Functions of Oral Communication

Functions of Oral Communication Communication is an important part of our daily lives. It mainly focusing on interact with any living organisms. We communicate with our self at different ages different time ways. Including with our family, friends, socially and professionally . Oral communication benefits business by providing them an outlet through which to explain to and instruct employees. It can be also used to provide clear direction. affirmation and the ability for leadership to upload company policy and mission. For example as what Carl Rogers (1952) one of the eminent psychologists of all time says. a real communication occurs when we listen with understanding to see the expressed idea and attitude from the other persons point of view, to sense how it feels to him, to achieve his frame of reference in regard to the things he is talking about. Elizabeth Tierney (1998) says, communication as a process which begin when you have a message that you want to deliver to an audience. Your audience receive the message, reacts to it and then responds to your message. That respond may lead you to react and give another message. This process may continue. The message can be an idea, a thought or feeling which we wish to share with others. It also can be shorter or lengthier with a important rules where there is a sender and a receiver. Julia T. Wood (2009) says, communication as a systemic process in which people interact with and through symbols to create and interpret meanings. The important terms are process which is ongoing, continuous and always changing; systemic which happen within a system of interconnected parts that affect each other; symbols which represent things and meanings where any act of communication involves two essential aspects. Joseph Devito (2009) says, that communication take place when one person or more sends and receives message that are distorted by noise, occur within a context, have some effect, and provide some opportunity for feedback with some basic elements. These are context, source-receiver, messages, channels, noise and effects. Communication will successfully if the receiver received the message clearly in any form. See 3.0 1.1 Form, Function and Strategies in Oral Communication In this assignment I will be focusing on the discussion about how form, function and strategies are use in oral communication in the Malaysian context. 1.1.1 Form Form are important in oral communication on how to deliver a message. There proven to be 7 forms . Intrapersonal communication Interpersonal communication Small group communication Public communication Mass communication Corporate communication Intercultural communication 1.1.2 Function We can define function as a function or action or evaluating self act in a conversation. arguments or even self talk. Example : A : do you want to eat roti chanai ? B: i ate nasi lemak The function over here is B is rejecting . 1.1.3 Strategies Specifically focus on oral interaction and interlocutors negotiation behavior for coping with communication breakdowns. Strategies used for the purpose of the communication on how this use represented the extent of discourse in the oral proficiency tests. According to previous research dealing with transcription data analysis, strategies for communication have been listed as achievement and reduction strategies . When the speakers had difficulties expressing an thought or idea, they used strategies to give themselves a time frame to figure out . Example Strategy questionnaire as below : When I need to think of what to sayI use filler such as um.urh, welletc to gain time . When I have difficulty thinking of the right words, I let other say something first so that I use similar words to express my self. When I dont understand othersI request them to repeat those words to make sure my self I understand. 2.0 ORAL COMMUNICATION PROCESS 2.1 In oral communication, information, thoughts and ideas are conveyed via a spoken language in the following ways:- Face-to-face conversations; Meeting; Voice mail messages Teleconferencing; Oral presentations; and Public speaking. 2.2 We have 3 models of communication process where the sender and receiver communication take place . 2.2.1 Linear Model Its invole two people. Its a one-way communication process which require one person to acts on another person. its a straigh forward message transmit from a speaker to a listener . Shannon and Weavers model Laswells (1948) describe how communication works in five question Who said? What? In what channel? To whom? With what effect? 2.2.2 Interactive Model To be very shortFacebook and MSN are the examples of interactive model. This model can be focus as a succesesr for liner model which has greather chances of succesfull communication . 2.2.3 Transactional Model This is a excellant model for face to face communication which takes the effects of noisetimeand systems into consideration. Transactional Model can be define as ongoing and continously changing proess communication. In any form or forms of oral communication ( refer 3.0 )the 3 models and 6 elements are present directly and indirectly. 3.0 Form of oral communication Intrapersonal communication It is communicating your self .A internel dialoge for your self.A self talk most people say. Most of them bypass this process much of their stress in life is from a feeling of not having any control in their lives. Meditation prayer are part of this intrapersonal also. Interpersonal communication A simply any verbal or non verbal message transferred between people. Small group communication Its define as interpersonal communication within 3 or more persons. Communication is an important part of our daily lives. It mainly focusing on interact with any living organisms. We communicate with our self, at different age, different time ways. Including with our though, family, friends, socially and professionally . Oral communication benefits business by providing them an outlet through which to explain to and instruct employees. It can be also used to provide clear direction, affirmation and the ability for leadership to upload company policy and mission. For example as what Carl Rogers (1952) one of the eminent psychologists of all time says, a real communication occurs when we listen with understanding to see the expressed idea and attitude from the other persons point of view, to sense how it feels to him, to achieve his frame of reference in regard to the things he is talking about. Elizabeth Tierney (1998) says, communication as a process which begin when you have a message that you want to deliver to an audience. Your audience receive the message, reacts to it and then responds to your message. That respond may lead you to react and give another message. This process may continue. The message can be an idea, a thought or feeling which we wish to share with others. It also can be shorter or lengthier with a important rules where there is a sender and a receiver. Julia T. Wood (2009) says, communication as a systemic process in which people interact with and through symbols to create and interpret meanings. The important terms are process which is ongoing, continuous and always changing; systemic which happen within a system of interconnected parts that affect each other; symbols which represent things and meanings where any act of communication involves two essential aspects. Joseph Devito (2009) says, that communication take place when one person or more sends and receives message that are distorted by noise, occur within a context, have some effect, and provide some opportunity for feedback with some basic elements. These are context, source-receiver, messages, channels, noise and effects. Communication will successfully if the receiver received the message clearly in any form. See 3.0 1.1 Form, Function and Strategies in Oral Communication In this assignment I will be focusing on the discussion about how form, function and strategies are use in oral communication in the Malaysian context. 1.1.1 Form Form are important in oral communication on how to deliver a message. There proven to be 7 forms . Intrapersonal communication Interpersonal communication Small group communication Public communication Mass communication Corporate communication Intercultural communication 1.1.2 Function We can define function as a function or action or evaluating self act in a conversation, arguments or even self talk. Example : A : do you want to eat roti chanai ? B: i ate nasi lemak The function over here is B is rejecting . 1.1.3 Strategies Specifically focus on oral interaction and interlocutors negotiation behavior for coping with communication breakdowns. Strategies used for the purpose of the communication on how this use represented the extent of discourse in the oral proficiency tests. According to previous research dealing with transcription data analysis, strategies for communication have been listed as achievement and reduction strategies . When the speakers had difficulties expressing an thought or idea, they used strategies to give themselves a time frame to figure out . Example Strategy questionnaire as below : When I need to think of what to say, I use filler such as um.urh, well, etc to gain time . When I have difficulty thinking of the right words, I let other say something first so that I use similar words to express my self. When I dont understand others, I request them to repeat those words to make sure my self I understand. 2.0 ORAL COMMUNICATION PROCESS 2.1 In oral communication, information, thoughts and ideas are conveyed via a spoken language in the following ways:- Face-to-face conversations; Meeting; Voice mail messages Teleconferencing; Oral presentations; and Public speaking. 2.2 We have 3 models of communication process where the sender and receiver communication take place . 2.2.1 Linear Model Its invole two people. Its a one-way communication process which require one person to acts on another person. its a straigh forward message transmit from a speaker to a listener . Shannon and Weavers model Laswells (1948) describe how communication works in five question Who said? What? In what channel? To whom? With what effect? 2.2.2 Interactive Model To be very short, Facebook and MSN are the examples of interactive model. This model can be focus as a succesesr for liner model which has greather chances of succesfull communication . 2.2.3 Transactional Model This is a excellant model for face to face communication which takes the effects of noise, time, and systems into consideration. Transactional Model can be define as ongoing and continously changing proess communication. In any form or forms of oral communication ( refer 3.0 ), the 3 models and 6 elements are present directly and indirectly. 3.0 Form of oral communication Intrapersonal communication It is communicating your self .A internel dialoge for your self.A self talk most people say. Most of them bypass this process much of their stress in life is from a feeling of not having any control in their lives. Meditation prayer are part of this intrapersonal also. Interpersonal communication A simply any verbal or non verbal message transferred between people. Small group communication Its define as interpersonal communication within 3 or more persons. Public communication According to Wikipedia, Public Communication is the process of speaking to a group of people in a structured, deliberate manner intended to inform, influence or entertain the listeners . Mass communication A communication thru radio, broadcast news paper to reach the wide population. Corporate communication; Communication that takes place among members of an organization, within that building or organization. Intercultural communication. Communication between people of diverse cultures and ethnicity. A process of exchanging meaningful and unambiguous information across cultural boundaries. I will mainly will be elaborating about Interpersonal communication, Small group communication Public Communication. See below 3.1 Interpersonal communication What is the ONE skill required of almost every job at online career? Basic interpersonal communication such as a good intrapersonal communication, listening, language, emotions, non-verbal communication, communication climate, and others which this skills will make you excellent at being as a good friend, good spouse, good employee and boss. By learning all them and putting them into practice as often as possible to become excellent at interpersonal communication. Interpersonal communication involves a close group of participants such as the everyday conversations you carry on. Interpersonal communication involves face to face encounters which you get the immediate communication. It also includes speeches, general friendly exchanges, arguments and basically anytime you speak to someone. Many variations make interpersonal communication flexibility important for difference circumstances. We use interpersonal communication to learn new information such as when asking questions. Plus, we use it to share information such as when telling a story. Even to define yourself in a speech. We do learn about different cultures and languages through interpersonal communication as well. Interpersonal communication is very indeed important since it develop our self throughout the stages of life.You learn, teach and get an identity. You get so many things to share to others who you are. Basically learn how to pronounce words correctly and to speak properly in certain situation and how to communicate in general. In recent years, interpersonal communication has taken back seat compare to other forms since more people are in to using social networks to exchange information and contacts. Basically develop your interpersonal communication skills for success at work and at home. 3.2 Small group communication Interpersonal communication define as within 3 or more persons. People join groups for variety of reasons. Some group members are motivated by task concerns and others are motivated by interpersonal attraction to other group of members. There is a phrase, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts , which also refers to group synergy. A group synergy refers to the idea that two heads or more are better then one. A group communication will increase the ability to perform more and multiple work which provide encouragement and support to its members within a project .This may lead to promote the interpersonal relationships between the group members. Individuals often join a team or group to meet their interpersonal needs. Self Control is needed to exercise leadership and prove ones abilities. Some person do not want to be a leader. So, group communication is the necessary control over aspects of their lives.Take note that groups are an excellent way to make friends We can split group communication into various types of groups. Social Groups This group is predominantly social in their orientation such as families and social clubs. Basically its provide for our safety and solidarity needs and they help to develop self-esteem. Work Groups This group work to complete a particular task. Their expertise is counted to full fill the mission or task. There are several work groups such as workplaces, campus organizations or juries. An example of this will be assembly line which each worker performs tasks to build a complete car. A group members must be able to communicate freely and openly with all of the other members of the group. A group must have a common purpose or goal so that they must work together to achieve that goal. Basically a goal bring the team together. 3.3 Public Communication According to Wikipedia, Public Communication is the process of speaking to a group of people in a structured, deliberate manner intended to inform, influence or entertain the listeners . Skill in public speaking is important. No matter what your career choice, most collage graduates enter occupations that require some form of speaking before groups.Culture affects the way people use, present and regards public speaking. Public Communication usually dificult for most people and effective public speaking is a skill which must be learned. Not only do you listen in person, but receive information via technology. We hear speeches on television and radio.The basic components of public communication process are the source and the code, perceptions and attitudes, message, channel, receiver, feedback, noise and environment . Audience awarness is very important when its comes to public communication .Its the ability to ensure that your communication level is interactive towards the listeners. Self-centered is very importand. Public comunication can be define as public speaking as well. It can consider as fear for most of the people. But with proper preparation, anyone can make it happen. Few tips to be a good public communicator or public speaker. Dress for success. Be with good packaging such as dress code. Better to overdressd than undredressed. It definatly will enchance your image. Prepare a great intro and closing. Practice till you even can say them forward and backward. A great start with some humor or short story will definatly works. Try to filter out the ah ,Mmmm the presentation. It will annoy or will definalty will give uncomfertable reaction to the audience. To skip this try to join the local Toastmasters international club. Try to build your presentation in to an easy format to follow. Flip chat with key point works better on this .A handouts where participants can follow the topic that you will cover will works as well. Time is the most important element in public communication. Sharp with point with proper timing will always lead to a great opening and ending. Rehearse as much as you can. Always keep eye contact with the audience. Try to find some smiling audience. Move from one to one. Its a rewarding expriences when its comes to public communication. Its boots everything up. 4.0 Conclusion Oral communication is the most important component in any area such as business, relationship, family, work and etc. Without it interaction is almost imposible. Oral communication skills are crucial in handeling with others, and this is proven in any situation. As we in malaysia, there are some example of our everyday oral communication as Manglish . Originated from English, malay, hokkian, mandarin and tamil. We intend to add Lah in all the words as below. Come one lah, see how lah and etc. Got or not Means, do you have it ? When ah? Who ah? Where ah? in rising ahs mean respectively When? Who? Where? It noted that we shoud start a good proper words to correct us for a better future with better oral language in communication. Public communication According to Wikipedia, Public Communication is the process of speaking to a group of people in a structured, deliberate manner intended to inform, influence or entertain the listeners . Mass communication A communication thru radio, broadcast news paper to reach the wide population. Corporate communication; Communication that takes place among members of an organization, within that building or organization. Intercultural communication. Communication between people of diverse cultures and ethnicity. A process of exchanging meaningful and unambiguous information across cultural boundaries. I will mainly will be elaborating about Interpersonal communication, Small group communication Public Communication. See below 3.1 Interpersonal communication What is the ONE skill required of almost every job at online career? Basic interpersonal communication such as a good intrapersonal communication, listening, language, emotions, non-verbal communication, communication climate, and others which this skills will make you excellent at being as a good friend, good spouse, good employee and boss. By learning all them and putting them into practice as often as possible to become excellent at interpersonal communication. Interpersonal communication involves a close group of participants such as the everyday conversations you carry on. Interpersonal communication involves face to face encounters which you get the immediate communication. It also includes speeches, general friendly exchanges, arguments and basically anytime you speak to someone. Many variations make interpersonal communication flexibility important for difference circumstances. We use interpersonal communication to learn new information such as when asking questions. Plus, we use it to share information such as when telling a story. Even to define yourself in a speech. We do learn about different cultures and languages through interpersonal communication as well. Interpersonal communication is very indeed important since it develop our self throughout the stages of life.You learn, teach and get an identity. You get so many things to share to others who you are. Basically learn how to pronounce words correctly and to speak properly in certain situation and how to communicate in general. In recent years, interpersonal communication has taken back seat compare to other forms since more people are in to using social networks to exchange information and contacts. Basically develop your interpersonal communication skills for success at work and at home. 3.2 Small group communication Interpersonal communication define as within 3 or more persons. People join groups for variety of reasons. Some group members are motivated by task concerns and others are motivated by interpersonal attraction to other group of members. There is a phrase, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts , which also refers to group synergy. A group synergy refers to the idea that two heads or more are better then one. A group communication will increase the ability to perform more and multiple work which provide encouragement and support to its members within a project .This may lead to promote the interpersonal relationships between the group members. Individuals often join a team or group to meet their interpersonal needs. Self Control is needed to exercise leadership and prove ones abilities. Some person do not want to be a leader. So, group communication is the necessary control over aspects of their lives.Take note that groups are an excellent way to make friends We can split group communication into various types of groups. Social Groups This group is predominantly social in their orientation such as families and social clubs. Basically its provide for our safety and solidarity needs and they help to develop self-esteem. Work Groups This group work to complete a particular task. Their expertise is counted to full fill the mission or task. There are several work groups such as workplaces, campus organizations or juries. An example of this will be assembly line which each worker performs tasks to build a complete car. A group members must be able to communicate freely and openly with all of the other members of the group. A group must have a common purpose or goal so that they must work together to achieve that goal. Basically a goal bring the team together. 3.3 Public Communication According to Wikipedia, Public Communication is the process of speaking to a group of people in a structured, deliberate manner intended to inform, influence or entertain the listeners . Skill in public speaking is important. No matter what your career choice, most collage graduates enter occupations that require some form of speaking before groups.Culture affects the way people use, present and regards public speaking. Public Communication usually dificult for most people and effective public speaking is a skill which must be learned. Not only do you listen in person, but receive information via technology. We hear speeches on television and radio.The basic components of public communication process are the source and the code, perceptions and attitudes, message, channel, receiver, feedback, noise and environment . Audience awarness is very important when its comes to public communication .Its the ability to ensure that your communication level is interactive towards the listeners. Self-centered is very importand. Public comunication can be define as public speaking as well. It can consider as fear for most of the people. But with proper preparation, anyone can make it happen. Few tips to be a good public communicator or public speaker. Dress for success. Be with good packaging such as dress code. Better to overdressd than undredressed. It definatly will enchance your image. Prepare a great intro and closing. Practice till you even can say them forward and backward. A great start with some humor or short story will definatly works. Try to filter out the ah ,Mmmm the presentation. It will annoy or will definalty will give uncomfertable reaction to the audience. To skip this try to join the local Toastmasters international club. Try to build your presentation in to an easy format to follow. Flip chat with key point works better on this .A handouts where participants can follow the topic that you will cover will works as well. Time is the most important element in public communication. Sharp with point with proper timing will always lead to a great opening and ending. Rehearse as much as you can. Always keep eye contact with the audience. Try to find some smiling audience. Move from one to one. Its a rewarding expriences when its comes to public communication. Its boots everything up. 4.0 Conclusion Oral communication is the most important component in any area such as business, relationship, family, work and etc. Without it interaction is almost imposible. Oral communication skills are crucial in handeling with others, and this is proven in any situation. As we in malaysia, there are some example of our everyday oral communication as Manglish . Originated from English, malay, hokkian, mandarin and tamil. We intend to add Lah in all the words as below. Come one lah, see how lah and etc. Got or not Means, do you have it ? When ah? Who ah? Where ah? in rising ahs mean respectively When? Who? Where? It noted that we shoud start a good proper words to correct us for a better future with better oral language in communication.

Marathon Running Essay

Runners come in all shapes and sizes. I have seen 300-pound men and women at the start of a race and in contrast the chiseled muscles of the elite runners. The reasons for running are as various as the runners themselves. Some run for weight lose, mental or physical health, competition, and charity. There are many physical health benefits for running; â€Å"Human bodies burn about 2,000-2,500 calories a day in normal activities. Running 5 miles a day can burn an additional 500 calories. † If this same formula holds true, a person completing a marathon will have burnt close to 2,600 calories. However, how fast a person doesn’t correspond with how much weight they may loose while running. â€Å"For example, a 220-pound person running an eight-minute mile burns 150 calories, while a 120-pound person running at the same pace burns only 82. Every person’s body requires an excess of 3,500 calories in order to gain a pound or a deficit of 3,500 calories in order to lose a pound. Thus, 180-pound person who runs 5 miles each day will lose about 5 pounds a month. However, as his or her weight goes down, he or she will burn fewer calories per mile† according to a study conducted at Vanderbilt University. According to Runner’s World editor Hal Higgdon. â€Å"Running can also have many psychological benefits. Most significantly runners typically report being happier and feeling less stressed than their counterparts who do not run or exercise regularly. Running actually has the ability to alter an individuals moods because hormones called endorphins are released while running. These hormones create a sense of euphoria often referred to as a runner’s high and can result in an improvement in the runner’s mood. † With these endorphins being released into the runner’s body, running can be very addictive. A man or woman can feel like they’ve been turned into Michael Jordan and anything, even running 26 miles, is possible. Running a marathon and the distances to train are also almost spiritual. When I run I am able to solve my companies, personal, families, and the whole worlds problems. I have come up with some of the most life altering and affirming choices in the sunrise of an 8-mile run. Running is also a great stress reliever while running I am able to focus on the road and the miles as they build. I am able to forget about the office, family, or other concerns. There are 26. reasons why a marathon is hard. To put this distance in perspective if you were to drive your car at 60 mph it would take a half an hour to drive that distance. But while running the marathon â€Å"there is no downtime. You’re the machine,† says physical therapist Jim Wharton of New York-based Wharton Performance, which trains world-class athletes. The debate about the difficulty of the m arathon, doesn’t center just on the physical aspects. â€Å"Motivation, confidence and mental toughness are necessary,† says Stephen Russo, director of sports psychology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Health System. Running is painful; it’s tedious, and exhausting. After a few miles our bodies scream for us to stop and rest. When the body screams stop that is when the mind takes over and you keep running. Through my experiences in running and race competitions I can say a marathon is not something that can be described it is something must be experienced. In a marathon the participant will be competing against hundreds and in larger races thousands of other hopefuls. In many marathons time restrictions are placed on which the marathon will end. -8 hours after the marathon has began, barricades will be removed and the race rout will be dismantled. If a runner is unable to finish in the allotted time the race officials may take them to the finish line and will not allowed to finish. However during those 6-8 hours a runner can run, jog, or walk any distance they want. When Khalid Khannouchi won the London Marathon last year, he didn’t do any walking: He set a world record of 2 hours, 5 minutes and 38 seconds. For elite athletes like Khannouchi distance running is a way of life. Marathoners seem either to be training or getting ready for the next workout. You wake up every morning and you know what you have to do. You have long mileage to accumulate. Sometimes you’re already tired from your last two or three workouts. You still have to wake up, have the motivation and go outside and do the training. † Khannouchi said. For me running is not simply about the weight loss or the constant inquires of family, friends, and co-workers who ask, â€Å"How many mile(s) did you run today? † When I run I am only accountable to my trusty stopwatch and myself. The marathon is my Everest. I will be back. Standing there with hundreds of other runners in tank tops and short on a cold fall morning, waiting for the starter pistol. I don’t run for the medal or the crowd I run for me. I run despite the 9 times out of 10 it will hurt, but I keep going. I run for that one time that it doesn’t and I am able to finish my run and look down at my stop watch and be excited about a new personal best time, if only a few seconds. I run because I know it will hurt but I keep going and I won’t give into the pain. I am an athlete. I am runner.

Case Study of Army Crew Team

1. Why does the varsity team lose to the JV team?Varsity team loses to the JV team because they don’t have effective teamwork. They have excellent sources which are strength, technique but can’t make use of source as they don’t have any reason to devote themselves to other team members. It means they don’t have attention and interest about team members and this situation make individual strengths be useless in race.2. What should Coach P. have done differently earlier in the season to resolve this problem? At exactly what pint should he have intervened differently?Coach P. should have focused on personality and temper of members rather than strength and techniques when he consist teams. He just focused on exterior traits and didn’t focus on relationship of members. If he had known about relationship of players, he would have consisted team members in a balanced way. Balance means that each member will be mutual supplementation and make positive team mood.3. At the end of the case, what action should Coach P. take on Tuesday? Why do you recommend this action? How should he implement this action? Please be specific.There is no other better way than it that members become friend to solve this problem. For that, Coach should try to make friendship at the meeting. How? Coach P. can make friendship by making players tell merits of other players. But just saying sentences don’t have affects. Each member should stare eyes each other about 3~5seconds and tell about good traits of other players. This action will slightly make some affection and this small change will make huge changes.4. How would you compare the Army Crew team to your AAR project teams? What are the key similarities and differences? What lessons can we learn from the Army Crew team?Both army crew team and AAR project team have similar number of members and should have good teamwork to achieve good results. While army crew team have fixed role to respective membe rs, AAR project team don’t have any designated role. Because there are no designated role and leader in AAR project team, it would be possible for one person to undertake all tasks or one person not to participate to the project. To prevent that situation and as a lessons from the army crew team should we give attention to isolated member not criticizing but comforting and caring him. We should go together even though some retard would be expected because there is no one who is not effective person.5. References Indicate at least two reading materials(HBR or ED that help you to respond this case)

What Is Multiculturalism Definition, Theories, and Examples

In sociology, multiculturalism describes the manner in which a given society deals with cultural diversity. Based on the underlying assumption that members of often very different cultures can coexist peacefully, multiculturalism expresses the view that society is enriched by preserving, respecting, and even encouraging cultural diversity. In the area of political philosophy, multiculturalism refers to the ways in which societies choose to formulate and implement official policies dealing with the equitable treatment of different cultures. Key Takeaways: Multiculturalism Multiculturalism  is the way in which a society deals with  cultural diversity, both at the national and at the community level.  Sociologically, multiculturalism  assumes that society as a whole benefits from increased diversity through the harmonious coexistence of different cultures.Multiculturalism  typically develops according to one of two theories: the â€Å"melting pot† theory or the â€Å"salad bowl† theory. Multiculturalism can take place on a nationwide scale or within a nation’s communities. It may occur either naturally through immigration, or artificially when jurisdictions of different cultures are combined through legislative decree, as in the case of French and English Canada. Proponents of multiculturalism believe that people should retain at least some features of their traditional cultures. Opponents say that multiculturalism threatens the social order by diminishing the identity and influence of the predominant culture. While acknowledging that it is a sociopolitical issue, this article will focus on the sociological aspects of multiculturalism. Multiculturalism Theories The two primary theories or models of multiculturalism as the manner in which different cultures are integrated into a single society are best defined by the metaphors commonly used to describe them—the â€Å"melting pot† and the â€Å"salad bowl† theories. The Melting Pot Theory The melting pot theory of multiculturalism assumes that various immigrant groups will tend to â€Å"melt together,† abandoning their individual cultures and eventually becoming fully assimilated into the predominant society. Typically used to describe the assimilation of immigrants into the United States, the melting pot theory is often illustrated by the metaphor of a foundry’s smelting pots in which the elements iron and carbon are melted together to create a single, stronger metal—steel. In 1782, French-American immigrant J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur wrote that in America, â€Å"individuals of all nations are melted into a new race of men, whose labors and posterity will one day cause great changes in the world.† The melting pot model has been criticized for reducing diversity, causing people to lose their traditions, and for having to be enforced through governmental policy. For example, the U.S. Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 forced the assimilation of nearly 350,000 Indians into American society without any regard for the diversity of Native American heritage and lifestyles. The Salad Bowl Theory A more liberal theory of multiculturalism than the melting pot, the salad bowl theory describes a heterogeneous society in which people coexist but retain at least some of the unique characteristics of their traditional culture. Like a salad’s ingredients, different cultures are brought together, but rather than coalescing into a single homogeneous culture, retain their own distinct flavors. In the United States, New York City, with its many unique ethnic communities like â€Å"Little India,† â€Å"Little Odessa,† and â€Å"Chinatown† is considered an example of a salad bowl society. The salad bowl theory asserts that it is not necessary for people to give up their cultural heritage in order to be considered members of the dominant society. For example, African Americans do not need to stop observing Kwanzaa rather than Christmas in order to be considered â€Å"Americans.† On the negative side, the cultural differences encouraged by the salad bowl model can divide a society resulting in prejudice and discrimination. In addition, critics point to a 2007 study conducted by American political scientist Robert Putnam showing that people living in salad bowl multicultural communities were less likely to vote or volunteer for community improvement projects. Characteristics of a Multicultural Society Multicultural societies are characterized by people of different races, ethnicities, and nationalities living together in the same community. In multicultural communities, people retain, pass down, celebrate, and share their unique cultural ways of life, languages, art, traditions, and behaviors. The characteristics of multiculturalism often spread into the community’s public schools, where curricula are crafted to introduce young people to the qualities and benefits of cultural diversity. Though sometimes criticized as a form of â€Å"political correctness,† educational systems in multicultural societies stress the histories and traditions of minorities in classrooms and textbooks. A 2018 study conducted by the Pew Research Center found that the â€Å"post-millennial† generation of people ages 6 to 21 are the most diverse generation in American society. Far from an exclusively American phenomenon, examples of multiculturalism are found worldwide. In Argentina, for example, newspaper articles, and radio and television programs are commonly presented in English, German, Italian, French, or Portuguese, as well as the country’s native Spanish. Indeed, Argentina’s constitution promotes immigration by recognizing the right of individuals to retain multiple citizenships from other countries. As a key element of the country’s society, Canada adopted multiculturalism as official policy during the premiership of Pierre Trudeau in the 1970s and 1980s. In addition, the Canadian constitution, along with laws such as the Canadian Multiculturalism Act and the Broadcasting Act of 1991, recognize the importance of multicultural diversity. According to the Canadian Library and Archives, over 200,000 people—representing at least 26 different ethnocultural groups—immigrate to Canada every year. Why Diversity Is Important Multiculturalism is the key to achieving a high degree of cultural diversity. Diversity occurs when people of different races, nationalities, religions, ethnicities, and philosophies come together to form a community. A truly diverse society is one that recognizes and values the cultural differences in its people. Proponents of cultural diversity argue that it makes humanity stronger and may, in fact, be vital to its long-term survival. In 2001, the General Conference of UNESCO took this position when it asserted in its Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity that â€Å"...cultural diversity is as necessary for humankind as biodiversity is for nature.† Today, entire countries, workplaces, and schools are increasingly made up of various cultural, racial, and ethnic groups. By recognizing and learning about these various group, communities build trust, respect, and understanding across all cultures. Communities and organizations in all settings benefit from the different backgrounds, skills, experiences and new ways of thinking that come with cultural diversity. Sources  and Further Reference  Ã‚   St. John de Crevecoeur, J. Hector (1782). Letters from an American Farmer: What is an America? The Avalon Project. Yale University.  Ã‚  Ã‚  De La Torre, Miguel A. The Problem With the Melting Pot. EthicsDaily.com (2009).  Ã‚  Hauptman, Laurence M. Going Off the Reservation: A Memoir. University of California Press.  Jonas, Michael. The downside of diversity. The Boston Globe (August 5, 2007).  Ã‚  Fry, Richard and Parker Kim. Benchmarks Show Post-Millenials on Track to Be Most Diverse, Best-Educated Generation Yet. Pew Research Center (November 2018).