Cross-Cultural Communication: Sharing Columbia College Perspective in Guadalajara, Mexico

During the summer term of 2024, the Chair of the Columbia College Communication Program, Dr. Ahmet Aksoy, is teaching a Cross-Cultural Communication course for the Universidad Panamericana in Guadalajara, Mexico. Participants in the course are studying direct and indirect communication variants across differing cultures and the importance of factoring in cultural context when interpreting messaging. As part of the course, Dr. Aksoy invited the President of Columbia College, Dr. John Dozier, to participate as a guest lecturer for the course on June 24, 2024. With a vast career as a Collegiate Administrator, Dr. Dozier was able to share many of the lessons he has learned through his diversity work in varying regions throughout the United States and the overall importance of meeting your audience where they are and understanding their values and belief systems as a way of building and fostering meaningful connection. 

“The essence of communication is listening. If you can’t understand listening and think critically about what your audience is saying, there’s no way you can create a message that they are going to resonate with,” shared Dr. Dozier.

At the end of the lecture, Dr. Dozier asked the class to discuss some of the overall takeaways from the course. Student Mariana Mendoza Lopez shared, “I think it is very important to be mindful of if someone has a different culture because one word might mean something to me that is different than what it means to that individual, so it’s very important to be mindful of what context you’re in to communicate in a better way.”

It is invaluable for our faculty, staff, and Columbia College to be a part of important, global conversations like this one as we continue to look toward the future and the impact the institution can have on the local community, the nation, and the world. Columbia College is exceedingly proud of professors like Dr. Aksoy, who seek out opportunities to expand the institution’s global reach and share valuable insight with the next generation of professional communicators!