EDUC-6165 Week 3

• Do you find yourself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures?

          When I worked as a parent facilitator and as I home base teacher, I observed myself changing gears a lot when it came to the way that I communicated with each individual family/person. I worked with families from different cultural backgrounds as well as from different age groups so I had to communicate with them in a way that they understood what I was saying. I also had to use different terminology, especially with my Latino families since some words have different meanings in the Spanish language. I remember that one time I used the word "fresco" which to me means fresh, but to my Colombian family it meant "calm down/chill out."  To my Guatemalan family it meant "juice" and to one of my Mexican families from the state of Guerrero, it meant "gay". This is just one example of the many things that I have experienced through out my career in the early childhood field. 

          I also see this happening in my personal life as well because I have been living in a cul de sac for the past 7 years and I have Vietnamese, Filipino, Mexican, Caucasian, and Cambodian neighbors. 

If yes, in what ways do you communicate differently?

I use different communication styles with each neighbor, especially with the ones that I do not know very well. 

• My neighbor from Vietnam is very friendly. She greets me with a hug and we laugh a lot together. When we talk, I make a lot of eye contact and I sometimes even place my hand on her shoulder depending on the topic. With her, I also use a louder tone of voice because her tone is loud and I feel comfortable. I also reinforce with body language with what I am saying since her English is limited and sometimes she does not fully understand what I mean. 

• With my neighbor from the Philippines, I use a soft tone of voice, make eye contact, and I mostly just ask how his children are doing and nothing more. 

• My neighbors from Mexico are a young family of four and we just smile and wave at each other because they are very private and keep to themselves.

• My caucasian neighbor is an older lady and we do not see each other a lot, but when we do, we greet each other. I use a soft tone of voice, make eye contact, nod, ask questions, I have good posture so she can know that I am listening to her, and I wait until she's completely done speaking before I speak. 

• I have two neighbors from Cambodia. We don't really communicate with each other and what I have noticed is that they also do not communicate with any of the other neighbors besides with each other. I have seen that they greet each other and say a few words in their language, but they do not even look my way. I also turn my face and try not to make eye contact because I really do not know how to even begin a conversation with them. They are also older people and they keep to themselves. One day the mailman left their mail in my mailbox and I went over, rang the door bell, and I could see that they were in the living room watching television, but they did not come to the door so I left their mail in their mailbox and left. 

Based on what you have learned this week, share at least three strategies you could use to help you communicate more effectively with the people or groups you have identified.

The three strategies that I am going to use to help me communicate more effectively are:

1. I will definitely try to learn more about the different cultures, especially the Cambodian culture so I can begin to build a relationship with my neighbors or so I can at least understand where they are coming from. I think that if I at least greet them it would be a win for me because we have been neighbors for 7 years and I don't even know their names.

2. Identifying something that I may have in common instead of the differences. Identifying something that people have in common helps build bridges (Beebe et al, 2011). 

3. Another strategy that I would use is to have an open mind and not stereotype or make assumption because not every person from the same culture shares the same values, beliefs, or point of views. We have learned that their own personal experiences shapes the way that they see the world. 

Beebe, S. A., Beebe, S. J., & Redmond, M. V. (2011). Interpersonal communication: Relating to others (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.