Culture and Communication

The term "culture" has been used more and more recently but what exactly does it mean? Some have even regarded culture as "the most central problem of all social science" (Malinowski, 1939). According to Merriam Webster (2016), culture is defined as the arts and other manifestations of human achievements. If culture was as simple as Merriam-Webster defines it then the lives of anthropologists, sociologists, and psychologists would be much easier. As we know, culture varies greatly across religion, countries, and some cases in just states; the difference between the north and the south. We can conclude that culture is a set of shared thoughts, values, and cognitions (Geertz, 1973). With culture in itself varying tremendously based on values and location, then surely organizational culture is no simple concept either. The term "organizational culture" has just recently become to be used more (Barley, 1988). Though there may be disagreements on defining culture universally, researchers tend to agree that culture is of vital importance in an organizational context, whether that organization is a company or a government (Kilmann, Saxton, & Serpa, 1986).

Different social, professional and cultural contexts may affect relationships and the way people communicate due to of a lack of understanding or knowledge of one another’s background and culture. This could be through their race, religion, ethnicity or where they come from. Each one of these can have similar or very different ways to communicate. For example

This text is a good reference point. This text is used to understanding communication within culture. This source also gave a better understanding

Culture can shape my view of the world. Moreover, by understanding my cultural identity and values; this helps me in communicating with others of differing

For this exercise I have decided to analyze three short clips from the American TV show The Office. By doing a thorough analysis of the interactions I saw many of the themes we discussed in class such as form versus meaning, gender, power in relationships, culture, and speech patterns. Each of these factors played a role in how the conversation played out. The most prevalent, however, was power and its relationship (or lack thereof) to gender. According to Henley and Kramarae’s “Gender, Power, and Miscommunication,” differences between male and female patterns of speech are a direct result of male’s higher level of power compared to females. In my analysis I show that, contrary to the opinions above, gender does not automatically determine power in conversations; the context of the situation is largely responsible for determining who is in the higher position of power.

Many assume that their daily life and basic education is enough to be fluent in communication, gender and culture, but they are severely mistaken. As our society becomes more diverse the need to learn about communication and culture increases ever more, for with communication and understanding of one's identification, we can limit and decrease the bigotry in the world. Therefore, allowing to build a stronger foundation for a better society.

1- The 5 communication principles are very applicable to my cultural experience. In the Hispanic culture, my culture, I was taught all 5 principles from my parents and adults in different ways. When I speak to my grandparents or the elderly, for example, I tend to use a more formal and respectful vocabulary than if I speak to a friend or sibling (“aware”, “adapt” and “verbal” principles). Also, basic manners and listening skills were taught to me from a very young age (“aware”, “listen”, and “nonverbal” principles). I believe that all the principals apply in my culture. Even the “nonverbal” principal has had an impact. An example of this is that when I was in elementary, the teachers would reprimand us for placing our elbows on the lunch table

The article by Mary Munter was a useful, interesting piece about certain techniques and communication styles that can be used in the event that a manager must deal with cross cultural communication issues. It does a great job of outlining potential issues and how to deal with them. Culture is first defined as the values, attitudes, or behavior of a certain group of individuals. Any person in a management position will most likely have to deal with a diverse workforce with some individuals from different parts of the country. When doing so, choosing an effective communication style is essential. There are five options when choosing a style; “Telling” informs employees and explains specifically what you need. It doesn’t involve them in the communication. “Selling” on the other hand, attempts to persuade people to do something.

The film Wah Do Dem focuses on Adapting Communication to Cultures, and how in a diverse cultural environment, the implementation of that process can either be positive or negative. When Max first got off the cruise ship, he was very naive and easily trusting; therefore, he was ready to immerse himself in the Jamaican culture for the day. He showcased the more positive aspects of Adapting to Cultural Diversity, such as tolerance, understanding, and respect. As the film progressed, Max faced a series of unfortunate events, such as having all his belonging stolen, missing the cruise ship, and essentially becoming homeless in a foreign country. This caused Max to deviate to a more negative take on the process and became somewhat resistant.

The ability to grow and be successful in any society depends on its ability to transcend limitations of intercultural communication. The chief aim of social groupings is to harness the capacity of the human mind. The ability to channel this process information during communication impacts our social connections to one another, especially in intercultural communication.

Imagine moving to a different country and not understanding the language and the not knowing how to ask for help? This would be difficult for anyone to experience. Individuals will most likely encounter someone that speaks a different language. Those that are trying to understand someone that has a different language can be difficult when they do not speak the language. Individuals will try to communicate in some way even if they do not know the language. Some of the ways that people will try to communicate is non-verbal communication or an interpreter. Communication barriers can cause difficulties in understanding someone’s language such as cultural differences. People should learn a different language because this will allow them to communicate with fewer problems. Intercultural language causes communication barriers.

Write an essay about the social context of communication and how cultural influences shape how people communicate with each other

Language is perhaps the most important key to understanding culture in general and the specific values, beliefs, attitudes, and opinions of a particular individual or group.

There are many terms in each chapter you could choose from. There were also smaller terms that dealt with the overall term. The terms I decided were the most that I found interesting and helpful. These terms helped me learn something out of this class, I never would of thought of specific ways of cultural communication is different for many. Understanding terms and talking about them in real life situations in class, was helpful to understanding these terms. They’re 6 key terms that are going to be explained, how they apply to class or life situation with myself involved, and what I will do with these terms throughout the rest of my career.

How is Stuart Hall’s “encoding/decoding” model an advance on the traditional “transmission” model of communication? How does it change conventional views of how media products are consumed?