Reflective Journal Assignment

Course Title: Client Relationships

Course Code: COMM-2055
Value: 10%
Due Date:

Assignment Overview
The purpose of the Reflective Journal assignment is to assess your ability to apply the key
elements of client relationship skills based on your understanding of specific concepts. You
should explain and analyze these concepts from your perspective, using original ideas and
encouraging an active interest in the course material.
You will be assessed on your achievement of the following course learning outcomes:

 Describe the importance of self-awareness and cultural competency in building and

maintaining client relationships.
 Identify the concept of emotional intelligence as it applies to client relationships.
Estimated completion time: Approximately 60 minutes.

Format
Write your journal entry in the first person, using proper grammar, punctuation, and sentence
structure. Carefully review the instructions, answering the questions below, connecting to the
learning outcomes (stated above) and refer to the assignment rubric to see how your work will
be marked.

Effectively applying and demonstrating your understanding of the topics outlined will improve
your grade. The content of your response should be 500-600 words in length.

Journal Reflection: Emotional Intelligence

Take the Quiz: Quiz Yourself: Do You Lead with Emotional Intelligence? (hbr.org)

Based on your understanding of emotional intelligence, discuss the following:

1. Describe a time when you were surprised that something you did had a negative or
positive impact on someone else.

When I worked I had 3 people under me, and while we were organizing an important
meeting, I just gave orders and assigned them more work. I didn't realize that they were
feeling stressed and overwhelmed with all the new activities I assigned them. They tried
to show me another way to eliminate unnecessary activities or readjust others, but I
 thought they just wanted to be relaxed and not work hard. Fortunately I was able to
stop along the way and listen to them in a neutral way, so I realized that being
overworked does not make us more efficient, and that it can bring physical and
emotional exhaustion to the entire team. I apologized to my team for not having
listened to their suggestions, and together we built a new work agenda that would allow
us to carry out the event efficiently and reduce stress.

2. In what ways will developing EQ skills be challenging to you and what components of
your cultural background play a part of these skills?

Developing EQ skills can be difficult especially because of the cultural background that
people have. In my case, coming from a culture that values individual achievement and
competence in achieving goals, it has been a bit difficult to shift the focus toward
understanding and empathy with others. The emphasis on professional success
sometimes overlooks emotional needs, and giving credit to the effort that each person
makes.
Additionally, cultural norms and expectations can shape how emotions are expressed
and addressed. In some cultures, emotions are expressed and discussed openly, while in
others they may be repressed or considered private matters. These cultural influences
can affect a person's ability to recognize and respond to emotions effectively.

3. What five critical dimensions do you need to improve based on the results from the
Emotional Intelligence Quiz? Were you surprised by the results; why or why not?

According to the survey, the five points that I need to improve are: emotional self-
awareness, positive outlook, emotional self-control, adaptability, empathy.

I obtained the lowest results in Self-control, empathy and adaptability. It was something
I had known for some time, as I dedicated myself to strengthening my empowerment,
and that may have caused me to forget a little about how other people around me feel.
Of course, empathy is very important to be able to connect with people and have
enriching relationships for everyone. The other point to improve is self-control, since
sometimes I tend to say everything, I think or feel without validating the results of my
actions. Adaptability is important to face changes in life, and the result has improved a
lot, since with the entire immigration process, I have had to adapt to my new lifestyle, a
new culture and everything that entails.

Journal Reflection: Cultural Competency & Self-Awareness

You will read the attached interview with Nora Sobel. Prior to becoming an Instructor at RRC
Polytech, Nora specialized in cultural competence and diversity issues.

In this interview, Nora discusses some of the challenges she observes with students when they
are in a new cultural environment, strategies to navigate cultural differences, and how we can
work towards becoming Allies to foster respect and inclusion for gender and sexual diversity.

Based on the review of cultural competency and the impact that self-awareness has on our
attitude and awareness of cultural practices and cross-cultural skills, discuss the following:

4. Describe your cultural identity. Identify ways that your cultural identity could influence
your expectations of yourself and others in your career.
The spirit of competing and being the best to achieve goals is deeply rooted in the culture of my
country. Although in the professional field, many positions are assigned based on references
from influential people, it is also necessary to demonstrate that you are competent and that you
are continually studying to have a higher level of education. That made me feel frustrated here at
first, since I saw that my classmates were not committed to their classes, nor to their group work.
I expect a lot from other people and from myself.
Another cultural identity that I carry very much in mind is that of closeness to people. Where I
come from, people greet each other in a very friendly manner, and in a short conversation they
can even talk about a little more intimate topics. Here I have had a big shock, because people
barely say hello and continue on their way. Nobody cares how the other person is. That can
negatively influence myself, because I have come to think that other people are rude, or even that
they have something against me since they are not friendly. But now I have come to understand
that it is simply his way of being freer and without getting too involved in the lives of others.

5. Describe ways that you can work towards improving your awareness of cultural
practices and cross-cultural skills. How do you believe these strategies might impact you
in your ability to build client relationships?
4. Describe your cultural identity. Identify ways your cultural identity might influence your
expectations of yourself and others in your career.
The spirit of competing and being the best to achieve goals is deeply rooted in the culture of my
country. Although in the professional field, many positions are assigned based on references
from influential people, it is also necessary to demonstrate that you are competent and that you
are continually studying to have a higher level of education. That made me feel frustrated here at
first, since I saw that my classmates were not committed to their classes, nor to their group work.
I expect a lot from other people and from myself.
Another cultural identity that I carry very much in mind is that of closeness to people. Where I
come from, people greet each other in a very friendly manner, and in a short conversation they
can even talk about a little more intimate topics. Here I have had a big shock, because people
barely say hello and continue on their way. Nobody cares how the other person is. That can
negatively influence myself, because I have come to think that other people are rude, or even that
they have something against me since they are not friendly. But now I have come to understand
that it is simply his way of being freer and without getting too involved in the lives of others.
5. Describe ways you can work to improve your awareness of cultural practices and intercultural
skills. How do you think these strategies might impact your ability to build relationships with
customers?

I believe that the best way to improve my awareness of cultural practices is observation without
judgment. Being at college with people from different cultures has led me to understand what
their behavior is like. You can also read and investigate the studies that already exist on cultural
behaviors. Lastly, I can watch movies or news from other countries to understand the values of
those places.
The strategies that I propose can positively affect my relationship with clients, since I can have
clients from different cultures, and knowing about them avoids misunderstandings. For example,
if I know that in a culture it is disrespectful to look a higher-ranking person in the eye, I will
avoid doing that to maintain a good relationship with an important client for my company. On
the contrary, in other cultures it is important to interact in a friendly manner with customers
when doing business. Knowing all this allows me to have successful interpersonal relationships.

6. What are your personal biases and assumptions about people with different values than yours?

I have my personal prejudice and assumption that Indian people are lazy and cheaters. When I
arrived in Canada they suggested that I avoid working in a group with people from India,
because they were very relaxed and leaned on other people, so I made that image in my head
and it has been difficult to change it. That has prevented me from interacting and truly learning
from this important culture.
This prejudice and any other prejudice about people with values different from mine, create
gaps and make us assume that other people are wrong. Which is not real. Just because I think
one way and another person thinks differently does not mean that I am right and the other
person is wrong. As we all come from different cultures, even if we are from the same country,
that makes us unique and different, and that difference is where a relationship is enriched.

Submission
Submit your assignment in a word document through the LEARN Dropbox. Include in your file
name the course code, assignment name, and your name. Be sure to number each response to
match with the respective question.
Evaluation
Reflective Journal Rubric

Criterion Meets Approaching Does Not Meet

2 Marks 1 Mark 0 Marks
Reflects on The response The response The response
understanding of demonstrates good demonstrates some demonstrates a lack of
the multi- effort/ level of effort/ effort/understanding/re
 dimensional understanding/reflectio understanding/refle flection on the multi-
natural of culture n on multi-dimensional ction on the multi- dimensional nature of
nature of culture. dimensional nature culture.
of culture.
Reflects on The response The response The response
personal biases demonstrates good demonstrates some demonstrates a lack of
connected to effort/ level of effort/ effort/understanding/re
ones' own understanding/reflectio understanding/refle flection on the multi-
identity and n on multi-dimensional ction on the multi- dimensional nature of
culture (self- nature of culture. dimensional nature culture.
awareness) of culture.
Reflects on The response The response The response
understanding of demonstrates good demonstrates some demonstrates a lack of
the concept of effort/ level of effort/ effort/understanding/re
emotional understanding/reflectio understanding/refle flection on the multi-
intelligence n on multi-dimensional ction on the multi- dimensional nature of
nature of culture. dimensional nature culture.
of culture.
Reflects on the The response The response The response
impact that self- demonstrates good demonstrates some demonstrates a lack of
awareness, effort/ level of effort/ effort/understanding/re
attitude, cultural understanding/reflectio understanding/refle flection on the multi-
knowledge and n on multi-dimensional ction on the multi- dimensional nature of
emotional nature of culture. dimensional nature culture.
intelligence have of culture.
on client
relationships.
Applies proper Proper use of spelling, Some errors in Numerous errors in
spelling, grammar, sentence spelling, grammar, spelling, grammar,
grammar, writing structure, and writing sentence structure, sentence structure, and
mechanics; mechanics. and writing writing mechanics.
proper mechanics.
punctuation
slang/jargon/lan
guage
Total __/10 marks.
Intercultural and Inclusion Strategies, with Nora Sobel
By: Chelsey Finney and Cody Rogers

Nora Sobel has been with Red River College Polytechnic since 2008. She specializes in
intercultural competence and diversity, including communication across cultures, and gender
and sexual diversity awareness.

We wanted to interview Nora and get to know her role as Diversity Initiatives Coordinator. In
this interview, Nora will walk us through some of the challenges she observes with students
when they are in a new cultural environment, strategies to navigate cultural differences, and
how we can work towards becoming Allies to foster respect and inclusion for gender and sexual
diversity.

Q: What are some intercultural challenges you see international students face in a new
environment? What supports do the ASC provide to these students?

Nora: When you think about any new environment that you are not familiar with, you will
encounter different ways of doing things. The cultural values that guide us on doing those things
are usually not visible to the eye. You need to learn what individuals’ cultural values may be,
while at the same time ensuring you are very self-aware of your own value system. This way,
you can begin to bridge the gap between interpersonal misunderstandings.

Example #1: Think about your personal relationship to the communities you belong to
(e.g. family, peer group, a program of study). Do you ever put your own needs before
those of the group? Do you feel responsible for only your own actions and decisions? Or
do you make decisions out of your peers’ best interests and well-being, putting their
needs above your own? Do you prioritize group harmony instead of voicing any potential
disagreements or differing opinions?

These questions touch on the core values of both individualism and collectivism.
Depending on where you may fall on this cultural spectrum, it will impact any
differences or obstacles you may experience while working in peer groups at the College,
whether it’s during a lecture activity or assigned partner project.
 Example #2: Think of the communication style(s) you may prefer. Do you prefer direct
communication (e.g. explicit verbal statements and hardly any opportunities for “reading
between the lines”)? Or do you prefer a style that is more indirect (e.g. favoring body
language, suggestions, and pauses to convey the full meaning of what you are trying to
share)?

Depending on where you fall on the direct and indirect spectrum, you may misperceive a
more direct communication style as perhaps rude or antagonistic. Or you may similarly
find an indirect communication style as vague, confusing, or misleading.

All these cultural misperceptions (or gaps between expectations) can cause confusion,
misunderstandings, or conflicts with other people in these new environments. So when we
encounter unexpected cultural situations, when one person’s behavior does not meet with the
expectations of another, it is important to stop any immediate judgments we might have about
those situations. Avoid seeing those situations as right or wrong, or good or bad. This reaction is
based on our own set of cultural values, but these quick judgments don’t allow us to reach
common understanding. So, instead, try to analyze the unexpected cultural situations from
different cultural perspectives and values, and see what might be a good approach to address
those situations based on what you observe and reflect.

Q: What strategies do you recommend to students who wish to navigate and bridge intercultural
gaps (e.g. different communication styles, misinterpretation and interpersonal conflicts that
arise because of them)?

Nora: To learn and understand other peoples’ cultural identities, we need first to learn and
understand our own cultural background and identity. Remember that our cultural identity is very
complex; we belong to diverse groups and cultures which influence who we are and how we see
the world. We need to allow individuals to be who they are, and to use the language that
resonates for them, in terms of how they explain who they are.

To navigate cultural differences, students should try to distinguish between intention (aka the
meaning peers give to their behaviors) and perception (aka our cultural lens which assigns
meaning to others’ actions). They should look for both visible cultural differences (e.g. art,
recognized holidays, cuisine) as well as invisible differences (e.g. beliefs and values that
influence behaviors) to manage more effective intercultural interactions.

Students should also keep in mind that cultural assumptions and expectations impact our
communication. They influence how we express our knowledge, ideas, and opinions; and how
we receive, interpret, and respond to others’ insights as well. We are always communicating,
even when we aren’t verbally speaking. We need to be aware of our body language and tone of
voice.

Q: What does it mean to be an LGBTQ ally?

Nora: As we share in Red River College Polytechnic’s Gender and Sexual Diversity Awareness
Course housed in LEARN, Anne Bishop defines an Ally as “a member of an oppressor group,
who works to end a form of oppression which gives him or her privilege. For example, a
Caucasian person who works to end racism”.

For common understanding, we define privilege as the access we give to different people
according to their membership status, assumed or known; and oppression as the differential
attitude or the access we deny to individuals based on their membership status assumed or
known.

At Red River College Polytechnic, we use Bishop’s definition to inform our own. We see an
Ally as – “a person who is committed to interrupting oppression (racism, sexism, homo/ bi/
transphobia, classism, etc.) whenever they see it, hear it or experience it.”

The Allies at Red River College Polytechnic have taken awareness training on Gender and
Sexual Diversity, including how to be informed about homo/ bi/ transphobia and heterosexism.

Allies work towards creating more inclusive and safe spaces for LGBTT* (Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual, Transgender, Two-Spirit) individuals, their friends, and families. Allies create and
support change, by challenging and providing awareness or education around homophobia,
transphobia, biphobia, heterosexism, stereotypes, and myths around LGBTT* individuals.

Allies are also aware of LGBTT* resources and how to refer to support programs or organization
when needed. For example, in Winnipeg, Rainbow Resource Centre is a local agency that
provides counselling, education, and social support for LGBTT* individuals and their families.

All of us can be Allies to each other, regardless of our particular social locations or experiences.
Some of the following steps are adapted from Bishop’s words:

 Learn about systems of oppression. Try to help members of your group/circle understand
those systems of oppression. Take action with others, and yourself. Take risks where you
can.
 Listen to the journeys of others; of those who have been/are marginalized. Do not try to
explain away your privilege as not really being a privilege – this goes back to listening
and validating as real, the experiences of others.
 Remember that no one is free of homo/bi/ transphobia or heterosexism or their own
individual bias or prejudices. Having accepted this, move on! Feeling bad or guilty
doesn’t help anyone or accomplish change; create actions and choices that will.
 Be aware of the privilege you have. Use that privilege to allow access for others. Work to
make others in your circles aware of the privileges that they may hold. Break the
invisibility of privilege.
 When you see, hear or experience oppression (even if it isn’t directed towards you
specifically), speak up. Do not leave it to the oppressed or targeted individuals to address
the discrimination they experience. They will often feel grateful that it wasn’t left to
them, or they will add their own voice to the response.
  Support the process of interrupting and undoing oppression within your group/circle.
 Be yourself. Be honest. Be gentle with yourself and others. Express your feelings. Do not
defend any internalized homo/bi/transphobia or heterosexism. Face it. Feel it and work to
dismantle it. Be a learner.
 Celebrate the strengths that diversity brings to your experiences, to your group/circle,
and societies as a whole.

References:

Bishop, Anne (1994) “Becoming an Ally” Halifax. Fernwood Publishing. Pp 96-100 & 126

Q: What supports are available to students to enhance their intercultural competence, and
gender and sexual diversity awareness?

Nora: The Academic Success Centre offers in-classroom workshops and online training across
all programs and campuses. As part of our suite of supports, we have three Diversity Awareness
Online Courses in LEARN: the Cultural Diversity Awareness Course, the Gender and Sexual
Diversity Awareness Course, and the Disability Awareness Course.

We have also developed a new Library Guide on Intercultural Competence and Diversity.
Students can find books, e-book, videos, and other key resources to enhance their ability to
interact effectively and appropriately with people from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Q: For incoming students, is there any advice concerning their first term you want to give?

Nora: Listen, observe and ask questions! Intercultural competence is a lifelong journey. We are
always in new and diverse cultural environments, such as a new job, starting a family, or moving
places. We will always encounter cultural differences, misunderstandings, and ambiguity. Just be
patient with yourself as you navigate all these different intercultural journeys, throughout your
entire life.