Saturday, November 15, 2014

Communication Strategies and Adaptations

Admittedly, the last several classes I have taken with Walden have opened my eyes to an aspect of my life that I suppose I had only given surface value to.  I had noticed an increase in diversity in my community, but had not genuinely considered all of the ways in which I could embrace it.  I have had the pleasure of working with people of many different cultures throughout my adulthood, but only barely noticed the differences between us without truly taking the time to understand.  I have taught children of different backgrounds and even have family members and close friends with significant cultural differences.  If I am to be completely honest, behind closed doors I likely exhibited a bit of cultural myopia and tended to take advantage of my membership in the dominant American culture, even if I managed to fare well publicly. 

Since I have been exposed to fellow students from around the country, and professionals from around the globe, in addition to the immense research and testimonials I have been exposed to as of late, I have truly given differences the attention they deserve. I have learned that adjustments to communication styles are an inevitable necessity.  We must learn to base the way we interact with others on the methodology that leads to quality communication and effective messaging. 

I have recognized the different styles with which I communicate with my family members: gentle, patient, guiding, supportive with my children; understanding, supportive, respectful, more body language, sometimes more demeaning than I ever intend with my husband (thankfully, we understand each other completely and even if our feelings our hurt or miscommunication occurs it is mended quickly); respectful, cognizant of power struggles, helpful, good listening with my mother; careful ,close attention to body language; guiding without being “bossy” with my brother;…and the list goes on with other members.
With my colleagues, mentors, and families and children that I work with, I have found that different rules and norms apply.  While the information that may be contained in particular messages can sometimes be limited, I must utilize child specific language.  Additionally, in order to protect privacy of individuals, families, and/or organizations, I must learn to carefully read the nonverbal cues of others and follow up by delivering my messages effectively. 


Finally, if there are any recognizable differences in culture among any of these parties I must find ways to recognize and respect them so unintentional messages are not given.  What I will continue to work on is my listening skills, as I have a tendency to be very consumed with my own position in a conversation, which results in me not picking up on subtle cues every time.  I will continue to work on improving my communications skills in hopes that I will find open and honest interactions with others to be easier for me.  

2 comments:

  1. I really appreciate the honesty and the candor that you brought to your blog assignment this week. I enjoyed reading it. I appreciate the fact that you were honest about your tendency to be consumed with your own position in a conversation. Admitting that we do certain things when it comes to communication gives us a chance to change the problem areas so that we can learn to be more effective. Thank you for your thoughts. I look forward to reading more of your blog entries.

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  2. Thank you for sharing! I think that I too have only looked at this issue surface deep and it definitely requires a more in depth analysis. I am always interested to hear other people's perspectives and enjoy reading the blogs each week because they are such an informal effective way of communicating thoughts and feelings to colleagues. Thanks again for sharing!

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