Cultural Communication

Cultural Communication

The three strategies that I would use to help me communicate effectively with people or groups are: 

1) The Platinum Rule-Do to others as they would like to be treated (Beebe, Beebe, & Redmund, 2011).

2) Don't expect that just because you know a person's culture you can predict his/her behavior (Gonzalez-Mena, 2010).

3) Put the culture and the person first.

I have been practicing these strategies in communication with different cultures before I knew they existed. There are two hispanic children in my classroom and their parents both speak english, but not very well. This is why I communicate with them differently than I do my parents who are American born. I let the Hispanic parents initiate anything they want to ask or any remarks in general, so that I can know how to follow up their questions with an answer in which they can understand. One of the parents have an older daughter who is able to ask things that she may not know how to word, which makes it easier for us to communicate with her and her family. I listen to all of my parents and their concerns, but I pay closer attention to my Hispanic family and their concerns and issues because I do not want them to feel like they are being treated any differently than any other family. I also want them to know that I am here for them and their child. 

GGonzalez-Mena, J. (2010). 50 strategies for communicating and working with diverse families. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc."Looking at Nonverbal Communication Across Cultures" (pp. 80–81)

Beebe, S. A., Beebe, S. J., & Redmond, M. V. (2011). Interpersonal communication: Relating to others (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Chapter 4, "Interpersonal Communication and Diversity: Adapting to Others" (pp. 85–114)