When explaining the beauty of a culture that is not your own, being understanding
and open to learning more is the most powerful perspective. In the video I recently watched that was of Richard Gere being interviewed while on his vacation in Bali, Indonesia from many years ago. The woman interviewing him was eager to chat with him and hear about his experience and past few days of the town. I have had the honor of traveling to over 30 nations and to all 50 states in the United States of America. Through these experiences and many unique interactions with multicultural people, I have learned skills such as code-switching, low-context and high-context communication, and practicing verbal patience.
Code-switching is the practice of switching between two or more cultural communication styles. This could be as diverse as a language code-switch or as simple as just the communication style you use with one culture versus another. This is often used by kids who live within many cultures, employees who work internationally, or people who have been different interactions with different cultures. Code-switching allows them to adapt to their different settings. If Gere had used more code-switching in his interview it could have looked liked his facial expressions matching the emotions and the cultural cues of the interviewer. He could have used his body language to create a relaxed, open atmosphere for the interview. By using these nonverbal code-switching techniques, a shift would have automatically been brought to the interview and the interviewer, those recording, and the many people who have watched this video would know.
High-context and low-context communication are also very important when it comes to understanding a culture that is not of your own. High-context cultures rely heavily on the nonverbal cues, the shared cultural understanding, and “reading the air” or “reading in between the lines.” Low-context communication, however, is much more direct and you do not need to give context since the communication style is typically straightforward and clear. If Gere had come to understand that in many Asian cultures, the nonverbal signals were variables such as the tone, the nodding, or the eye contact, he might have practiced that more. In the video he seemed to want to look around instead of staying focused on the interviewer and how much she communicated it meant to her.
In the video clip, the first thing that stuck out to me was the lack of verbal patience Gere seemed to have with the Indonesian woman. After recently spending time in Asia this past summer, I recognized the importance of being patient and lean in to listen. Americans have a way of being so quick to speak and as I spent more time in Asia, I recognized the power of being slow to speak. The scripture, James 1:9, comes to mind saying, “Let everyone be quick to hear [be a careful, thoughtful listener], slow to speak [a speaker of carefully chosen words and], slow to anger [patient, reflective, forgiving]” (AMP). The power of allowing pauses, listening fully, and having a mindful response pace can cause someone traveling or living internationally to have powerful communication skills. This does not just relate to those outside of our own ethnicity or culture. Even those in our same country or ethnicity deserve this respect and patience.
In cultural communication, I think of the quote by Peter Drucker that says, “the most important thing in communication is to hear what isn’t being said.” This perspective could be what shifts a conversation from it being about one person to two people walking away feeling seen.
Comments