Chapter 5: Communication and Culture

Practice Your Skills

Communicators need to use verbal and nonverbal behaviors effectively and appropriately to attain goals and get along in intercultural situations. Sometimes this literally means using the language of another culture well enough to communicate effectively. Sometimes it simply means communicating your interest and appreciation for another person’s life experiences and point of view (Chen & Starosta, 1996). Communicators with fewer social skills have more difficulty managing the “different” interactions that intercultural situations demand, so it is important to develop the following skills (Arasaratnam, 2007).

Listen effectively. You can’t be mindful unless you listen to what people say (and what they don’t say). For example, health practitioners first need to listen to what cultural groups say about themselves and their beliefs about what will make them healthy. Then health practitioners need to shape health messages for these specific audiences (Larkey & Hecht, 2010). Knowing when to talk and when to be quiet (so you can listen) is crucial to intercultural encounters.
Think before you speak or act. When someone communicates in a way that seems strange to you—not meeting your gaze, for example, or speaking very directly—take a moment to think about whether his or her behavior is a cultural difference rather than evasion or hostility.
Be empathic. Empathy is the ability to picture yourself in someone else’s place in an attempt to understand that person’s experience. When you develop empathy, you can change your perceptions and improve your understanding of the ways in which another person’s culture affects his or her communication.
Do the right thing. Stand up for someone who is being mocked for his or her race, religion, or sexual orientation. Fight for those who don’t have a voice. You don’t need to be wealthy, established, or powerful to do this. When a friend makes a remark that you see as culturally insensitive, respond with a simple reminder (“That’s a rude statement” or “Oh, man, don’t talk like that”). You’ll send a powerful message without chiding or berating your friend.

BACK TO

Glee

At the beginning of the chapter, we talked about the hit musical comedy television show Glee, which depicted the complexity within and between co-cultures and a satirical take on high school life. Let’s revisit Glee, and see how the show both related to and reflected some of the concepts described in this chapter.

Glee reflected culture in the United States in terms of the diversity of the cast as well as in the overarching themes. The members of the McKinley glee club were underdogs not only at their school but also among the other show choirs with which they competed. As part of an individualist, low power distance, and masculine culture, Americans tend to believe that with a level playing field and a lot of hard work, anyone can be successful. Glee tapped into this sentiment, following a long tradition of underdog stories.
Glee also explored the ways in which cultural differences can threaten, but not necessarily damage, relationships. Kurt and Mercedes were best friends, but their different views about faith posed challenges that threatened their friendship: Mercedes was a devout Christian, while Kurt, a young gay man, had an extremely negative reaction to religion. Through exploration and discussion, the two learned to respect each other’s views, even though they did not agree.
Think about social identity. The first impression that most people got of Puck was that of a jock, but he also identified closely with his Jewish heritage. Artie, who used a wheelchair, was often seen as “different,” but his acceptance among this new peer group led others to see past his disability and view him as they would any other teen. In addition, the members of the football team and cheerleading squads who also participated in glee club tried to balance expectations of them as athletes and “popular kids” with their participation in the traditionally outgroup glee club.