Culture and Communication Flashcards
Culture
Refers to the characteristics and knowledge of a particular society.
Culture and Communication
Each culture has a set of rules that its members take for granted. A culture’s norms are based on local knowledge, life rules, religious beliefs, group values etc.
Taboo’s
Often based on a group’s rules, phobias or anxieties.
Personal Culture
How we define ourselves is first influenced by family (our first culture).
Communication Styles and Culture
Formal
Informal
Direct
Indirect
Formal
Value silence Physical Closeness Soft eye contact Minimal body language Formal greeting High context
Informal
Avoid silence Physical distance Direct eye contact Animated body language Short greeting Low context
Direct
Individual
Self-asserting
Use ‘I’
Focus on what is said
Indirect
Not personal Unassuming Uses 'we' Focus on what is implied Harmony valued
Culture Similarities and Differences
Power distance Uncertainty avoidance High/low context Formal vs informal Individualist vs Collectivist Context ambiguity Masculine vs feminine Direct vs indirect Sequential vs Synchronic
Collectivist Cultures
"We" identity Filial piety Group welfare Ingroup loyalty Relational interdependence Harmony Face-saving High-context
Individualist Culture
"I" identity Self-aware Individual Power Competetive Low-cotext Communication
Sequential Communication
Time is a linear commodity to ‘spend’, ‘save’, or ‘waste’.
Synchronic Communication
Time is a constant flow experience in the moment.
Low context Cultures
Meaning is conveyed verbally and is explicit.
High context Cultures
Meaning is conveyed by situation and context.
Uncertainty Avoidance
The tolerance of ambiguity and uncertainty.
Power Distance
The extent to which a culture values status and power and expect that these are distributed unequally.
Face-Work in Cultural Communication
The act of communicating in a way that maintains the ‘image’.
Cultural Competence Requires
Knowledge
Skills
Awareness
Strategies for Effective Communication
Ask questions Distinguish perspectives Build self-awareness Recognise the complexity Avoid stereotyping Respect Differences Listen actively Be honest Be flexible Think twice
Cultural Competence
A set of congruent behaviours, attitudes, and policies’ that will prevent the negative effects that may arise from disregarding culture in the provision of health services.
Transcultural Care
Formal areas of study and practice in the cultural beliefs, values and life ways of diverse and in the use of knowledge to provide culture-specific or culture-universal care to individuals, families and groups of particular cultures.
Cultural Security
Emphasises the responsibility for culturally secure health services lies with the system as a whole, rather than individual health cultures.
Cultural Respect
The goal of cultural respect is to uphold the rights, maintain, protect and develop their culture and achieve equitable health outcomes.
Cultural Awareness
Cultural awareness aims to increase participants’ awareness of cultural social and historical factors, promoting participants’ self-reflection on their own culture and tendency to stereotype.
Cultural Safety
Aims to recognise and protect a person’s cultural identity within the health service.
