Diversity and Effective Communications What

Diversity and Effective Communications

What is cultural diversity?

Generally, "cultural diversity" refers to the differences in the social background and culture of origin that may exist within any group of unrelated individuals. In contemporary terminology, cultural diversity also includes differences based on race, religion, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.

Why is an appreciation of diversity important in communication?

Individuals from different backgrounds typically have very different perceptions and beliefs about social concepts and societal issues. Many times, these differences in perspective cause individuals from different backgrounds to react very differently to events and circumstances. Whereas some of these differences are somewhat obvious, many others may be much more subtle. In any collaborative environment, it is important to recognize and appreciate diversity among group members because failure to do so can often lead to misunderstanding or conflict that occur unintentionally mainly by virtue of ignorance with respect to diversity issues within the group.

In principle, appreciation of diversity is a prerequisite to establishing communications that are appropriately respectful and sensitive to different perspectives. In that regard, I have witnessed situations where one group member said something highly offensive to others without any intention to do so or awareness of the fact that it even happened.

How would you describe your cultural background?

My cultural background is that of a 36-year-old African-American male raised with Southern Baptist religious beliefs and values. I make an effort not to make unfounded assumptions about others based on their cultural backgrounds.

How do your values affect the way you communicate with others and the way they communicate with you?

In general, I do not communicate with others differently based on our respective values. I have learned that there is no way of knowing what strangers' values are without interacting with them unless they have purposely adopted a specific manner of dress or of conducting themselves that communicates their values overtly. Even in those cases, the cues that we normally associate with indications of values may not be particularly accurate. In other cases, certain purposeful cues can be indicative of their values and attitudes. I have had experiences where I expected certain attitudes with respect to me from white males because of the way they seemed to fit various superficial molds only to find that they harbored no such attitudes toward me at all. Conversely, I have experienced prejudice from those whose appearance would have suggested that they were much more enlightened.

Once I have communicated enough with strangers to have some basis for concluding what their values are, I consider myself to have three options: (1) If their values are consistent with mine or at least respectable from a basic moral and humanistic perspective, I expect to be able to establish a positive rapport and mutual respect without making any specific effort based on what I know about their values; (2) If their values are incompatible with mine and offensive to me, I try to minimize any interaction with them in order to preserve my own integrity; (3) If their values are incompatible with mine and offensive to me but I have no choice but to collaborate with them (such as in the work environment), I try to minimize any communications that could highlight the differences in our respective values and to the extent I have no choice but to work with them, I suppose I patronize them by choosing communications content that is as benign as possible so as not to provoke unnecessary conflict or antagonism. I assume that others tend to tailor their communications content with me similarly from their perspective.

How do gender differences affect communication?

Generally, males and females communicate somewhat differently. Males tend to communicate very directly and to focus on issues, often without considering more personal aspects of the conversation or the feelings of the other person. Females tend to communicate more indirectly and often devote considerable attention to the personal aspects of communications and the specific thoughts and feelings of the other person. Males also tend to discuss abstract ideas and tangible things whereas females tend to discuss people and relationships. Males are more likely to discuss things in impersonal ways whereas females are more likely to establish personal rapport before addressing impersonal issues. I have had experiences working with females where my focus on work was perceived incorrectly as coldness or unfriendliness because of the differences in our personal styles that were probably functions of gender.

Describe three barriers to bridging differences. What strategies may you use to overcome them?

Specific prejudices held by individuals can be a tremendous barrier to bridging differences. If circumstances are such that I have no choice but to collaborate with someone harboring specific prejudices, I try not to let that knowledge influence the way that I interact with them but I hope that they might notice discrepancies between their expectations of me and their actual experiences. If I become aware that their prejudices are reduced by our interactions, I may look for opportunities to discuss their initial expectations if appropriate opportunities to do so arise.

Ignorance, such as that associated with the fact that a person may simply never have been exposed to other cultures, races, or ethnicities, is another barrier to bridging differences. To the extent I believe that a person is ignorant by virtue of lack of exposure, I may look for specific opportunities to communicate with them in contexts and in a manner that helps them broaden their perspective about people who are superficially different from them. Finally, negative expectations can also be barriers to bridging differences. To overcome specific negative expectations, one can simply allow one's actions to demonstrate their falsity. I believe that I have encountered individuals who seemed to change their expectations based on racial ignorance through our working together.