Course :

COMMUNICATION SKILLS IN ENGLISH FOR THE MEDICAL PRACTITIONER

Student : David tefana, Medicin Dentar, anul II, seria B grupa 9

Communication components CULTURAL AWARENESS

I believe Cultural Awareness is a very important aspect in the communication process. Why ?
Because it involves the ability of standing back from ourselves and becoming aware of our cultural values,
beliefs and perceptions of others.
Cultural awareness becomes central when we have to interact with people from other cultures.
People see, interpret and evaluate things in a different ways. Cultural awareness entails an understanding
of how a person's culture may inform their values, behaviour, beliefs and basic assumptions. What is
considered an appropriate behavior in one culture is frequently inappropriate in another one. This aspect
involves adapting our speech, our gestures and everything else according to the person we need to
communicate to. This is why I believe cultural awareness is bassically one of the most important
components . It requires a perfect combination between the other components : verbal communication,
voice management, non-verbal communication and active listening. Just a simple conversation with a
person from another culture demands an equilibrum of all the aspects listed below.
Misinterpretations occur primarily when we lack awareness of our own behavioral rules and
project them on others. Within any culture, peoples' values, behaviour and beliefs can vary
enormously. But that doesnt mean we need to be experts in every culture or have all the answers to be
culturally aware; rather, cultural awareness helps us to explore cultural issues with more sensitivity. This
way we become aware of other people, of the way they think, they interact in different situations. We learn
that judging other people's behaviour and beliefs according to the standards of our own culture is
completely wrong. We need to consider things this way : we grew in a specific environment and have a
different society and we have our own state of mind, our own personality built on a particular cultural
background and so do other people, all around the world. We are all different but we have one thing in
common : we are all humans.
Increasing cultural awareness means to see both the positive and negative aspects of cultural
differences. Cultural diversity could be a source of problems sometimes but diversity increases the level
of complexity and confusion and makes an agreement difficult to reach.
So, how do we manage cultural diversity ? First step is admiting that we dont know. Knowing that
we dont know everything. Accepting that our assumptions may be wrong is part of the process of
becoming culturally aware. Secondly, learning how not to judege and more to empathize . In order to
understand another person, we need to try standing in his/her shoes. Through empathy we learn of how
other people would like to be treated by us. Many great people taught of this problem in a way or another.
Paulo Coelho says : Culture makes people understand each other better. And if they understand
each other better in their soul, it is easier to overcome the economic and political barriers. But first they
have to understand that their neighbour is, in the end, just like them, with the same problems, the same
questions.
Our cultural strength has always been derived from our diversity of understanding and
experience. -- Yo-Yo Ma (French-Born American Cellist, United Nations Messenger of Peace; b. 1955)
The love of one's country is a splendid thing. But why should love stop at the border? -- Pablo
Casals (Spanish Cellist, Wrote music for UN Anthem for world peace, 1963 Presidential Medal of
Freedom; b. 1876- 1973)

Accordingly, globalization is not only something that will concern and threaten us in the future,
but something that is taking place in the present and to which we must first open our eyes. --Ulrich Beck
(German Sociologist; b. 1944)
"Peace cannot exist without justice, justice cannot exist without fairness, fairness cannot exist
without development, development cannot exist without democracy, democracy cannot exist without
respect for the identity and worth of cultures and peoples." --Rigoberta Mench Tum (Guatemalan
Indigenous Rights Activist, 1990 UNESCO Prize for Peace Education, 1992 Nobel Peace Prize Winner; b.
1952)
It really makes us think about something for sure. Are we cultural aware ? Are we able to
understand other peoples perspective without involving our own preconcieved ideas ? ARE WE ?
Thats why cultural awarness is a truly important aspect. Not only that it is a very singnificant
component of the communication process, but it is also a reflecion subject.