1.3 Explain How Social, Professional and Cultural Contexts May Affect Relationships and the Way People Communicate

1.3 How different social, professional and cultural context may affect relationships and the way people communicate.

• Social – When in a social environment you are more than likely around people who know your personality and how you communicate, if that is with jokey sarcasm, dramatic actions, being load, quietly thoughtful or any other way in which you may use your communicational skills. Because of the friendship you will have with these people and the want they feel to spend social time with you, they will understand your ways, accept them, and that is how you are able to be yourself in a comfortable relaxed atmosphere.
• Professional – Meetings, talking with other parents/members of staff/students/outside agencies. All require professionalism; the way in which you conduct yourself should be with a friendly, but not formal attitude. Respect, listening, interest and understanding should be shown by you in body language, questions, answers and possible solutions. In some of these meetings important issues can irises and it is important that no matter what the subject is you take a high interest at getting any issues dealt with, but always keeping the situation calm and none threatening. Sarcasm, inappropriate jokes and other behaviours should be left to use in your social time; this is not the place for informal attitudes, a professional stance is required, with a level amount of understanding and respect.
• Cultural – If a meeting has been arranged with people of a different culture if possible a little research into acceptable communicational behaviour would help, but being careful not to assume a stereotype attitude. If there is going to be a language barrier, provisions should be made. In some cultures they have very different ideas on what is offensive and polite. For example shaking hands to me is a polite way to say hello and introducing yourself, but there are cultures that find this rude, along with eye contact, (which is a big way to show you are listening in our culture) also the way in which you may be dressed could cause affence.
When any of these skills in which you should conduct yourself in are crossed, this could leave the other member in your party feeling offended, unable to have the confidence to express what they are feeling and lose the trust to be able to come to you with a problem again.