Week 6: Culture, Context, Power & Inclusion
Cultural Communication Inventory
Instructions
This activity helps you explore your own cultural communication style and develop awareness of power dynamics and inclusive practices. Take 20-25 minutes to reflect thoughtfully on each prompt.
1Practice Prompt
Reflect on your own cultural background. Would you describe your communication style as more high-context or low-context? More individualist or collectivist? Give specific examples of how these orientations show up in your daily communication.
Consider how you learned to communicate in your family, community, and other groups you belong to.
2Practice Prompt
Think about a relationship where there is a power imbalance (work, school, family, etc.). What are the sources of power in that relationship? How does the power dynamic affect communication patterns between you?
Power can flow from many sources - position, expertise, information, relationships, or personal characteristics.
3Practice Prompt
Identify three phrases or terms you commonly use that could be replaced with more inclusive alternatives. What would you say instead, and why would the alternatives be more inclusive?
Think about gendered language, ability-related terms, or phrases that make assumptions about others.
4Practice Prompt
Describe a time when you experienced a cross-cultural communication challenge or misunderstanding. What cultural differences were at play? What did you learn from the experience, and what would you do differently now?
This could involve national culture, regional differences, generational differences, or professional cultures.