Module 3 for June 22nd

Module 3 is important knowledge that we need because it deals with communicating across cultures.  When communicating, we have to consider the diversity that exists in the workplace.  There are also two different kinds of cultures.  High-context cultures use the context of a message, nothing is spelled-out.  Low-context cultures is when context is less important and most all information is spelled-out.  In the workplace there is a mixture of national culture, organizational culture, and personal culture.  There are many aspects of culture that affect business communication.  These include our values, beliefs, and practices, our nonverbal communication, our body language, our space, our time, our oral communication, and our writing abilities to international audiences.  Personal space can affect the way we communicate in business.  This can create distance between the you and the audience.  Also, monochronic cultures believe that time is a resource, and polychronic cultures emphasize relationships.  Also, when we write to international audiences in the United States we tend to be less formal.  Other countires are usually more formal than the U.S.  The most important point when writing to different cultures, is you have to be open to new ideas!  You need to be culturally aware, and sensitive to other peoples values.  Not only is culture affecting the workplace, but generations are.  To inhance your communication, you need to read often and be as thourough as possible when writing and editing.  Also, most importantly, you need to write bias-free!  You want to make language nonsexist, nonracist, nonagist, and don't discriminate against people with disabilities and diseases.  Also, choose bias-free photos and illustrations.  There are great examples on pages 53-57!