Let's start by defining culture itself.

Perhaps the first thought that comes to your mind is to think about culture as a nationality or a large group of people that share behaviors, customs, traditions and lifestyles. Their behaviors are influenced by core values/beliefs/attitudes. The members of a culture have been influenced by family, friends and others of influence in their lives.

Take these thoughts about culture and add this fact to it. Based on the 2010 census in our country, minority groups represent over 1/3 of the total US population. We live and work in a multicultural society made up of individual from diverse backgrounds who think in different ways. It influences what we encounter in the workplace, our communities and even our families.

Some important terms to consider:

Multicultural: many cultures represented living/working alongside one another

Cross-cultural: intentional outreach to establish connections between cultures

Intercultural: mutual respect, understanding, engagement and interaction among and between cultures

What have you encountered and how do you engage in your workplace and community with regard to culture? How does this influence the way that you communicate with others from a different culture?

In this discussion post, you are free to develop any topic idea that grabbed your attention. You may agree/disagree or you may propose further thought on the topic. Your response should:

• be 200-300 words (longer is not always better!)
• have a subject line directing reader to main idea of post
• include the speaker's name or video title if a video, article title if an article/book excerpt, or internet site
• be organized in your thoughts and ideas
• make your writing a contribution to the thinking of others
• use appropriate writing style that enhances readability
• use correct grammar, spelling, punctuation and capitalization
• separate paragraphs with a blank line
• edit your work before you post!