1-Is your self-esteem high, normal, or low? Why do you believe it’s at this level?

2-How do we deal with stereotypes? One of the suggestions in the text for dealing with many communication barriers is being other-oriented. You can be more other-oriented by doing two things: 1) social decentering, and 2) empathy.

Social decentering is consciously thinking about the other person’s point of view. You consider their background, values, and perspectives. Think about their cultural background. How is it different than your own? An example of this is eye contact. In this country, we like to look each other in the eye. We keep a personal space of 1.5 to 4 feet. We don’t like to be too close. We shake hands when we meet. That is what is appropriate in the culture of the US. Think about going to Japan and going up and grabbing someone’s hand, looking them straight in the eye and saying hi. How is that going to be taken? Will it have the same meaning to a native Japanese man or woman as it does to an American? What about in the Middle East? They like to get close enough to smell the other person’s breathe. What happens if you keep backing away from a person for that culture? Will they be able to trust you?

Empathy is about feelings. What is the other person feeling? What would it feel like to walk a mile in his or her shoes? While we cannot ever truly be in the other person’s place without having the same background and experience, we can imagine how they might feel. We may have similar experiences to draw on. 

I have had times when I was very frustrated with my husband. He has some of the strangest ideas, but when we really talk about things, I try to understand from his point of view. I try to figure out how I would feel given his situation. When I really do that then the frustration usually drains away. It is hard to be mad at someone when you are looking at the world from his perspective. 

I have another clip of Dr Steve Robbins talking about diversity and inclusion. I thought it might interest you. Take a look and tell me what you think. 

http://youtu.be/MDLtVoXNqK8

3-Perception is one of my favorite areas in communication. I have a unit in my face-to-face classes on the limits of perception. I have an article that I have them read and then I go over some of the aspects. I use this thread to do a similar thing for my online classes.

Class – what do you know about the physical limits of perception? I will be posting different aspects to this thread. I want you to start thinking about what perception means to you. Please share your thoughts with the class.

4-Are there any interpersonal perception barriers that may affect the way you perceive yourself or the way others perceive you? If so, explain their effects