Strategies to Cross-Cultural Communication

This month marks two years since I began this journey towards my Master’s degree.  Since I began, I have felt an increase in awareness of the culture of the people around me.  I feel that I have always been mindful of the culture of others in a professional setting, but I have given my actions more thought in the past two years.

During our course on diversity and equity, I had many opportunities for self-reflection.  I was able to concentrate more on the way I spoke to others, being aware of things like microaggressions that might well-intentioned, yet still offensive.  In thinking about communication, I do not believe that I communicate any differently with those of other cultures.  Our child care center services a hospital, and we have a very diverse population of physicians and nurses, as well as other administrative staff. 

One strategy I use to help myself communicate more effectively with those of a different culture is to first listen.  I believe this is the most important.  People will tell you what they want you to know.  My second strategy is to ask questions.  I love learning about people’s cultures.  There is so much beauty outside of my home culture and I love seeing that in the families which we serve.  My third strategy is to share.  If there is a struggle of cultures between educator and family, it is probably because they do not understand each other.  Just as we need to know more about their culture to better serve them, they also need to know more of our culture to understand why we may not be on the same page. 

Mike & Molly - Mute & Merry

For this week’s assignment, we had to choose a show that we do not watch.  We had to first watch it on mute, then watch it again with the sound on.  The show I chose was Mike & Molly.  

First watch:

I know the two main characters and my prior knowledge tells me that they are in a relationship.  After watching for a bit, I can tell that they are married.  The other relationships were difficult to define without sound or prior knowledge.  Some of the characters appeared in Mike & Molly’s home, as well as in other settings.  The actor who played Mike was also somewhat easy to follow.  His most telling cues were his eyes and his hands.  The actor that plays Molly, Melissa McCarthy, is very animated, so it was very easy to tell how she was feeling based on her non-verbal communication.  Everything from her eyes, to her hands, to her body language was telling of her mood.   

She began the episode frustrated.  Her brow was furrowed, she was drinking, and she tore up a large stack of papers.  She later looked distressed and possibly ill.  By the end of the episode, she seemed happier.  She was in the same setting as the beginning of the episode, but was typing on her computer with a smile on her face.

Second Watch:

Many of my assumptions about the characters emotions and feelings were accurate.  As far as the plot goes, I was less than accurate.  It is very possible that if I was familiar with the show, I could have made more accurate assumptions.  

Melissa McCarthy is funny.  What makes her funny? After this exercise, I realized that her animation, or non-verbal communication, is what makes her funny-ness so effective.  She could tell all the jokes, and make all the comments and sounds, but without her actions, it would not be funny.

This exercise showed me not only the importance of non-verbal  communication, but also reinforced the importance of verbal communication.  While verbal communication is necessary for relaying information, non-verbal communication is needed to convey opinions and feelings.

Effective Communication

Over the next several weeks, we will be exploring communication and collaboration within the Early Childhood Field.  I look forward to delving deeper into the art of professional communication with each of you.

One person in my life who has demonstrated competent communicate is my co-worker and friend, Cindy.  If you search back through my blog, you will see other posts where I have mentioned Cindy.  She used to be my co-teacher, but they ripped her out of my room and sent her greatness to another age group.  We are no longer co-teachers, but we still work together and most of all, we are friends.

Cindy’s communication skills were always fantastic when we were working so closely in the classroom.  She made eye contact and listened.  We were always clear about responsibilities.  Our levels of communication were always appropriate as well.  If I was out, she was good about letting me know if there were changes I needed to know about regarding students, scheduling, etc.  Her communication was also excellent because she listened.  Listening skills make up half of our ability to effectively communicate.  When I had ideas or concerns, she always listened and made my opinions feel valid.  

Not only is Cindy an effective communicator with adults, but she communicates with children on an equally fantastic level.  Working with infants presents communication challenges because they are pre-verbal.  She showed me how to speak to infants and more importantly, how to listen to infants.  She truly taught me how to be an effective communicator in the classroom.  I have modeled most of my behavior after hers.