Exercises — COM 1010 5: Culture and Communication

1. Culture and Communication Reflection

1. Identify one cultural norm from your background that influences how you communicate (e.g., directness, formality with elders, use of silence).
2. Apply the high-context / low-context scale: Does your family communicate in a high-context or low-context style? Give a specific example.
3. Identify one in-group you belong to. How does communication differ when you are with in-group versus out-group members?
4. Recall a moment when ethnocentrism (your own or someone else's) complicated a communication exchange. What happened?
5. Write one strategy you will use this week to practice cultural relativism — suspending judgment and seeking to understand.