Communication in the Community

Non-verbal communication is important when communicating with people from different cultures. It is vital to consider customs related to gestures, physical contact, and other aspects of body language (Cultural differences in non-verbal communication, n.d.). In order to begin communicating with all individuals from various backgrounds, we must first be aware of our own culture as well as initiate and build relationships with other people (Building relationships with people from different cultures, n.d.). 

When I communicate with authority figures, I have a more reserved demeanour that involves limited physical contact, evasive eye contact, and short, polite conversation. Steady eye contact makes me, personally, feel uncomfortable. When speaking with Asian people, this does not offend them but speaking with Caucasian people, they can take offence and I feel required to force myself to keep eye contact with people when they are speaking. Similarly, because Asians tend to be part of a high-context culture, they leave much of a message unspecified with a heavier reliance on non-verbal cues and interpretations, therefore, giving greater emphasis on subtle communication and body language (Kinsey, 2011).

Strategies for communicating effectively with different people, such as those from high-context cultures or of people in authoritative positions, include initial research about people's history and cultures, developing a better understanding of effective body language skills, as well as examining common biases related to different cultures.

Resources
Building relationships with people from different cultures. (n.d.). Community Tool Box. Retrieved from http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/culture/cultural-competence/building-relationships/main

Cultural differences in non-verbal communication. (n.d.). Vermont Department of Health. Retrieved from http://healthvermont.gov/family/toolkit/tools%5CF-6%20Cultural%20Differences%20in%20Nonverbal%20Communic.pdf

Kinsey, C. (2011). Communication across cultures. American Management Association. Retrieved from https://www.asme.org/engineering-topics/articles/business-communication/communicating-across-cultures

Nonverbal Communication

I watched a Cantonese show on television called "The Gateau Affairs." The description said it contains romance and drama. Watching the show without listening to the sound would not be much of a problem because I do not understand the language although I would be able to take cues from their tones. I turned off the sound and subtitles. I initially had a problem figuring out the relationships as the workplace environment that it was set up to be did not facilitate for personal contact. However, as the episode progressed, I could distinguish that the young woman and the more mature bakery chef had a more loving relationship as he gave her roses, briefly held her hand, and looked at her in admiration; the sentiment which she returned through emotional glances. The context of why it was not a blossoming romance could not be determined without sound or subtitles and added further confusion when certain scenes had employee members getting into fights, thus showing strained relationships that I did not know the reason for. Exaggerated emotions, such as anger and excitement were easy to detect due to the physical appearances where facial expressions would show furrowed brows or tears (Krauss, Chen, & Chawla, n.d.).

Watching the same episode again, now with the sound and subtitles turned on, I could understand the sequence of events and the anticipation of emotions. I made the assumption that one particular character was a thug because of his appearance and mannerisms (fighting with others) but, knowing the context, he was standing up for another individual that had been offended and hurt. Therefore, the entire character's identity then changed. Following a show that I know well, established relationships would already be known to me and I would be able to anticipate emotions and certain events with established character identity from previous episodes.

Doing this particular exercise has taught me that we can make prejudiced assumptions based on appearances and actions that, by knowing an individual well, would differ from initial presumptions.

Resources
Krauss, R., Chen, Y., & Chawla, P. (n.d.). Nonverbal behavior and nonverbal communication: What do conversational hand gestures tell us? Advances in Experimental Social Psychology. Retrieved from http://dennismeredith.com/files/documents/Hand_gestures.pdf

Competent Communicator

My high school principal was good at giving speeches to the students and conveying important messages in order for everyone, with varying degrees of English, to understand and take something away from the meeting. She was a skilled orator that chose her words carefully but could also sufficiently and effectively answer questions provided on the spot. With several speeches from peers and teachers during my high school graduation, they now seem like a distant, blurry memory. However, my principal's speech still resonates with me as she summarized our experience at high school and helped us visualize our future endeavours. She mentioned that no matter what we choose to do in life and whom we will meet, the time spent at high school would help us coexist and ground us in a world swimming of personalities. Her effective communication was not only due to the powerful words she spoke but also stemmed from the conviction in which she spoke. Her presence was as powerful one-on-one as it was on a stage in front of an audience, making a lasting impact on her fellow coworkers, her students, and our parents. From her strengths, I hope to one day be as convincing and make great impact with my words but, most importantly, be able to eloquently answer questions that I get asked. This would allow me to articulate my ideas and opinions without creating disharmony or controversy with sensitive topic matters.