Culture and Customs shape how we view the world and how we communicate with others. Build your global communication skills with these tips

#diversity #equity #inclusion #antiracism

David Livermore – Customs of the World

In this Great Course, I learned about many of the different approaches different cultures have and how this changes how you should speak to people in different cultures. This is useful for my connections with our diverse community as I often need to connect with researchers outside of Canada and the communication barrier can often be a stumbling block.

• Identity – Individualist vs Collectivist
• Authority – Lower vs High Power Distance
• Risk – Low vs High Uncertainty Avoidance
• Achievement – Cooperative vs Competitive
• Time – Punctuality vs Relationships
• Communication – Direct vs Indirect
• Lifestyle – Being vs Doing
• Rules – Particularist vs Universalist (refers to laws)
• Expressiveness – Neutral vs Affective
• Social Norms – Tight vs Loose

For example many Japanese cultures are much more doing cultures while parts of rural asia and mexico you would expect to be more being culture.  Countries such as Singapore are very collectivist (rules that are beneficial for society and not any particular individual).

References

1. Alberta Student Population Statistics https://www.alberta.ca/student-population-statistics.aspx
2. 30% of students in CSSD are ELL https://webdocs.cssd.ab.ca/AboutUs/ReportsandPublications/Documents/CCSD_Annual_Report_2020.pdf
3. Definition of ELL https://www.edglossary.org/english-language-learner/
4. McKinsey Spring 2021 study https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/public-and-social-sector/our-insights/covid-19-and-education-the-lingering-effects-of-unfinished-learning
5. Racism and the Administration of Justice https://www.hrw.org/legacy/campaigns/race/criminal_justice.htm
6. What is Critical Race Theory https://www.edweek.org/leadership/what-is-critical-race-theory-and-why-is-it-under-attack/2021/05
7. Disrupting Implicit Racial Bias https://sites.ed.gov/whieeaa/files/2016/10/Disrupting-Implicit-Bias-FINAL.pdf
8. Culturally Sensitive Counselor Questions https://counseling.online.wfu.edu/blog/10-diversity-questions-counselors-ask/