Moving from high-context communication to low-context communication or vice versa is challenging for students. Traditionally, Western cultures are known for being more individualistic or communicating with a low context style. Since a high-context culture is based on fewer, deeper relations with people, there are many unspoken social rules and understandings within the culture. Learn what high context culture is. Ramos, D. C. (2014). These experiences inclu. In other words, the relationship between directness and contexting based on traditional classifications of [high-context] and [low-context] cultures is particularly tenuous. Low-context communication is often seen in Western, more individualistic cultures (i.e., U.S., Australia, some European countries) where communication is direct, to the point, and one doesn't have to guess the meaning or intention behind what is being said. Strategies to work effectively with people from high context and low context cultures Follow these 4 key strategies to communicate effectively across cultures: 1. This study is a result of a cross-cultural examination between students from the United States, a low-context culture, and Mexico, a high-context culture, to study the reasons people communicate in each culture. High-context cultures rely heavily on non-verbal cues, such as facial expressions, body language, tone of voice, etc. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. Body language, tone of voice, and personal status are a few notable characteristics that are valued in a high-context culture. Guffey et al. low-context communication is "the mass of information is vested in the explicit code". For example, in one country a cow is seen as leather, in another one - as a deity and in another one as dinner. Characteristics of Low Context People behave according to rules Preference is given to knowledge sharing and transfer Relationships do not last longer On purpose relationships By contrast, a low-context culture is characterized by information being communicated primarily through spoken language, as well as rules being explicitly and directly stated. "[17] On the other hand, he identified countries such as Germany, the United States and Scandinavia as low-context cultures. In low-context cultures, communication tends to be more direct and to the point. [32] Since all sets of cultures differ, especially from a global standpoint where language also creates a barrier for communication, social interactions specific to a culture normally require a range of appropriate communication abilities that an opposing culture may not understand or know about. Therefore, it is necessary for more explicit information to be included in the message so it is not misinterpreted. - Dosage & Side Effects, Anxiolytic: Definition, Medications & Dependence, What is Citalopram? Low-context cultures are less stable than high-context cultures as they are not founded upon any shared background. Communicating with high-context cultures can require you to focus on politeness strategies that demonstrate your respect for readers and listeners. The United States, on the other hand, is considered a low-context culture, relying largely on explicit verbal explanations to keep everyone on the same page. Individuals in such cultures must hear or read a direct order, point, etc for it to be taken as valid. Establishing relationships is an important part of communicating and interacting. Focusing on tradition creates opportunities for higher-context messages between individuals of each new generation, and the high-context culture feeds back to the stability hence allows the tradition to be maintained. India and Japan are typically high-context, highly collectivistic cultures, where business is done by building relationships and maintaining respectful communication. Low context cultures emphasize individuality and tasks. Cultural differences in advertising and marketing may also be explained through high- and low-context cultures. Routledge. [1] In low context, communication members' communication must be more explicit, direct, and elaborate because individuals are not expected to have knowledge of each other's histories or background, and communication is not necessarily shaped by long-standing relationships between speakers. In. Ironically, contexting is most frequently discussed in terms of directness, yet empirical studies nearly all fail to support this relationship. 18 Examples of Low Culture. Communicators in low-context cultures (such as those in North America, Scandinavia, and Germany) depend little on the context of a situation to convey their meaning. Examples of low-context cultures include the United States, Australia, and many European countries. ; it is the way we communicate, do business and see the world. Low-context cultures also want these communications to revolve around basic questions, like: What's happening? Members of high-context cultures usually have close relationships that last for an extended period of time. Sourabh Yadav (MA) and Peer Reviewed by Chris Drew (PhD), Bureaucratization (Sociology): Definition, Features, Origins, Stereotype Content Model: Examples and Definition. High-context cultures promote the development of ingroups. A conclusion may be implied but not argued directly. Wurtz, Elizabeth (2005). Unlike low-context cultures, high-context cultures prioritize the group over the individual (Hofstede, 1984). Culture and Interpersonal Communication. Want to create or adapt books like this? As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. All rights reserved. Whereas low-context cultures prefer more words (to a certain extent), high-context cultures prefer more images. [10] In low-context cultures, relationships are not viewed as important figures to identity. Researchers today are using it greatly to study different cultures all over the world. High-context cultures, on the other hand, depend on both the spoken words and the context of the situationincluding the shared values/assumptions of the groupto convey meaning. A few relevant examples of differences in communication between low- and high-context cultures are found in Table 1. For a communicator to successfully interact with others from a different culture he must know whether his own culture is high or low context and which context is the culture in the interaction. For high-context cultures, language is a kind of social lubricant, easing and harmonizing relations that are defined according to a group or collectivist orientation where we rather than I is the key to identity. This article was peer-reviewed and edited by Chris Drew (PhD). How Do I Format and Cite Long Direct Quotes? [4] The model of high-context and low-context cultures offers a popular framework in intercultural-communication studies, but has been criticized as lacking empirical validation. Information is transmitted not through words alone but also through non-verbal cues such as gestures, voice inflection, and facial expression, which can have different meanings in different cultures. Context is less important than words. A high-context culture is a culture in which the values, rules, and social norms are primarily communicated through the use of contextual elements (such as body language, a person's status, and tone of voice) and are not explicitly stated. Sage Publications. [42] In a case study conducted by the IT University of Copenhagen, it was found that websites catering to high-context cultures tended to have more detailed and advanced designs, including various images and animations. However, there are some other characteristics also. Family gatherings and interactions with people from high-context cultures are two examples of scenarios in which Americans participate in high-context communications, largely because they are with close-knit groups of people who share similar values, rules, and norms. This makes high-context cultures difficult to navigate for those who do not understand the culture's unwritten rules. Create your account, 10 chapters | Beyond Culture. Overall, this study provides further evidence to support the high versus low-context culture concepts with Chinese, Korean, and American participants. The reverse holds true for High (Collectivistic) Context Cultures. Japan and other countries located in Asia, Brazil and other countries located in South America, African tribal groups and most countries located in Africa, A majority of the Middle East, including Iraq and Iran, Describe Edward T. Hall's characterization of high-context cultures, Distinguish between high-context and low-context cultures, Explain the characteristics of high-context cultures, Recall the importance of ingroups to high-context cultures. In Mexico's high context culture, communication is . What is low context cultural communication? In his work, "Beyond Culture", Hall described these two different types of cultural relationships as they applied to information. Examples of high context cultures include many Asian, African, and Latin American countries, as well as some European cultures such as Spain and Italy. Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. They are considered less direct, and they put a lot of weight on gestures and body language to draw significance from messages. What is a high-context culture and how does this communication culture differ from a low-context culture? [5]:4223, Characteristics of high-context and low-context cultures, Examples of higher- and lower-context cultures, Overlap and contrast between context cultures, How higher context relates to other cultural metrics. In this article, we will give you examples of high and low context mediation. Edward Hall is a famous theorist and anthropologist who has contributed a renowned theory of high- and low-context cultures to facilitate students, researchers . All articles are edited by a PhD level academic. Neuliup, J. W. (2011). [37] Because individualistic cultures may value cultural diversity, a more explicit way of communicating is often required to avoid misunderstanding. It describes the level of explicit information and the importance of context in a given culture, indicating the range of communicative abilities (verbal messages, gestures, etc.) Besides cultural context, personal experiences and preferences also shape communication. Instead, a comparison between cultures may find communication differences to a greater or lesser degree. Listen to business speaker Erin Meyer explain how cultural differences can affect communication. Give some examples of cultural differences in the interpretation of body language. A 2005 study by Elizabeth Wurtz demonstrates how cultural differences shape marketing and advertising. Instead, many cultures tend to have a mixture or at least some concepts that are shared between them, overlapping the two context cultures.[26]. This means that the members' identity is heavily rooted in groups, i.e., families and work units. When it comes to emails, texts, and online messaging, low-context cultures use it to fire off quick, frequent messages. Resistance in Turkey and India Between World Wars, The Role of Culture & Gender in Listening, The Role of Perception & Bias in Intercultural Communication, Introduction to Educational Psychology: Certificate Program, Educational Psychology: Tutoring Solution, Research Methods in Psychology: Help and Review, Introduction to Psychology: Homework Help Resource, Abnormal Psychology: Homework Help Resource, Social Psychology: Homework Help Resource, Introduction to Psychology: Tutoring Solution, Educational Psychology: Homework Help Resource, UExcel Research Methods in Psychology: Study Guide & Test Prep, Research Methods in Psychology: Certificate Program, Research Methods in Psychology: Homework Help Resource, Create an account to start this course today. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. As such, what is said is what is meant, and further analysis of the message is usually unnecessary. Anchor Press/Doubleday. For example, a low-context communicator can say, "I am unhappy with this outcome and . It further attempts to draw parallels between face-to-face communication and communication on the web by looking at communication rules and patterns in high-context cultures and comparing and contrasting them to the . The differences between high-context and low-context cultures is one of the most challenging things to navigate and one of the most important and distinct differences that exists across cultures. They place a high value on interpersonal relationships and group members are a very close-knit community. High Context vs. Low Context (Internet) Example of McDonalds Internet site: High: Families shown, lots of people on the website ads Low: You, your choices, easy to navigate High Context vs. Low Context (Law) High: Traditions are the laws Low: Rules and order are spelled out. In contrast, take a look at the ads on the front page of Weibo, which is considered China's version of Facebook. Since understanding every culture has its level of complexity, it is hard for other country people to determine what is the state of culture of the country they visit as a traveller. Communication cultures differ societally between high-context and low-context cultures, a concept first described by anthropologist Edward T. Hall in his 1976 publication Beyond Culture. Their communication is less-task oriented, and their decision-making is driven by relationships, shared experiences, and emotions. What is culture? For example, people in traditional high context cultures have been described as developing "shared identities." In direct contrast to low context behavior, in a negotiation, high context cultures communicate in Edward T. Hall describes low-context culture as one in which: most of the information is either in the explicit code or readily available elsewhere (Hall, 1976). Croucher's study examines the assertion that culture influences communication style (high/low-context) preference. These include specific forms of body language, the social or familial status of an individual, and the tone of voice employed during speech. 231 lessons. They also are AT-CTI certified. A high-context culture is a culture or society that communicates dominantly through the use of contextual elements, such as specific forms of body language, the status of an individual, and the tone of voice employed during speech. ), Hall, E. T.; Hall, M. R. (1990). Members of the culture place emphasis on interpersonal relationships. Goodwill Messages and Recommendations. [19] This has been expanded to further countries by Sheposh & Shaista. Although the concept of high- and low-context cultures is usually applied in the field of analyzing national cultures, it can also be used to describe scientific or corporate cultures, or specific settings such as airports or law courts. In high-context cultures (such as those in Japan, China, Korea, and Arab countries), communication relies heavily on non-verbal, contextual, and shared cultural meanings. What is an Interculturally Effective Person (IEP)? Interaction. In high cultures, much of the communication is understood by the group either by non-verbal coding, which refers to common body language; distinct in-groups and out-group's, which refers to the cohesiveness of the group; and covert and implicit messages, which refers to what we refer . When individuals from high-context and low-context cultures collaborate, there are often difficulties that occur during the exchange of information. In a 2008 meta-analysis of 224 articles published between 1990 and 2006, Peter W. Cardon wrote: [T]he theory was never described by Hall with any empirical rigor, and no known research involving any instrument or measure of contexting validates it. Cultural contexts are not absolutely "high" or "low". Low-context and high-context cultures are the ends of a continuum portraying how cultures communicate. Instead, they depend on the explicit code of the words and written rules to convey meaning. Conclusions are explicitly stated. A number of unique characteristics exist to make a clear distinction between high-context vs. low-context cultures and methods of communication. In anthropology, high-context culture and low-context culture are ends of a continuum of how explicit the messages exchanged in a culture are and how important the context is in communication. Cultural Perceptions of Communication in Organizations: Low Context and High Context. High context cultures include Japanese, Arabs and French. "[29] A similarity that the two communication styles share is its influence on social characteristics such as age, gender, social class and ethnicity. . Eye contact, for example, which is encouraged in North America, may have ambiguous meaning or be considered disrespectful in certain high-context cultures. The preferred way of solving problems and learning is in groups. According to Hall's theory, Chinese and Korean samples represented higher-context cultures while the American sample represents lower context. The general terms "high context" and "low context" (popularized by Edward Hall) are used to describe broad-brush cultural differences between societies. These rules of communication are understood without being explicitly stated. Relationships: The components of these cultures tend to value long-term relationships. Low-context countries, on the other hand, relied more on linear processes and verbal communication. The USA and Australia are typically low-context, highly individualistic cultures, where transparency and competition in business are prized.
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