Cultural Differences bridging communication

During these last eight weeks, I feel that I have had to make definite adjustments based on how I communicate. The reason is I moved from Ohio to Arizona. Since I initiated the move, my children and myself had had to adjust to specific variances. The roles I had assumed in Ohio are somewhat different here in Arizona and I am learning to adjust my communication styles accordingly. My son is now attending a high school where he is one of 3600 students. At his school in Ohio we knew all of the teachers, the principal and the school counselors. Here I am much more formal when speaking to the educators at his school. I adjust my communication, as I have to listen carefully and hone into the information that they are sharing. As much of what they are sharing is new to me. With my new position, I am working with individuals from varying cultures. Recently I was in Tucson, where the early childhood professionals I worked with are Native American, The transaction process of listening and responding to people from different cultural backgrounds can be challenging, (Beebe, Beebe & Redmond, 2011). I remind myself how important it is to be culturally responsive, and patient and understanding of others when I am communicating with. The main lesson intercultural communication is to begin to understand their perspectives and when communicating with them I have to be open and try not to stereotype what I think of when I think of a person who is Native American. One of the sites or schools I have just begun to work with is in Gila Bend. It is a small rural community. Many of the children and families are from Mexico. When I am working within this community I try to focus on the commonalities and not my differences. This takes patience on my part. As when I am communicating with individuals within this community I find they speak quickly and many have strong accents. So I try to focus on the information that they provide as well as I try to develop strategies to appreciate the differences and celebrate those commonalities as well.

Vegas the TV show

I decided to watch the new T.V. show Vegas. I have always liked Denis Quaid and Mike Chiklis. It is an hour show and truthfully, I could not watch the whole show set on mute. I did make it but a half an hour but that was not easy. The first scene was a love scene so it was fairly easy to see where things were going between the first two set of characters. The show is based in Vegas during the early 1960s. Because the show takes place in a different era this makes the show more interestingly to watch and seem to hold my attention visually more easily. Watching the show without the sound was an interesting experience. By just watching the actors body language, so much of their intent was revealed.
There was one particular scene where the sheriff Denis Quaid arrived and sitting in his office was his old love interest. It was funny to watch this scene without the sound and then watch it with the sound.
     The assumptions I made while I was watching the show in the muted position were pretty close to the plot of the show, except for one. Not until I watched the show with the sound, did I understand the interaction and relationship between Mike Chiklis and his wife. Until I watched the show with the sound on did I truly understand the relationship between those two characters.
I found this activity to be a good example of how important it is to hear the interactions between people as way of truly interpreting what is clearly taking place in the communication process.

Ed a great communicator

When I think of someone who I know that is a an effective communicator I think of my new friend, Ed. Ed spent his professional years as a electrical engineer for General Motors. He is retired and he now spends his time freelancing as a bit of a computer geek. He runs a spreadsheet company that specializes in spreadsheets and software.

As an educator in Ohio I always utilized Apple products within my work forum as well as within my home. When I recently took the new position in Arizona I was handed a Hewlett Packard PC. My first thought was oh my!  

Over these past several weeks, I have found myself calling Ed and asking him simple questions related to my computer. When I ask a question, he instinctively relays the posed question back to me, so that there is not any confusion with his interpretation of my question. As he knows I am not PC savvy. His explanations and directions are clear and concise. He always is patient; he waits to determine if I have followed through with his directions. Then he waits again to see if I am successful. If not he tries again to help me come up with a solution. Recently my son had to create a physics science fair project. Ed came to the rescue. He and Avery worked at his home on the project for five nights. While Ed’s wife prepared dinner, Ed and Avery created their pendulum project. When I asked Avery to describe to me, what made Ed such an excellent teacher, he stated,” Ed describes and gives really great directions. He explains complicated concepts in a way that makes them easier to understand. “ Ed is a competent communicator for several reasons; he is patient, he listens to the questions or concerns, takes his time to answer the questions. I too believe Ed can speak to almost anyone. He adjusts his interactions and communication to meet the needs of the other person. Keep in mind he spent a week working with my son who is in his junior year of high school. Ed, too has a great wit, and works hard to make others feel comfortable and at ease.

When I think of a person who is an effective communicator I think of my new friend, Ed.