Transcript UNDERSTANDING CULTURAL DIFERENCES

PART 3
HIGH & LOW CONTEXT CULTURE
CULTURAL CONTEXT
The context of a culture is a way to examine
how language is used
How information is communicated from
one person to another
 How do members of a given culture handle
information
 Context is on a continuum from low to high
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Chinese Tiger Mother
Tiger Mother
 Is
there any truth to Chinese raising
more competent children?
 Should a child be called garbage if
they’re disrespectful?
 Is it wrong to choose a child’s
future for them? To ignore their
interests?
 Is it smart to deny your child to
participate in sports and theatre?
The Tiger Mother
SPO #4
LOW CONTEXT CULTURES
(North America, Sweden,
German)
COMMUNICATION SPO #4
Words send most of the message
 Value laden
 Words are extremely important
and carry explicit meaning.
Communication process less
important
 Language has less emotion

COMMUNICATION SPO #4


Eye contact is commonly more direct
Language deals primarily with the who,
what, where, when, why and how.
Language is based on linear thinking
that is structured and direct
– The primary language spoken in the
U.S. is English in which the structure
of words sends most of the message
– Even though born in the U.S., your
communication process may be
inherited from parents or
grandparents who came from low or
high context cultures
VALUES
Family structure is predominantly
nuclear
 Importance of individualism

– Personal accomplishments
– Competition
VALUES
Constitutional rights, laws and
responsibilities are very important
 More importance usually placed on
centralized government than on family,
village or city rules or laws

SPO #4
HIGH CONTEXT CULTURES (i.e.
Muslim/Arab, Somalian, Asian,
Hispanic, African and Native
American)
COMMUNICATION SPO #4
Words send only part of the message
 Value Laden
 The process of communication is just as
important as the words used and may
bury the implicit meaning of the words
used or the intended message
 Emotion, posturing and gesturing may
be part of the communication process

COMMUNICATION SPO #4
Less direct eye contact
 The message that is spoken has to be
understood in the whole context of the
culture. Absent a cultural
understanding, the communication may
be lacking nuances of the community in
that culture may send the wrong
message

VALUES
Extended family
 Family unit is more important than the
individual
 Collectivism is important
 Family rules and
honor are extremely
important

VALUES
Respect
 Family and community rules may be
more determinate of values, ethics and
laws than centralized government
 Time is not as important as completing
a task
