Communicating in a Diverse World.
Living in a society
that is different from mine in every aspect is tough; communicating with people
that co-exist with me is even more difficult because, most time I don’t know
the actual words to use in other not to upset an individual.
Knowing that diversity is all about different cultures,
sexual orientation, age, race religion, political affiliation, social statue
and varying abilities is something I just learnt. Prior to my enrollment in
Walden University I have always known diversity to be people of different
cultures, race and religion co-existing. But recently my knowledge about
diversity has improved.
I come from a culture that has zero tolerance for people
that are not heterosexuals LGBTS and other groups that fall under this category,
and as such don’t recognize them in every aspect of life in my country Nigeria.
People with disabilities are seen as liabilities and non-contributors to the
society.
My various courses in Walden has taught me the unique nature
of diversity, abilities in disability, the beauty about inclusion and being
responsive to everybody irrespective of who they are, what they are or where
they belong as per their social economic statue.
Nigerians are known to be loud in every aspect of our lives,
the way we worship tells much about us, the way we speak at times people
mistake it to be an argument. I came across an Ethiopian once in Dubai and he
asked me why we Nigerians are so loud and it looks like we are about to fight whenever
we are having a discussion.
But I have learnt the differences in culture, how people
communicate, verbal, nonverbal cues and body gestures has different meaning in
different cultures. I am still in the process of becoming a competent communicator,
so I try as much as possible to be “Other oriented”.
I definitely communicate differently with people from
different groups and culture. Being a competent communicator requires me to put
peoples culture, believes into perspective for me to be able to communicate
effectively, relate and to accept others as they are. So the way I communicate
with my Nigerian brothers and sisters is different from the way I communicate
with people from other groups and culture. Freeing myself from biases,
inculcating the Platinum Rule into me
and stripping myself off of cultural myopia is the way towards communicating
effectively with a diverse community.
Patience,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post, being a member of the dominate culture it is easy for me to forget how hard it is for those from another country or cultural group to communicate freely without the fear of misunderstanding or as you said "to upset the other person".
ReplyDeletePatience,
What a wealth of information you have shared about your country; being a woman of a minority culture. I can relate to all of trials of the cultures you mention in your post. How wonderful it is for you to acknowledge what you have learned in this class and how you intend to use it to communicate with those who are different from you.
Great Post!
Phyllis