On Shaking Hands by A.G. Gardiner

On Shaking Hands -

A. G. Gardiner

Objectives: •

To help you comprehend the importance of shaking hands

•

To make you understand the importance of physical greetings in different cultures

•

To sensitize you to other cultures

About the author Alfr Alfred ed Geor George ge Gard Gardin iner er was was born born in Chelm Chelmsfo sford rd the the son son of a cabi cabine net!m t!mak aker er and and alcoho alcoholic" lic" As a boy he worked worked at the Chelmsfo Chelmsford rd Chroni Chronicle cle and the #ourne #ournemou mouth th $irectory" %e joined the &orthern $aily Telegraph in '(() which had been founded the year year befo before re by Thom Thomas as *urv *urvis is +itz +itzem ema" a" ,n '(-'(-- he was was appo appoin inted ted edito editorr of the the #lackburn .eekly Telegraph" Alfred George Gardiner /'(012'-304 was a #ritish journalist and author" %is essays written written under under the pen!na pen!name me Alpha Alpha of the *lough *lough are highly highly regarded" regarded" %e was also also Chairman of the &ational Anti!5weating 6eague an advocacy group which campaigned for a minimum wage wage in industry" industry" 5ome of his essays essays are *rophets *riests *riests and 7ings 7ings /'-8(4*illars of 5ociety The .ar 6ords *ebbles on the 5hore.indfalls 96eaves in the .indThe Anglo!American uture.hat , saw in Germany: letters from Germany and Austria and 6ife of George Cadbury include his later works"

Pre-reading Activity Discuss the following in pairs or groups: '" .hat do do you do to greet these these people people when you meet meet them after a long long time; time; a4 your friends b4 your your family family members! members! cousins of your your age age c4 your family members! uncles and aunts or grannies ones leaves $r" orrisonDs practice upset and decides to find a different doctor" $r" orrison is obviously confused about her response" 5o what did he do wrong; ,n this e?ample $r" orrison was not being culturally sensitive" ,n many cultures it is customary to call people by their last names especially when they are older than you" 5ince $r" orrison called his patient DAveryD instead of Drs" >onesD she took it as a sign of 

disrespect" To make matters worse $r" orrison assumed that Avery was on edicaid based solely upon his initial impression of her" This not only upset rs" >ones but also prevented her from getting the medical treatment that she needed" 5o what would the culturally sensitive approach look like; ,nstead of calling her DAveryD $r" orrison would have asked her how she would like to be addressed" %e could then make a note in her chart so that all of the staff know to address her as Drs" >onesD" ,nstead of  assuming that rs" >ones was on edicaid $r" orrison would have asked her if she had medical insurance and who her insurance provider was" Or maybe he would have avoided the subject all together as most practices have a billing department that handles insurance matters" '" .ho do you think is culturally more insensitive $r orrison or Avery >ones; .hy; ones similar in all cultures; .hyL.hy not; !peak: Cross cultural Communication Our culture influences many aspects of our lives" ,t influences how we interact with others and with the world around us" *eople who are culturall y sensitive are able to function in other  cultures" They value and respect diversity and are open to learning things from the point of  view of others" %ere is an activity that helps you ake a list of activities that you find strange about others" They can be related to the way they celebrate a festive or a family functions" &ote down how you responded to it / physically and verbally4 orm into pairs and discuss with your partner if the activities that are strange for you seem to  be the same him or her" *resent the same to the class inviting others comments and understand the tolerance levels of yours and others"