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Intercultural Communication- Discussion Question

Intercultural communication is everywhere. “Without leaving your own country, you're likely to come into contact with people from a variety of backgrounds…” (Hahn) It can be in the workplace, at home, church, or in the local grocery store. Coming across a foreigner is not an uncommon occurrence in the United States. The borders are open which allows refugees to come to the country legally.

When I was in high school I took a French class. My teacher explained that she had lived in France for a while and told the class about how their culture is very different from American culture. She explained that in America it is rude for two strangers walking past one another would not greet one another with a verbal greeting or at least a smile.

In France, it is rude to smile at another person because to them a smile is like coming on to them. They take it as American girls all want the same dirty thing. If someone didn’t know this they could end up getting propositioned and be in a tough or awkward situation. “Be aware of different etiquette rules or manners: what is polite in one culture may be considered rude in another” (Hahn).

If traveling to another country it would be very wise to learn a little bit about the country before getting there. An individual may never know what law may put them in jail or prison. Just because it seems to be common sense does not mean it truly is. Know the audience and the environment. Be empathetic. When an individual comes across as caring for another person, or they come across that they are at least trying to be patient and understand, all people involved with the conflict will be better off when trying to understand the other person’s perspective. Some things seem to be common sense however common sense should never be assumed especially while dealing with a different culture.

References:

Hahn, M. (n.d.). Ten commandments of intercultural communication. Ezinearticles.com. Retrieved July 27, 2011 from http://ezinearticles.com/?Ten-Commandments-of-Intercultural-Communication&id=120247

Mediation- Discussion Question

I am a mediator. It comes naturally. A mediation is when, “A neutral third party facilitates communication between the conflicting parties so that they may work out their own mutually acceptable agreement.” (Abigail & Cahn 2011, p.195). I was in a welcome class for new Airmen arriving at Lackland. During the class one of the instructors for the Equal Opportunity section was giving a lecture. She was talking about stereotypes and had brought up a controversial comment made by John Meyer when he used the “n” word in an interview.

The class I was in was culturally diverse and full of young adults. The teacher did a horrible job of leading the discussion and within minutes people were throwing out racist stereotypes. A white guy made a statement about a negative stereotype for black people. He wasn’t necessarily saying that he agreed with it, he just brought it up. In turn a black girl brought up a negative stereotype for white people. Rather than discussing the actual point the instructor was trying to make, people allowed emotion to misguide their understanding and racial comments were being thrown about. Almost every student in the class was throwing in their two-sense only making the situation worse.

I tend to think logically over emotionally and I was pretty sure that the topic the instructor was going for was more along the lines of how stereotypes aren’t good because it puts a potentially false identity in the individual’s mind. This false identity allows him/her to make judgments that aren’t accurate.

I could see that the situation was out of control and that it was only going to get worse so I raised my hand and luckily she called on me before chaos was eminent. I explained the point I felt she was trying to make and said that race doesn’t matter. Being rude is never appropriate. Thankfully my class listened to me and understood where the discussion went wrong. We were able to discuss the actual issue without people getting offensive. I was the mediator in this situation.

The instructor presented the issue and lost control by not stopping the conversation right away and by not communicating her point clearly. The students turned on one another: race versus race. It took someone who was able to see the real problem, provide a solution, and act on that solution. That person was the mediator.

I chose this method because I felt it was the most fitting. When the situation was going on it was like the room was divided and people were fighting but I was in the middle watching it all happen in slow motion. I was able to see clearly and rectify the situation. I wasn’t reacting based on my race and I wasn’t reacting with a bias. I was reacting based upon facts. The class missed the mark and the problem needed to be solved immediately. I took it as my responsibility to do so.

References:

Abigail, R.A., & Cahn, D.D. (2007). Managing Conflict Through Communication (4^th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.

Hypothetical Conflict Resolution

Mediation is Great for Conflict Resolution

I am a firm believer in mediation, “A neutral third party facilitates communication between the conflicting parties so that they may work out their own mutually acceptable agreement” (Abigail & Cahn 2011, p.195), for conflict resolution as well as listening.  First and foremost, listening or being attentive has to be applied in any type of conversation. 

Without listening or paying attention to someone who is trying to communicate, whether verbally or non-verbally, the message may easily be lost in translation.  Under some circumstances, listening doesn’t work.  The scenario where an employee is unprofessional and considered hostile to his/her environment is a situation where just listening to their side may not be the best approach.  I think that for an employee, or any individual for that matter, who is resistant and confrontational when receiving feedback should automatically sit down with a mediator.  The employee, mediator, and supervisor should sit in a neutral area and discuss the situation in private. 

Word choice and tone in the delivery of the chosen words are also an important factor in resolving the issue.  Choosing phrases that cause immediate blame rather than phrases such as, “I have heard that there are issues with your work performance, is everything okay?” may set the person up to automatically get defensive and therefore the situation can further escalate with no hope for a positive resolution.  By giving the employee the opportunity to share whether something is going on in their life which may be affecting their work behavior the supervisor is not directly placing blame.  It would also be wise to explain that the meeting is to address and resolve any issues with minimal discipline.  If the employee thinks he/she is in trouble but doesn’t see where they went wrong the situation may escalate. 

It’s unfortunate that people are almost required to cater to one another’s feelings because most individuals will over-react without trying to understand the situation but it is a reality.  If catering to those individual’s personality quirks helps to resolve conflict then it is the best strategy. 

The reason I think it is best to have a mediator present is to diffuse the situation as soon as possible so there is minimal frustration or misunderstanding.  A mediator may give the employee comfort by calmly explaining what the supervisor is failing to effectively communicate. Sometimes an outsider can see clearer than the individuals who are emotionally involved.  It is better to have a mediator and not use them to not have one and regret the decision at a later time. 

If the employee needed to be fired due to issues that arose during the meeting, the mediator would then serve as a witness to the dialogue.  If the employee decided to fight being fired, that witness testimony may help to back up the supervisor’s decision and further protect the company.  It is also important to have a back-up plan for conflict resolution so if one method isn’t working, another can be tried as soon as possible. 

References:

Abigail, R.A., & Cahn, D.D. (2007). Managing Conflict Through Communication (4^th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.

Four Types of Media Technologies

Audible Media

Audible media is used to inform an audience solely through sound. Electronic books give a good example of how audible media can be used.  Many books available through an electronic book device have the ability to read the words aloud rather than the individual reading the words to himself/herself.  Another type of audible media would be the radio.  A script for a radio show is written differently than for a visual or printed news broadcast.  A radio script needs to have information that paints the picture of what is going on to the listener.  It must be clear but it needs to be easily understood as well because, like a visual news piece, the audience doesn’t have the opportunity to reread the article to further understand the point.  It is heard once and if it isn’t understood and processed immediately, it will be forgotten.  Audible media is a great asset because it is easily accessible and mobile.  It can go virtually anywhere and causes minor distractions while operating a vehicle.  Music can also be a type of audible media.  The words and rhythm depict some type of story portrayed by the writer or musician.  It informs the audience about the message that is intended. A country performer may do a song about America.  The story/information being depicted is about love and respect for the country and the people who protect its citizens. Patriotic songs often allow emotion to well up inside and cause an overwhelming feeling to consume the listener with pride.  

Visual Media

Visual media is used to inform an audience through telling a story with pictures. News broadcasts and commercials are very common forms of visual media technology. A news broadcast is written in a manner to inform a large majority of the population regardless of their intellectual background and the pictures assist to tell the story or validate the source of the information received. It is available as a means to communicate information to mass groups. Visual media is influential because the images, whether moving or still, allow the viewer to see for themselves what is being reported. The danger with visual media is that anyone can tell you what you see and twist the reality by giving false auditory information. Clearly it can’t persuade in a way as to convince someone who is looking at a blue sky that it is actually a brown sky but they can manipulate the meaning behind the events through scripting.  It is important that the videographer/photographer conveys the truth in the images and does not distort the facts through creative camera angles, filter colors, or lack of lighting. Visual media is generally the easiest to prove or convince others to believe because when an individual sees it for themselves it is ingrained in their memory as fact because they “saw it with their own eyes.”  Perception plays a key factor in all visual media.  One person’s perception may be completely different than another’s.  Take the vase/face pictures for example (Science Kids, n.d.).  At first glance one individual can see two white faces on a black background but another may only see a black vase in a white room.  Neither is incorrect because both can be proved based upon personal experience.  If a videographer does a poor job at capturing the truth on video then the broadcast writer, or anchor person, can easily manipulate the facts to convey the story they prefer.  Civilian news companies do it all the time.  They take footage that was realistically positive and find a way to give the story a negative spin.  They use the footage they think will prove their point and they leave the rest even if it creates a story out of context.

Print Media

Print is also used to inform an audience about events going on within a local, state, or national level. The newspaper is one type of print media. It is generally written to accommodate at least a fourth grade reading comprehension in order to reach the largest majority of followers possible. Another form of print media would be brochures or flyers. They inform an intended audience about something the advertiser feels is important. For instance a cancer brochure is intended to inform all people of the risks of certain behaviors and to warn that with the correct use of situational awareness and attention to detail, cancer can be found in earlier stages and therefore treated easier. This audience would mostly be for adults but easy enough to understand for an adult who has a basic intellect. (“Print Media,” 2011)  I think that one of the advantages of print media over electronic journalism is that once an article is printed and displayed, the information is always available somewhere without changes.  Some sites are updated daily and may cause an issue when trying to revisit a source.  A document in writing is permanent.  They only way to go against what the message of the original article says, would be to retract the statement and create a whole new article.  Although it happens, the situation is rare because the reputation of the source is easily tarnished through print media versus online media.  If it is in writing it is generally reputable.  Take a dictionary or encyclopedia for example.  The written and published version of the Encyclopedia Britannica is a reputable source.  Many online dictionary sources are unfamiliar and therefore don’t have an established good-standing reputation with the readers.  Wikipedia is often used as a reputable source but the information can be edited by anyone. It is easy to change the page and the information within the page of electronic media.  However, it requires money, research, time, and patience to publish printed work.

Social Media

Social networking is the newest form of media technology. It is used to connect people with common interests or relationships. According to the website www.pewtrusts.org, the audience has grown significantly over the past few years. It was very popular among young adults but has quickly grown to bring in pre-teen children up through older adults. For instance, Facebook was originally created to reconnect old college roommates but has become a place for children, elderly, and all those in between to connect with others.  I think social media has changed the way people communicate with one another forever.  To me, it can be a shallow and insincere way to remain connected to acquaintances.  Some people get caught up in the convenience of single sentence conversations that they feel it is good enough to build or maintain a friendship.  If a married couple communicated to one another the same way the majority has come to communicate through social media, the marriage wouldn’t survive long.  The conversations would be shallow, generic, selfish, childish, and overall meaningless.  Social networking has opened the door to endless opportunities by networking with people who would otherwise be inaccessible.  It can allow individuals who are looking to start a career in journalism to meet new people who can mentor them and assist in furthering their career by sharing their network of colleagues or friends.  Social networking is also the fastest way for news to spread.  Like any potential breeding ground for a rumor mill, it is important check the source of the information being shared.  Someone’s opinion can easily become fact if misconstrued along the line of communication.  Like the game telephone, one message with a distinct meaning may turn into a completely different story.  “A man’s body was found on Chipper Jones’s ranch in Texas” may turn to “Chipper Jones killed a man on his ranch.”  The reality of the situation is that a body of a 22-year old man was found on a 10-thousand acre ranch owned by the Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones and his family.   The man is believed to have died of dehydration after crossing the border from Mexico onto the Double Dime Ranch in Carrizo Springs, Texas (mlbvoice.com). Social media is a great way to share information and quickly.  It is a great way to get help if needing an answer to a problem or volunteers for a clean-up effort.  However it is easy to be lead astray by opinions or hearsay being portrayed as facts.  Always check sources before spouting new information and always clarify that the message has been received and interpreted correctly before sharing it with another.

Communication is the key factor in all types of media and interaction.  The best way to live a peaceful and realistic life is to learn to communicate well verbally and non-verbally and to strengthen listening/ attention skills.

References:

(2011, June 16). Social networking sites and our lives. The Pew Charitable Trusts. Retrieved on July 21, 2011 from http://www.pewtrusts.org/our_work_detail.aspx?id=56

Clausen, M. (2011, 23 August).  Body Found on Chipper Jones’ Family Ranch. MLBVoice. Retrieved July 23, 2011 from http://www.mlbvoice.com/2009/08/23/body-found-on-chipper-jones-ranch.html

Print Media. (2011). On PublishingDictionary.com. Retrieved from http://www. Publishingdictionary.com/definition/print-media.html

Science Kids. (n.d.). Optical Illusions. Science Kids: Bringing Science and Technology Together. Retrieved July 23, 2011 from http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/

pictures/illusions/facevase.html

Communication

Communication is a vigorous part of everyday life by allowing each person to relay their thoughts, feelings, or ideas to others.  The ability to communicate is often ignored or underestimated and in turn causes a disturbance within a relationship.  If an individual did not show any emotion towards another person they are communicating a message just as clearly as if they had smiled.  By not responding, however, and ignoring the desire to share the emotions within the individual is acting in a deceitful way.  They are either lying to themselves or to another.  Communication is a very powerful tool that if not used correctly, may become unnatural and uncomfortable.  For example, if someone were to avoid human interaction once they were forced upon it they would not know how to act and their reactions may be uncomfortable and awkward for all involved.

I used to be very outgoing and I never cared what anyone thought about me.  Of course that is what most people believed because I was very good at hiding my insecurities.  Over the years my insecurities started to get the best of me and I was reacting to people in a way that I did not realize was even happening.  I would avoid eye-contact, shy away from a conversation, and I did not smile as much as when I was younger.  A lot of the changes had to do with the fact that at some point I felt like I was not good enough to be around others so I backed away from meeting new people for fear of being wrongfully judged by them.  I thought I was being friendly and smiling at others but a friend pointed out that I was withdrawn and appeared uninterested in making friends.  I appeared stuck up to people who did not know me.  I will befriend anyone but because I was afraid the expressions that I thought were shining through were being masked and appeared as something I was not.  In a professional setting, a misinterpretation like that may cause me to lose my job or be overlooked for a promotion due to an attitude issue or a lack of enthusiasm. 

Often times an individual communicates in a manner they are unaware of.  They may respond to something with a facial expression of disgust while meaning to show no emotion.  Others may desire to show joy when, in fact, their body language shows no expression at all.  The communication that is being exchanged may lead to a misunderstanding if spoken words are not accompanied by message exchanged through body language.  Listening, acknowledging, and responding are essential to clear communication.  Without listening the message can be misinterpreted, without acknowledging the initial message or point of the conversation the perception of reality may be different for the sender than it is for the receiver.  A miscommunication may have occurred and without verifying understanding neither person may ever know that the miscommunication even occurred.   Responding is important to communication because it is a two way street.  A response does not have to be spoken: an individual’s body language speaks louder than their words. If responding in an unintentional manner the message is lost.  Without some sort of communication the intended message may not be salvageable. If the sender shares a message and the receiver does not understand every aspect of the sender's message miscommunication has occurred.