COMMUNICATION AND CULTURAL DIVERSITY

In our world today people from all walks of life learn how to work, play, and live together. We interact and communicate with people of varying cultural and ethnic backgrounds, lifestyles, and abilities (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2009). Communication helps you to establish and maintain relationships with these people on a personal and professional level. In order to communicate effectively and appropriately in our world today, you must possess an understanding and appreciation for people who look differently, think differently, and perceive differently than you do. It is also important to understand the way your own background affects your perceptions (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2009). Successful intercultural communication requires mindfulness, being respectful of others, and maintaining an accurate perception of the situation (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2009). I try to remember this when communicating with my colleagues, my religious organizations, and people I have met socially. I also listen carefully to their responses and watch their nonverbal behaviors. You can tell a lot about what a person is thinking and how they are feeling from their nonverbal behaviors (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2009). I find communication with my family much easier because of the culture and connections that we share. Therefore I have expanded my perspectives, modified schemas, and initiated a third culture with others outside of my race, religious affiliations, and political view to establish relationships that have become like family in order to continue my passion of working with children and families (Beebe, Beebe, & Redmond, 2011). References: Beebe, S. A., Beebe, S. J., & Redmond, M. V. (2011). Interpersonal communication: Relating to others (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. O'- Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2009). Real communication. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.