The Advantages of Having Good Communication Skill
Communications Reflective Essay
Communication is undoubtedly one of the most important skills to hone. Being able to communicate effectively and clearly in your own environment and comfort zone may seem challenging enough, but it increases exponentially in a different culture.
Globalization is unavoidable in this day and age, and therefore being able to communicate in the face of cultural diversity is more important than ever.
There are two parts of communication that hold true no matter what culture you are in. Verbal and nonverbal communication exists regardless of the surrounding environment. Last summer I studied abroad in Valencia, Spain. Obviously the verbal communication was completely different due to the language barrier, but the most difficult part was understanding and using the appropriate colloquialisms and metaphoric phrases. “You’re the bomb” and “Chill out” when directly translated do not take on the same meaning as they do here. It was interesting learning the different phrases and the locals found it funny when we told them they were explosives or to cool off in a refrigerator as they understood it.
The most challenging difference of communication in Spain was the nonverbal aspect. To best explain, Americans typically speak at an arms length distance. The
Spaniards, however, have a completely different concept of personal space. If you were to hold out your arm and touch the person’s shoulder in front of you that you are speaking to, you would be at an appropriate distance away from he or she in our culture.
Now if you both fold your arms at the elbow and take a step closer to where your elbows are touching, you are at an appropriate distance in the Spanish culture. I found that very difficult to get used to. It was as if our noses were touching. Personal space was just one of many of the nonverbal aspects of communication that was different in this culture but it is by the far the one I remember most.
Communication is undoubtedly one of the most important skills to hone. Being able to communicate effectively and clearly in your own environment and comfort zone may seem challenging enough, but it increases exponentially in a different culture.
Globalization is unavoidable in this day and age, and therefore being able to communicate in the face of cultural diversity is more important than ever.
There are two parts of communication that hold true no matter what culture you are in. Verbal and nonverbal communication exists regardless of the surrounding environment. Last summer I studied abroad in Valencia, Spain. Obviously the verbal communication was completely different due to the language barrier, but the most difficult part was understanding and using the appropriate colloquialisms and metaphoric phrases. “You’re the bomb” and “Chill out” when directly translated do not take on the same meaning as they do here. It was interesting learning the different phrases and the locals found it funny when we told them they were explosives or to cool off in a refrigerator as they understood it.
The most challenging difference of communication in Spain was the nonverbal aspect. To best explain, Americans typically speak at an arms length distance. The
Spaniards, however, have a completely different concept of personal space. If you were to hold out your arm and touch the person’s shoulder in front of you that you are speaking to, you would be at an appropriate distance away from he or she in our culture.
Now if you both fold your arms at the elbow and take a step closer to where your elbows are touching, you are at an appropriate distance in the Spanish culture. I found that very difficult to get used to. It was as if our noses were touching. Personal space was just one of many of the nonverbal aspects of communication that was different in this culture but it is by the far the one I remember most.