Culturally Competent Communications

There's a growing trend in the intersection between diversity, equity, and inclusion work and marketing: culturally competent communications. I've even delivered a couple of workshops on the topic.It's related to other fields of cultural competence -  understanding and appropriately responding to the unique combination of cultural variables and the full range of dimensions of diversity. For healthcare, it ensures that patients are completely understood and offered the appropriate care. In marketing, it represents the ability to reach people of all backgrounds and beliefs.To achieve either, one needs to grasp the concepts behind what makes individuals unique (as opposed to a broad stereotype which they may or may not identify with). Your message will be received. You will understand and will be understood.In other words, culturally competent communications means you are a competent communicator. Putting it more bluntly: you cannot be a competent communicator unless you understand others' culture. You can tell yourself whatever you'd like about how good you are, but chances are, you're the only one (and people just like you) listening.