I think I tend to hide my feelings
especially negative feelings such as anger, sadness and frustration more than people
from different groups because I do not want other people to feel bad. However,
this is not a good thing for effective communication. I also try to say things vaguely
because I do not want to sound blunt or bossy. I feel that having these tendencies
from Japanese culture and the Japanese language make me ineffective sender of
messages here in the US.
I would like to make three changes
for better communication. First, I would like to use nonverbal communications
intentionally so that listeners will know what I feel and think easily or
people won’t misunderstand my actions as displaying indifference to them or
their feelings. Second, I would like to say what I want before giving the
reasons why I want them because I often feel that that is the way people in dominant
culture here communicate and get confused by my approach. Lastly, I would like
to imitate ways other people communicate and see the reactions of others for
better understanding of different ways of communicating.
Aya,
ReplyDeleteI think sometimes we take for granted how much our family of origin/ culture influences us even after we have moved into a different life style. The examples you shared helped me understand how deeply these things effect everything we do throughout our lives. I found myself refelcting on the influences that have been part of my life and realized even at this point in my life, the effects are still there in some ways. Thanking you for sharing your feelings so honestly in your blog. It has helped me think about things in a different way.
Judi
Aya,
ReplyDeleteI use to be ashamed to express myself especially if a sensitive issue occur. I feel that you took a great step with determining ways that you can better express your feelings. I think the strategies that you mentioned above will be very helpful with allowing you to communicate in a way that is pleasing to you. I enjoyed reading your post.