TABLE IV
Facilitators:
Stephen A. Bernhardt, Chair, Department of English, Kirkpatrick Chair in Writing, University of Delaware
Phyllis White-Thorne, Manager of Public Information, Consolidated Edison
Questions:
4) What challenges do we face in communicating within increasingly diverse classroom and business environments? How do we best navigate cultural or even generational differences in working to nurture effective speaking and writing across academic and business contexts?
5) How have electronic gadgets (mobile phones, Blackberries, iPhones, clickers, etc.) and the various means of communication they enable (text and instant messaging, voice mail, email, etc.) affected how we communicate (and miscommunicate) in both business and academia?
Over communicating:
Are we over-communicating? This is an added problem to miscommunication: there is too much.
Missed opportunities? As in not responding to invitations… Is miscommunication missed opportunity? This is a likely reality in today’s world.
There is also a problem of motivating behavior through e-mail. Many messages are ignored due to sheer volume of mail, and e-mail decorum can be a whole topic in itself.
Is there a digital/boomer generational split?
Stephen suggested that miscommunication may be less culturally-based than interpersonally based. So how can we bridge the distance between the business and social realms? How important is it when there will always be an ongoing evolution between cultures and generations, and the moment you get a convention it will be misunderstood by the following generation?
What about one-on-one communicators? Here is a place that cross-generational and cross-cultural communications should be able to work. It was pointed out that these tools aren’t really available in a one-on-one communication. Maybe reiterating the speaker’s points would help (i.e. “What I hear you saying is…”).
Diane mentioned the value of “high-value” questions: “Can you compare that to…” which encourage reflexive listening.
Missed Miscommunication:
What happens when we are unaware that a miscommunication has occurred? This is perhaps crucial to the whole concept of Miscommunication.
What are the consequences ? How can academia prepare students for the business world?
In order to get a reader’s attention in this age of digital gadgetry and overwhelming e-mail and voice mail volume, some resort to attention grabbing digital techniques to vie for a reader’s selective attentions. The techniques employed, whether using graphical or verbal attention grabbers, is communication evolving, and I think that human creativity (and intellect) can only gain from this exercise.
It is interesting to follow this “ongoing evolution between cultures and generations.” And I think that the misunderstanding of subsequent generations might be a simile to the speed of today’s technology. It is breathtaking to see the speed of technologincal innovation, and invigorating to see the evolution of human communication.
I suggest the UNESCO publication Planning for Cultural Diversity (UNESCO Educational Portal).The first challange we face is how to communicate, how to transform our communicative competence into competence of communicative peace.We must learn how to exercise our communicative rights and to fulfill our communicative responsabilities in a sensible balance way.