Communication and Culture

When it comes to communicating differently with people from different cultures and groups, I speak in different ways.  When I am with family I speak as myself, I feel free to speak to them about anything and in anyway.  I always use respect in my communication by use of less non-verbal as much as possible.  Although I may use slang to keep up with my adult children, however when I am with my parents I speak proper English because that is what they taught me as I was growing up.  As a child, I lived in England for four years of my teenage life and I spoke with an English accent but when we returned to America, I learn to speak like people I was around even if it was a southern accent or northern accent (Gonzalez-Mena, 2010).  I seem to be able to adapt to all types of accents and vocabulary of different culture (Beebe, S.A., Beebe, S.J., 2011).  I consider it a blessing to have that ability.

However, I had to learn to use the accents where it is acceptable.  As an educator, I speak formally with others, because of my position at work.  When I was teaching in the classroom, I spoke according to the words the children were able to understand, and then I would teach them the proper way of pronunciation and vocabulary usage.  I know I still need work on communicating in a public forum because there are many different cultures present and I become very confused on what accent or vocabulary to use.  Therefore, I have to find the third culture of my own language and use it wherever I go to establish great communication skills.  Practice will make perfection (Beebe, S.A., Beebe, S.J., 2011)

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According to Beebe,

“Adaptation across intercultural contexts is usually more difficult than adaptation within your own culture.”  (Beebe, S.A., Beebe, S.J., 2011)

Reference:

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

Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2010).  50 strategies for communicating and working with diverse families.  Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc