Cultural Awareness and Diversity
Our cultural values guide every part of our day—how we dress, how we act, how we communicate, and how we react. Many people are unaware of just how strongly their culture influences:
- Beliefs and values
- Reactions to situations
- Decision-making
- Verbal and nonverbal communication and expectations
- Notions of time.
Becoming aware of your own cultural values is an important aspect of being able to optimize diversity. You need to understand why people have cultural differences.
Your cultural values stem from the groups with which you most identify. While you may have learned these values from your parents, not all cultural values are formed in childhood. Some values are formed by exposure to other aspects of culture.
Who did you interact with today? Who did you talk to, socialize with, and work alongside?
The more diverse your associations, the more developed your cultural values and understanding will be.