Cultures where the group is valued over the individual promote. Low-context cultures also want these communications to revolve around basic questions, like: What's happening? In low-context countries, things need to be spelled out a bit more. Hall is also credited for developing the idea of chronemics, or the study of the use of time during nonverbal communications. The Lavin Agency Speakers Bureau. Required fields are marked *, This Article was Last Expert Reviewed on January 24, 2023 by Chris Drew, PhD. Ramos, D. C. (2014). The situation, people, and non-verbal elements are more important than the actual words that are communicated. Their communication is often indirect and requires a nuanced understanding, so outsiders might find it more difficult to enter their culture. The law is important! When it comes to emails, texts, and online messaging, low-context cultures use it to fire off quick, frequent messages. Cultural differences in advertising and marketing may also be explained through high- and low-context cultures. Culture also affects how individuals interpret other people's facial expressions. Members of the culture place emphasis on interpersonal relationships. copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. [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. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. Cultures and communication in which context is of great importance to structuring actions is referred to as high context. (1971). In high context cultures like Native American tribes, Japan, China, and Arabic countries, communication is curvilinear, and often what is left unsaid is just as important than what is, and there is more flexibility with time and looser schedules. For instance, a study has argued that both Japan and Finland (high-context cultures) are becoming lower-context with the increased influence of Western European and United States culture.[22]. The results show significant differences between the American, Chinese, and Korean samples on 15 out of 16 items, with 11 items significant at the .01 level, one at the .05 level, and three at the .10 level. Effectively communicating within this culture, therefore, requires messaging that is perceived as objective, professional, and efficient. Many aspects of cultural behavior are not made explicit because most members know what . [10] In low-context cultures, relationships are not viewed as important figures to identity. [23] For example, Native Americans in the United States have higher-context cultures with a strong sense of tradition and history, compared to general American culture. France is a high-context culture. Low-Context Culture Communication & Examples | What Is Low-Context Culture? (2014, December 10). Bernstein, B. [42] The images found on the websites used in the study promoted individualistic and collectivist characteristics within the low-context and high-context websites, respectively. Most notably, members of either culture must recognize and make an effort to understand the values and characteristics of other cultures so that miscommunications may be avoided. Carolyn Meyer (2017)[4]discusses the prototypes for communication in low-context and high-context cultures: Communicators in low-context cultures (such as those in Germany, Scandinavia, and North America) convey their meaning exclusive of the context of a situation. Meaning is determined not by what is said but by how it is said and by how social implications such as the communicators status and position come into play. Eye contact, for example, which is encouraged in North America, may have ambiguous meaning or be considered disrespectful in certain high-context cultures. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you This can be quite confusing to an outsider, especially someone from a low-context culture who is used to communicating via explicit messages. 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 USA and Australia are typically low-context, highly individualistic cultures, where transparency and competition in business are prized. In these cultures, people may rely on body language, tone of voice, and facial expressions to convey meaning, and may not always say exactly what they mean directly. Data was gathered in India, Ireland, Thailand, and the United States where the results confirm that "high-context nations (India and Thailand) prefer the avoiding and obliging conflict styles more than low-context nations (Ireland and the United States), whereas low-context nations prefer the uncompromising and dominating communication style more than high-context nations."[16]. 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. Goodwill Messages and Recommendations. In contrast, take a look at the ads on the front page of Weibo, which is considered China's version of Facebook. An individual from Texas (a higher-context culture) may communicate with a few words or use of a prolonged silence characteristic of Texan English, where a New Yorker would be very explicit (as typical of New York City English), although both speak the same language (American English) and are part of a nation (the United States of America) which is lower-context relative to other nations. According to Hall, the high-context culture definition relates to a culture by which the rules of communication are primarily and dominantly transmitted through the use of contextual elements. [15] In contrast, scientists working with living systems need to include more context because there can be significant variables which impact the research outcomes. Examples of low- and high-context cultures are those based in the following culture clusters: High-context cultures The Sub-Saharan Africa Cluster The Middle East Cluster The Latin Europe Cluster The Eastern Europe Cluster The Latin America Cluster The Southern Asia Cluster The Confucian Asia Cluster Low-context cultures The Anglo Cluster In Mexico's high context culture, communication is . For example, if you have ever been to a family gathering, then you have experience with a high-context culture. Rules are not directly or explicitly written or stated. Low context is a communication environment that doesn't heavily rely on common understanding such as shared culture, experiences and norms.This can be contrasted with high context communication that relies on common background or understanding. Anchor Press/Doubleday. High-context cultures rely heavily on non-verbal cues, such as facial expressions, body language, tone of voice, etc. A few relevant examples of differences in communication between low- and high-context cultures are found in Table 1. [5], These concepts were first introduced by the anthropologist Edward T. Hall in his 1959 book The Silent Language. [14] However, understanding the broad tendencies of predominant cultures can help inform and educate individuals on how to better facilitate communication between individuals of differing cultural backgrounds. Strategies to work effectively with people from high context and low context cultures Follow these 4 key strategies to communicate effectively across cultures: 1. In other words, the relationship between directness and contexting based on traditional classifications of [high-context] and [low-context] cultures is particularly tenuous. High context refers to societies or groups where people have close connections over a long period of time. Ironically, contexting is most frequently discussed in terms of directness, yet empirical studies nearly all fail to support this relationship. Culture is a combination of our thoughts, roles, manners, values, etc. Type of paper: Research Paper. Also remember that although cultures are different from one another, no culture or cultural characteristic is better or worse than any other. Conflict Styles and HighLow Context Cultures: A Cross-Cultural Extension. [33] This significance follows into many situations such as the workplace, which can be prone to diversified cultures and opportunities for collaboration and working together. Low context communication is more common in the English speaking world, whereas high context communication is more common in Eastern cultures such as Japan and China. As a result of these years of interacting with one another, the members know what the rules are, how to think, and how to behave, so the rules do not have to be explicitly stated. High context cultures include Japanese, Arabs and French. Note: Comparison of low- and high-context cultures reprinted from Business communication: Process & product (p. 64) by M.E. The study suggests that in high-context cultures, such as China and Korea, people tend to be more socially oriented, less confrontational, and more complacent with existing ways of living compared to people from low-context cultures like the US.[23]. She found out that in high-context countries, the advertising campaigns used more colors, movements, and sounds to provide context. Studentsshould always cross-check any information on this site with their course teacher. [30], Hall links language to culture through the work of Sapir-Whorf on linguistic relativity. - Uses & Side Effects, Working Scholars Bringing Tuition-Free College to the Community, Japan, China, Korea, and many other countries in Asia, Brazil, Peru, Argentina, and some other countries in South America, Tribal groups and most nations in Africa, such as Kenya, Iraq, Iran, and other countries located in the Middle East. Guffey, D. Lowey, K. Rhodes, K., & P. Rogin. It is important to note that no culture is low-context or high-context in absolute terms but a mix of both. [39][40] In high-context cultures, facial expressions and gestures take on greater importance in conveying and understanding a message, and the receiver may require more cultural context to understand "basic" displays of emotions. Discover high context culture examples, and identify the importance of high context vs. low context communication. [18], Therefore, higher-context cultures tend to correlate with cultures that also have a strong sense of tradition and history, and change little over time. Give some examples of cultural differences in the interpretation of body language. The reverse holds true for High (Collectivistic) Context Cultures. Examples of high-context cultures include China, India, and many non-Western societies. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication. Information has to be explicit and detailed for the message to be conveyed without distortion. Flowery language, humility, and elaborate apologies are typical. Pages: 3. Listen to business speaker Erin Meyer explain how cultural differences can affect communication. This is in contrast to lower-context cultures in which the shared experiences upon which communication is built can change drastically from one generation to the next, creating communication gaps between parents and children, as in the United States.[18]. [34], Restricted codes are commonly used in high-context culture groups, where group members share the same cultural background and can easily understand the implicit meanings "between the lines" without further elaboration. Interaction. However, no country is low-context or high-context in absolute terms; instead, there is a mix of explicit & implicit communication everywhere. 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. Teachers can illustrate the differences between high- and low- context cultures by providing examples of behaviors. Wurtz found something similar while analyzing website design. Mostly, western cultures are low context cultures like the UK, Australia, and the United States. https://helpfulprofessor.com/low-context-culture-examples/. By comparison, low-context cultures refer to cultures whereby most communications take place through verbal language and rules are directly written out or stated for all to view. [25] There were 225 Mexican participants from three different undergraduate universities in Mexico City and 447 participants from Kent State University in the U.S.[25] The case study looked into culture shock experienced by Mexicans studying in the U.S. In high-context cultures (such as those in Japan, China, and Arab countries), the listener is already contexted and does not need to be given much background information[3]. Whereas low-context cultures prefer more words (to a certain extent), high-context cultures prefer more images. Most of the cultural behavior aspects are not open for the reason that many of the members are aware of what to do and what thoughts to engage in. Their communication is less-task oriented, and their decision-making is driven by relationships, shared experiences, and emotions. We'll also look at how they're different and what that means for your work in global business. [6] High context cultures have a communication style based on body language, tone, and overall context; while low context cultures are more straightforward and explicit in communication. High-context cultures are those in which the rules of communication are primarily transmitted through the use of contextual elements (i.e., body language, a person's status, and tone of voice) and are not explicitly stated. Anthropologist Edward T. Hall first discussed high-context culture in his 1976 book titled Beyond Culture. Topic: Culture, Context, Communication, Middle East, Business, Conflict, People, Relationships. 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. Examples of a low context communication cultures include The United States, the UK, Switzerland, Canada and Germany. After you have finished with this lesson, you should be able to: To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. Identify your style Before implementing effective communication practices across cultures, identify your own style: Examples of high-context cultures include Asian, African, Latin American, and some European countries. Hall notes a similar difference between Navajo-speakers and English-speakers in a United States school.[18]. High-context cultures promote the development of ingroups. Croucher's study examines the assertion that culture influences communication style (high/low-context) preference. The scale of high- and low-context cultures helps explain much about how we experience communication across our cultural experiences. Russians employ a communication style that relies on environmental, non-verbal, traditional, and symbolic cues when communicating. A few predominantly high-context cultures include Japan, China, Brazil, Argentina, and South Africa. The theory of High and Low Context Cultures puts how people communicate in a dimension. Japan is generally considered a high-context culture, meaning people communicate based on inherent understanding. The following are illustrative examples. In. Low context cultures rely on the spoken word to communicate. In, Meyer, C. (2017). Members of ingroups usually share many characteristics and experiences. [25], The categories of context cultures are not totally separate. 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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. The high and low context cultures in this concept refers to how important contextual cues are in interpreting a message. Trust must be developed before business transactions can begin. You can find his work on The Print, Live Wire, and YouTube. In high-context cultures, communication cues are transmitted by posture, voice inflection, gestures, and facial expression. On the other hand, certain intercultural communication skills are unique for each culture and it is significant to note that these overlaps in communication techniques are represented subgroups within social interactions or family settings. For example, while the United States is a low-context culture, family gatherings (which are common in American culture) tend to be high-context. High-context cultures are related to connotation. Intercultural Communication in the Workplace, 18. [7][8] Denotation tends to be attributed to low-context culture[9] People in low-context cultures communicate in a more direct way, with explicitly speaking what they want to communicate. Indeed, Vietnamese communication style has all the characteristics of highcontext cultures, such as indirect and digressive communication, use of few words, reliance on contextual cues, avoidance of the use of personal names, respect for long silences, and waiting politely until the other person has stopped speaking before taking turns. What are the effects on the communication process? Messages can be contextualized by assuming that the audience would think in the same manner and will follow the underlying meaning implied in someone's speech or writing as a result of these common experiences. [24] The table shows the major differences and similarities between individual queries. The difference between High and Low Context Culture is that Low Context Cultures (Individualistic Cultures) do not need a lot of additional (Contextual) information to engage in " communication ". What is culture? A low-context culture is a culture in which people communicate explicitly. The aim of this report is to evaluate the concept of different communication cultures through the application of Hall's high and low-context model of culture. 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. These include specific forms of body language, the social or familial status of an individual, and the tone of voice employed during speech. 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. Depending on the amount of information conveyed, cultures are classified as being high-context and low-context. [18] A trade language will typically need to explicitly explain more of the context than a dialect which can assume a high level of shared context. Disagreement is depersonalized. [19] This has been expanded to further countries by Sheposh & Shaista. High vs. Low Power Distance Cultural Communications | What are High and Low Power Distance Cultural Communications? For example, the Native Americans in the United States rely heavily on their tradition. The following high-context culture examples are a few global cultures where these rules, as well as other characteristics of high-context cultures, apply predominantly: For additional context, a few examples of low-context cultures beyond the United States include Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, the Netherlands, Finland, and Denmark. In a low-context culture, you would not expect to give or receive gifts . A 2008 meta-analysis concluded that the model was "unsubstantiated and underdeveloped".[5]. Power Distance Index & Examples | What is Power Distance? For example, the body language and methods of communication experienced by a group of close friends in a casual setting differs greatly from a group of peers presenting at a professional business meeting. Some recognized examples include: Higher-context culture: China, India, Korea, Japan, other Asian countries, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Mauritania, Oman, and Yemen, African countries such as Tanzania, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Nigeria, Latin America, the Pacific islands, France, Greece, Finland, Ireland, Italy, and Russia. They rely less on the shared values/assumptions of the group and the context of the situation. [33] Conversely, in cultural groups with low context, where people share less common knowledge or 'value individuality above group identification', elaborated codes are necessary to avoid misunderstanding. The use of an elaborated code indicates that speaker and listener do not share significant amounts of common knowledge, and hence they may need to "spell out" their ideas more fully: elaborated codes tend to be more context-independent. [30][32], Families, subcultures and in-groups typically favour higher-context communication. People have many acquaintances they have fewer close friends. High-context cultures are those that communicate in ways that are implicit and rely heavily on context. 2. [30] Many singular cultures that are large have subcultures inside of them, making communication and defining them more complicated than the low-context and high-context culture scale. [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. [12] Typically a low-context culture will be less close-knit, and so individuals communicating will have fewer relational cues when interpreting messages. High context communication cultures . The same applies for the other characteristics in varied countries. 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In addition, Hall identified countries such as Japan, Arabic countries and some Latin American Countries to practice high-context culture; "High context communication carries most of its information within physical acts and features such as avoiding eye contact or even the shrug of a shoulder. Cultural Perceptions of Communication in Organizations: Low Context and High Context. [26] The terms high- and low-context cultures are not classified with strict individual characteristics or boundaries. Hall, E. T. (1976). Getting the message across. They rely less on context & non-verbal cues and instead convey meaning more directly. The study collected three samples from different cultures - the US, China, and Korea - with 96 business managers surveyed in the American and Chinese sample and 50 managers in the Korean sample. Low and High Context Culture. Dr. Drew has published over 20 academic articles in scholarly journals. High-context communication tends to be more indirect and more formal. Conclusion The dynamics of relationships within High and Low context cultures are very different. They have a Bachelor's in Air Traffic Management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and minored in Aviation Safety and Homeland Security. Lower-context culture: United States, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, Sweden, Canada and other European nations. Sage Publications. ), Hall, E. T.; Hall, M. R. (1990). All rights reserved. Initially, high culture rejects these outsiders but eventually embraces them or appropriates . - Definition & Assessment, Bipolar vs. Borderline Personality Disorder, Atypical Antipsychotics: Effects & Mechanism of Action, What Is a Mood Stabilizer? Many low context cultures are individualist so people openly express their views, and tend to make important information obvious to others. Guffey, M. E., Lowey, D., Rhodes, K., & Rogin, P. (2013). [41] One study on McDonald's online advertising compared Japan, China, Korea, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and the United States, and found that in high-context countries, the advertising used more colors, movements, and sounds to give context, while in low-context cultures the advertising focused more on verbal information and linear processes. [30] The diversity within a main culture shows how the high and low scale differs depending on social settings such as school, work, home, and in other countries; variation is what allows the scale to fluctuate even if a large culture is categorized as primarily one or the other. We cite peer reviewed academic articles wherever possible and reference our sources at the end of our articles.
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