7 DO’s to increase your cultural awareness
Misunderstandings can cause serious conflict, and a huge factor in how we go about understanding people is by the culture we were raised in. Thus, it's common to have misunderstandings when people from different cultural backgrounds interact. This does not mean that we should avoid other cultures, but rather, we need to develop our cultural awareness so as to increase our understanding and minimize conflict. This will help us to more effectively work together with others, no matter what background they may come from.
To speak about developing cultural awareness in a general sense can be difficult due to how diverse cultures can be. You may be sensitive to one culture but insensitive to another. Figure out which culture you interact with the most and begin there, or if you plan on going abroad soon, learn about the nation you are going to.
As you are learning, try to consider what phase of understanding you may be in. At first you may be completely unaware. After some reading, you may gain some general knowledge. After some interactions, you may gain some experience with the people or activities of that culture. However, if you really plan on overcoming the hurdle that culture can be in dividing people, then you’ll need to do some intense research and be willing to be completely immersed in the culture. However, if you are just starting out, here are some tips to help you begin developing an awareness of another culture.
1. Understand the Culture you Come from
In order to be sensitive to other cultures, you have to be aware of your own culture. What do other people say about the culture you come from? Are there mistakes people from your culture commonly make when interacting with those from another culture? Are there common practices or attitudes from your culture which could affect other people’s interactions with you? Being aware of the culture you come from is an important step in enhancing your cultural awareness. "You can never understand one language until you understand at least two." While this quote by Geoffrey Willans is about language, it applies to culture too (after all, language is a big influence on culture). People often make the mistake of thinking they understand their culture, but without diving into another, they have nothing to compare their own to.
2. Increase Self-Awareness
While understanding your own culture can give you a better grasp at understanding other cultures and their interactions, you’ll also need to ensure you are aware of your own personal habits and behaviors. You don’t interact with a culture as a whole, but through interactions with individuals from that culture. Thus, you have to be aware of how your own personality and character traits may influence your interactions with others. Being able to weed through what is personality, what is culture, and what is a mix of the two is all part of the process of developing awareness. But how can you be aware of others, when you aren’t even aware of yourself?
3. Learn their History
To understand the way a culture currently is, you need to learn about its past. However, don’t think you’ll learn everything through five minutes of research. History can be observed from a variety of different angles and lenses, and thus it’s important to not just learn about what happened, but the rippling effect various events had on people’s mindsets and attitudes.
4. Converse with People from Different Cultures
Culture is similar to developing a friendship - you can do all the research you want on a person to try to understand them, but without an actual relationship, it’s hard to say you actually know the person. Research alone isn’t going to make you culturally sensitive - you have to engage it. One of the best ways to learn about another culture is by talking to people from that culture. However, be sure to practice active listening by asking questions so that you don’t fill in the missing gaps of your understanding with your own assumptions.
5. Develop Friendships
Talking isn’t always enough. If you want to take your understanding of a culture to the next level, you’ll need to develop friendships with someone from that culture. While “walking a mile in someone’s shoes” is next to impossible, you can walk alongside someone as they live life, and in doing so you will learn more and more about how the culture they come from has shaped them.
6. Literature & Movies
While reading essays and biographies and watching documentaries can aid you on your understanding of another culture, other forms of media can help provide insight as well. What movies are popular in their culture? What books are considered classics to them and why? What songs inspire them? Diving into media that is produced by people of that culture can give you a better insight into who they are, what they are like, and what drives them.
7. Learn Some Language
Language shapes the way we think about things, and by learning the language of another culture, it can provide certain insights as to how and why they behave in certain ways. It can also help you understand why they communicate the way in which they do.
