Communicating Differently?

The idea of culture, diversity, education and perception are all relatively “old” concepts for me as a educator. However, the in-depth look into each portion has shown me new light. I find myself constantly aware of who I am speaking with, but not because of their race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or political affiliation. It’s because we speak about our differences and I am aware of how my words can hurt others without even thinking about it.

I find that I do not speak different with people of different cultures but I may be more inquisitive during communication with people of different cultures. For the last two weeks I have been focused on how I communicate with others and I noticed with the majority of older people I am using polite phrases more often. I am constantly aware that I do not want to disrespect anyone that is older than myself or that has more experience within my field or company.

Strategies to communicate more effectively are easy enough to come by. I believe that every person can work on themselves and how they communicate. I find that I need to be a more active listening and participant in communicating with colleagues within my association. Another strategy that I will use is to develop appropriate knowledge. I will spend time learning of different cultures and learning others communication codes. The third strategy I would use would be to develop motivation. “A competent communication wants to learn and improve.” 

Assumptions in Communication

The show I chose to view was Rookie Blue. I watched an episode a couple years ago when it first came on the air but I have not viewed one since.

I chose to view this past week’s episode. I recorded on the DVR and replayed without sound. I must say the communication used in this episode was more non-verbal than direct verbal communications. After viewing this episode I realized how much we as educators and people rely on non-verbal communication throughout our lives. There are a couple police officers who I believe to be in relationships because of their body language. There are a couple that are friends and a couple that do not like each other. There are two male police officers who seems to be having a tension between them.

The officer with the tension between him and other fellow officer seems to be having a rough time with addiction. He is seen speaking with a dealer (based on the materials this actor was given). He seems upset and anxious with his tense shoulders and jumpy behavior.

After I viewed the show with sound, I was incorrect on the relationship between a detective and one of the officers. It seems from their conversation they are no longer a couple. Although non-verbally the sexual tension is still their between them.

If you were to watch a show you knew well the assumption from non-verbal may have been much closer because you would know the relationships between the characters and the plot as the storyline grows.

My experience and insight from this exercise is that we as humans need to be more careful about how we make assumptions of situations without knowing all of the facts. This is especially helpful in early childhood education while dealing with different families with many different cultures.  

Communication with Others

One person in my life who can communicate effectively is my boss. He is the executive director at the community center and is able to hold a full conversation with anyone that walks into the building. He communicates with everyone effectively because he observes the situation before beginning to communicate. He uses body language and verbal communication to form a cultural context for the discussion. 

In my short time working with him I have already began to mirror some of his habits for communication. For example, I am willing to be flexible with my behaviors to ensure my communicator is comfortable in the nature of the communication. This helps when speaking with staff and families.