BUSM4688 - Cross-Cultural Communication Weakness and Action Plan

This project is a self-assessment and development plan focused on improving cross-cultural communication skills. The student identifies communication as a weakness, particularly in multicultural group settings due to English proficiency and confidence. The assignment provides background information and specific evidence of the weakness based on the student's experiences, including a second assessment in a multicultural group. The student uses Adler's communication model as a framework and creates an action plan with specific goals, activities, and timelines to improve confidence, teamwork skills, and communication. The plan includes attending seminars, reading newspapers, communicating with teammates, and participating in team activities. The student aims to improve communication in the environment by focusing on building thoughts first and then transmitting them through various forms of communication. The project includes a detailed timeframe for each goal and incorporates feedback from the tutor as a measurement tool. The student also references several scholarly sources to support their analysis and action plan.

Running Head: CROSS CULTURE COMMUNICATION 0
CROSS CULTURE
COMMUNICATION
System04121
10/10/2019

CROSS CULTURE COMMUNICATION 1
The main area of my weakness is communication, I have problems when it comes to
communicating in a multicultural group, English is not my first language and that is one of
the main reason because of which I hesitate while communicating among diverse people.
The issue related to this is, my low confidence as well because I am not able to express
myself in a multicultural environment. although I am a person who feels excited when it
comes to working in a team or a group as it allows me to learn about different cultures and at
the same time seeing how an issue or problem can be tackled by different and unique
solutions. But dues to my above-mentioned weaknesses I cannot work in a multicultural
environment (Shockley-Zalabak, 2014)
This thing was proven clearly during my second assessment in the course where I was placed
in a multicultural group, in which I had to work with my team to prepare a report and a
presentation. During this course activity I mostly stayed quiet in the meeting because of my
poor English, also I never spoke up even when I was asked to because due to my low
confidence I always believed that my response or idea would be rejected. However as time is
passing, I have started encouraging myself to speak more and I am now able to express
myself more in the group in spite of my poor communication and poor self-confidence. I
believe that communication is something that is in of the most important factor in a
multicultural environment, now I focus and try more to communicate in an effective
manner(Griffin, 2012).
To report my weaknesses, grounded on my personal assessment, suggestions, and reactions
from my friends, I need to advance a lot in sharing my ideas and expressing myself. I take a
lot of time in expressing my thoughts also choosing the right word is a difficult task for me.
Sometimes while communicating in a multicultural environment, the people around me do

CROSS CULTURE COMMUNICATION 2
not understand my slang terms and expressions, A lot of times even though I try to speak
about the problems or the topic of the conversation, I fall behindhand when it comes to signs
or talking in English. I have also been in a situation where I had to do a presentation in front
of various people and I feel nervous about doing do(Giles, 2016). I feel my weakness largely
because of my different cultural backgrounds. I have to focus more on building my language
and the vocabulary so that I will be able to become a better communicator (West, and Turner,
2018).
Some of the main causes of my bad communication skills in English are, one of the main
issues is linked to my school, I paid less attention to English, I never studied English with
focus. The next was during my school time I never took up the opportunity of practicing
speaking and this is also the main cause because of which I was to able to learn as to how to
communicate in English. Some of my other personal factors were also the cause of lack of
communication I was a very shy person who had anxiety during public speaking and this is
one of those things which restricts me to share my views among my team members. Due to
all of the above reasons, I felt de-motivated and I never tried to improve my weakness and
eventually, I started losing my confidence (Miller, Crandall, Washington and McLaughlin,
2012).
In order to remove the weakness of communication, I have decided to use the model of
Adler’s communication under which it is explained that in order communicate with other
people one has to create a mental image or thought that he/she wants to communicate with
the people around, According to the model further in order to transfer that image I will
translate those images or thoughts into symbols that my teammates (Receivers) can
understand (Yi, 2016). According to the model this procedure of interpreting images or
thoughts into the symbols is known as encoding, At last after encoding I will try to
communicate the image or idea that I created to all of my teammates (Receiver) according to

CROSS CULTURE COMMUNICATION 3
the model there are various ways to communicate some of them are face-to-face verbal
interaction, through printed materials over the telephone, (letters, newspapers, etc.), or
through visual media (television, photographs). Verbal, written, and visual media are the
three kinds of instances of conceivable communication channels that can be used in order to
convey and transmit the messages among the receivers and the sender, that is me and my
team. Some of the other channels program ways also include the gestures, the touch,
clothing, and physical distances among the receiver and sender (Sacks, Russell, and
Maggard-Gibbons, et al, 2015). Thus with the help of this model, I would work on my
weakness that is communicating in a multicultural environment due to my lack of
communication skills in English.
GOA
L
Weaknesses ACTIVITY TIMEFRAM
E
MEASUREMEN
T
Goal
# 1
Confidence  Will attend
Seminars related
to self-
development
 Will Read the
newspaper daily
to enhance my
knowledge
Week 1-4  SWOT
Analysis
 Feedback
from tutor
Goal
# 2
Team
working skills
 Communicate
with my
teammates and
will have a
regular
discussion in
order to know
Week 4-8  Feedback
from tutor
 Adler’s
communica
tion model

CROSS CULTURE COMMUNICATION 4
them better
 Will attend a
training session
for learning
teamwork skills
Goal
# 3
communicatio
n
 Continuous
conversations
with the
teammates
 Contributing in
every team
activity
 Communication
playoffs
Week 8-12  Feedback
from tutor
Goal
# 4
Putting out
my opinion
and
respecting the
diverse
opinions
 Understanding
and listening to
others
 By building my
thoughts first
and then
transmitting
those through
various forms of
communication
Week 12-14  Feedback
from tutor
 Adler’s
communica
tion model
 By getting the knowledge of Adler’s communication model, I was able to build the
above Action plan in week 1-4 I will focus on improving my confidence and I will do
that by attending the Seminars related to self-development and by reading the
newspapers on a daily basis in order to enhance my knowledge, I will measure it by
doing a SWOT analysis of myself and by the help of tutors feedback.
 Moving ahead my second goal is to build my team working skills by Communicating
with my teammates and by having regular discussion in order to know the teammates
better and apart from that I Will attend training session for learning teamwork skills

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I will do this during Week 4-8 and I will measure this by getting a Feedback from
tutor and by the use of Adler’s communication model
 Further my goal 3rd and 4th is to build communication skills and keeping my thoughts
out inform of the teammates will do this by Continuous conversations with the
teammates, by Contributing in every team activity, by playing games to build
communication for example Communication playoffs and will also try to
Understanding and listen others and at last I will be building my thoughts first and
then transmitting those through various forms of communication for sharing my ideas
with the team, I will do this in week 8-12 and 12-14 and I will measure this by taking
the feedback from the students

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References
Giles, H., 2016. Communication accommodation theory. The International Encyclopedia of
Communication Theory and Philosophy, pp.1-7.
Griffin, E. A. 2012. A first look at communication theory/Em Griffin. New York: McGraw-
Hill,
Miller, D., Crandall, C., Washington III, C. and McLaughlin, S., 2012. Improving teamwork
and communication in trauma care through in situ simulations. Academic Emergency
Medicine, 19(5), pp.608-612.
Sacks, G.D., Shannon, E.M., Dawes, A.J., Rollo, J.C., Nguyen, D.K., Russell, M.M., Ko,
C.Y. and Maggard-Gibbons, M.A., 2015. Teamwork, communication and safety climate: a
systematic review of interventions to improve surgical culture. BMJ Qual Saf, 24(7), pp.458-
467.
Shockley-Zalabak, P., 2014. Fundamentals of organizational communication. Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Pearson.
West, R., and Turner, L. H. 2018. Introducing Communication Theory: Analysis And
Appliaction. London: McGraw-Hill Education,.
Yi, Y.J., 2016. Effects of team‐building on communication and teamwork among nursing
students. International nursing review, 63(1), pp.33-40.