Cultural Communication - Essay Example

CULTURAL COMMUNICATION SELF-ASSESSMENT PAPER Cultural communication is a very interesting to analyze in light of globalization and the interconnectedness of different cultural communities throughout the world. Evaluating one’s own cultural background is difficult to do from an objective standpoint. It is also even more difficult to understand how one’s cultural background affects our communication styles with people from our own culture as well as with people from other cultures. With the aim of understanding cultural communication fully, the following will provide a nice overview of my own cultural background. Following this, I will explain the communication style of my culture and then look at how my cultural background influences the ways in which I interact with people from different cultures. This is not an easy task to do mind you, because communication strategies are often done without ever even thinking about them. Due to this, this essay remains a challenge, but one which I am confident that I tackle. I now turn to an overview of my own culture background. Introduction My name is Yonatan Tan and I was born in Indonesia. I grew up in Indonesia as well and came to this country for a better future. My ancestors originally came from China, and thats why people call us Indo-Chinese, and not Indonesian. For me, it is interesting to talk about culture because essentially I belong to two different cultures. While I was born and grew up in Indonesia, I have always felt a little Indonesian and a little Chinese. Despite this, native Indonesians consider me an outsider and this has played an important role in shaping my character. It influences who I am today and has left an imprint on who I am. I basically live in two different cultures, one Indonesian and the other Chinese. Although I am Indo-Chinese, I speak the Indonesian language, which is called Bahasa Indonesian. Bahasa Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia but in my home country many people speak a variety of other languages in addition to Bahasa Indonesian. Although I am Indo-Chinese, I cannot speak Chinese. To be completely honest, I am torn between two worlds. I do not want people call me Indonesian because I am not, but I respect and believe in much of the Indonesian culture, such as its reverence for family and its beautiful language. According to Lustig and Koester, a belief is “an idea that people assume to be true about the world. Beliefs, therefore, are a set of learned interpretations that form the basis for cultural members to decide what is and what is not logical and correct.” (2009). Three beliefs that I would say would characterize my culture would be 1) the belief that the family is the most important unit in society; 2) the belief that elders deserve the respect of the young; 3) the belief that the father is the head of the household and that he makes the most important decisions for the family. In Western society this is described as patriarchy. Where I am from this is just the way things are, I’m not really sure if there is a name for it my language. Values are also very important and according to Lustig and Koester, a value is something that a culture regards as good or bad, right or wrong, fair or unfair, just or unjust, beautiful or ugly, clean or dirty, valuable or worthless, appropriate or inappropriate, and kind or cruel. Values are the desired characteristics or goals of a future, a cultures value do not necessarily describe its actual behaviors and characteristics (2009). Indonesian and Indo-Chinese society is full of values and beliefs. As you can probably tell from my discussion of the beliefs of my culture, family is valued as being very important in my society. My culture values mothers as the kindest, nicest and most compassionate people on the planet. In my culture women do not work outside of the home – although this is quickly changing – and a mother’s primary responsibility is to take after her children. Although I mentioned earlier that the society is patriarchal in the Western sense of the word, there are defined roles for both men and women in my society and everything seems to work out well. Looking at another aspect, stealing is not valued and is a big taboo in my society; as a result honesty and fairness are valued as being important attributes of what is important to my culture. From a personal perspective, I share the belief that the family is an important social unit in society but I believe that our ideas about the family need to evolve and change with time. I believe that women should have to work outside of the home if they choose to but also feel that the father’s place at the head of the household needs to be assured. I am a little confused with this one because I want to say that total equality is best but I also believe that Indo-Chinese society can teach the West a little bit about how different sexes relate to one another. There is far less tension and conflict in the culture that I grew up in. I know that honesty is very important and understand it to be a very good virtue. This is another value that I agree with (Cole, 1997; Yip, 2000; Indonesia, 2009)). Communication Style The communication styles of my culture differ within different contexts. From a verbal perspective, shouting is not uncommon and people tend to shout at one another to get what they want. While calm and quietness is expected when speaking with authority figures, elders or parents, shouting is used in public areas often as well as when interacting with strangers. I guess this is what happens when you live in a small country with 240 million people crowded together! Verbal communication is different in different situations and each context requires different forms of communication. When talking to parents, elders or teachers, politeness and respect are expected, even demanded. Hierarchy is very important and the social status of someone makes you realize how you should be talking to them. Elders and important people are generally called “bapak” or “ibu” which is similar to sir/Madame or father/mother. It is a sign of respect in a cultural society which is very interested in showing respect to elders. Nonverbal communication means that people interact without speaking and greetings in my society tend to be more formal than they are here in the West. Greetings are used to show respect and when meeting a group of people it is always better to address the oldest person first. This is a sign of respect and it is appropriate to begin with the oldest first. Shaking hands is an appropriate way to greet people, just like it is here, and we would never greet with a kiss like the French! That would be a scandal back home. Interpersonal communication is effected by the person you are communicating with. The result is that people behave differently based on who the person is. Elders deserve a certain amount of respect while kids play together and behave differently to one another. “Face” is important in my culture and keeping face is important for all Indonesians. Shame is very bad in my society so it is important to remember that Indonesians will do whatever they can do avoid shame. Group communication can be loud and seem to be counter-productive but really because Indonesia is such a large country, consensus and agreement is important. While everyone seems to be arguing, they are really just trying to get to the answer of a problem. Once that answer is found, everyone seems to work together. Usually, people defer to elders during group discussions and defer to the wisest member of the group. Hierarchies remain very important in my community (Sarbaugh, 1998; Indonesia, 2009). Communication Style when Interacting with Different Cultures How do I communicate with people from different cultures? Honestly, while I may not show it, I am often very scared and timid when meeting someone for the first time. While my Chinese side is loud and full of quick energy, my Indonesian side is different. I may speak quieter as a result of my Indonesian side. I have noticed that sometimes I tell people exactly what they want to hear instead of a negative response. I think that this has something to do with the concept of keeping face and not bringing shame to anyone. I like to tell people what they want to hear and will get an indirect way to give people the answers to their questions. A non-verbal communication strategy which I use when interacting with people from different cultures is that I always show kindness and respect to elders and people in positions of authority. If it is an older person on the bus, a police officer or a teacher, I have always grown up knowing that it is important to show respect to people who have authority as well as to older people who have earned society’s respect. For me this is a very important idea which has made me who I am today and is reflected in my day to day dealings with the world. I now where my place is and show respect to the elder people in society who deserve it. Another non-verbal communication strategy which I use is that I sometimes do not look people directly in the eyes when talking. I have found out that this is a bit of a problem in the Western world but in my society it is considered rude to look at elders in the eyes or teachers for that matter. Society’s hierarchy is very important in my society and that is why it is always important to show reverence to older people. In the West, people always look each other in the eyes, even people of different sexes. Where I am from this is not normal and it is not something that I personally do. The last communication strategy that I have taken from my society goes back to the ideas of hierarchy and consensus. I am very happy to sit back and let people debate issues and listen before making my decision. I am not sure if that is my Chinese or my Indonesian side. When people talk, I listen and avoid jumping to conclusions. It is not in my nature to do so. I am passive and I listen before making up my mind. Concluding Remarks My culture is unique and it has made me who I am today. I am Indo-Chinese and sometimes I feel like I am between two cultures. Although there are many Indonesians with ancestors from China, most feel as though they are part of two different worlds: one Chinese, one Indonesian. My culture has influenced my communication styles and the ways that I interact with others. This short essay has given an overview of my historical background, the communication styles found in Indo-Chinese society and the ways that my culture has influenced my communication styles with people from other cultures. We are all products of our societies and I am an example of this. REFERENCES Cole, G. J. (1997). Passport Indonesia: your pocket guide to Indonesian business, customs & etiquette. New York: World Trade Press. Indonesia - Language, Culture, Customs and Business Etiquette. (2009). Kwintessential.co.uk. http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/indonesia.html Lustig, M.W. & Koester, J.. (2009). Intercultural Competence: Interpersonal Communication Across Cultures. New York: Allyn & Bacon Publishers. Sarbaugh, L.E. (1998). Intercultural Communication. London: Transaction Publishers. Verluyten, S. P. (2000). Intercultural Communication in Business and Organisations. New York: ACCO. Yip, G.S. (2000). Asian Advantage. New York: Publisher Basic Books. Read More