Cultural Communications Paper - Final Draft PDF

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Cultural Communication Practices Paper Final Draft

Sophie Kroeker College of Fine Arts and Production, Grand Canyon University COM-263: Elements of Intercultural Communication Dr. Rebecca Mullane August 1, 2021

2 Cultural Communication Practices Paper Final Draft Culture refers to a group of peoples’ qualities and expertise. Culture is made up of the beliefs that society has, along with the values that have been passed down from generation to generation. Culture includes communication styles, music taste, language, etiquette, meals, as well as art styles. The world is diverse due to the large variety of cultures that are present today, as well as the lasting effects from past cultures throughout human history. The main idea of this paper is to focus on the culture of Poland and what kind of communication patterns they use along with how it is different or similar to the communication patterns we use in the United States, what kind of values and/ or beliefs they have as a cohesive society, as well as the impact of mass media on their country and how it affects intercultural communication. Cultural identity is self-identification, a sense of belonging to a group that reaffirms itself. It is the degree to which one is a behavioral, linguistic, phycological, and sociological representation of a specific culture (Communication & Communication, 2014). Cultural identity is constantly evolving throughout the years, and it can change quickly based on social context. People from different cultures communicate in their own ways, whether that be non-verbal or verbal communication, it is all uniquely based on the culture itself. The population of Poland speaks Polish, but they have many ways of non-verbal communication that is also unique to their culture. In today's globalized world, when most firms employ people from all over the world, understanding cross-cultural management is critical in order to minimize difficulties and maintain a happy and productive workplace. This being said, it is crucial to understand the cultural differences around the world in order to increase your knowledge of intercultural communication. People who come from the Polish culture are very individualistic, but they maintain a strong focus on family as an extension of themselves. Polish

3 people think of themselves as self-sufficient and disciplined, which can be different from different parts of the United States where people prefer to get things handed to them. When women are in public, they are expected to request help from police officers or other women for directions or other queries; approaching men is considered as flirtation in their culture (Poland, n.d.). Poles think that people should be free to express their thoughts, therefore sometimes their messages may appear direct or rude. People who aren’t from Poland, on the other hand, may find it difficult to understand the true meaning of the communication since people may beat around the bush when communicating a major issue and expect the true meaning to be understood. Sometimes humor is used to make a point, which is something that is similar to the American culture. While exhibiting emotion in a business setting is respected, it is not uncommon for people to become very passionate and engaged in a discussion or negotiation. Increased emotion is not always a sign that the conversation isn’t going well (Poland, n.d.). Formality is a key aspect of Polish communication, both in daily life and in business opportunities. The Polish culture, like other cultures around the world, has its own set of values and beliefs that are completely unique to their society. Despite the fact that Poland has a rich culture with a range of Catholic-influenced rituals and festivities, its culture is largely unknown to the outside world. Catholicism first came to Poland under King Mieszko I. In 966, his wife persuaded him to baptize the country, and they began to follow the rules of Catholicism as an effort to separate the Poles from the Eastern Germans, who identified predominantly as Lutheran or Orthodox (Religion, Politics, and Oppression in Poland: A Call to Action | Columbia Social Work Review, n.d.). Arguably the most important day for Poland is November 11. On November 11, Poland’s National Independence Day honors the reunification of the country after enduring 123 years of partition by the German, Autsro-Hungarian, and Russian empires (Kafkadesk, n.d.).

4 There are many traditions Polish people practice on this day, one of which being the indulgence of the delicacy of St. Martin’s croissants. Although this delicacy existed long before Poland achieved its freedom, it is now mostly connected with Independence Day, which coincides with the Catholic Church's feast of St Martin. “Croissants were first invented in Ponza, and the recipe hasn’t been changed or altered much since then; they’re still made of rough puff pastry and stuffed with white poppy seeds” (Nurczyk, E., n.d.). Not only are St. Martin’s croissants a major tradition of Polish Independence Day but parades and races are also a big tradition. Due to the fact that Polish Independence Day is focused on moral improvement, many citizens partake in not wanting to only focus on the past, but focus on the future instead, so the independence run attracts many people to “Let your freedom run.” This custom promotes healthy living for the citizens, while also honoring those who sacrificed their lives in the war for Poland’s independence (Nurczyk, E., n.d.). The impact of mass media affects every country in the world; however, Poland has been affected by it for an extremely long time. The collapse of Communism totalitarianism was pushed forward by the loss of the Communist monopoly over mass media and the communication related to it (SASINSKA-KLAS., n.d.). Western media coverage of the fall of communist regimes in Eastern Europe appears to imply that Gorbachev was the catalyst for change. Though Gorbachev deserves credit for a lot, he was just one of several presidents who tried to restructure the Soviet Union. “In the case of Poland, media history is best understood as a series of expansions and retractions in press freedoms” (SASINSKA-KLAS., n.d.). In Poland, the leadership was compelled to compromise full Communist authority by acknowledging the Catholic Church's freedom to function as well as the peasantry's right to private farming. It also demonstrated a higher level of tolerance for differing viewpoints than was seen elsewhere in the

5 Soviet bloc. As a result, there was a greater willingness to publicly express demands and opinions on the current situation. Poland's media landscape is still highly pluralistic on a national basis, with high levels of freedom of expression. Five years of policies geared at destabilizing and undermining independent media, on the other hand, have had a crippling effect on media freedom and plurality. After examining Poland's culture and communication patterns, as well as how they differ from or are similar to those used in the United States, and the values and/or beliefs that they hold as a cohesive society, as well as the impact of mass media on their country and how it affects intercultural communication, it is known there are cultural differences and similarities between Poland and the United States.

6 References Communication, in C., & Communication, I. Cultural Identity Theory. Communication Theory. (2014, September 8) https://www.communicationtheory.org/cultural-identity-theory/ KAFKADESK. (n.d.). The complex politics of Poland’s National Independence Day. (2019, November 11) https://kafkadesk.org/2019/11/11/the-complex-politics-of-polands-national-independence -day/ Nurczyk, E. (n.d.). Polish Independence Day on 11 November – Customs – Careers in Poland. (2017, November 11) https://www.careersinpoland.com/article/customs/polish-independence-day-on-11-novem ber Poland. IOR. https://www.iorworld.com/resources/poland/ Religion, Politics, and Oppression in Poland: A Call to Action | Columbia Social Work Review. (2021, Apr 28) https://journals.library.columbia.edu/index.php/cswr/announcement/view/409 SASINSKA-KLAS. (n.d.). The Polish Media in Transition. (1994, No. 1) http://www.cios.org/EJCPUBLIC/004/1/00411.HTML...