Getting along
When staff meet parents from different cultures they are likely to be aware of potential problems caused by any ignorance on either side of the other's language or differences in values and beliefs. It can be less easy to recognise and cope with the issues that arise from the unspoken assumptions that everyone makes about the way to behave when meeting others.
Precisely because conventions about conversation are usually unspoken, it can be difficult to anticipate the differences that might emerge in contact with people from another culture. Yet these can be the source of greater misunderstanding than failure to speak each other's languages well, or ignorance about culture and values.
You can experience this in a safe setting by organising a discussion in your own staff group, while deliberately breaking some convention (such as having much more eye contact than usual or none at all, or addressing each other formally when first names are usually employed). This can prove surprisingly difficult.
When meeting parents from other cultures:
* Acknowledge to them that you might fail to appreciate something that is important to them and encourage them to explain if you behave as someone in their culture would not.
* Open and close the encounter with a degree of formality, so that they know that you attach importance to it and know when it is coming to an end and they need to add anything they have not yet said.
* Observe what is happening. Is there something about their demeanour you find unusual? Think about what the explanation for this could be. Do they appear upset or reluctant to speak at any point? If so, try to retrieve the situation.
* Allow plenty of time. Even with goodwill on both sides, mutual understanding may be difficult.
