EDUC 6165: Communication in Cultural Diversity

 Culture is the way of human interactions towards others based on our personalities, which associates with lifestyle, language, race, religion, political affiliation, sexual orientation, varying abilities, and so on. I find myself adjusting the style of speech, appearance, behavior, and expression in ways that will optimize the comfort of others in the majority of the conversations. 

 I am originally from Thailand. The way Thai people speak is totally different from the people here. Spoken Thai, depending on standard sociolinguistic factors such as age, gender, class, spatial proximity, and the urban/rural divide. For example, we use different sets of vocabulary when speaking to elders, monks, the opposite sex, peers, and the royal family. Moreover, there are 4 main dialects in Thailand, including the Northern dialect, Northeastern dialect, Southern dialect, and Central dialect. I learned how to switch languages since I was born because most people in my family speak the Northern dialect but my dad is from central Thailand. I talk Northern dialect with my mom but Central dialect with my dad which helps me nowadays in terms of switching the way I speak to fit in whatever contexts and situation that I am in. 

Professionally, I have to communicate with children and their families who have various cultural backgrounds. These are the three strategies I use to help you communicate more effectively with the people or groups you have identified.

1.Observe the culture and identity of the person with who I communicate such as, different body languages and other approaches.

2.Adjust the way to communicate based on the culture and identity of the receivers by setting up tones, words, and others.

3.Be open and inclusive of other cultures. Getting to know other people from culturally diverse backgrounds can help build relations, and open up my world to new experiences, as we all try to navigate a different language, customs, and way of life.