You maybe want the Hot and Sour Soup

A few weeks ago, I was having dinner at one of our favorite vegetarian restaurants outside of D.C. My friend and I asked about the soup choices, in particular the Won Ton Soup. The waitress whom I have seen quite a bit, described the Won Ton Soup. She said, "Won Ton soup, the Won Tons are made of flour." She then paused. Not fully understanding what she was tying to convey I then asked, if it was good. She did not respond directly to the question, but she did make a suggestion, "You maybe want the Hot and Sour Soup." We looked at one another chuckled and the Hot and Sour Soup it was!

The conversation points to the dynamics that we see in cross-cultural interchanges everyday within healthcare institutions. Perhaps an American wait staff would have said, "I don't really like the Won Ton soup." However, she chose to not be critical of the food, the restaurant, the chef and instead suggested that we choose one that she felt we would like through experience. A very highly contextual response.

Consider the many times we encounter communication styles that are not in alignment with our world view. Are we even aware enough to know that our selective listening begins? Imagine how this could happen with a staff person, a physician, or a patient. We often emphasize language because of CLAS standards or simply because we have so many reminders of language barriers as the diversity of our organizations grow.

While we are aware of the fact that culture matters beyond language, and clarity in communication comes from context, and that we all have both. However, we don't necessarily examine our biases and how our context consistently occurs to others.

How do we begin this process?

1. My experience is first to begin to learn about cross-cultural communication. Generate an awareness of the nuances of how we relate to one another in communication and what types of questions ask.
2. Knowledge of all archetypal generalizations of cultures outside is not necessary (or possible) but it without doubt can help with our understanding of how we might be occurring to others based on their cultural lens.
3. Lastly, get engaged in the process of learning about effective communication. Any education in this topic should inherently include a module related to culture.

Our new healthcare diversity and cultural competency wiki Health Culture Depot is coming soon. If you have topics you would like to write about regularly, let us know. We are building our list authors as I write.