Diversity in communication enriches life.
Diversity in communication refers to the inclusion of diverse perspectives and cultural backgrounds into a discourse. This is a concern in business, school and everyday life. Though some people feel uncomfortable including those they see as different in their lives, diversity seems to benefit everyone, including majority and minority groups.
Creativity
Diversity in communication leads to creativity and innovation, since diverse viewpoints can lead to challenged assumptions. People often become stable in their ideas. Divergent opinions can force them to see issues at different angles. Also, diversity increases the number of ideas that a group can come up with. In the business realm, diversity can give businesses new ways to out compete others.
Conversation Diversity
Diversity in communication keeps conversation from becoming stale and boring, which often occurs when conversations lack variety. Better conversations improve relationships and build rapport, while predictable conversations can make it difficult for participants to stay focused on the conversation.
Catering to Customers
In the business realm, customers are very diverse. Engaging in diverse communication about future products and services ensures that businesses consider the perspectives and needs of all customers, allowing the business to use marketing strategies and product designs to appeal to many.
Cultural Understanding
People exposed to diversity in discourse will learn to communicate with those from different cultural backgrounds. This allows people to handle those from other cultures in the future, which helps smooth international business relations. Many jokes, slang and ideas are a result of a cultural perspective and are not necessarily shared by others. By including diversity in communication, people learn to expect and respond appropriately to different cultural expectations. This is an increasingly more significant factor as third world nations continue to develop and as technology makes it easier for people across the globe to work together.
Tolerance
Bringing diversity into communication creates a culture where everyone is accepted. When people are more accepted, they are more likely to be happier and more productive. Some people may be less accepting of the increasingly diverse world, but bringing varying viewpoints into the discourse can help open eyes to new ways of doing things.
Improved Academics
Bringing racial diversity into college discourse benefits minorities by giving them more educational opportunities. A series of studies conducted between 1993 and 1996 at the University of California proved that diversity also benefits students from the majority group. Diversity improves academic development, cultural awareness, racial understanding, student retention, overall college satisfaction, college GPAs and intellectual and social self-confidence.
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