more culturally competent and aware of other beliefs, cultures, etc. By doing so, I will gain knowledge to better understand and communicate appropriately with children, families, colleagues, and community members of that specific cultural background. Secondly, I need to work on conflict resolution skills, which would be to become a more empathic listener. To do so, I must focus on the speaker and begin to "put myself in their shoes" to better grasp their feelings and thoughts on the matter. This could help to resolve dilemmas and disagreements, as well. Lastly, I need to analyze my own nonverbal cues to become more aware of how they are used, how often, the reasoning for them, etc. This will be helpful to prevent misunderstandings while communicating with others, as well as to better understand the meaning of nonverbal cues of other individuals with whom I am communicating.


Communication skills are more important than many individuals realize, including myself. It is something we tend to take for granted and treat as "common sense"; however, it is quite the opposite and such skills must be acquired and learned over time. We always have room for improvement and I understand that in my journey to anti-bias education I must become an effective inter culturally competent communicator, as well.


Until next week...