2/7/20; Week 5: Response to Cultural Miscommunication

Picture this scenario: You’re sitting at your desk before class starts, sorting some final lesson materials. It is fairly young in the school year. Students are shuffling in, abandoning their backpacks by their desks while dropping into their seats like a ton of bricks off a 20-story building. Left lonely but loved in their hand is the coveted cell phone. The soft buzz of weekend shenanigans and “what’s ups” permeates the air. As one of your students enters the room following the same routine, he calls out to one of his friends. His voice gets louder and louder until he’s literally shouting. Once his arms are released from backpack duty, they begin to flail. He looks and sounds angry. Everyone in the class, school, and three neighboring states can hear the commotion. You calmly walk over to him in an effort to remedy the situation and ask if everything is ok. “I’m just telling Jeffrey something,” he explains as Jeffrey nods in support. You offer a friendly smile and look of comprehension and guide him to lower his voice to an appropriate classroom level. He resumes his storytelling at a much softer volume.

What happened here? Your first thought in this situation was that your student was revving up to punch someone. I remember listening to my aunties talk to, or what sounded to me like “yell” at, each other when we were in Taiwan a couple years ago.  In fact, I turned to another relative and asked if they were mad and was told they were just discussing something. It sounded more like it would escalate into a hair-pulling screaming match. That is the way some cultures communicate. They sound angry, loud, mad, intense, but don’t worry…it’s all good. Some cultures are passionate, and their communication reflects that. 

 Cultural miscommunication can cause contention, arguments, and even wars. It is something we need to be aware of in the classroom and in the world. In his Cultural Miscommunication lecture, Professor Ivers presents various cultural miscommunication possibilities. Here are just a few:

·      Negotiation strategies

·      Silence

·      Gestures

·      Accepting food from a host

·      Interrupting

·      Communication tones and intensity

How can we overcome this potential cultural miscommunication conflict?  Here are a few ideas:

1.     Keep in mind that most people have good intentions and are just working from different paradigms. We may interpret their communication as rude when they are actually trying to be helpful.

2.     Learn as much as possible about other cultures in general, starting with the cultures of our students and those we rub shoulders with. Ask questions. This will expand our understanding and enable us to distinguish between cultural communication and personality traits.

3.     Enlighten others, in a kind, unintimidating way, with cultural communication patterns in the current situation and classroom so they can participate in and contribute to a thriving, productive, respectful environment.

4.     Invite openness and a safe space to discuss cultural communication differences.

The beginning scenario could have ended much differently – with the student in detention – building walls of distrust and anger. Instead, the situation was resolved easily by asking a simple question, understanding the cultural context of the intense conversation, and redirecting the communication method; the teacher transformed cultural miscommunication into cultural understanding.