Essay 1
Introduction Interpersonal communication was quite a challenge after I moved to the U.S. I lived in Zambia (a small country in southern Africa) from birth till I had to move away for further education. I faced a few difficulties moving to America and experience extreme culture shock.
According to Joseph DeVito’s called The Interpersonal Communication Book, culture shock is defined as the “psychological reaction you experience when you’re in a culture different from your own.” I went through all the culture shock phases and spent a lot of time lingering in the ‘Crisis’ and ‘Recovery’ stage but eventually did adjust myself to my surroundings. Zambia is a more collectivist community that thought me the importance of being part of a group, future rewards and of being academically prepared. This was my mindset when I set foot upon American soil
My communication style influenced my relationships with people differently. Some people responded to my friendly attitude very positively while many others thought I came across as being too personal and overly-friendly. This made it challenging for me to initially make friends and I eventually turned to starting up a club on campus as a way to help me with my dilemma. I helped to start a club for international students at the University of California in Davis. The club benefited be greatly because not only was I around other individuals who were ‘on the same boat’ as myself but I also learned ways to deal with my culture shock from them.
Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses even as communicators. My communication strengths and weaknesses are mostly because of how I was brought up; as a collectivist. I tend to excel at group tasks and team projects than at individual work. This is because I am very easy to talk to and believe more minds are better than one. My first impressions also usually hit a home-run because I understand how important it is to leave a positive attitude with someone you meet for the first. I usually
According to Joseph DeVito’s called The Interpersonal Communication Book, culture shock is defined as the “psychological reaction you experience when you’re in a culture different from your own.” I went through all the culture shock phases and spent a lot of time lingering in the ‘Crisis’ and ‘Recovery’ stage but eventually did adjust myself to my surroundings. Zambia is a more collectivist community that thought me the importance of being part of a group, future rewards and of being academically prepared. This was my mindset when I set foot upon American soil
My communication style influenced my relationships with people differently. Some people responded to my friendly attitude very positively while many others thought I came across as being too personal and overly-friendly. This made it challenging for me to initially make friends and I eventually turned to starting up a club on campus as a way to help me with my dilemma. I helped to start a club for international students at the University of California in Davis. The club benefited be greatly because not only was I around other individuals who were ‘on the same boat’ as myself but I also learned ways to deal with my culture shock from them.
Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses even as communicators. My communication strengths and weaknesses are mostly because of how I was brought up; as a collectivist. I tend to excel at group tasks and team projects than at individual work. This is because I am very easy to talk to and believe more minds are better than one. My first impressions also usually hit a home-run because I understand how important it is to leave a positive attitude with someone you meet for the first. I usually