This week tackles culture shock, intercultural adaptation, microcultures, stereotyping, ethnocentrism, the role of media messaging, and diversity programs. Learning about these concepts enables you to create strategies in the workplace and beyond that foster kinder, more thoughtful, and ultimately more productive communication.

Reflect on a relationship you have with someone from another culture, which may include a friend, a colleague, or just an acquaintance that you may routinely encounter (someone who works at an establishment you frequent, for example, a convenience store, restaurant, coffee shop, auto shop, mail carrier, etc.), or works next door to your place of work, a friend of your parents, siblings, etc.

With the above concepts in mind, respond to the following questions.

• Share the culture the person belongs to.
• Explain what you feel belonging to that culture/microculture means in terms of how others may treat persons belonging to that culture/microculture. Is that fairly typical of what you've seen personally, in the media, or read about?
• Explain assumptions/stereotypes others have made about that certain cultural group.
• Explain where you think these assumptions that people make come from.
• Identify what you feel is the best way to counter the assumptions. Explain why you feel stereotypes are so hard for people to overcome when thinking about others.