Question

All people want to be respected when communicating with others. That being said, give a definition of behaviors that represent respectful communication and do these behaviors work with all cultural groups? Why or why not?

Answer 1

Communication is an extremely important aspect of our everyday lives, strong and honest communication is a key player in fostering good relationships and also plays a vital role in being dignified and respectful.

If we expect people to respect us we should be respectful in the first place with them. There are certain behaviours that represent respectful communication they are,

1. Practicing active listening- when you are in conversation with anyone no matter how heated up one is,it's good to first actively listen. This means to be intentional about listening and make sure you are giving your full attention to the speaker. Let them know that you have heard them well so you can clear up any misunderstanding right away before you contribute to conversation.

2.Keep body language open and receptive - maintain eye contact,nod while you listen,lean slightly forward if sitting and keep your facial expression relaxed.

3. Describe your feelings instead of using them to attack. To communicate with respect and clarity you keep your voice as close to normal volume and tone as much as possible.

4. Use clear messages- one should not be sarcastic and should not just beat around the bush instead it's always better to be direct and clear.

The behaviours stated above can work with all cultural groups if practiced well. But one should always understand how your culture and background shape you. Understand the difference between you and the person you are communicating with. For many times misunderstandings between people of different cultures,generations or backgrounds occur not because what you said ,but because how one party said. Best way to stop such mishaps is to not assume both being on same page and belonging to same cultural values,instaed you can take time to get on the same page.