Evaluating Intercultural Behavior

source: http://rw-3.com/tag/intercultural-communication/

Having travelled far and wide, I am most fortunate to have interacted with people from diverse backgrounds. One of my most memorable experiences of intercultural communication would be my semester long Student Exchange Programme (SEP) in United Kingdom, Sheffield.

I was accommodated in a block of six rooms and there were a well mix of nationalities, two from Holland, and one from Hong Kong, another American and a fellow Singaporean. Being housed in a block for four months, we had plenty of communication with one another and learnt of each other cultural habits.

Moving and easing into the house of roommates from different continents was fun and exciting initially. However, as the days passed, I learnt of my housemates habits and grew to become irritated with them. One example that contributes to my irate feeling were the habit of the Hollands and American, where they were nonchalant towards washing of their plates after meals, and leaving them in the sink when they were all supposed to be share among the housemates. Another instance was the disruption and after party mess created from the frequent invitation of friends to our house for parties, a common event that they would hold back in their home country.

After the continued growing frustration, I confided with the Asians in my block and realized they too share my feelings. It had dawned upon me that we were experiencing cultural shock. Cultural shock was an experience that I thought was not important and could be handled easily given my high adaptability. It has always been an event that I would dismissed when warned of it prior to my departure for SEP in UK. I was wrong. The unsettling situation was born from the cultural differences between the Chinese and Western cultures, where Asians are brought up in a clean, hygienic, conservative and quiet housing environment.

However, I realized the need for tolerance and to understand their rationale behind their behavior and actions.  An ugly situation would only ensue if I were to tackle these problems by being overtly hostile. Hence I arranged for a house meeting where we could settle matters amicably. We discussed the differing social values, our personal space in the cultural context and the importance of respecting each other and our cultures with sensitivity. Eventually, things worked pretty well and we had the best times of our lives together in the block. The six of us went on short trips in UK, had many leisure activities and exchanged interesting facts about each other culture and tradition.

In retrospect, it is the knowledge of the other cultures and its subculture that will enhance one’s ability to effectively communicate interculturally, and to bridge any differences. Ubiquitously, there is a growing importance to be able to foster intercultural communications due to the increasing borderless business structure and functions. Thus, I would encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and engage with the natives when on an overseas trip! If you were to find it difficult, be flexible and adopt this saying, ‘When in Rome, do what the Romans do’. It is an exciting and fruitful experience! 

An Interpersonal Conflict

Interpersonal conflict often arises from miscommunication, differences in ideals, notions, reasoning and other factors in many contexts which includes the workplace, social meeting, networking and even during games. However, if not addressed, it might strain the relationship between two parties or more. Occasionally, this issue might be resolved automatically but many a times, it takes initiative on one end to address the problem. It is thus important to put down one’s ego and go towards mending the situation and not let the conflict fester which causes uneasiness in the parties involved. 

Having completed the fun yet mundane and torturous National Service and while waiting to be matriculated, I was referred into a Telecommunication company to be a part time telephone customer service officer. Starting into the job, I was put onto training for a week and was on the ball with the protocols enacted by my supervisor. After the training week, I was tasked with the responsibility of handling a line, connecting to the occasional irate customers. However I did my due diligence and handled them well to receive compliments from customers.

Everything went smoothly for three weeks till the point when I courageously flashed out a set of newspaper and began reading them during times of inactivity from the phone. That was when I was summoned to the manager of the team, where he had a greater jurisdiction than my supervisor. Undoubtedly, I was given a warning not to read it again and was tasked to do additional administrative work to keep my hands tied. 

However, this didn’t keep me from my rebellious actions. Convinced that I have done my work and that customers were not occupying my time on the phone, I continue to update myself with the world’s happenings. Expectedly, I was chided by my direct supervisor and was told that the manager was having another employee kept an eye on me besides her. Henceforth, I began to comply but there was still discontentment from my superiors. The working environment thus became uncomfortable for a period of time.

On hindsight, I should have handled this conflict at the very moment it was developed, apologising and explaining the rationale behind my actions. In addition, I should seek the manager’s perspective on my actions to discuss and dismiss the brewing unhappiness. However, I did not do so since I was adamant that my doing wasn’t wrong as I have done my job well, so I should be given the free reign to spend my time. Being hot-headed, my mind was clouded and I let the situation take a turn for the worse. It was a regret that I have since learnt.

In retrospect, I understand that it may look bad on the manager if a much higher authority were to question him on my actions. A part timer reading newspaper on his job may deem to be skiving on the job. Additionally, he might be conceived as incompetent in dealing with a part-timer by his superior and subordinates. However, I still maintained my stand that the manager being in the management role, he should have the emotional intelligence to reason my ‘wrong doing’ and not dismiss it as if I was someone incapable of understanding.

To my readers, what is your analysis on my supposed actions and stand on this issue? Thank you for your time! I look forward to hearing the different perspectives. 

The importance of effective communication

 

Source: http://www.urisa.org/ula/session2 

Having reached the final hurdle of my academia life, application to jobs and attending NUS career workshops to upgrade oneself professionally remain the priority in my to-do-list. From the few interviews and workshops that I have been to, I learned that COMMUNICATION is the key to success and the doorway to my desired job. 

It is with a well equipped set of communication skills can one impress the interviewers amongst the many interviewees. I have come to realize that the answers to the interviews questions are mostly similar among the many candidates, hence the differentiating factor is communication. It is the first 10 seconds when the actions and words that we do and use that creates a striking impression. As the old adage goes, ‘you will never get a second chance to create a first impression’. Additionally, the non verbal communication, listening and questioning skills throughout the interview play an integral role in forming a good impression. 

Unfortunately, communication is not widely taught and not much emphasis is placed on it in the engineering faculty. Prior to job hunting, I was oblivious to the power of communication and the many wonders it can perform, from enhancing relationships between friends to building a professional rapport with clients and colleagues. Most importantly, it enables both professional and personal development. It is fortuitous that I can hone my skills with the ES2007S course before entering the workforce. 

Hence I would like to take this opportunity to emphasize on the importance of effective communication and encourage everyone to introduce this module to your peers.  Let’s dispel the notion that many employers have of NUS students, that is, we can’t converse as well as the other university students.