Culture School is in session! In this series, we take an aspect of intercultural theory and apply to daily life. Basically, our goal is to expose those cultural moonwalking bears. And because this blog is about culture and education, we consider each topic in the context of the classroom.
photo by maryatexitzero
by :: Anamaria
Think back to the last time you were confused or a bit annoyed when talking to somebody.
Was that an unpleasant experience for you because of the conversation topic or a disagreement of opinion…or was it simply because of mismatched communication styles?
photo by dhammza
Here are a few things that make up a communication style:
- Pitch
- Intonation
- Turn-taking rules
- Number of topic details included in the conversation
- How long before one gets to the point?
- Is there a point?
- Use of non-verbal behavior
There is no question that culture has a huge impact on how people learn to communicate with one another.
So let’s think back to our conversation on Being and Doing cultures. If you come from a Being culture, chances are that you will have some difficulties communicating with somebody from a Doing culture?
Why? Well, here are a couple of reasons:
1. The Doing (D) person is eager to get to the point. The Being (B) person would rather spend some time getting to know the person they’re speaking with, and talk about personal stuff before getting to the point.
2. Given the concern for deadlines and schedules of D people, they are very careful about the amount of details they include in a conversation. Only the details that are DIRECTLY related to the topic will make it. The others will be left out. This can be quite challenging for B people who need a much larger amount of details in order to fully understand an issue, and feel comfortable talking about it.
3. The monochronic D people, used to do things linearly, are usually careful to allow the person they’re speak with enough time to finish their thought before responding. The polychronic B people are comfortable with a more flexible turn-taking style, which can be perceived as rude by D people.
Remember, of course, that not everyone in a culture will communicate in the same way. But there are general “rules” related to communication that members of a culture subscribe to – often unknowingly. Just think about what your parents and teachers taught you about “good” communication. They were teaching you your culture’s “rules” for communication.
Now, think back to your most recent frustrating conversation: did it have anything to do with culture?
More on communication styles in the weeks to come…
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