Fact

1. Fact • In 1987, 89% of our teens were born in Canada. • In 2008 just 56% of our teens were born in Canada. (Project Teen Canada as reported in MacLean’s April 13, 2009) Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

2. The Multicultural Classroom Helen Chadwick, International Student Advisor St. Lawrence College June 2012 Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

3. Disclaimer! SLC International Student Orientation 2009 Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

4. Today • Identify some strategies for communicating with others from different cultures; • Consider how to recognize your own assumptions; • Understand the impact of assumptions and personal context on interactions with others; • Gain appreciation of effort made by individuals from diverse backgrounds. Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

5. hopefully… Recognize the opportunities that intercultural knowledge can bring to communication and engagement with others. Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

6. Let’s play cards! Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

7. Barnga • What did you see happening? • What did you think about what was happening? • What do you feel about what was happening? D.I.E. • Describe, Interpret, Evaluate. Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

8. Culture?) Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

9. Culture? • Culture is a set of values, beliefs and expectations that members of a group come to share. - it is learned; - the various facets of culture are inter-related; - it is shared and defines the boundaries of different groups. Edward Hall, American Anthropologist Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

10. “Sometimes we cannot get the ideas of each other, or we offend, due to the culture difference.” Chloe, home country China, 2008 Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

11. The Tip of the Iceberg • We see approximately 10% of a person’s ‘culture’. The rest is hidden. Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

12. Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

13. What’s above water? Below? Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

14. Work Ethic Food Language/Accent Body Language Religious ceremony Skin Colour, Hair Tattoos Personal Hygiene Clothing Assumptions Morals Values Tradition/History Perspective Ethics Beliefs Sexuality Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

15. We need to consider ethnicity, race, religion, and nationality, and • Personality • Gender • Age (Veteran, Baby Boomer, x, y and …) • Time in Canada • Profession • Socio-economic status/employment status • Abilities/disabilities • Mental Health etc. Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

16. “In Canada students call Professors by their names. In Nigeria this is never possible. Also, students are so free to talk to their Professor. There is good communication between teacher and student.” Olanrewaju, 2009 Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

17. Intercultural Competence • Intercultural competence “is not natural. It is not part of our primate past, nor has it characterized most human history. Cross-cultural contact usually has been accompanied by bloodshed, oppression, or genocide. The continuation of this pattern in today’s world of unimagined interdependence is not just immoral or unprofitable – it is self-destructive.” • Milton Bennett (1993) Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

18. Stages of Cultural Competence Unconscious Competence Unconscious Incompetence Conscious Incompetence Conscious Competence William Gudykunst (1993) Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

19. “I was surprised that every student in the program participated actively in class.” Judith, home country Mexico, 2009 Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

20. What’s In A Name??? How do you think your partner would respond? • Country of family origin and heritage • Languages spoken • Interests or hobbies • Favorite foods • Preferred types of movies, tv programs • Preferred types of music • Pets, if any, or favorite animals Bharadia/Walt Carleton University 2012 Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

21. Break Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

22. Cross-Cultural Differences in Nonverbal Communication • Space – Personal space. • Gestures – Do speakers move their hands? What do these gestures mean? • Touch –What does touch mean? Do friends touch each other? Acquaintances? Colleagues? Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

23. Eye Contact – Where do speakers look when talking? If they make eye contact is it across the group or individual? If individual, how often and how long? • Dress – What is acceptable? • Time – How late can you be without offending? What do people say when they’re late? Monochronic – Polychronic. Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

24. Facial expressions – How often do people smile? Show anger? What do they do when students ask questions? • Classroom behaviour – Do students or teachers smoke, drink or eat in class? How do the students sit? How do students get the teacher’s attention? Can students leave a class in session and what do they say or do if they want to leave? Adapted from Skills in Intercultural Communication, UBC Centre for Intercultural Communication 2007.03 Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

25. Share an example of being surprised by a nonverbal communication Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

26. "I find it hard that so much communication is by e-mail - with the professors and fellow students. In my culture, face to face meetings are important.“ Karla, home country, Mexico 2009 Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

27. Tips for Successful Inter-Cultural Communication http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDvLk7e2Irc&NR=1 Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

28. Summary 1. Use observation skills and mirror other’s actions, behaviour and body language. Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

29. 2. Appreciate differences. We are unaware of our own level of inter-cultural sensitivity and skills. Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

30. 3. Don’t assume; respect instead. We all see the world partly through the lens of our own cultural backgrounds, and we are often unaware of this. Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

31. 4. Patience. Take the time to understand – and enjoy – communication with someone from another culture. Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

32. Intercultural Dimension • Unpack the underlying questions, IF ANY - “Tell me more.” - “Help me understand why you’re asking.” - “What do you mean by…” Remember, sometimes a question really is just a question. Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

33. Intercultural Dimension • Remember to allow time for reflection. • Use of silence in many cultures is valued. • Resist the urge to answer without thinking through the various ways to interpret the questions. • Fiver the person time to reflect on your response before using “conversation-closing” language and behaviours. Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

34. Intercultural Dimension • Develop and use a protocol for ensuring that you have been understood and that you understand: • Ask individual to summarize the conversation • E-mail written summaries using “handout language” • Use notes, even for yourself Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

35. Intercultural Dimension • Quickly discern whether a communication challenge is based on culture. How? • It’s a trick question – You can’t. The trick answer is to ALLOW for cultural differences in every problem-based interaction. Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

36. Intercultural Dimension Rather than a “culture-free” or bi-cultural approach, take an inter-cultural approach. • Avoid the “fairness trap”, i.e., plagiarism “Fairness is not Sameness.” Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

37. Strategies for improving Cross-Cultural Communication in the classroom • Make your expectations and reactions clear. • Listen actively: be patient, listen carefully and avoid jumping to conclusions. • Repeat, rephrase and illustrate messages and instructions. • Avoid or explain slang, jargon and colloquial expressions. • Beware of acronyms. • Tell personal stories instead of jokes which often depend on subtle distinctions in the language. • Expect delayed reactions – respect silence. Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

38. You talk for a while! Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

39. ChimamandaAdichie: The Danger of a Single Story http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

40. Reflection STOP, START, CONTINUE • Reflect on what value(s) or behaviour(s) need to Stop, Start and Continue in order to further open yourself to new experiences and new cultures. • Who are you? Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

41. We are both encountering a situation that is equally difficult for both parties. We both have a responsibility to adapt. Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

42. “ I’m Venezuelan; I can’t behave like you. I’m from a different culture and I can adapt, but I am Venezuelan.” Barbara, 2009 Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College

43. “We don’t see things as they are. We see things as we are.” Anäis Nin Helen Chadwick 2012 St. Lawrence College