Communication Norms: Over The Summer

I was born and raised in Trujillo, Peru. Peru is located in the west of South America, and has borders with Ecuador, Columbia, Brazil, Bolivia and Chile. According to the world atlas this small town I was raised in has a population of 747,450 making it the biggest city in La Libertad. My life as an only child was so different compared to the American life style I see now a day. I grew up with two wonderful strict parent, who wanted the best for their only child. I was taught to respect our elder and peers, speak with politeness, and always use manners. That is an example of “culture” that is passed on from one generation to another.

Culture is the overall moral belief, customs, language, and attitudes a person is brought and raised into. Daily, we are exposed to diverse and different cultures everyday which allow us to learn the different values and traditions each culture possess. The importance of observing and learning different customs is beneficial because it can help us better adapt and prevent misunderstandings when we communicate and interact with others. Hispanics and Americans are two huge cultures that have been sharing the same living space for years but are an example of two different civilizations. While both, Hispanics and Americans, share many similarities they both differ in recognition of religion, language,

The harmony of the existing cultures is crucial for the survival and success of any communication and ignoring these aspects may challenge the communication. For example, speaking to employees in Middle East is quite different from Switzerland; talking about personal things is acceptable by Swiss. Individuals who move to other countries unprepared for cultural differences may face unpleasant frustration when communicating. However, those who try to learn other cultures are likely to avoid individual tragedies. For example, Americans doing business in Mexico need to learn the local language to enhance interactions with the locals.

The chapter continued to discuss how people experience other cultures when they are removed from their area to a different place. This occurs in the form of culture shock people experience new traditions that are unfamiliar to them when the come to a place that is home to another culture. Human development may also include joining the ideas of various cultures and forming it into a new concept. It puts heavy emphasis on learning other cultures in an unbiased form in order to compare and make observations. This chapter also studies of culture have been able to advance over time and how change is an essential aspect of

Growing up, I didn’t really get the chance to have a lot of intercultural experiences. I really didn’t get the chance to actually speak one on one with someone from a completely different culture either. I must say, meeting with my conversation partner, Elena, even if we only met the two times so far, really opened my eyes and helped me learn a lot. I did not think that cultures could vary as much as they do. From meeting with my conversation partner, I learned that the social norms to me are not the social norms to everyone.

In the text this week we learned about different cultures and the different behaviors in these cultures. In

All communication is cultural. It draws on ways we have learned to speak and give nonverbal messages. We do not always communicate the same way from day to day, since factors like individual personality, mood, and the context of the situation interact with the variety of cultural influences we have internalized that influence our choices. Communication is interactive, so an important influence on its effectiveness is our relationship with others. Do they hear and understand what we are trying to say? Are they listening well? Are we listening well in response? Do their responses show that they understand the words and the meanings behind the words we have chosen? Is the mood positive and receptive? Is there trust between them and us? Are there differences that relate to ineffective communication, divergent goals or interests, or fundamentally different ways of seeing the world? The answers to these questions will give us some clues about the effectiveness of our communication and the ease with which we may be able to move through conflict. The challenge is that even with all the good will in the world, miscommunication is likely to happen, especially when there are significant cultural differences between communicators. Miscommunication may lead to conflict, or aggravate conflict that already exists, or in the sad of case of girl developing epilepsy and both her parent’s Hmong culturally clashing with her Western medicine

The TV series, which I have chosen, and believe to be one of the best examples of interpersonal communication behavior, is the American television comedy series called The Office. This outrageously hilarious comedy TV series portrays the everyday lives of office employees located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, a branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin paper company and is filmed in a documentary type style by a team of film crew members. The plot of this TV series revolves around documenting the lives, interactions, and interpersonal relationships of the manager, Michael Scott, and the employees that he manages, which include Jim Halpert, who is a sales representative and prankster, Pam Beesly, who is a receptionist, and Dwight Schrute, who is a high-ranking salesman devoid of social skills, as well as Stanley Hudson, Kevin Malone, and many other minor characters who play the roles of office workers, working in a variety of positions throughout the office.

Read carefully the following piece of text. What does it tell us about cross cultural encounters?

The Latin American culture about what happens in public. The author from the reading “Caudillaje Civilization’s Rational Virtues” makes very interesting points about Latin American Culture, these points that that I find to be quite true. In the reading he gives a scenario about two men meeting each other in public and embrace each other, but in real life they actually hated each other to an exponential level. The way that they acted in public was because of the Latin American culture, everything is public. They all have to make it seem as though their lives are perfect, and everything is going well. “ Latin Americans pay careful attention to the norms of social etiquette, correct dress, and proper speech.” (97).

Listening styles. The way that Peruvian people listen is by Gender and Sexual orientation most of the time, or some people can be particular different than others. The reason Peru’s listening style is Gender and Sexual Orientation is because people tend to listen to the gender that they are in favor, [e.x. A girl is more likely to pay attentionto her “straight boy friend” rather than her “gay guy acquaintance”]. This has been proven by scientist that a lof of people would talk less to people who feel an attraction to the same sex, or want to be transformed to the othe gender. the type of listening style Peru can vary by all the different people there’s out their. The most common listening style is task-oriented. Task oriented is the common

Cultural differences between countries have strong effects on individual personality and behavior, as well as on organizational culture (Hofstede 2001). These differences can be a significant barrier for an international business leader. Failure to understand and adapt to these differences may

The importance of understanding cultural, ethnic and gender differences by managers and professionals in a business setting is essential to make the work environment comfortable. In every culture there are basic standards of thinking, and acting and these cultural differences strongly influence workplace values and communication. What may be considered acceptable and natural in the workplace for one person may be unacceptable for another person. People from diverse cultures bring new ways of thinking, creativity and language skills needed to survive in today’s work force. In many

Cross-cultural communication is the process of exchanging meaningful and unambiguous information across cultural boundaries, in a way that preserves mutual respect and minimizes antagonism, that is, it looks at how people from differing cultural backgrounds endeavour to communicate. The study of cross-cultural communication was originally found within businesses and the government both seeking to expand globally. Communication is interactive, so an important influence on its effectiveness is our relationship with others. All communication is cultural -- it draws on ways we have learned to speak and give nonverbal messages. We do not always

Cultural differences effect many aspects of our daily lives. With the many different cultures embedded in the United States, it is important that everyone has an understanding and respect for the melting pot that is encountered daily in our communities, workplaces and schools.