Working Together: Module 5

Relationship and Personal Skills for Intercultural Leadership

Module 5 - Working Together

Relationship and Personal Skills for Intercultural leadership Contents

Introduction................................................................................................................................... 2

Learning Outcomes........................................................................................................................ 2

Module Topics................................................................................................................................2

Respectful Communication............................................................................................................2

Aboriginal Terms of Reference...................................................................................................3

Non-Aboriginal Terms of Reference...........................................................................................3

Equity and Substantive Equality.....................................................................................................4

Facilitation Skills............................................................................................................................. 5

Professionalism.......................................................................................................................... 5

Emotional Intelligence................................................................................................................6

Strategy.......................................................................................................................................... 6

Intrapersonal Communication for Intercultural Leaders................................................................6

Managing Negative Self-Talk......................................................................................................6

Interpersonal Communication for Intercultural Leaders................................................................8

Effective Listening.......................................................................................................................8

Non-Verbal Communication.......................................................................................................9

Practical Learning Activity........................................................................................................ 10

Developing a Self-Care Plan..........................................................................................................10

Practical Learning Activity........................................................................................................ 10

References....................................................................................................................................12

Appendix One...............................................................................................................................13

A Memorable Moment in Teaching..........................................................................................13

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IntroductionHello and welcome to Relationship and Personal skills for Intercultural leadership

In this module we will explore a number of concepts and processes that will assist you to reframe and manage interpersonal intercultural conflict and discomfort and improve dialogue. We will also be exploring communication from an ‘intrapersonal’ perspective by looking at our internal thinking and how this influences our teaching and leading in an intercultural space. Understanding your internal dialogue, in turn, helps you with interpersonal communication and your ability to work with emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is an important factor in successfully negotiating the intercultural space as there are typically different viewpoints, and challenges arise in relation to unacknowledged power and privilege. Reflecting on and managing your intrapersonal dialogue will very effective in assisting you to both teach and lead more effectively.

Learning OutcomesOn successful completion of this module participants will:

Use a range of processes to reframe and manage interpersonal intercultural conflict and discomfort

Recognise key communication competencies for intercultural teaching and learning leadership Develop a personal care plan for working in the intercultural space Develop reflective strategies to monitor “self-talk” and its influence Recognise the importance of the local Aboriginal community context when engaging in the

intercultural space.

Module TopicsThe key topics for this module which explores Relationship and Personal Skills for Intercultural Leadership are:

Respectful Communication Equity and Substantive Equality Facilitation Skills Strategies Intrapersonal Communication for Intercultural Leaders Interpersonal Communication for Intercultural Leaders Resilience and developing a self-care plan

Respectful CommunicationWorking effectively in the intercultural space demands an ability to not only carry out respectful communication with Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, but also to be able to create safe spaces for respectful interchange between the two groups. Due to cultural differences, respectful interchange is different dependant on which perspective you are adopting or whose terms of reference take precedence.

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RESPECT

Respect is defined as “to heed: to relate to, have reference to: to treat with consideration, refrain from violating: to feel or show esteem, deference, or honour: to value” ("Chambers Concise Dictionary," 1988). Respect is crucial for the development of trust. Without respect, trust will not follow and it is therefore difficult to negotiate. In a system with unequal power relations, negotiation is central to redistributing or nullifying power (Eckermann et al., 2010). To be able to successfully negotiate with students and colleagues to reflect on and reconsider their racial identity and cultural perspective, you need to ensure a mutually respectful dialogue and a safe learning environment. Significantly, the notion of cultural safety (introduced in Module 3) is underpinned by respect, trust and negotiation, and it recognises the bicultural or intercultural nature of communication: “Unsafe cultural practice is any action which diminishes, demeans or disempowers the cultural identity and well-being of an individual” (New Zealand Council of Nurses, 1996 qutd. in Eckermann et al., 2010). Ensuring your communication style is respectful and appropriate for the context in which you are operating is crucial to successful intercultural communication. Understandably, respect has different meanings in different contexts:

Aboriginal Terms of ReferenceAboriginal Terms of Reference (ATR) values, or pays respect to, an Aboriginal world view. To work within an ATR “encompasses the cultural knowledge, understanding and experiences that are associated with a commitment to Aboriginal ways of thinking, working and reflecting. ATR incorporates specific and implicit cultural values, beliefs and priorities from which Aboriginal standards are derived, validated and practiced” (Kickett, 1992, p. 38). Significantly, cultural safety for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders is, in part, achieved through evoking ATR. Respectful communication is that which acknowledges and values Aboriginal ways of thinking and being in the world.

It is important to respect the local Aboriginal people’s knowledge and the local ways of doing things. Similarly, it is important to understand that Aboriginal culture is very diverse; what is culturally appropriate in one area is not appropriate in another area.

Non-Aboriginal Terms of ReferenceDue to the predominance in Australia of a non-Aboriginal world view we are almost always operating within non-Aboriginal Terms of Reference, which means that non-Aboriginal cultural values, beliefs and priorities are honoured. The main exception is, of course, when as an Aboriginal person you are in the company of family or community. In other words, the history of colonisation in Australia has meant that a non-Aboriginal or immigrant perspective dominates; one of the main challenges of working in the intercultural space, therefore, is that you are required to spend time educating non-Aboriginal Australians to recognise and value ATR in an effort to create a more culturally safe, respectful and inclusive environment. As an intercultural leader and teacher it is your role to assist students and colleagues to understand that unconsciously privileging their own world view and values diminishes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their cultures, and is not respectful.

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For Aboriginal people continually functioning in a world that devalues and/or ignores Aboriginal people and ATR is exhausting and carries with it an emotional labour that often goes unrecognised by non-Aboriginal people (Asmar, Mercier, & Page, 2009; Asmar & Page, 2009). Leading and teaching in this space results in a similar emotional labour. Later in this module emotional labour will be explored, as well as how you can develop a personal care plan to sustain you. Although the same burden does not exist for non-Aboriginal intercultural leaders, non-Aboriginal people can experience different levels of frustration and feelings of responsibility for being part of the dominant culture that continues to repress and devalue Aboriginal people. Sometimes these feelings are related to where one might be on the white racial identity development model (Helms, 1990) discussed earlier in Module 3, and may be cause for further reflection. Teaching interculturally can be particularly draining. Maintaining an ability to continue to lead and work respectfully and reflectively in an intercultural context is important; thus devising strategies to sustain your resilience—whether you are Aboriginal or non-Aboriginal—is crucial.

Equity and Substantive EqualityEquity and equality are concepts that are often confused by most people and typically by those who hold more power in Australia. This in part explains why many non-Aboriginal people continue to circulate myths and misconceptions about Indigenous Australians. For example, the often-held idea that Aboriginal people receive special treatment from the government results from confusing equity with equality. Equity is about fairness whereas equality is about ensuring there is equal distribution of resources. For example, a scholarship for an Aboriginal student recognises the disparities and historical precedents that make it much more difficult for Aboriginal people to access tertiary education. For a non-Aboriginal student—a failure to recognise and understand the impact of policies and practices both past and present—may result in them interpreting an Aboriginal scholarship as “unfair” or lacking equity. According to the Equal Opportunity Commission, substantive equality:

involves achieving equitable outcomes as well as equal opportunity. It takes into account the effects of past discrimination. It recognises that rights, entitlements, opportunities and access are not equally distributed throughout society. Substantive equality recognises that equal or the same application of rules to unequal groups can have unequal results. Were service delivery agencies to cater to the dominate, majority group, then people who are different may miss out on essential services. Hence it is necessary to treat people differently because people have different needs. (Henderson, 2010, p. 6)

Substantive equality can therefore provide a useful framework for explaining the need for strategies, policies (and units on Indigenous culture and health) to create equality as it takes into account the effects of past discrimination or, in other words, the enduring impact of colonisation.

Therefore, an academic leadership framework that (a) acknowledges and values Indigenous knowledge as equal to Western and (b) formally recognises the importance of Aboriginal community and Elders’ involvement is a vehicle for creating a culturally safe educational environment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and staff. As Aboriginal leader and educator Larrissa Behrendt (1996) has pointed out, the racism inherent in reproducing colonial structures within the education system exclude and alienate Aboriginal students and educators. By adapting the notion of cultural safety and applying it to an educational context you will be demonstrating intercultural academic leadership.

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All of the concepts explored above are useful tools to use with students and colleagues as ways to reframe and manage intercultural conflict. None-the-less, ensuring your dialogue is respectful can be challenging. In other words, having these strategies alone (and others from this program) is not enough to manage interpersonal intercultural communication and relationships. As already established, and for those of you familiar with this space through teaching or leading interculturally, communication can be difficult due to the unacknowledged power and privilege of Australia’s immigrant population. This can be complicated dependent on the degree of reflection non-Aboriginal Australians’ have undergone on their racial identity. In the contested intercultural space, Aboriginal people feel understandably angry and resentful due to hundreds of years of colonisation and ongoing racism (experienced daily either through interpersonal interactions and/or institutions). Emotions in the intercultural space can, therefore, be highly volatile as non-Aboriginal students and colleagues struggle to reflect on, and acknowledge, the power and privilege afforded them by simply not being Indigenous Australian, and Aboriginal people struggle to have their culture acknowledged, valued and respected (as well as their version of Australian history). To manage such emotions to achieve the desired change (either in a student or colleague’s attitude, or organisational change to achieve more inclusivity) a high level of emotional intelligence is required. Change and resistance are discussed in detail in Module 5 titled Professional Skills for Intercultural Leadership, but as this module is concerned with inter and intrapersonal skills the focus is on exploring concepts such as respect, equity and equality, facilitation, professionalism and emotional intelligence, which all support appropriate intercultural communication.

Facilitation Skills

As an intercultural leader you need to be skilful in facilitation and highly professional if you are to be taken seriously. To facilitate is commonly defined as “To make (an action, process, etc.) easy or easier; to promote, help forward; to assist in bringing about (a particular end or result)” ("Oxford English Dictionary," 2012).

As a facilitator it is your role to make the job of self-reflection for students and colleagues easier to assist them to come into the intercultural space in a respectful and reflexive manner. This might entail skilfully, and with empathy, supporting people to question their cultural lenses and biases and to identify what personal beliefs impede their ability to work collaboratively and without causing offense.

ProfessionalismAs an intercultural leader professionalism is the ability to demonstrate the skill, artistry, demeanour, or standard of conduct appropriate to the intercultural space. Many of the concepts underpinning interpersonal relationship management have been discussed above—such as respect—and must be adhered to ensure an environment in which trust and negotiation can be realised. Whilst you will be expected to demonstrate a level of professionalism required by the university or organisation in which you work, in the intercultural space you are also required to ensure that you demonstrate appropriate respect for ATR which means recognising, understanding and enacting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander protocols. Local Elders should be consulted about local issues and correct protocols for the local area, for example, knowledge of where to hold workshops or activities and ceremonial actives such as smoking and dancing

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ceremonies. It is also important to consider issues around gender issues. One example may be the selection of artwork for a local hospital maternity ward. It would be inappropriate to seek the services of Aboriginal male artists or chose art work by female artist who may be from another area.

Emotional IntelligenceAs already established, the intercultural space can be challenging as it requires one to be comfortable with different and often conflicting perspectives. Similarly, emotions are often high due to the fact that cross-cultural learning and identify development is complex and involves all aspects of identity formation including race, social class, gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation (McAllister & Irvine, 2000). In mainstream leadership research there is a common term associated with having the skills to be able to manage your interpersonal relationships: emotional intelligence.

Daniel Goleman is best known for his work on emotional intelligence which recognises that intellectual ability or cognitive skill is not sufficient to be an effective leader, one also requires emotional intelligence: “Emotional intelligence, at the most general level, refers to the abilities to recognise and regulate emotions in ourselves and others. This most parsimonious definition suggests four major EI [Emotional Intelligence] domains:

Self-Awareness Self-Management, Social Awareness and Relationship Management”

(Goleman, 2001, p. 14). What follows are some techniques for improving communication and relationship management in the intercultural space. First, however, the notion of strategy is explored as an important aspect of intercultural leadership.

Strategy A strategy is an organised plan to assist you to achieve a goal or task. Teaching interculturally requires one to be able to consciously develop strategies and plan responses to situations that arise. Often we are so busy ‘doing’ or responding to events that we forget that spending some time planning can save considerable time overall. Similarly, taking time to reflect on your strategies to identify what went well and potential areas for improvement is very useful in developing intercultural leadership skills. Throughout the program, lots of tools for your dilly bag have been presented to assist you as an intercultural teacher and leader. Use these to develop strategies for situations that may arise.

Intrapersonal Communication for Intercultural Leaders

Managing Negative Self-Talk

(Adapted from the Academic Leadership for Course Coordinators Program, 2009 available from http://academicleadership.curtin.edu.au/course_coordinator/index.cfm)

Self-talk is used to describe the unconscious thoughts we have: the “little voice” in our head. Sometimes these thoughts can be positive and sometimes negative. If you stop for a moment and

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do nothing you will likely recognise some familiar thoughts in your head. Recognising the unconscious messages you send to yourself is the first part of being able to manage your emotions which have the capacity to reduce your effectiveness as an intercultural leader. Incorporating mindfulness practice as introduced in Module 2 is also helpful. The best way to illustrate the potential impact of negative self-talk is to provide an example.

Situation: Kathy has been teaching Indigenous Culture and Health for a couple of semesters. She arrives at one of her tutorials in the second week of the semester to find a group of students waiting for her who want to discuss with her why the unit is compulsory. Kathy has already identified this group as potential “resistors” in the class through their body language and some of the comments that have been made. The students, in a group, are slightly intimidating and surprise Kathy as she walks in. They appear angry and address her with loud voices.

What might be percolating through Kathy’s mind?

Inner Thoughts: “I knew this group would be difficult. I was going to set up and prepare for the class but now I’ve got to deal with this. I’ve just come from teaching three other classes and I’m tired! Am I going to be able to handle this appropriately? They appear really aggressive. Why does this have to happen to me? Why do I get the dysfunctional group?!”

Feelings: More than likely there would be feelings of anxiety, annoyance and fear.

You may feel in reading this scenario that Kathy is right and has every reason to feel the way she does. The feelings are legitimate but you can see how holding onto these feelings reduces the intercultural leader’s personal effectiveness, power and well-being. Overcoming the negative feelings and eliminating irrational thoughts or beliefs about the experience will enable the intercultural leader to function more effectively and enable a teachable moment. For example, Kathy is probably feeling that all people should be polite and respectful. While a good principle, it is irrational that people will always be polite and respectful. Kathy needs to put aside judgements, feelings, attitudes and expectations and act appropriately in terms of what is best for herself, the students and the university.

If Kathy is an Aboriginal academic, what other feelings might she be experiencing?

By actively intervening in the development of your self-image you can influence, in a positive way, how you deal with situations. It requires work, however, and you must choose to participate in this transformation. Self-awareness is necessary as you must have the ability to reflect upon situations in a way that enables you to identify, explore and manage your self-talk. This was addressed in Goleman’s (1995) emotional intelligence model. Self-awareness is the first component. Managing self-talk is a key component of emotional intelligence and an important leadership skill. Table 1 (below) outlines some common thoughts people have. In order to manage your feelings more effectively you need to differentiate between wanted and unwanted feelings. Wanted feelings help you deal effectively with the situation and to act constructively. Unwanted feelings get in the way, make it difficult to think clearly and make difficult situations worse. Interrupting some of your old patterns of behaviour or reflexes by recognising that you have a choice about how you feel can be empowering.

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Table 1: Negative Self-Talk Comes from Faulty or Irrational Thoughts

People must love me or I will be miserable

Making mistakes is terrible

People should be condemned for their wrong doing

It is terrible when things go wrong

My emotions can’t be controlled

I should be terribly worried about threatening situations

Self-discipline is too hard to achieve

I must depend on others

My childhood must always affect me

I can’t stand the way others act

Every problem has a perfect solution

I should be better than others

If others criticize me, I must have done something wrong

I can’t change what I think

I should help everyone who needs it

I must never show weakness

Healthy people don’t get upset

There is one true love I should never hurt anyone

There is a magic cure for my problems

It’s others’ responsibility to solve my problems

Strong people don’t ask for help

I can do things only when I’m in the mood

Possible is the same as probable

Interpersonal Communication for Intercultural Leaders

Effective ListeningEffective listening is the heart of supportive communication. Most of us, however, do not listen effectively. As discussed in Module 3 race and culture influence communication style, which impacts on our ability to demonstrate supportive communication if we do not reflect on our beliefs. Covey (1989), however, discusses several kinds of listening, for example:

Ignoring - this is obvious Pretending - this usually involves hearing but not processing the information Selective listening - which involves processing only parts of the message Attentive listening - involves paying attention and focusing on what you are hearing Active listening - is the same as attentive listening with the added components of

paraphrasing, checking and summarising. In other words, actively working on ensuring you have heard the correct message

Empathetic listening - is discussed by Davis (1996) and involves listening with the intent to fully experience the message and the other person's feeling. This means taking on board all the emotional and non-verbal signals that accompany communication. You often find yourself in harmony with the other person.

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Active listening is a core competency for intercultural leadership. Features of active listening involve:

looking interested – (this is influenced by the cultural context) face the speaker, eye contact, stay relaxed, lean forward slightly, maintain an open posture

inquiring without questions or judgment - clarify meanings, get the full story, if you start to disagree you start to make mental arguments to counter the message, and then of course miss what is being said

staying on target - stick to the point, listen for the central theme, think ahead, wait for the complete message, don't interrupt

testing your understanding - paraphrase, "Can you rephrase what has just been said?" evaluating the message - analyse what is said - reasoning, fallacies, generalisations, cause

linked to effect, emotional appeal, evidence, facts or assertion, information source, reliable, language, jargon, body language, voice related indications; your feelings: stay calm, don't get emotional, keep an open mind.

Significantly, listening is an important skill and is valued by Aboriginal people. Many Aboriginal people communicate by telling a story or yarn. This may be told in a meandering way that takes quite a lot of time. The individual listening may want to ask the story teller to get to the point; however, this would be disrespectful. It is also disrespectful to ask numerous direct questions and then expect immediate answers. Some Aboriginal people will avoid answering such questions or won’t answer a question on the day it is asked but may think about the question and answer it a number of days later or even a week later.

Non-Verbal Communication The other significant component of communication is the monitoring of your non-verbal messages. Dickson et al. (1989) notes that the purpose of non-verbal communication is to replace speech and to complement the verbal message. Several examples of non-verbal communication are listed below. Think about how you might use each of these concepts to increase the congruency of your verbal and non-verbal messages to students, colleagues and in different cultural contexts.

Touch

Posture

Gaze/Eye Contact

Proxemics (space)

Body language/movements

Appearance

Orientation (status)

Facial Expression

Para-language (tone of voice)

In his book Silent Messages, Albert Mehrabian (1981)reports on the processing percentage of a message communicated through our different communication channels. Generally speaking,

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Mehrabian says people only hear about 7 per cent of the words that are said. The tone of voice (paralanguage) you use conveys about 38 per cent of the meaning people attribute to your message. Lastly, your body language conveys 55 per cent of the meaning that people interpret from your message. Think about how you could change the meaning of that message to someone if you used an angry tone, a supportive tone, an indifferent tone. Add to that your body posture that dominates, you may appear indifferent or even hostile. Therefore, when considering communication, it is important to consider the non-verbal messages you are conveying.

As with verbal communication, there are different codes of physical communication dependant on the cultural context in which you are operating. Many misunderstandings between cultural groups result from applying one’s own code or way of being to another group. Reflecting on your own style of communication in different contexts is a valuable investment of time which will assist your to improve your communication. Minority groups are generally well aware of the dominant code as to be able to survive in the dominant system they are required to adopt the dominant communication practices, thus resulting in code-switching between the dominant culture and their own, depending on the context.

Developing a Self-Care Plan

As mentioned earlier, teaching and leading in the intercultural space can come with considerable emotional labour (Asmar et al., 2009; Asmar & Page, 2009). Because this space requires high level communication skills and an ability to recognise and regulate your emotions it can be quite draining even for those who are very experienced. It is important, therefore, to consider what you can do to support yourself to continue to function well as an intercultural leader. This is highly personal and could incorporate practicing mindfulness, doing something creative, exercising and/or debriefing with safe friends and colleagues.

Practical Learning ActivityConsider what activities relax and ground you. What can you do to manage your

emotions when things don’t go as you have planned or you are experiencing particularly difficult and racist colleagues or students? Outline how you might manage your feelings in these situations and plan how to incorporate them into your daily routine.

Practical Learning ActivityUsing the narrative “A Memorable Moment in Teaching” (Appendix 1), complete

the associated worksheet. Explore what emotions and thoughts the lecturer might be experiencing during and after the lecture. What they might they be experiencing physically, emotionally, culturally and professionally? What can they do to look after themselves?

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Aboriginal Resiliency Framework

Dr Marion Kickett (2012) developed an Aboriginal Resiliency Framework, following substantial research within Aboriginal communities. The research was ground-breaking as it utilised Aboriginal Terms of Reference (ATR)—an Aboriginal perspective and voice—to analyse the concept of resilience. The Framework is best explained by the accompanying narrative told by George Kickett Senior (below) and has applicability to a range of contexts including intercultural teaching and leadership. The artwork representing the Aboriginal Resiliency Framework shown below can be found in A4 on page 15 to these notes.

THE Willy Willy

The Willy Willy is an old fulla that comes on a hot day, swirling round and round. Up he goes, up and up, right off the ground. He uses a hot strong wind to gather everything up, whatever’s in his way and carries it up and up right up in the air.

The bad things well he lets these go, he lets them go along the way, but he keeps them good things. Yep he keeps the good and he carries them somewhere, somewhere over there. Then well he git’s tired, year that old fulla he tired now. So he drops all them good things he got right back on the ground. See he can come back for them good things, cause they his, they belong to him and he keeps them.

We gotta be like that old fulla you and me. Yeah we gotta be like that old fulla. We gotta keep all the good things, keep all the good things inside us. Our family, our people, our land, our dreaming and our stories. We gotta hold on to them cause they the good things.

Now that old fulla he let the bad things go, he just let them go. See that’s what we gotta do, let the bad things go. Don’t stay wild (angry) with fullas let it go. Don’t hate anybody. Hating people is no good for you, it will make ya sick. Nuh this is bad things so let em go.

By George Kickett Senior (Stormy)

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ReferencesAsmar, C., Mercier, O. R., & Page, S. (2009). 'You do it from your core' : priorities, perceptions and

practices of research among Indigenous academics in Australian and New Zealand universities Academic research and researchers.

Asmar, C., & Page, S. (2009). Sources of satisfaction and stress among Indigenous academic teachers: findings from a national Australian study. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 29(3), 387-401. doi: 10.1080/02188790903097505

Chambers Concise Dictionary. (1988). Cambridge: Chambers.

Covey, S. (1989). The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. New York: Fireside Publications.

Davis, M. H. (1996). Empathy: A Social-Psychological Approach. Maddison, WI: Westview.

Dickson, D. A., Hargie, O., & Morrow, N. C. (1989). Communication Skills Training for Health Professionals - An Instructor Handbook: Chapman and Hall.

Eckermann, A.-K., Down, T., Chong, E., Nixon, L., Fray, R., & Johnson, S. (2010). Binan Gooniji: Bridging cultures in Aboriginal health (3rd ed.). Chatswood, NSW: Elsevier.

Goleman, D. (2001). Emotional Intelligence: Issues in Paradigm Building In C. Cherniss & D. Goleman (Eds.), The Emotionally Intelligent Workplace: How to Select For, Measure, and Improve Emotional Intelligence in Individuals, Groups, and Organizations (pp. 13-26). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Helms, J. (1990). Black and White Racial Identity: Theory, research and practice. New York: Greenwood.

Henderson, Y. (2010). The Policy Framework for Subsantive Equality. Perth: Equal Opportunity Commission Retrieved from http://www.eoc.wa.gov.au/Libraries/pdfs/se-The_Policy_Framework_for_Substantive_Equality_-_2010_-_Yvonne_Henderson_-_2010.sflb.ashx.

Kickett, R. (1992). Aboriginal terms of reference: a paradigm for the future. Paper presented at the Toward 2000: Maintaining the Momentum: Proceedings of the national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander higher education conference, Toowoomba, Australia.

McAllister, G., & Irvine, J. (2000). Cross Cultural Competency and Multicultural Teacher Education. Review of Educational Research, 7(3), 3-24.

Mehrabian, A. (1981). Silent Messages: Implicit Communication of Emotions and Attitudes. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Oxford English Dictionary. (2012). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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Appendix One

A Memorable Moment in Teaching

In 2006 a professional study day specifically for nurses working in Emergency Departments in public hospitals throughout the state had been organised at Fremantle Hospital. Thirty qualified nurses were in attendance.

I entered the room and patiently waited to be introduced. I needed to in the next hour explain to these nurses why many Aboriginal people did not access Health Services. I was also asked to discuss the sacredness and spiritual connection to Land/country which impacted on many Aboriginal people not wishing to leave their country/land for medical treatment.

I commenced the lecture with a discussion around the importance of land. I explained the sacredness and spiritual connection many Aboriginal people had to their land/country, the responsibility that many Aboriginal had which was to take care of the land. I gave some examples of this. Some participants asked a couple of questions while another made a positive comment about land care.

Time was ticking on and I had already been talking for twenty minutes. At the beginning of the presentation I noticed a group of three participants, all females sitting together directly in the centre of the lecture theatre, they were directly in front of me about six rows back. It was the body language of these three mature aged women that grabbed my attention. One in particular folded and unfolded her arms, crossed and uncrossed her legs. Another would shake her head and roll her eyes at her two friends.

Regardless of this behaviour I continued on, discussing access of services by Aboriginal people. After much discussion about the statistics I moved on to ways of making the health services more culturally appropriate and safe for Aboriginal people. Encouraged by the positive comments, suggestions and a personal experience shared by what I can only describe as, a very dedicated and passionate male nurse, I realised that it was now time for questions.

She did not raise her hand nor did she wait to be asked. Her response was in anger and more a statement to begin with. It was the participant who continually crossed and uncrossed her arms. Her face was red and she had an intense glare, her voice was loud and angry. She was pointing at me with her finger and banged her fist on the vacant seat in font. She shouted:

I work up north in the emergency care section of the hospital and have seen it all. I find it very hard to believe that Aboriginal people love their land and want to take care of it. Now I am not racist but! I am Australian and proud to be so and proud of Australia it is a beautiful country. Where I live there is rubbish laying everywhere. If you want to track down up group of Aboriginals the tracking is very easy. You just follow the empty boxes of take away food such as chicken treat, also the empty beer cans thrown about left for someone else to pick up and put in the rubbish bins. I tell you it just breaks my heart. I go walking with my dog and to see all the disgusting litter around where these so called spiritual people drink and eat. The shire council workers go out clean it all up and in a couple of weeks the same amount of rubbish. Tax payers like me have to pay for the clean

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- up. I tell you again it just breaks my heart. How can you say you Aboriginals love the land and that it is sacred and you have a connected to it. I find it so hypocritical.

The other two women who sat next to the speaker were nodding their heads in agreement. I looked at other participants. Some were glaring at these three women others rolled their eyes and shook their heads. I didn’t respond immediately I took a breath and breathed out slowly. The male nurse who I described as dedicated and passionate responded with an angry tone. He explained that perhaps the Aboriginal people thought the cans and cardboard boxes were bio degradable like the animal carcasses they were accustomed to leaving on the ground. An argument broke out between him and the three women. It became quite heated as others joined the male nurse calling the three women racist.

I had to intervene and calm every one down. I ended the session by explaining a friend of mine was travelling overseas and she had emailed some photos of her trip. I put one particular photo up on the screen. It was taken on Anzac day at Anzac Cove in turkey. My friend had written in bold letters at the bottom of this particular photo “and Australians consider this a sacred place!” It showed rubbish everywhere and also some of the Turkish workers cleaning it up. I allowed the participants to focus on the photo for some time and scanned looking at their faces. Looking directly at the three women I then stated: I looked at this photo of Anzac Cove taken on Anzac day and - it just broke my heart. I paused and then said Thank you all for listening. The applause was loud and long with a few vocal shouts and whistles.

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