REVIEW OF POWERPOINT ASSIGNMENT

What went well in your presentation? What could be improved?

Did you face any challenges when creating the PowerPoint or handout?

What sites did you use to research about your country or the United States?

Did anything surprise you as you were researching?

RESPECTING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

WHAT IS CULTURE?

With your group, write a definition for culture.

DEFINITIONS OF CULTURE

The integrated pattern of human behavior that includes thought, speech, action, and artifacts and depends upon the human capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations

The customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group

The learned and shared human patterns or models for living; day- to-day living patterns

The collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one category of people from another

BASIC DIFFERENCES

Ethnicity and culture: the sources of the customs, language and sense of identity that people with similar roots often share

Geographic background: the neighborhood, city, region or country that shapes an individual’s life and values

Life’s experiences: include family backgrounds, values and traditions, as well as school, work, travel, recreation, and hobbies

BASIC DIFFERENCES, CONT.

Beliefs: including one’s religion, outlook and philosophy of life

Philosophy: determines gender and physical abilities

Working styles: the importance of teamwork and conflict resolution, leadership qualities and communication styles

RECOGNIZING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

Communication Communication forms the basis of thought for all

cultural groups. Our cultural background greatly influences the

way we communicate with others. Spatial needs

A person’s comfort level is directly related to personal space.

Understanding these differences can greatly minimize misunderstandings.

For instance, Latinos tend to stand closer together, while white Europeans seem to prefer more space.

RECOGNIZING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES Social organizations

These are groups with whom we interact and associate ourselves with, that directly affect our behavior.

Their influence helps us become who/what we are. Time constraints

People are either past, present, or future oriented. Past-oriented individuals hold on to old values, traditions,

and/or beliefs Present-oriented people may find it difficult to keep a

schedule. They may be late, or miss appointments. They feel they can recover at a later time.

Future-oriented individuals use the present to achieve future goals. They believe what is done today affects their future.

RECOGNIZING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

Environmental Control Environmental control can be divided into two

categories:External focus: Individuals believe that fate, luck, and/or chance play a great part in their controlling environment.

Internal focus: Individuals believe their behavior will affect their future environment.

RECOGNIZING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

Biological variations These variations distinguish the ways in which

the genetic makeup of members from a certain culture makes them more susceptible to certain illnesses.

THE DANGER OF STEREOTYPING

The danger in considering cultural differences is that of stereotyping people

A stereotype is something conforming to a fixed or general pattern; or, a standardized mental picture that is held in common by members of a group and that represents an oversimplified opinion, prejudiced attitude, or uncritical judgment

A stereotype is an ending point, and no effort is then made to ascertain whether it is appropriate to apply it to the person in question For example, if I meet a Mexican woman named Maria

and assume that she has a large family, I am stereotyping her.

THE ROLE OF GENERALIZATIONS

A generalization, on the other hand, serves as a starting point

A generalization is a statement about common trends within a group, but with the recognition that further information is needed to ascertain whether the generalization applies to a particular person. For example, if I meet a Mexican woman named

Maria and say to myself, “Mexicans tend to have large families; I wonder if Maria does,” then I am generalizing

However, even generalizations may be inaccurate when applied to specific persons

CULTURAL COMPETENCE

Cultural competence is the integration and transformation of knowledge about individuals and groups of people into specific standards, policies, practices, and attitudes used in appropriate cultural settings to increase the quality of services, thereby producing better outcomes It is a developmental process that evolves over

an extended period Using cultural competency in a focused or

strategic way can be a helpful adjunct to the quality improvement process

WHAT IS CULTURAL COMPETENCE?

With your group, write a definition for cultural competence.

What does this look like in the classroom? What does this look like in the workplace?

PRINCIPLES OF CULTURAL COMPETENCE

Define culture broadly.  Value people’s cultural beliefs.  Recognize complexity in language

interpretation.  Facilitate learning between individuals and

communities.  Involve the community in defining and

addressing needs.  Institutionalize cultural competence. 

BENEFITS OF CULTURAL COMPETENCY

Makes more effective use of time with people Helps with negotiating differences Increases compliance Positively affects outcome Improves communication with people Decreases stress Builds trust in a relationship Improves conflict resolution Meets increasingly stringent government

regulations, community expectation, etc.

RESPECTING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

Think about different being OK Read, observe, listen – why are they

different? Simplify and repeat instructions; write them. Check for understanding: “Now you try it…” Ask what they believe will help Tolerate periods of silence Apologize when appropriate Work as a tem; ask for help when necessary Ask: “How can I help?”

RESPECTING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

Listen to others with an open mind. Talk less. Learn by asking questions. Use a sense of humor to smooth over

uncomfortable moments. Realize that you have limitations and can't

possibly know all there is to know about other cultures.

Share information about your own culture.

WHAT QUESTIONS DO YOU HAVE?

REFERENCES

Merriam-Webster: http://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/culture and http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stereotype?show=1&t=1339394805

Univ. of Minnesota-CARLA: http://www.carla.umn.edu/culture/definitions.html

National Prevention Information Network: http://www.cdcnpin.org/scripts/population/culture.asp#what

Trumbull County Health Department: http://tcbh.org/pdfs/cultural_competency.pdf

REFERENCES

US National Library of Medicine: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1070887/

La Leche League International: http://www.lalecheleague.org/llleaderweb/lv/lvaugsep97p79.html

HOMEWORK

Besides a PowerPoint or handout, what are two other types of writing you would do in the military?

Who are the audiences for each type of writing?

What information is included in each type of writing?

How do you decide what information to include or exclude?