Therefore, it is necessary for more explicit information to be included in the message so it is not misinterpreted. High-context cultures are related to connotation. The Lavin Agency Speakers Bureau. Initially, high culture rejects these outsiders but eventually embraces them or appropriates . With this regard, America culture is a low-context . [24] The table shows the major differences and similarities between individual queries. 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. 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. [31], Between each type of culture context, there will be forms of miscommunication because of the difference in gestures, social cues, and intercultural adjustments; however, it is important to recognize these differences and learn how to avoid miscommunication to benefit certain situations. Verbal message is direct; one spells things out exactly. Type of paper: Research Paper. Wurtz, Elizabeth (2005). While some cultures are low or high . [22], The concept of elaborated and restricted codes was introduced by sociologist Basil Bernstein in his book Class, Codes and Control. After you have finished with this lesson, you should be able to: To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. Moreover, their communication is often task-oriented and driven by rational decision-making, which can further add to their formality.. [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. Guffey, D. Lowey, K. Rhodes, K., & P. Rogin. How Do I Format and Cite Long Direct Quotes? [38] By contrast, low-context cultures tend to change more rapidly and drastically, allowing extension[definition needed] to happen at faster rates. Disagreement is depersonalized. Ironically, contexting is most frequently discussed in terms of directness, yet empirical studies nearly all fail to support this relationship. Lower-context culture: United States, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, Sweden, Canada and other European nations. High vs. Low Power Distance Cultural Communications | What are High and Low Power Distance Cultural Communications? France. High- context cultures are often collectivist in nature and largely defined by group communications, as well as the development or promotion of ingroups, or groups that individuals may become loyal to. Low-context cultures tend to be logical, analytical, action-oriented, and concerned with the individual. In high-context cultures, language may be used to assist and maintain relationship-building and to focus on process. In S. Thompson (ed. ; it is the way we communicate, do business and see the world. For example, the head wobble (tilting the head from side to side) in India is a gesture that can convey a variety of meanings depending on the situation. In contrast, low-context websites had lesser animation and images, focusing instead on the information. Low-context cultures (such as those in North America and Western Europe) depend less on the environment of a situation to convey meaning than do high-context cultures (such as those in Japan, China, and Arab countries). They are not simply complementary but are often used as the primary means of conveying a message and require the members to have greater cultural understanding. Anchor Press/Doubleday. High-context cultures also value group harmony above individual achievement. the study of body movement including gestures, hand, arm, and leg movements, facial expressions, eye contact, and stance or posture Low-context message a message where the message is encoded in the words used or in the verbal expression and not as much in the context Masculinity-Femininity People from low-context cultures value logic, facts, and directness. In other words, high-context communicators attach great importance to everything that surrounds the explicit message, including interpersonal relationships, non-verbal cues, and physical and social settings. [35], The concepts of collectivism and individualism have been applied to high- and low-context cultures by Dutch psychologist Geert Hofstede in his Cultural Dimensions Theory. [36], High-context cultures tend to be more stable, as their communication is more economical, fast, efficient and satisfying; but these are gained at a price of devoting time into preprogramming cultural background, and their high stability might come with a price of a high barrier for development. Because low-context communication concerns more direct messages, the meaning of these messages is more dependent on the words being spoken rather than on the interpretation of more subtle or unspoken cues. [12] Typically a low-context culture will be less close-knit, and so individuals communicating will have fewer relational cues when interpreting messages. The verbal and nonverbal cues of low vs. high-context communication can be . This allows individuals of different generations to communicate through a shared set of values, which, in turn, provides stability to the culture. Flowery language, humility, and elaborate apologies are typical. Listen to business speaker Erin Meyer explain how cultural differences can affect communication. Cultural communications are highly important to understand for a number of reasons and the concept of high-context vs. low-context culture was first elaborated by anthropologist Edward T. Hall in 1976. The low-context websites had multiple images of individuals, while the high-context websites contained images and animations of groups and communities.[42]. 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. Identify your style Before implementing effective communication practices across cultures, identify your own style: Edward Hall is a famous theorist and anthropologist who has contributed a renowned theory of high- and low-context cultures to facilitate students, researchers . Intercultural Business Communication by Confederation College is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. Culture and Interpersonal Communication. (2012). Studentsshould always cross-check any information on this site with their course teacher. Unlike the linear communication style preferred in low-context cultures, high-context communicators may use spiral logic, circling around a topic indirectly and looking at it from many tangential or divergent viewpoints. [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. Traditionally, Western cultures are known for being more individualistic or communicating with a low context style. Effectively communicating within this culture, therefore, requires messaging that is perceived as objective, professional, and efficient. [2] Collectivist societies prioritize the group over the individual, and vice versa for individualist ones. Because a low-context setting cannot rely on shared understanding of potentially ambiguous messages, low-context cultures tend to give more information, or to be precise in their language. This also means that low-context communication may fail due to the overload of information, which makes culture lose its screening[definition needed] function. The Nine Competencies that Characterize an IEP, Diversity in the Workplace: Benefits and Obstacles, Intercultural Communication in the Workplace, Additional Resources to Help you Format your Paper in APA Style. In a low-context culture, you would not expect to give or receive gifts . Examples of high and low context cultures It can be helpful to consider a few examples of high and low context cultures. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. According to Watson, "the influence of cultural variables interplays with other key factors for example, social identities, those of age, gender, social class and ethnicity; this may include a stronger or weaker influence. for only $11.00 $9.35/page. [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. In contrast, the use of restricted codes indicates that speakers and listeners do share a great deal of common background and perspectives, and hence much more can be taken for granted, and thus expressed implicitly or through nuance: restricted codes tend to be more context-dependent. "High context". Low-context and high-context cultures are the ends of a continuum portraying how cultures communicate. Table 2 shows a classification of countries in low and high context, their characteristics and the expected role . 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. Context is less important than words. Conclusion The dynamics of relationships within High and Low context cultures are very different. 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. Examples of low-context cultures include the United States, Australia, and many European countries. Family gatherings, religious congregations, and other social outings with a close-knit group of people are forms of high-context communications that take place regularly in most cultures. Two Types of Reflective Writing Assignments, Additional Resources for Improving Writing, Consistency in comparatives and listed elements: Parallelism, Hofstede Insights country comparison tool, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oYfhTC9lIQ, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQvqDv4vbEg, https://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/42958_2_The_Cultural_Context.pdf, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, Tend to prefer indirect verbal interaction, Tend to understand meaning at one level only, Tend to understand meanings embedded at many sociocultural levels, Are generally less proficient in reading nonverbal cues, Are generally more proficient in reading nonverbal cues, Communication in highly structured messages, provide details, stress literal meaning, Communication is simple, sometimes ambiguous, messages; understand visual messages readily, Define cultural context (Guffey et al., 2013, p. 64), Contrast communicate styles for low-context and high-context cultures (Meyer, 2017, p. 59), Explain how cultural differences can affect workplace communication (Lavin Agency Speakers Bureau, 2014). (2013)[2]explain the concept of cultural context: Cultural context is a concept developed by cultural anthropologist Edward T. Hall. A low-context (LC) communication is just the opposite; i.e., the mass of the information is vested in the explicit code.". High-context communication tends to be more indirect and more formal. Cite this Article in your Essay (APA Style), Privacy PolicyTerms and ConditionsDisclaimerAccessibility StatementVideo Transcripts. 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. In the United States, Native Americans and Hawaiian islanders are also considered high-context. Cultures and communication in which the context of the message is of great importance to structuring actions are referred to as high context. "Understanding cultural differences. Information has to be explicit and detailed for the message to be conveyed without distortion. Hofstede, G. (1984). Since they value collectivism and interdependence, it makes sense that their communication requires an understanding of the communitys shared values. Writing Topic Sentences and Body Paragraphs, 38. Some common characteristics of high-context cultures include: Though the United States has a low-context culture, we have all been placed in situations that are considered high-context. The answer is simple. When a part of these groups, a low-context individual may be more drawn to interpersonal relationships with others than focusing on their own accomplishments and do not require information to be elaborated because they maintain an understanding of group behaviors. The study identifies whether and how variables that characterize high- and low-context cultures are reflected on Web sites. In high-context cultures, people are said to prefer symbolic, artful language that is implicit. "[17] On the other hand, he identified countries such as Germany, the United States and Scandinavia as low-context cultures. [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. We know that the way in which we say things at these gatherings is more important than what we say. Examples of low-context cultures include the United States, Australia, and many Western countries. If you want to appear polite, you need to be willing to greet strangers and thank . People are comfortable standing close to each other. High context communication cultures . [30], Punctuation marks and emojis are more often used by high-context users than low-context users. Your email address will not be published. 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. 18 Examples of Low Culture. 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. Within high-context cultures, people rely on their networks of friends and family, viewing their relationships as part of one large community. A number of unique characteristics exist to make a clear distinction between high-context vs. low-context cultures and methods of communication. Japan is generally considered a high-context culture, meaning people communicate based on inherent understanding. Establishing relationships is an important part of communicating and interacting. Note: Comparison of low- and high-context cultures reprinted from Business communication: Process & product (p. 64) by M.E. [2] High-context cultures often exhibit less-direct verbal and nonverbal communication, utilizing small communication gestures and reading more meaning into these less-direct messages. [20][21], Cultural context can also shift and evolve. Oxford University Press. The high and low context cultures in this concept refers to how important contextual cues are in interpreting a message. A conclusion may be implied but not argued directly. 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. "[29] A similarity that the two communication styles share is its influence on social characteristics such as age, gender, social class and ethnicity. 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]. From each culture, 96 business managers were surveyed for the American and Chinese sample and 50 managers were surveyed from Korea. In low-context cultures, gestures and facial expressions are never the primary means of communication; they only serve to clarify or complement a point. China, Japan, Turkey, and Mexico are some countries that lean towards high-context. In. For example, families typically engage in high context communication whereby they can communicate much with subtleties such as a glace. Whereas low-context cultures prefer more words (to a certain extent), high-context cultures prefer more images. 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). Low context cultures rely on the spoken word to communicate. A few examples of high-context cultures include China, Japan, South Africa, Argentina, and Spain; While low-context cultures are found more dominantly in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. ", "Communication: intercultural communication. High-context cultures usually do not have rules that are explicitly written or stated. Bernstein, B. For example, Hall describes how Japanese culture has both low- and high-context situations. High-context cultures: Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, China, India, and Saudi Arabia are some of the highest-context cultures in the world. Amount of Detail Expected - High-context cultures such as Japan, China, and France provide little details in their writing. We cite peer reviewed academic articles wherever possible and reference our sources at the end of our articles. People within low-context cultures see their relationships much looser and the lines between networks of people are more flexibly drawn.[11]. High context is where the groups of people or societies in which individuals have had close links in the course of a long period. These countries are quite explicit and elaborate without having prior knowledge to each member's history or background.