Communication Differences between Asian Descendants - Essay Example

Prospectus Papers in Speech Communication I-fan Chen Section Teacher August, 2006 Conversation In its most basic definition, conversation deals with the communication and interaction of two or more people. According to Peter Murphy (2006), in his article entitled How to Master the Art of Conversation, individuals who have mastered the art and skill of conversation exude commonalities such as self-confidence, intelligence, and wittiness. Unlike Stacy, Jenny’s outgoing spirit may boost her conversational skills. Despite the fact that English is only her second language, her profound ability to meet new friends and seek out adventurous places shall unconsciously develop and significantly improve her accent, hence deviating from her Taiwanese English accent. One of their intimate conversational moments would start with Jenny, raising her cup of hot chocolate to Stacy, in the wake of a new morning. In this scenario, Stacy would automatically nod as a signal of understanding and would immediately oblige to start the conversation by holding out the fresh toasts to Jenny. Stacy’s non-verbal actions would indicate to Jenny that Stacy is willing to listen to her experiences. As Jenny continues to talk in Mandarin, Stacy would keenly listen to her and ask some closed-end and open-ended questions from time to time and this further deepens both their interest in keeping pace with their conversation. Being an effective listener, Stacy is able to elicit sensitive information from Jenny starting from a small talk and heightening to the expression and sharing of personal views, opinions, and mixture of emotions. Their conversation would end as they depart from the dorm and go on separate destinations. And in a period of a half hour to almost an hour and a half, the number of topics they have talked about would range to one (if it is a serious topic), to three or more (if the topics pertain to their not-so-serious moments). With Jenny’s habit of actively expressing what she wants to say for most of the time, Murphy’s assumptions on an individual’s conversational ability holds true. Perception In any successful communication, there is a need to develop proper perception skills in acquiring, interpreting, selecting, and organizing thoughts and information that is being relayed and accepted. It is also vital for actively conversing individuals to master the skill of selecting information that will keep one’s attention in focus and significant and not-so-significant events well-remembered (attention and retention) so as to keep track with the conversation, as well as maintain relationships through various opinions (exposure). Stacy and Jenny are able to maintain their relationship and good conversations due to the fact that each person has already learned to accept each other’s faults and mistakes. Despite Stacy’s general introvert behavior, she is able to keep track with Jenny’s hyperactive storytelling because the former has accepted Jenny’s unique display of attention to people and activities. On the other hand, Jenny’s clear understanding of Stacy’s well-sheltered behavior, opposite to her outgoing nature, does not wane her expressing her feelings and beliefs. Their differences have somehow confirmed each other’s beliefs; they still complement each other’s weaknesses. As Jenny narrate her adventures and misadventures, Stacy is only regaled by what Jenny has been doing and not by the actions of the other people that was with her. Selectivity in retention is also manifested when Stacy reminded Jenny of her similar slipping incident on a different location. Most of their conversations are clearly focused on Jenny, while Stacy is more than willing to listen to her, whatever Jenny’s stories are, in a positive light through open-ended and closed-end questions. This has been vital in acquiring, interpreting, and organizing selective information and stories that further developed and enhanced their communication with each other. Listening Stacy and Jenny cannot be interrupted whenever they are deep in their conversations. As Stacy affirms her listening skills by giving a nod or clasping hands as signs of approval, Jenny partakes in the conversation by giving varying signs of emotions and facial expressions, as also affirmed by Murphy in his article. Although both are using Mandarin, with a slight mixing of Taiwanese accent, this did not hinder them from striking an interesting conversation. Whenever anyone of them would have difficulty understanding one another, the other never fails to rephrase some phrases or sentences to make it more comprehensible to one another. Stacy’s listening skills are affirmed by Jenny’s sudden sadness and homesickness in being away from home for quite some time. Her intent looks on Jenny created a sudden solemn environment at which Jenny can pour her grievances. Stacy’s efforts to cheer Jenny up ceased the latter’s worries and sadness. Active listening is deemed essential in their conversations, and is described as the foundation of an effective communication. Stacy and Jenny are able to overcome the factors affecting listening, so as to effectively commune with each other, such as: the complexity of the subject matter (experiences in Taiwan), the speaker (Jenny, for most of the time), presentation of ideas or information (in Mandarin, but with Taiwanese accent), and the type of environment they are in (English-speaking surroundings). Stacy’s entire focus on Jenny, and not doing anything while listening, contributes to the better understanding of the information. Because of this, Jenny really thinks that Stacy is listening to her. Aside from a well-secured direction, Stacy and Jenny’s unconscious non-verbal languages reveal that the train of thought is running its course, without the slightest hint of disapproval or disinterest. Climate Supportive Building a supportive climate entails a mixture of six different kinds of climate behavior (Cheeks, 2006). As opposed to evaluative or blaming attitude, the first behavior, which is description, adheres to the non-judgmental presentation of perceptions, feelings, and the like. When Jenny narrated her ill-feelings with some of her friends back home, Stacy’s descriptive behavior by judging Jenny’s feelings as neither good nor bad has made the latter further entrust Stacy with her feelings. Although Stacy did not immediately manifest behaviors of being a problem oriented (problem orientation) person, she implied this behavior by her further inquiry of Jenny’s problems and anxieties, and the means to which it can be solved. On the other hand, Jenny’s spontaneous or flexible behavior allowed her to withstand the pressures she had encountered and the activities she had to deal with, thus making her easily recover from her anxieties. The fourth behavior, which is empathy, is manifested by Stacy and Jenny as they easily identified with each other’s cultural backgrounds and behaviors through their free-wheeling conversations. Although there are explicit differences in each other’s attitudes, both individuals are treating each other equally (equality), from their problems to each other’s experiences. Both manifested signs of provisionalism, or open-mindedness to the fact that despite each other’s differences they could still enjoy each other’s company. Their supportive climate throughout their conversations also contributed to the heightened level of conversations they are having. Their Taiwanese-accented Mandarin did not hinder their communication skills in better understanding each other. The relaxed atmosphere in the kitchen also contributed to their supportive communication climate. Language Skills Compared to men of the same age, both Stacy and Jenny are very expressive in their language skills. They use exact words in expressing and manifesting their feelings, emotions, and reactions. Although Stacy is the quiet type, Jenny’s detailed storytelling paved way for Stacy to open herself more than her usual self. Jenny described her hometown as traditional, quiet, quaint, yet enticing. On the other hand, Stacy used the words simple and elegant in describing her home place, which is quite more descriptions as compared to Stacy’s usual usage of adjectives. Not explicitly said but their conversations implied that their topic, which is their experiences in Taiwan, can be dated back a year and a half ago prior to the time when they first arrived in their dorms. The manner to which Stacy and Jenny are conversing is also very typical language used by women at their age. Despite the fact that both are speaking in Mandarin, they both lack the straightforwardness if the conversation is being run by men. No significant cultural differences are observed except in the differences of their Mandarin accent. Aside from their verbal language, also noticeable are their non-verbal style of communication. Both individuals exuded gestures of happiness, when they both clasped and grasped their hands. During the time when Jenny was sad, it was also noticeable that Stacy was deeply affected because of the narrowing of her eyebrows and curled lips. Some differences in Jenny and Stacy’s style of communication can be observed. But such diversity did not hinder for them to effectively raise their feelings and expectations. Signaled by Jenny’s openness, as well as Stacy’s extreme concern, it can be concluded that both individuals were able to strike an effective communication and language skills. Non-verbal According to McCroskey’s journal entitled The Effects of Communication Apprehension on Nonverbal Behavior, personal space, eye contact, touch, vocal behavior, kinestic behavior, and pause time are only a few of the testable non-verbal communication behaviors that are essential in building a supportive communication climate. Personal space is an effective non-verbal behavior as manifested by the close proximity, about three to four feet apart, of Stacy and Jenny to each other. The non-invasion of their personal space also added to their intimate conversations. Both individuals also maintain eye to eye contact as much as possible, which are also particularly emphasized during moments of extreme emotions such as anger, happiness, and sadness. Stacy’s sincerity to listen, as well as Jenny’s sincerity in speaking of the truth is also evidenced through their eye contacts. It is said that most people of Asian descent lack the ability use “touch” in their conversational skills. In the case of Stacy and Jenny, they were able to manifest moments of “touch,” by means of touching Jenny’s forehead and tapping her shoulders, without any hint of malice due to the fact that they are both girls. With the use of touch, Jenny is also assured that her secrets are safe with Stacy, as it is an intimate form of interpersonal communication. Being an outgoing person, Jenny’s voice is louder as compared to Stacy especially in moments where the latter is very happy. On the other hand, Stacy’s calm and soothing voice behavior and her well-mannered pause time, offering moments of silence, relaxed Jenny’s disposition during her sad moments. Generally speaking, Jenny is more inclined to having a kinesic behavior as compared to Stacy. However, such differences did not hinder in their ability to communicate effectively and set aside their apprehensions. Read More