4 Defining Features for Successful Cross-Cultural Encounters
Shopping at a department shop the young woman (client) had 3 pairs of pants, three sweaters, and a handbag in her shopping cart as she made her way to the fitting room. Upon reading the labels she wondered if the sweaters would shrink after washing. Hmm... perhaps asking a store associate would support her determine if she should obtain these 3 sweaters. She noticed a young lady in shop uniform with her back to her, so she approached her, "Excuse me, could you tell me a small bit about this fabric?"
The young uniformed lady did not turn to answer.
"Excuse me!" the shopper repeated in a louder voice. The young lady still did not respond.
"How rude!" the shopper mentioned out loud. The young uniformed assistant just continued about her small business of pulling new inventory out of the box to get ready for pricing and hanging.
The shopper truly liked the sweaters so she went on to search for one other uniformed assistant, and when she discovered one more assistant she was not shy about voicing her complaint that the young uniformed lady prior to her was really rude, had ignored her, and did not even turn to acknowledge her.
The second assistant informed the shopper that the young lady was deaf, that her name label identified her as deaf, and that she carried paper and pencil in her vest to communicate with the prospects. She also informed her that considering that the young woman was deaf that she should really have touched her shoulder to get her attention.
Of course, never ever having had the chance to encounter a deaf individual, this shopper had an eye-opening knowledge and learned a new avenue for communication. If you ever find yourself in such a situation, following are some recommendations that might aid alleviate that awkward moment and have a far more positive cross-cultural encounter.
The following 4 defining features will serve you properly for a effective cross-cultural encounter whether or not with Deaf, Tough of Hearing, Hispanic, or any other culture for that matter. These are:
- Sensitivity: This refers to getting considerate, caring, and getting some understanding of others' desires and feelings.
- Respect: This indicates getting thoughtful and considerate of others' interests, opinions, and/or wishes although not imposing your own on them.
- Empathy: This is getting the potential to identify with and fully grasp others' feelings and challenges by means of their eyes (or shoes).
- Humor: This signifies getting the ability to laugh at your own foibles. Nobody's perfect and innocent faux pas are inevitable in life. We all encounter them and we learn from them.
So the next time someone doesn't respond in a manner you assume they need to, assume about the possibility of an chance to understand a new way to communicate for a productive and positive cross-cultural encounter. The above scenario is a accurate story that occurred to a friend of mine decades ago. The situation was that the young store assistant (lady) was deaf and facing the wall just carrying out her job. The eye-opening experience opened a new avenue for communication and my friend went on to come to be an interpreter.
