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Multicultural events can be conducted not only face-to-face but also with the help of electronic devices, software, and programs for video and audio conferencing and streaming. A virtual meeting of international members of the environment protection club can be used as the example of such a multicultural activity. The purpose of this paper is to describe the specifics of communication at multicultural events when they are conducted electronically with reference to the example of a virtual meeting of the discussed club.
The availability of technologies allows for conducting almost any multicultural activity or event using electronic devices and the Internet connection. To organize the virtual meeting of the club, it was necessary to register on the online platform for video conferences and set the time for the meeting for all the members paying attention to different time zones. It was also important to guarantee the stable Internet connection and use web cameras and microphones for communication. Specific tools and programs for conducting online events are effective when video streaming will be used and the communication will be recorded (Akhmadieva et al., 2020). It is also possible to meet online using other resources for communication via video calls.
The communication with multicultural participants of any similar event is associated with certain challenges regardless of the type of the meeting, face-to-face or online. Therefore, to avoid misunderstanding and language barriers, the administrators should send materials written in English to all international members in advance, and visual materials should also be provided to support the speeches of club members (Dunn, 2019). All the members could see each other during the virtual meeting, therefore, it was important to react to messages and speeches and behave in a polite and appropriate manner (Akhmadieva et al., 2020; Clark et al., 2016).
It was rather difficult to understand some individuals because of their pronunciation, and the use of the body language was also limited. Still, it was possible to learn more about the interpretation of ecological problems in the world by the representatives of different nations. Their perspectives were rather different, and this experience contributed to becoming more aware of differences in diverse people’s views regarding the same questions.
It was noted that the representatives of some cultures were more emotional when speaking then others. Furthermore, some members seemed to be unconfident and less talkative because of the language barrier and their pronunciation. It was important to stimulate their speaking to contribute to the discussion of the topic. Additionally, the approaches to presenting their speeches and communicating with the virtual audience were also different. The representatives of the United States and France seemed to be more emotionally involved in the discussion than the speakers from Sweden, South Korea, and Germany. Thus, it is possible to state that virtual meetings, events, and conferences can help to improve people’s cultural awareness if they lack the experience of face-to-face multicultural communication.
In spite of the fact that observation of multicultural individuals during online events can be limited, it still can be viewed as informative. It is important for developing cultural sensitivity and the skill of communicating with representatives of diverse cultural backgrounds. College students need to have opportunities to experience the communication with individuals from different cultures both face-to-face and electronically in order to develop their purview and interaction skills. Participating in online events can be helpful to prepare students for challenging face-to-face and other types of electronic multicultural communication.
References
Akhmadieva, R. S., Guryanova, T. Y., Kurakin, A. V., Makarov, A. L., Skorobogatova, A. I., & Krapivina, V. V. (2020). Student attitude to intercultural communication and intercultural interaction in social networks. Contemporary Educational Technology, 11(1), 45-53.
Clark, J. S., Brown, J. S., & Jandildinov, M. (2016). Enriching preservice teachers’ critical reflection through an international videoconference discussion. Technology, Pedagogy and Education, 25(4), 431-450.
Dunn, J. D. (2019). Critical cultural awareness and learning through digital environments. EUROCall, 2019, 130-142.
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