Cross-cultural Communication Analysis. Social Sciences Essay

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Cross-Cultural Communication
The process of communication is always a complex one and differs from one group to another. The male and female genders in particular, have different ways of communicating both verbally and non-verbally and this determines how the two groups interact. Failing to understand how communication differs for each of the group can often lead to misunderstandings, stress or intolerance. This therefore means that it is necessary to understand these differences in communication styles in order to know how to communicate effectively and build good relationships. Generally, the differences in communication between the genders results from the fact that the females are more interested in intimacy and creating connections while males have an interest in their status and independence.
Observations
In observing communication between a young male and female at a local grocery store, I was able to observe a number of facts. The two were standing a little bit close to each other and the young man was seemingly trying to flirt with the young woman. From their conversation, the man showed more cockiness and confidence than the woman did. The woman on her part exhibited shy smiles, often looked down while speaking and occasionally used gesturing noises including “oh” and “mmh” in communicating. The young man in this case also appeared to be in a more relaxed and calm mood while the woman seemed nervous and held protectively to the small handbag she was holding. When the young woman spoke, it was easy to notice that the man also used more of the gesturing noises in response as compared to the woman.
In the second situation, I made some observations during a dinner party organized by a friend. Most men showed a great preference for report talk while women bend towards rapport talking. Two girls Celine and Jane for instance, were engaged in a conversation and it was easier to hear them speaking in turns while allowing each other to contribute to the conversation. On the other hand, I observed that in the conversation between Bill and Frank, the former man sought to dominate the conversation while giving detailed explanations. Bill, like most of the other men there, also showed a tendency to use more gestures and hand motions when giving details. In one instance, the man demonstrated with his hands just how big his house was while giving its description to the few girls listening to him. The young women frequently nodded to most of the details while also expressing their emotions through smiling.
In the third observation involving males and females in a working environment, I noted that women readily gave friendly assistance to customers unlike men. The men appeared to be less confident in this case with their eyes roaming randomly. The women attendants on their part maintained eye contact with the customers and often gave more smiles than the men give. When meeting with their colleagues, the female workers greeted each other by hugging. The men were different in this case, as they preferred to pat each other on the back or greet each other through handshakes. The women showed more empathy than men. In one instance, a customer attendant named ...