Thinking about cross-cultural communication skills
Discuss these questions in pairs and answer them briefly.
1. How would you describe the concept of culture?
2. What are some of the rituals, events, practices and values you associate with your own culture?
3. Are you familiar with any other cultures? What are some of the values, practices or events you associate with them?
4. What do you think is the role of culture in cross-cultural communication? Why do you think cross-cultural communication is important?
Why do you think we need to be comfortable with multicultural milieus today?
Ans:
1. Culture refers to the shared beliefs, customs, traditions, and values of a group of people. It encompasses their way of life, including language, art, social norms, and more.
2. In my culture, I associate rituals like family gatherings during holidays, events like weddings, practices like shaking hands as a greeting, and values such as individualism and freedom of expression.
3. Yes, I'm familiar with other cultures. For example, in Japanese culture, I associate values like respect for elders, practices like bowing as a greeting, and events like cherry blossom festivals.
4. Culture plays a crucial role in cross-cultural communication because it shapes how people perceive and respond to messages. Understanding different cultures helps avoid misunderstandings and fosters effective communication. It's important because we live in a globalized world where interactions with people from diverse backgrounds are common, so being comfortable with multicultural milieus promotes harmony and cooperation.
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