Communicating in a Diverse World

1. Communicating in a Diverse World Danuta Skupien

2. A quote to live by: It is important to be aware of the ground for your own behavior than to understand the motives of another.

3. Objectives • Communication • Barriers to effective communication • Diversity consciousness and communication • 11 strategies to communicate inclusively

4. Communication • Communication: the process by which people transfer information, ideas, attitudes, and feeling to each other • Intercultural Communication: refers to a process whereby people from one culture interact with people from another culture • Body Language is culturally specific: means one thing to one culture and something quite different to another culture

5. Communication misunderstanding can develop from different styles of communication due to gender, age, marital status, social class, cultural diversity Communication Misunderstanding

6. Cultural biases Unwarranted assumptions Lack of awareness of cultural differences Interpreting symbols, messages differently Language differences Using words incorrectly Ethnocentrism Assumption that our way of thinking and acting is naturally superior to any other Inactive listening Barriers to Effective Communication

7. Diversity consciousness and Communication • Examining yourself and your world • Expanding your knowledge of others and their worlds • Processing and understanding the other person’s point of view • Acknowledging the relationship between the speaker and the receiver • Checking up on yourself • Following Through

8. Our individual and cultural backgrounds greatly influence the way we communicate (ei. Jargon) Material culture – we create it, can see, touch, or feel (ei. Clothing) We are sometimes ineffective communicators because we fail to realize that everyone doesn’t share our interpretation(s) and we find it hard to examine our own ways of communicating Examining yourself and your world

9. De we even recognize the presence of others and their capacity or right to communicate? Sometimes we view women, men, children, lower-class persons, and people with disabilities as unable to speak for themselves in certain situations Expanding Your Knowledge of Others and Their Worlds

10. This skill allows you to step outside of yourself and become more open and sensitive to others It does not necessarily mean that you will fully comprehend or agree with their thoughts and feelings People are more willing to share when they sense that others are listening and not judging or comparing Processing and Understanding the Other Person’s Point of View

11. One aspect of this relationship is status and power Status refers to one’s position Power is the ability to influence people Our interaction with others take the form of an equal or unequal status relationship Everyone has something important to offer Take advantage of opportunities to hear and learn from others regardless of their credentials or titles Acknowledging the relationship between the speaker and the receiver

12. Effective communication requires constant practice and self-examination To improve our communication skills, we need to open to feedback – otherwise we do not know when we are relating well to others Checking up on yourself

13. Constant practice allows people to develop and refine their communication skills. Following Through

14. Communication Inclusively11 strategies • Address people the way they want to be addressed • Keep an open mind • Be open to the “different lens” through which people view the world • Listen actively • Pay careful attention to what people are saying and how they are saying it. Pay attention to the body language

15. Strategies • Check for understanding • Instead of assuming that someone understand you, assume just the opposite • Do some research • Use the internet, college libraries, or ethnic organizations as a resource for current information

16. Strategies • Think through what you are going to say before you say it • When you talk about others, do you refer to them by their race, social class, gender, or some other distinguishing characteristic? If so, ask yourself why? • Avoid slang • Oftentimes slang means one thing to you but something totally different to someone else.

17. Strategies • Be conscious of how fast you are talking • It helps to slow down a little. Repeat yourself if necessary. • Avoid ethnic jokes • Jokes are usually made at the expense of others

18. Strategies • Use as many different communication styles as possible • Visual aids can help. If you do not understand what someone is saying, do not simply smile and nod your head. Let them know politely. • Do not assume that you can or should ignore differences

19. Employers will increasingly view people who lack the ability to communicate inclusively as liabilities. Hint…

20. Activity 1

21. Activity 2

22. Summary • What is communication? • What are the most common barriers to effective communication? • What are the steps for communicating effectively with people from diverse backgrounds? • What are the 11 strategies to communicate inclusively?

23. Evaluation • Evaluation

24. Another quote to live by: It is more important to be human than to be important.

25. References Dr. Myra Womble’s Presentation Associate Professor University of Georgia