PUBLIC SPEAKING IN

A M U LT I C U LT U R A L
WORLD

CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN THE MODERN

WORLD

 You cannot spill a drop of American blood without spilling the

blood of the whole world Herman Melville
United States is the most diverse society on earth.
Can be seen in cities and towns, schools and businesses,
community groups and houses of worship
In this world, we have almost 195 nations and every one of them
would at least has someone living in United States.
Almost 50 percent of the people were born outside of the United
States.

More than 55 million people in the United States speak a

language other than English at home.
Developments also occurred to the other countries as it doesnt
limited to the United States only.
We live in an age of international multiculturalism and we can
see that internet allows for instant communication around the world
which is more effective compared to those old days where we used
to write a letter to communicate with people who live far away.
CNN is broadcast to more than 1 billion people globally.

Social media connect people all over the world.

All nations on this world are becoming part of a huge global
network despite their political, social and religious differences.

C U LT U R A L D I V E R S I T Y A N D P U B L I C
SPEAKING

As cultural diversity increases, we found that speechmaking

becomes more complex yet complicated thing to do.
The complexity stems from the differences in language as the
language separates people from one culture to another culture more
than anything.
We communicate the way we do because we are raised in a
particular culture and learn its language, rules and norms

Language and culture are closely connected to each other.

The meanings attached to gestures, facial expressions and other
nonverbal signals also differ from culture to culture.
Example : Italian and Greek gesture for goodbye is similar as
U.S signal for come here

AVOIDING
ETHNOCENTRISM
The belief where we think our own group or culture is more superior
compared to other groups or cultures.
We tend to think that the values, beliefs and customs owned by us are
right and natural while the other cultures are wrong and so unnatural.
This ethnocentrism can play a positive role sometimes and can lead
to negative effects too.

Avoiding ethnocentrism doesnt mean you have to agree with the

values and practices of all groups and cultures.
There is a time where you can try to convince people of different
cultures to change their traditional ways of doing thing and
become more open minded.
How to become A Good Public Speaker?
Always bear in mind that all people have their special beliefs
and customs.
Show respect for the cultures of the people.

 Adapt the messages that you want to deliver to the values and
exceptions of the audience.
Use audience-analysis questionnaires for classroom speeches.
Make sure the person who invites you to speak outside the
classroom provide you with sufficient information about the
audience.
Try to put yourself in the listeners place and hear your
messages through their ears and observe whether it is
appropriate speech or not once you know about any cultural
factors that might effect your listeners response

Do avoid using phrases that can cause misunderstanding

between you and your listeners when there is language difference.
Always have visual aids and other materials that will relate you
and your listeners.
Be alert for the audiences feedback.
It is also crucial to avoid ethnocentrism when listening to
speeches from a different cultural background of a public
speaker. Do not judge the speaker on the basis of his or her
appearance or manner of delivery.