Why Asians Don't Speak Up? (Part 1)
Back in Brunei, i never noticed this as an issue because everyone acts the same way. You usually do not know how to describe your own culture and values until you see what other people do and have the chance to compare. Being in Germany, we all have encountered some problems when dealing with the locals and other foreigners. Hence, it is always crucial to understand. Cultural differences should not lead you to make false judgements.
I once had an experience where an American lecturer tried to encourage students to speak up. She said, if we don't... it will badly influence our grades. Ofcourse, this method was not very effective. She was also very prejudice where she favored only those who were very outspoken. We usually felt uncomfortable in her class because keeping quiet was a serious crime.
If you haven't read any books about international cultures, here is a summary on why we behave such way:
I once had an experience where an American lecturer tried to encourage students to speak up. She said, if we don't... it will badly influence our grades. Ofcourse, this method was not very effective. She was also very prejudice where she favored only those who were very outspoken. We usually felt uncomfortable in her class because keeping quiet was a serious crime.
If you haven't read any books about international cultures, here is a summary on why we behave such way:
- We are born and raised with one principle: Speaking up or talking back to parents, family, teachers, manager etc is considered to be impolite. Where parents in the western countries encourage their kids to express their opinions, it is not normally the case in East.
- To speak up, be direct and express opinions straight to the face is considered to be good and honest in most western countries. In Asia, however, bad statements will make the listener lose face. The impact is a lot worse if you do it in public.
An Iranian student was very upset after she received an email from her professor asking her "why did you ask silly questions in the class?". It's not surprising if she stops asking questions altogether. In general, we all need to be very careful when working with people especially those who do not have the same cultural background.
One way to encourage your students/subordinates to speak up is to put them into smaller groups and have one person as the group's representative. This is one effective way to have results. It does not matter where you are - whether you work locally or sent to one of the Asian countries.
To be continued... Why Asians don't Speak Up? (Part 2)
One way to encourage your students/subordinates to speak up is to put them into smaller groups and have one person as the group's representative. This is one effective way to have results. It does not matter where you are - whether you work locally or sent to one of the Asian countries.
To be continued... Why Asians don't Speak Up? (Part 2)
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