The Impact of Cultural Differences on Communication

Communication breakdowns can actually be related to underlying cultural differences. Discover how to shift your thinking to minimize this type of communication challenge by opening yourself up to learning about the impact of cultural differences on communication.
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Lindsay Lapaquette, M.Sc.(A) teaches middle managers how to communicate authentically so they can effectively lead their teams without losing themselves.
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[@petrichor1654]

Thank you so much for this video teacher Lindsay. I'm wondering how social and cultural factors impact the effectiveness of communication in an organization?

[@CollaborativeSolutions]

Thanks Petrichor. My guess is that it would depend on the underlying culture of inclusivity within the organization, as well as the extent to which people have the skills to navigate communication differences effectively and with respect. In other words, I believe that it's not that the social and cultural differences are problematic but rather, when those differences aren't understood. Or when there's judgement of some of the differences as being "lesser than". I believe there needs to be an intentional strategy on how to build the skills needed to foster this type of culture, which needs to include feedback from across the organization. What are your thoughts on this?

[@klausjalapeno8916]

Hi there good information very useful. Could you tell what are the current trends in cross cultural communication?

[@CollaborativeSolutions]

I appreciate your question Klaus. Although my area of expertise is communication, I wouldn't go so far as to say that cross-cultural communication is my specific area of expertise. Because of that, I'll decline commenting on current trends, as I don't think I could give that question justice. I work much more on guiding individuals and teams to build awareness and skills on an interpersonal micro level, informed by information gathering at a macro-level within their organization.

[@jhasteinroda2598]

How does knowledge of other people's culture help a person to become an effective communicator?

[@CollaborativeSolutions]

I'm speaking specifically to the cultural differences as related to communication. For instance, some cultures highly value listening and reflecting before you speak, whereas others value quick responses as the gold star. Understanding that this stems from cultural differences, and is not reflective of a person's value creates a space where this is less judgment and more acceptance. Which ultimately leads to better performance because we don't waste as much time navigating conflict. Does this make sense?

[@jhudielryandeguia7894]

I have an assignment about the cultural text, can you please help me.

[@CollaborativeSolutions]

Sorry, no more school for me....

[@mackcollytv7003]

sory i got qn why culture is a backbone of communication?

[@CollaborativeSolutions]

Can you expand a bit more on what you mean by this? A lot of the elements of how we interact with others have been socialized into us, based on where we grew up, the identities we hold, etc. People often view the dominant cultural communication norms as those to strive for. In my opinion, truly effective communication is when each party can communicate in a way that feels authentic to them while also being able to navigate differences. When the burden of communicating more effectively is placed solely on one person (i.e. for instance, let's say when someone is told they need to learn to speak up more) we need to step back and look at where bias may be influencing this view.