Intercultural communications

I found the article, “Ten Commandments of Intercultural Communication,” to be very interesting and helpful. It definitely applies to the job and career that I have chosen with the Coast Guard. My current position is doing security boardings on foreign vessels that want to come into the Port of New Orleans. This can be a little intimidating for the crew of the vessel that we are boarding. Our teams are fully decked out with Law Enforcement gear, including a firearm. This alone makes for a stressful situation, then add to it that many of the crew do not speak English.

I have learned that on these kinds of boardings it is key to speak slowly for them to try and get what you are saying and listen as carefully as I can. We train our teams to understand that just because they do not speak English does not mean that they are not smart; don’t talk to them like they are stupid, because anyone can pick up on that.

Sometimes when we do boardings I have to make sure that I am not the one doing the talking. Many of these vessels come from countries where women are second rate citizens. They don’t care that I am armed or that I can prevent their vessel from entering our waters, they just don’t want anything to do with me. To make sure that I do create an unnecessary situation I can simply let my male counterpart do the talking.

It is really important to realize that people come from different backgrounds. Understanding their culture as much as possible can create a friendlier situation than if you just expect them to conform to our culture. Respect them and hopefully in return they will cooperate and respect you as well.

Conflict Resolution

Based on the scenario given there are several different ways that a manager could approach this employee. The first step that I would have to take is to make sure that I am not approaching this employee with any kind of bias. When approaching them I want to make sure that we are not talking about these issues in front of the office or other people. I would take him into a separate conference room, if possible, to make him more comfortable. This would create a neutral ground for the two of us to communicate.

Then I would ask him if he is under any stress. I would want to know if something has happened personally that may be causing his work to slip the way it has, and causing him to be so hostile in the work place. If this employee is experiencing significant life changes, maybe they simply need an outlet to help them through it and in turn improve their work behavior. If they aren’t under outside stress then other steps have to be taken in order to change this behavior.

I have learned that sometimes people act out because they are upset about something simple that can be fixed. I would ask this employee if something has happened at work that he is upset about. Let’s see if we can fix the situation so that everyone can be happy. In listening to what he may have to say I learn what other problems may need to be dealt with, and exactly how to explain to him that his work behavior is not acceptable.

I would bring to his attention our company policy and remind him that he acknowledged the standards the company expects out of its employees. I would bring to his attention the complaints that we have received from customers and that he is creating a hostile work environment. Making him aware of his actions is important, because sometimes people do not realize the effect they have on others. He simply could be in a “slump” and not realize that he is acting as poorly as he is. I would then write up a memo stating the issues we are having and have him sign it as an acknowledgement of the counseling that we have had. If the behavior persists then we would have no choice to let him go.

Media Technologies

PRINTING PRESS

            The printing press was one of the first media technologies that changed our society. The Gutenberg printing press was developed in the mid 14oo’s (“Printing Press”). This invention changed the world forever. In the mid 1400’s mainly the wealthy owned books and many of them simply owned books as a status symbol. Politicians and religious leaders were able to control the public through their lack of education and lack of knowledge. The development of the printing press changed all of that. One effect of the printing press is that it could spread information accurately and quickly (Butler). Since books, pamphlets, and other written materials didn’t have to be hand copied books became cheaper and more accessible to the masses. The literacy rates and general education level of the masses greatly improved.

            Education was not the only thing to spread and improve. The Church found the invention of the printing press to be highly useful as well. Bibles could now be printed and passed out to local churches (“Printing Press”). Now priests had bibles to supply to their parishioners that may not be able to make it to church every Sunday.

            According to some, the printing press was the most important invention until the computer. The printing press was even more influential than radio and television. The printing press changed the world in such a way that it is even protected in our Constitution.  

Butler, C. (n.d.). The invention of the printing press and its effects. Retrieved from http://www.flowofhistory.com/category/export/html/219

Printing Press. New world encyclopedia. Retrieved June 20, 2011, from http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Printing_press

RADIO

            The radio is another type of media technology that drastically changed our world. In the beginning not many people expected too much from the development of the radio. Not many people could believe that “invisible” signals could actually transfer information over open air. The sinking of the Titanic changed the way radio would be used and developed (Gugliotta, 2007). The Titanic was able to send out a radio message using Morse code that they were taking on water and needed help; because of this message 711 lives were saved (Gugliotta, 2007). Now it is mandatory for vessels to not only have an emergency radio, but they must also have a secondary radio in case the first one malfunctions.

            Radio was also important to the military. After World War I the military starting looking at radio and its development. The government realized how useful radio could be for communications but for weapon technology as well (Gugliotta, 2007). This helped to lead to the development of radar. Radio and radar are important in military operations and keeping our soldiers and sailors safe.

            Radio transponders allow for radio waves to communicate between a receiver and an electronic tag (“Radio transponder system”). This allows for things like toll tags, GPS systems, and tracking devices. Many people have systems in their vehicles that allow for a monitoring company to let them know where their vehicle is if it is ever stolen. A more recent use for this type of technology is in child safety. A tag is place on the laces of a child’s shoe and they can be tracked if they ever go missing.

            The radio went from allowing us to listen to any kind of music we want, to helping to keep children safe. Who knows what other uses will be spurred from the development of the radio.

Radio transponder system. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.vissim.no/brochures/RTS3000.pdf

Gugliotta, G. (2007, May 31). How radio changed everything. Discover, Retrieved from http://discovermagazine.com/2007/jun/tireless-wireless

TELEVISION

            Television as a media technology is something we take for granted. My generation and newer generations take it for granted that television has always been part of our lives. Television is used in all aspects of our lives from school to our jobs. We use television and videos for training purposes and entertainment.

            Most people now seem to focus on how television is bad and people spend too much time sitting in front of the TV not doing anything constructive. There was a time though that television provided a much need moral boost to our nation. During World War II televisions were provided to hospitals for wounded soldiers (“Television during World War II”). This was a way to help the soldiers escape a war that was so very ugly.

            Television even helped to change our Presidential history. During the Nixon and Kennedy election race, television was used to publicize their debate. Many people believed that the way Nixon looked changed if people were going to vote for him. He seemed to appear sweaty and shifty. His appearance on television worked against him and he lost the election. Now we expect our candidates to appear on television and to have good public speaking skills.

            Television is so common that almost every single household in the United States has at least one or two.  It started with just three channels and now you can get thousands of channels. Television allows us to explore the world without ever having to leave our homes.

Television during World War II. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.earlytelevision.org/ww2_history.html

INTERNET

            Internet is another media technology that has changed our society. We do everything on the internet. I even go to college on the internet. It affords me the opportunity to finish my education in a world where I not otherwise am able to manage to. Education is just one way that the internet has changed the world. Not just attending colleges that are half way across the country, but the information that is available is limitless. The internet even allows for people to have access to books, newspapers, and magazines that they may not be able to locally receive. We can simply log on and find it on the “Web.”

            Someone in the United States can talk with someone in China. People from all cultures now have unlimited access to other cultures. This knowledge and interaction helps with understanding people and the development of better communications. The internet allows us to expand our worlds in ways we could have never imagined before. The internet allows soldiers to see their families while they are deployed. This is something that gives them joy and helps to keep their morale high.

            With all of the media technologies that we have now, one can only wonder what will come next!

06/11/2011 New Dynamics

Getting married is not as easy as I thought it would be. My future husbnand and I just moved in together and are getting used to each other's corks. I am a very type A personality, and Jon is the opposite. We tend to keep each other grounded and blance the realtionship. There are still the times when we just clash. It seems small, but we actually got into a disagreement over where and how we wanted to hang up our awards and promotion letters! We wanted to display them together but had very different ideas how how we thought they should flow together. Makes me laugh that it became so stressful over something so simple. Of course, in the big scheme of things the pictures don't really matter. Everyday I learn more things about Jon and I love him more and more. The dynamics of my life are changing and as scary as it is for me I am excited. For all those who have gone through this process of moving in with someone and learning how to compromise on the day to day things, please post your stories too. Let me know that this is normal and how you dealt with it.

06/09/2011 And Here We Go!

So, this is the first time that I have ever blogged! I hope that my posts and information are interesting enough to keep you guys interested. I will be working on my site consitantly in order to make it interesting and as interactive as it can be. I look forward to your comments and visiting more blogs so that I can get some tips!