Week#2 (March 15, 2013) - Patterns of Communication

Core Question: 
What are the primary aspects of communication and how do they vary within a culture and between cultures?  (Communication Styles)

Sources:

Working on Common Cross-cultural Communication Challenges

http://www.pbs.org/ampu/crosscult.html

Working with Different Communication Styles
http://resources.css.edu/DiversityServices/docs/comminicationstyles.pdf

Communication Styles in Advertising
http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol11/issue1/wuertz.html

Website Usage Compared
http://blog.usabilla.com/ux-designers-culture-affects-your-job/

Non-verbal Communication Links

List of Gestures (wikipedia)

http://www.languagetrainers.co.uk/blog/2007/09/24/top-10-hand-gestures/

http://westsidetoastmasters.com/resources/book_of_body_language/chap5.html

http://www.expats-moving-and-relocation-guide.com/nonverbal-communication.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxoB6MhmbIg

Presentation


Discussion Questions:
(Part 1)

• Think of some specific examples of aspects of your dominant cultures (and subcultures) that are above the waterline and below it (according to the Iceberg metaphor).
• In your experiences with (or as) a stranger, how did you make predictions necessary to interact in those situations?
• Discuss experiences when you made predictions about a ‘stranger’ (or predictions were made about you) that proved to be accurate or not.  
• Is it possible to truly understand a culture outside of your own? Why or why not?

(Part 2)

• How would you characterize your personal communication style?  (linear vs circular,direct vs. indirect, attached vs. detached, etc.).  Give examples if possible.
• What are some examples of different communication styles you've experienced with family members, co-workers, people from other parts of Korea, foreigners, or people of different gender, age, background, etc?
• What generalizations would you make about Korean communication styles?
• Share examples of  high and low context styles of interaction - these can be from your life experiences, something you heard second hand, or from the world of storytelling (books, movies, TV, etc.).
• Share examples of cross-cultural communication challenges that resulted from the mixing of different communication styles.

Non verbal communication includes gestures, mannerisms, head movements, stance, eye contact, touch, physical space, tone, and any other way that something is communicated without words.

• What types of  non-verbal communication 'rub you the wrong way' [bother you]?
• What are examples of non-verbal communication that takes place in a classroom?
• What types of  non-verbal communication should a non-Korean be aware of in Korea?
• What are some 'different'  types of  non-verbal communication you've observed  among non-Koreans?

Assignment

• Complete the entrance questionnaire if you haven't already done so.
  
• Post your at least one reflection on your blog. 
• Spend at least an hour reading through material listed under Week#2 and Week#3 of the Course Materials page.  If you find other material that addresses the core questions for those weeks, feel free to read that instead.  Remember to document your material consumption. 

Blog Reflections Each week, please write a short reflection (between 1~3 paragraphs) about.... - what interested you most during the previous week’s discussion - something related to the coming week’s topic that has piqued your interest or - anything else related to this course that has gained your attention. Also, document any reading (or watching) you've done. Example: This week I read  'Working on Common Cross-cultural Challenges'.  I thought it was a decent way to frame the issues, but it don't go very deep into how to address the real challenges of CCC. I also looked at the Wikipedia page of gestures.  I had no idea there was such a global variety of meanings for common gestures.) Please post reflections by Thursday at 5pm