Evaluating Intercultural Behavior (Blog Post #2)
Effective communication? When I learn 'effective' concept in my major, business, it is related fast or more output under same input. However, in communication aspect, effective seems not just related with fast. It seems more related with 'well understanding' of the other party's meaning what he/she tries to deliver.
Like the instruction said, it is being quite natural to work with people who is from other culture nowadays. Actually, as an exchange student here from Korea, I also am feeling somewhat 'new culture' in my Singapore life. It is my first time to being abroad, therefore I face many chances to see things at a new sight.
First of all, I want to say about team project meeting. Since all lectures I chose have team project, I have 5 different team. One of them consist of 4 western students, me and another Korean girl. Once we had a team meeting, it lasted 4 hours without not much progress. I and another Korean girl were really surprised, because that meeting was last meeting before our presentation, and we even couldn't finish our PPT file. They freely pass time with chat, they seem not that consider about our presentation. Under the same situation in Korea, people must feel anxiety, and people will set time limit about things what to do. That night, the situation was so different what I have seen, I and another Korean girl were shocked. I think it can be one of differences. I think it is good Western students make free environment when they have a meeting, however, they also need to organize the time limits.
In addition, here, while having time with some Western friends, I learn many things. Like learned in peer teaching, I can feel that Western friends tend to just care about what is said. In contrast, Eastern students, including Singaporean friends, seems consider more about other things such as posture, face, and so on. After feeling that Western friends are care more on words itself, I try to say clearly what I want to say.
So, I am having a good time to learn and feel how Western and Eastern people are different in doing something or thinking something. Clearly, there are some difference between them. Those differences are not bad things, but for more effective and clear understanding, I think learning about the other culture and saying about their own tendency to other party can be help.
