Miscommunication

When it comes to leadership one of the most important qualities would be good communication.  Moran stated, “The most basic skill that global leaders must cultivate is learning how to effectively communicate and listen cross-culturally” (Moran, 2014, p. 66).  Communication is defined as “a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior” (Communication, N.D.). Without proper communication companies can lose money.  It is incredibly important to remember with all the forms of written communications that take place today that there are contexts that can be misinterpreted.

There are also several things that can be misinterpreted between cultures.  Somethings are perceived wrong from city to city even.  One example would be chipped ham is a Pittsburgh, PA area thing and those that are not from this area have no idea what you are talking about when you go to a deli and ask for chipped ham. Even the use of the word pop or soda is something that differs from area to area.  This would be a reason to avoid slang terms which in some cases we don’t even realize are slang terms until we travel outside our own hometown.

Knowing when and how to use certain words or phrases and in what context is something that is very important.   The reason that this is so important is due to cultural diversity.  Different cultures have differences in the way that they communicate.  I think that this is something that needs to be thought of when talking to anyone.  We were all raised in different communities and things that are said are often taken in different contexts.  As discussed in our lesson there are often for error to occur when a message is being “decoded” (lesson 4).  I think this is something that is more likely to occur when you bring in the need for translation from one language to the next.

Communication is something that has become very personal to me due to having a child with Autism.  I have been to several conferences and communication is always something of a big topic.  The thing about people with Autism is that they often miss social cues.  Knowing this made it very easy to understand just how things can be easily misconstrued.  This was something that we went over several times, even simple things like “is he pulling your leg” meaning is he telling you something outlandish was hard for my son to understand.  Idioms are hard for some to comprehend, especially if they are not commonly used in their culture.

I also think that it is important to understand communication since there are so many different kinds especially in this electronic age.  There is everything from voice messages, to text messages, phone calls, video chat, there is also the need to understand different languages and sign language as well.  Communication is a part of everything that we do daily.  To spend an entire day without using some sort of communication would to me be a difficult task.  I feel even locked alone in a room I would find myself writing a letter or doing something that would be construed as communication even if it was not the immediate form of communication that we have come to know.

Resources

Lesson 4: Global Communication. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/canvas/sp20/22011–17869/content/04_lesson/printlesson.html

Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing cultural differences. London: Routledge.