Core 4: Effective Listening Skills

Effective Listening

Definition

• Effective listening skills are the ability to actively understand information provided by the speaker, and display interest in the topic discussed. It can also include providing the speaker with feedback, such as the asking of pertinent questions; so the speaker knows the message is being understood.

• Active listening requires the listener to fully concentrate, understand, respond and then remember what is being said. You make a conscious effort to hear and understand the complete message being spoken, rather than just passively hearing the message of the speaker.

Open Ended Questions

The best way to ensure your effective listening grows into something more substantial and helps build client engagement is to ask the client questions. And not just any questions: open-ended

Open Vs Closed

• Closed questions are those which can be answered in a few words or less. They fish for facts, and are akin to multiple choice questions on a test.

• Open questions, on the other hand, solicit the other person’s thoughts, feelings, and/or interests and can be answered in ways that are more diverse and expansive. They’re more like essay questions, and the genius of them is that they’re accordion-like in nature: rather than putting people on the spot, open-ended questions allow them to reveal more or less about themselves, depending on their comfort level.

Closed Examples

• • Are you sure?

• •Do you know why? 

• •Who said that?

• •When did that happen?

•  •Where did you go?

• •Which restaurant?

Open-Ended Examples

• How did we come to this conclusion?

• Why do you feel that’s the only way out?

• In what way?

• What was it like to...

• What was the best part of...

• What was the hardest part about...

• How did you feel about...

• How did you know...

• What brought you to...

• What’s surprised you the most about...

• In what way is that similar/different from...

• Why do you want...

Open Vs Closed

• One closed question fired right after another can make a conversation feel more like a shallow, stilted interview.

• In contrast, open questions cause the responder to reflect and reveal a little more about themselves, which people generally enjoy doing. And because they demonstrate the asker’s curiosity and interest in the other person, the other person reciprocally becomes more interested in the asker. Plus, open-ended questions take the conversation deeper, which makes it a more satisfying experience for both parties.

How to Ask More Open Ended Questions

• It’s not that you should never ask closed questions. They’re sometimes necessary for soliciting specific information. And they’re typically how you begin a conversation in the first place: Where are you from? What do you do?

• It’s once the other person responds to your initial closed questions that you begin to ask more open ones that seek to clarify and expand on the things they tell you.

Cliché Questions

It’s okay to ask these kinds of “cliché” questions, but they almost always need to be coupled with a more open-ended follow-up:

• How was your weekend? What did you do?• How was your day? What was the best part?• How have you been? What’s been going well for you?

If the other person gives another abbreviated response, you can say something like, “What else? I really want to know.” People are used to going through the motions with folks, and are looking for permission to talk a little about themselves. But if they remain reticent, they may simply not want to chat, and you should respect that

Open and Honest Questions

DEFINITION An Open and Honest Question is one that you cannot anticipate the answer to, nor do you have an expectation for what the answer should be. For example: What was easy? What was difficult? What surprised you? What did you learn?

Open and Honest Questions

• It’s a practice that takes intention and discipline. Often questions are “little speeches” in disguise, or ways of spotting a weakness in the other person’s position and trying to change his/her mind, or nudges to move us toward a predetermined goal. The practice of asking open and honest questions helps inquiry and discernment that moves us beyond our normal patterns of communication. Honest, open questions are the ones that create space for exploratory conversations, generate new insights, forge new relationships between ideas and people, and reveal resources within and among us that can help us achieve a shared goal. They slow the pace of inquiry, allowing us to listen and understand while suspending disbelief or judgement, which can deepen the “relational trust” on which so much depends.

Being Attentive

How to Be Attentive

• Give the speaker your undivided attention, and acknowledge the message. Recognize that non-verbal communication is very powerful. In order to be attentive you’ll:

• Maintain eye-contact with the speaker

• Direct yourself towards the speaker

• Pay attention to what's being said

• Put aside distracting thoughts

  Mentally screen out distractions, like background activity and noise. In addition, try not to focus on the speaker's accent or speech mannerisms to the point where they become distractions. Finally, don't be distracted by your own thoughts, feelings, or biases.

3 Concepts a Peer Specialist Will be Listening for When Working With a Client

1. What a person believes about himself (self image). No matter what you may see in your client, what they see can be totally different. What they see is real to them even if that’s not what you see or hear.

2. What a person believes would make his life feel better (goals). Goals are very important to an individual. This is what motivates us to move forward and do better. Even if you don’t feel like that’s a goal they should have or will work for them its not your job to make their goals for them. We are powerless in that aspect and can only be there to help pick up the pieces if they may fall.

3. Why a person believes he cant have that life (barriers). Barriers are just as important as goals to identify. If there is a barrier preventing us from moving forward it is likely that the goal will never be obtained or maintained.

Inner Truth

In my experience, people say yes to too many things—we all do. Being a “Yes Man” or “Yes Woman” is something that is rewarded in our society—and yes, it is important to be a team player and share your gifts—but too often we don’t know where to draw the line, and we soon find that our own health and well-being has been compromised. Is this a challenge that you can relate to in your own life?

• The truth is: until you know what you really want to say yes to, you will continue to say yes to everything else.

Not knowing what you want can cause you to experience inner doubt, to be torn between contradictory goals, to get distracted and scattered, to feel compromised, to be exhausted, to get into unhealthy sacrifice.

How Do You Find Your Inner Truth?

Write it down

• Try it. Take a paper and pen, then begin recording the stream of thoughts that pass through your mind. Don’t attempt to edit your thoughts...just write. When the stream of thoughts is coming to an end, ask yourself, “How do I sum all this up?” Then, record the next thing that comes to mind.

• This final thought is a worth knowing. If it is positive, then you’ve just handed yourself a piece of inspiration. If it’s negative, then you now have a negative belief to address that may be getting in your way. Address it!

Complete the sentence

• Complete the following sentence with at least three answers that come to mind:

• What I most need to know about myself is....

• One of the answers will probably point in a productive direction in your growth as a person. If it’s positive, take inspiration. If it’s negative, find your humility and take on the challenge of dealing with it.

Ask for feedback

• There are people in your life that know you and care about you. When was the last time you asked one of them for personal feedback? Most of us never act proactively to learn from one of the best resources around – other people.

• Ask a trusted friend:

• What do you think is one of my finest qualities?

• What do you think I need to work on as a person?

• Ask sincerely. If you’re bold enough to inquire, you’ll learn more about who you are through the eyes of others.

Find your purpose

• It’s not as difficult as it might seem. Here’s one thing to try. Take out a sheet of paper and put at the top: My Purpose in Life, For Now, Is......

• Then, write! Keep writing until you hit on an idea that grabs you, emotionally. Yes, get past all the surface thoughts and you’ll soon come across an idea that sparks deeper emotions in you. Stop there. You may have just run across something valuable. Savor that thought. It could be your purpose at this time in your life.

Ground yourself and listen

• All of us have the inner wisdom we need – if we will listen. Again, it’s the negative voices inside that tend to drown out the deeper message. One good way to get past these voices is to ground yourself before turning your attention inward.

• Sit comfortably and listen to the background sounds in the room. Pick one mundane, consistent background noise – white noise. Just listen to it until you feel a slight settling within yourself.

• After you settle, then turn your attention inward and simply listen for any words of wisdom you need at this time.

• All it takes a little conscious effort. Yet, given the rewards, so few of us are willing to put in that effort.

• But you will, won’t you?

Inner Truth With Behavioral Health

• Belief that speaking your truth in a safe, accepting and healing environment is the first step on our journey forward.

10 Barriers to Effective Listening

• Excessive Talking on peer supporters behalf

• Prejudice

• Distractions

• Misunderstanding

• Interrupting

• Faking attention

• Noise

• Fear

3 Things a Peer Specialist Could Do that may Inhibit Effective Listening

1.  Interrupt with criticism. If you express disapproval with your client even if its something based on perceived faults or mistakes in general but especially while they are talking they are most likely going to shut down. This send a message that you don’t want to listen to them that you have already formed an opinion before hearing the whole story.

2. Interrupt with judgement may sound better then criticism but it most defiantly is not. It isn’t your job to give your client a conclusion before they are finished telling their story or even when they are finished. Being a peer supporter doesn’t mean we tell them what to do. We are someone for them to talk to and come up with their own conclusions through motivational interviewing and other techniques.

3.  Give advice. Although we may be able to relate because lets face it that’s why we decided to be peer supporters. Even though you may have a commonality or experienced something your client is describing that doesn’t warrant giving recommendations. Something we suggest the client could have already tried and not been successful which will likely damage your rapport with the individual. Keep the story on them and serve as more of a person to help talk a client through options they construct on their own instead of telling them what you suggest.

The Power of Negative Messages

Negative and Positive Messages

• Persuasive messages may appeal to logic or to emotions. Negative persuasive arguments illustrate the “bad things” that may happen if people do not follow a particular course of action or if they do the “wrong thing.” Positive persuasive messages, however, point out the good things that can happen if people follow a course of action or if they follow the “wrong path”.

Negative Emotional Appeals

• People use negative emotions -- fear, anxiety and disgust, for instance to craft negative persuasive messages. These arguments predict that something scary, disgusting or bad will happen if people don't follow a course of action or if they do the wrong thing. For example, anti-smoking messages are generally fear messages. The famous "this is your brain on drugs" advertisements played on the fear that a persons' brain would fry if that person took drugs. Ads calling cigarettes "Killaz" and ads showing teens with rotted out teeth and lesions on the body due to methamphetamine use also use fear to persuade. A photo of a mile-wide garbage island in the ocean promotes disgust, and can motivate people to recycle more to try to avoid polluting the oceans.

Negative Logical Messages

• Negative logical messages show that negative results will follow a certain action or inaction. For example, an argument may use statistics from the March of Dimes to show that mothers who drink alcohol during pregnancy are more likely to have miscarriages or premature delivery, and women who have five or more drinks per week are 70 percent more likely to have stillborn babies. This kind of logical argument pointing out dangers and problems is a negative persuasive message.

Positive Emotional Messages

• The same kinds of messages can use positive appeals. For example, a positive anti-smoking campaign would show kids doing well in school, looking healthy and happy and having lots of positive friends. A positive recycling message would talk about how many natural resources are saved by recycling, what a positive thing it is for business finances and how recycling saves habitats for endangered species. Positive appeals emphasize the good and appeal to the listener's desire for good, happy emotions.

Positive Logical Appeals

• Positive rational messages use facts, statistics and details, but instead of emphasizing the negative effects of not acting or acting negatively, they emphasize the positive effects of action. For example, a positive persuasive message on drinking during pregnancy would emphasize that those who choose not to drink have healthier babies who are three times more likely to have normal intelligence and twice as likely to be born healthy and alive.

Belief Systems

Personal Beliefs

• Having a belief system can offer a sense of comfort, purpose and connection to others. This is especially true during challenging times. Beliefs may affect the healing process and improve quality of life.

Where Do Beliefs Come From?

A belief can come from different sources, including:• a person’s own experiences or experiments• the acceptance of cultural and societal norms (e.g. religion) • what other people say (e.g. education or mentoring).

How to Change Limiting Beliefs

• The first step to changing limiting beliefs is to become aware of them. In addition to those you have already found, you will also begin to notice new ones whenever they show up in your life, as a result of learning that they exist. You may, for example, catch yourself arguing for your limitations or holding yourself back because of past failures. We can often remove weak beliefs by simply making the choice to do so as soon as we realize that they are limiting. However, stronger convictions may take a bit more convincing to get rid of permanently.

• A belief is nothing but an idea or opinion built up of reference experiences, so the way to change a limiting belief is to undermine those references by using contradicting references. The contradicting references in turn then build up a new empowering belief that replaces your limiting belief. Take your list of limiting beliefs and rewrite them, one at a time, into empowering beliefs that support you.

100 Praises to Negate 1 Criticism

The absence of negative messages is important in creating a positive self image then the presence of positive messages.

4 Ways for Developing Positive Self-Image

• Accept yourself. The most important step is to accept who you are right now. Avoiding this step will not let you develop a positive self-image because you will be resisting your reality and you will remain stuck. Learn to love yourself and accept your flaws. This is who you are right now and who do you think you are. And it does not have to remain the same.

• Make a list of the negative messages you received in the past. Just start with 4 or 5 ideas. Let say somebody told you that you are stupid. Write it down. Start questioning this statement. Is it true? Who told me this?. What were the circumstances I was going through?. Maybe you were doing something wrong at that time, and they called you stupid. This does not mean that you will remain forever stupid. It was the other person perception and expression of frustration.

4 Ways for Developing Positive Self-Image

• Find your strengths. It is important that you start to find the opposite on the list. Free yourself from the resentment and frustration that they called you that way. Find another situation when you found yourself doing something clever. Celebrate the event and start to see yourself as smart and clever. Another example. You were told that you were fat. Ok, maybe you are fat but this doesn’t mean that you will remain fat forever. Even if you can’t find a time that you were thin, find a time that you tried to become thin. Congratulate yourself because you tried. In this case, there are three possibilities: you were always fat and because you were told over and over or because of unresolved issues you create that image for you and accept it. The second possibility is that you were fat, you are now, and you are comfortable with it. Just try to question why?. The third one is you were fat. Let’s say during adolescence and because of that; you remain fat because you have accepted it as part of your self-image.

• Invest your time with people who compliment you and support you. Stay away from people that put you down and only criticize you.

Negative Messages communicated in the Behavioral Health System

• Staff doing things for client that they can do for themselves (enabling). Example: Canceling appointment with their therapist. .

• Condescending language. Having or showing a feeling of patronizing superiority. Remember you are not above your client. You have no power over what they can or cannot do. We are actually powerless

• Cookie Cutter Treatment Plans. Just because someone has the same diagnosis doesn’t mean their treatment plan should be the same. Individualized plans.

• Staff setting goals for client and not letting the client take control. Even if intentions are good the client has the power in developing goals. Just because you think something should be done doesn’t mean the client feels that way. If the client has goals they don’t believe in they more then likely wont complete them.

• Not permitting failure. People are not perfect and can fall back and forth on the recovery scale. Just because someone is doing amazing doesn’t mean they will be like that forever and it doesn’t mean you have failed or the client.

Empowering VS Enabling

• Empowering is being there or doing something for someone that they CANNOT do for themselves.

• Enabling is doing something for somebody that they COULD or SHOULD be doing for themselves.

Empowering

• A process that helps individuals gain control over their own lives and claiming their rights resulting in increasing a person’s confidence and personal strength.

• Encourages power in individuals to use in their own life by acting on their own behalf.

So.. How is Empowering Different?

• Lends assistance and support without taking responsibility for the person's recovery

• Supports building someone up and helping them regain a sense of control over their life

• Motivates and leads to self-confidence and autonomy.

Are you Empowering?

• Being positive?

• Challenging others?

• Goal oriented with balance?

• Being nonjudgmental?

• Identifying with them?

• Are you happy for them and praising them for their accomplishments?

Are you Enabling?

• Giving them money?

• Telling them what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear?

• Allowing someone to be under the influence in front of you without acknowledging

• Lying for them?

Trauma Informed Services

• Individual trauma results from an event, series of events, or set of circumstances experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful or life-threatening with lasting adverse effects on the individual’s functioning and mental, physical, social, emotional, or spiritual well-being.

trauma

• Many individuals experience trauma during their lifetimes. Although many people exposed to trauma demonstrate few or no lingering symptoms, those who have experienced repeated, chronic, or multiple traumas are more likely to exhibit pronounced symptoms and to experience consequences, including substance abuse, mental illness, and physical health problems.

• Individuals who have experienced trauma are at an elevated risk for substance use disorders, including abuse and dependence, mental disorders (e.g., depression and anxiety disorders, impairment in relational/ social and other major life areas, other distressing symptoms), and physical disorders and conditions, such as sleep disorders.

Trauma Informed Care

• Providing care in a trauma-informed manner promotes positive health outcomes. A trauma-informed approach is defined by SAMHSA as a program, organization, or system that realizes the widespread impact of trauma and understands potential paths for recovery; recognizes the signs and symptoms of trauma in clients, families, staff, and others involved with the system; and responds by fully integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices, and seeks to actively resist re-traumatization.

Re-traumatization

• This term not only refers to the effect of being exposed to multiple traumatic events, but also implies the process of reexperiencing traumatic stress as a result of a current situation that mirrors or replicates in some way the prior traumatic experiences e.g., specific smells or other sensory input; interactions with others; responses to one’s surroundings or interpersonal context, such as feeling emotionally or physically trapped

Powerlessness

• The concept of powerlessness can be troublesome and can drive people away from the help and support they need. For some who struggle with this concept, they may associate powerlessness with being weak or helpless while others may feel it brings forth a victim mentality.

• As human beings, it is within our nature to feel we have control over the people in our lives, as well as any situation or thing that crosses our path. People can rationalize their behavior or engage in substantial denial that a problem even exists. Rationalization, denial, and other defense mechanisms provide a smokescreen to obscure the truth that is in plain view.

Powerlessness in Behavioral Health

• Having lack of control in a clients life that you have developed a professional relationship with can be very hard. We can only hope a client finds recovery and stays in recovery but this isn’t always the case and we are powerless over the actions of others no matter how much we may work with a client.

RE-Victimization

Re-Victimization- The victimization of an adult who was victimized as a child

Re-victimization, defined as victimization occurring at different points in time, has been found repeatedly in college, community, and clinical samples.

Trauma and Mental Disorders

• Individuals in treatment for severe mental disorders are more likely to have histories of trauma, including childhood physical and sexual abuse, serious accidents, homelessness, involuntary psychiatric hospitalizations, drug overdoses, interpersonal violence, and other forms of violence.

• Many clients with severe mental disorders also meet criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

• Individuals with serious mental illness who have histories of trauma often present with other psychological symptoms or disorders commonly associated with trauma, including anxiety, mood disorders (e.g., major depression, dysthymia, bipolar disorders), and substance use disorders.

Trauma and Behavioral Health

• Rates of childhood and adult trauma are high among incarcerated persons. In addition to criminality, childhood trauma is associated with the risk for emotional disorders (e.g., depression and anxiety) and co-morbid conditions such as alcohol and drug abuse and antisocial behaviors in adulthood.

Possible Modes or Exposure to Trauma

• Direct physical, sexual or emotional abuse • Witnessing violence to others• War time experience• Neglect

• School Violence• Community Violence • Traumatic Loss• Natural Disaster

Ways Trauma Can Be Internalized

• Depression

• Anxiety

• Rumination and preoccupation with the trauma

• Explosions of anger

• Flashbacks of the traumatic incident

• Hyper-alertness and hyper-vigilance

• Withdrawn nature and avoidant of others

• Avoidant of situations which remind you of traumatic event.

• Being easily startled by loud bangs or sudden movements.

• Inability to get enjoyment out of things they used to – numbed out psychologically.

• Physical symptoms, like sweating, nausea, trembling or shaking, headaches, tenseness etc.

• Loss of appetite.

• Insomnia and nightmares

• Problems with thinking, concentration and general day to day functioning.

• Feelings of guilt or blame in some cases.

What's Wrong With You Verses what Happened to You

Our world is full of tension and divisiveness and we need to reach out to one another with a new approach. When we ask the question "what happened to you?" instead of "what's wrong with you," we dig deeper and begin to understand the why (history/reasons) behind the what (attitude/behavior) which breaks down barriers and builds bridges of understanding with one another. Changing the question will, no doubt, have a transformative effect

Restraint and Seclusion

• Restraint and seclusion are interventions of last resort used when other options have failed to maintain safety for the person experiencing distress, staff or others. Restraint and seclusion are not therapeutic interventions

Restraint and Seclusion Triggering Trauma

• There is much controversy regarding the use of restraints and seclusion. In 1994, Fisher reviewed the literature and concluded that restraint and seclusion were useful for preventing injury and reducing agitation and that it was impossible to run a program that dealt with seriously ill individuals without the use of these restrictive interventions. However, he did acknowledge that use of these interventions caused adverse physical and psychological effects on both staff and patients and pointed out that nonclinical factors, such as cultural biases, role perceptions, and attitude, are substantial contributors to the frequency of seclusion and restraint.

• A review by Mohr concluded that the use of restraints puts patients at risk for physical injury and death and can be traumatic even without physical injury

Compassion Fatigue 

• indifference to charitable appeals on behalf of those who are suffering, experienced as a result of the frequency or number of such appeals.

Vicarious Trauma

• also known as secondary trauma, can be described as indirect exposure to a traumatic event through first-hand account or narrative of that event. People in the helping professions—counselors and therapists, rescue workers, police officers, doctors, lawyers and peer supporters—may be at risk of vicarious traumatization. Any person who has a significant relationship with a survivor of trauma may also come to experience secondary traumatization.

What to do When Your Own Trauma is Triggered

• Seek Help for personal trauma issues. In order to best help someone else we need to make sure we are helping ourselves. Being proactive can make us aware of areas we aren’t ready to help with. Know your red flags.

• Self Care. Helping other tends to make us feel good. However if we focus on others and never focus on ourselves we are doing others and ourselves a disservice. When you are on a plane the flight attendant will tell you to put your oxygen on before helping others. This is the same concept.

• Work in teams. What triggers trauma in you may not in others. Having a team includes knowing each others strengths and weaknesses and where one person might not be able to help the other can step in.

• Recognize compassion fatigue as an occupational hazard. The condition is common among workers who work directly with victims of disasters, trauma, or illness, especially in the health care industry. If we are feeling apathy or indifference toward the suffering of others as the result of overexposure to tragic news stories and images and the subsequent appeals for assistance we can not give our best self at work and has the potential in harming our clients.

Cultural Awareness

Culture

• NOUN

• cultures (plural noun)

• the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively.

• "20th century popular culture"

• the customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular

  nation, people, or other social group.

• "Caribbean culture"

Diversity

• The concept of diversity encompasses acceptance and respect. It means understanding that each individual is unique,
and recognizing our individual differences. These can be along the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies. It is the exploration

of these differences in a safe, positive, and nurturing environment. It is about understanding each other and moving beyond
simple tolerance to embracing and celebrating the
rich dimensions of diversity contained within each individual.

Culture and Behavioral Health Services

• A person’s culture can have a significant impact on how they interact with behavioral healthcare systems and providers. Providers who are culturally competent are able to work effectively and sensitively with people from a variety of cultural backgrounds and situations. They remember that culture matters, and always have culture in mind as they interact with clients. They honor and respect the beliefs, values, behaviors, and needs of people and their families as they access behavioral health treatment services. They are also sensitive to the culture of others who are also providing behavioral healthcare services.

• When behavioral health services are not provided with cultural awareness and competence, there is the risk that clients will be negatively impacted by the services they receive. Studies have demonstrated that because of cultural insensitivity or incompetence, people of color may avoid seeking services though the established systems have trouble accessing the services they need, drop out of treatment, be misdiagnosed by providers, or only seek treatment when their illness is very advanced (Cultural Competence, 2014).

Becoming a Self Aware Peer Supporter

• The process of learning about our own culture can be interesting and enlightening. We can learn about our ancestors and their experiences and beliefs. We can also explore the culture we grew up in, and how that shaped our attitudes and beliefs about other people, groups, and the world around us (Clay, 2011).

Activity:

Some of our beliefs and biases about other people may be unconscious, until we explore and assess what we really believe. As we learn about ourselves, it can be helpful to ask ourselves these questions:

Questions

• Do I know the main characteristics of my own culture?

• Am I aware of words, connotations, or labels that negatively affect specific groups of people?

• Am I aware of my own biases and stereotypes?

• Am I aware of the different cultures of the people in my workplace?

• Am I curious about different cultures?

• Am I comfortable discussing culture and diversity?

• Do I take the time to learn about other cultures?

• Do I understand the role of culture in a counseling setting?

• Are there any groups or cultures I am uncomfortable working with?

Cultural Awareness

• Someone's cultural awareness is their understanding of the differences between themselves and people from other countries or other backgrounds, especially differences in attitudes and values.

Concepts that May Be Affected by Culture/ Diversit

• Conceptualization of need. What is important to one culture may not be important to another. Different cultures have different values.

• Assessment and Diagnosis. Accommodations may be needed when working with someone who has a disability or language barrier. Also age as well as a variety of other factors may come into play and should be considered when assessing and diagnosing.

• Expectations- A strong belief that something will happen or be the case in the future or a belief that someone will or should be achieving depends on culture and diversity and what they value in such.

• Adherence- commitment be cause of belief will be varied depending on culture and diversity factors.

• Willingness and Attitude of seeking help. Some cultures stigmatize seeking treatment or see mental health as not real or if you talk to someone you are weak. This is very true for Appalchia culture.

Cultural Awareness

• Someone's cultural awareness is their understanding of the differences between themselves and people from other countries or other backgrounds, especially differences in attitudes and values.

How to Accept and Respect Others Cultures

• Developing cultural self-awareness. What influenced your own cultural identity? What values and beliefs do you hold and why? Understanding your own cultural makeup is the first step to understanding that others hold different values and beliefs and believe in them as much as you believe in yours.

• Learn to appreciate and value diverse views. Do not judge views that differ from yours as wrong. Instead, just accept that they are different and even try to understand other points of view.

• Avoid imposing your own values. Once you are aware of cultural differences, you may find that the cultural norms of some groups make you uncomfortable. Again, it is important to resist the urge to judge. Instead, make a conscious effort to understand the other perspective.

How to Accept and Respect Others Cultures

• Resist stereotyping. Avoid all stereotypes whether "negative" or "positive." Statements such as "blondes are dumb" or "Asians are good at math" will never be true of all individuals within that population. Furthermore, there will always be individuals outside of that population who will also fit that statement. Stereotypes are therefore unreliable and untrue.

• Learn what you can. Reading about or talking to members of another culture or visiting a friend's cultural celebration is a great way to increase your knowledge and overall acceptance.

• Accept your own naïveté. Cultural responsiveness may require you to forgive your own mistakes and ignorance. Don't dwell on them. Instead, learn from them.

Cultural Awareness Appreciation

• Cultural Appreciation is when someone seeks to understand and learn about another culture in an effort to broaden their perspective and connect with others cross-culturally.

How to: Cultural Appreciation

• Examine your own culture. Through self-reflection, you will be better able to understand differences and determine what is important in cultures across the world. If you realize that a specific aspect of your own cultural background is central to your identity, and it would offend you if someone were to use it without understanding fully what it means, consider that people all over the world, in cultures other than your own, may feel exactly the same way.

• Think about: Would I be offended if someone wore an important religious symbol from my culture without understanding what it truly means?

• Listen first. One of the best ways to understand and appreciate another culture is by listening to those who are a part of the fabric of that society. Listen to their stories, understand the implications behind the aspects of their culture that you are interested in, and use that understanding to broaden your worldview.

• Think about: I recently purchased a beautiful piece of handmade jewelry. Did I listen to the artist who created the piece to learn more about his or her background, what their work means to them, and how it fits into the culture of that place? If not, I may be appropriating instead of appreciating.

• Consider context. What does a certain symbol mean to a particular culture? When and where is it appropriate to use it? Understanding what the various aspects of a culture are and what they mean are so important. If you truly have an interest in a person’s life, more than likely, they will be happy to share with you the things that matter to them.

• Think about: Did I just take a piece of someone’s culture to use for my own benefit, without knowing the significance behind it? Did I ask about the origins of the custom, item, or symbol? This is so important in understanding and appreciating a culture.

• Share your own culture. The most important part of cultural exchange – and what best distinguishes it from appropriation is that exchange is mutual. Through appreciation and exchange, you are able to share something about yourself, learn something about someone else, and partake in a mutual understanding of one another’s background and culture.

• Think about: Am I equally interested in sharing a piece of my own language, food, customs, and traditions? Chances are, this person is just as excited to learn about my culture as I am about theirs. What an incredible part of cultural exchange and appreciation!

Cultural Values

• The commonly held standards of what is acceptable or unacceptable, important or unimportant, right or wrong, workable or unworkable, etc., in a community or society.

Cultural Values

• A culture's values are its ideas about what is good, right, fair, and just.