Communication between different cultures

Communication Differences Between Cultures

The American culture is a culture that is very diverse in nature. There are some people living within the American culture that feel more strongly they are part of their ethnic heritage than they are part of the greater "American" culture (Samovar, Porter & McDaniel, 2006a). I believe people who think they are "American" tend to believe they can communicate openly and freely, without emphasizing too much in the way of "formality" when it comes to communicating with others.

Much of what I understand of the American culture is a product of my educational upbringing, and the way my family raised me. School, especially during the early years, influences ones attitudes and beliefs, creating a culture of its own. Interestingly, people also have the opportunity to learn more about other cultures, and the way people of other cultures communicate, when attending school. I also learned about our "open-style" as I would describe it "culture" from my peers. Within every culture, including the American culture, there are "subcultures" (Samovar, Porter & McDaniel, 2006a, p.3). These are people that tend to hold strongly to a belief system, or tend to communicate somewhat differently than one might expect from the mainstream culture. Consider for example, an African-American, who may live in America and adopt the American cultural lifestyle, but also pay homage to their ethnic culture. This may require they communicate more formally when speaking with their elders for example.

What is most difficult to understand about the American culture is its diversity. In most other cultures, there is a "set," standard, or practice when it comes to communication. This is not the case in America, because there are people of so many different ethnicities and belief systems that live within this culture. The combination of these beliefs and ethnic groundings forms the basis of our culture.

Samovar, Porter & McDaniel (2006) note in their work, Intercultural Communication: A Reader, that communication with people of diverse cultures is no longer something to ponder, it is, "a fact of life" (p. 2). There are many ways intercultural communication can affect one's personal and professional life, especially depending on what the emphasis of communication is (Samovar, Porter & McDaniel, 2006b). I think the more I embrace diversity and make an effort to learn about different cultures, including the way members of other cultures communicate and interact with one another, I will have an easier time establishing rapport and friendship with diverse people (Samovar, Porter & McDaniel, 2006a).

If my professional life requires that I travel abroad or work in a global organization, I am more likely to need to understand how other people communicate, and compare that communication with my own style than if I work for a domestic organization. It will be important for me to recognize my own culture and the way it affects my interactions with others. I must understand how the culture I am familiar with differs from that of people I interact with daily. I have to work to understand or uncover any similarities that exist between cultures I interact with as well. This will make communication easier and assure it is based on "factual" information rather than stereotypes or ethnocentric behaviors (Samovar, Porter & McDaniel, 2006b).

When I spend time with people who have the same culture as I, then I am more likely to communicate with them openly and freely, without having to change my communication patterns or styling to adapt to a different belief system or communication style that may seem foreign.