Cultural Communication

                I live and work in an area that is fairly homogenous when it comes to race. When I looked at the census numbers for my city, the minority population is less than 20%. The city where I work is only slightly higher. Of course, there are other types of cultures to consider, such generations, religion, political affiliation and so forth.

                The majority of people living in the Cleveland area are Democrats, I find it interesting that this is the case and yet Cleveland is hosting the Republican Convention. I am a registered Republican who doesn’t vote a straight party line. I typically do not discuss politics with people because I do not enjoy those types of conversations. People can become very emotional when discussing politics; so, I usually keep my opinions to myself.

                Although the majority of people here are either Catholic or Protestant, we also have a strong presence of Jewish and Muslim believers. Among the Protestants, we also have Greek Orthodox and Russian Orthodox whose religious calendars differ somewhat from the others. When it comes to communicating with people of other faiths, I tend to ask questions about anything that I don’t know or understand. I will also answer any questions about my religion that are asked, but I don’t spend a lot of time talking about it otherwise.

                Probably the type of diversity that I deal with the most is generational. As a widow, I am the only one of my generation at home. At work, there are only a couple of other women my age, the majority of the staff is in their twenties. Even at church, most of the congregation is older than I am and the rest are younger. (I seriously think that I am the only one in my generation.) Since I live with twenty-somethings, I understand their language patterns and can use those a work and at church. This comes in handy since many of the parents that I deal with are also in this age group, as well as many of my coworkers. When I am speaking to people of my own age bracket, or older, I tend use different phrases etc. than I would with the younger crowd. I sometimes still have difficulty communicating electronically with the younger group because of the acronyms they use; I know the basics, but sometimes I feel like they make up new ones just to confuse me.

                The other type of diversity that I deal with a lot is that of economics. People from different economic groups have different experiences in life and different needs. Sometimes it can be difficult to understand why a person does, or does not, do something the way you think they should; many times it comes down to a difference of perceived need. This is one of those times when I have found it advantageous to apply the suggestion of Gonzalez-Mena and suspend judgement until I try to understand where they are coming from.

                Another communication skill that I think is useful to employ is the Platinum Rule – Treat others the way they want to be treated. This takes a little more thought than the Golden Rule – Treat others the way you want to be treated, because you have to go outside of yourself and try to understand the other person. However, if you can understand what it is that the other person is looking for, you can help move the conversation forward.

                I have also come to realize that my communication style and nonverbal cues may not be as effective with some cultures as with others. I need to understand that some cultures may not be at ease with the speed of my speech, or the proximity I have to them, or any number of other things. When  I realize that something is causing discomfort, or miscommunication, it is my responsibility to take steps to remedy the situation to the best of my ability.