Section 3: Exploring Cultural Attitudes and Communications

At Home with Diversity 2 At the conclusion of this section, you should be able to: discuss the significance of understanding cultural attitudes, practices and communication, and demonstrate examples of cultures through role-playing in the categories of “self and space,” “time and time consciousness,” “relationships,” and “communication and language.”

80% to 90% of a culture is reflected in non-verbal messages. Are there any universals of body language? Reading non-verbal signs At Home with Diversity 3

Observations of cultural variations Exercise: Comparing Cultures Refer to the tables on cultural comparisons in your book. Imagine that you are working with a buyer who is from a culture very different from your own. Discuss the situation and answer the following questions: Would differences in your culture affect your normal way of doing business? If so, what are the cultural attitudes or customs would you need to be aware of, or be prepared to modify? At Home with Diversity 4

Cultural summaries Asian homebuyers At Home with Diversity 5 Central and South American homebuyers

Exploring multicultural home-buying attitudes Some multicultural homebuyers come with different perspectives and points of reference about the home buying and selling process. Some of these ideas or preconceptions are based on the traditions and practices of their native countries and cultures. At Home with Diversity 6

7 Building communication skills

Business norms and etiquette At Home with Diversity 8 Beyond using proper business etiquette, it is important to project positive attitudes toward diversity, as well as to adjust to the other person’s need for high- or low-context communication.

Empathy exercise Use your non-dominant hand to perform the following tasks: Write this sentence: The sun is shining on the treetops. Write today’s date. Sign your name. Draw a tree. Turn to the person sitting next to you and show them your work. At Home with Diversity 9

Section 3: Summary In this section we: recalled cultural practices, attitudes, and communication, and Interpreted how cultures may vary; Discussed how cultural background can influence the homebuying process; Reviewed cross-cultural listening skills and business etiquette; and Gained empathy for how an immigrant might feel. At Home with Diversity 10