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high context_low context cultures

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High Context Culture vs Low Context Culture

Probably the single most useful concept for understanding cultural differences in business communication is
Edward T. Hall’s (1976) distinction of low-context and high-context cultures. It explains much about how
negotiation proceeds, how agreements are specified, and how workers are managed. Yet this distinction,
insightful as it is, is derivative.

“In a low context culture, If I give a presentation, I should tell you what I am going to tell you, then I tell you and
then I tell you what I have told you. Why do I tell you the same thing three times. Because everything is about the
simplicity and the clarity of the message. In a high context culture, we assume that we have a much larger body
of shared reference points. In these cultures we believe that good effective professional communication is much
more sophisticated, more nuanced, implicit and layered”, states professor Erin M.

High context culture requires reading between the lines.


In a high context culture:
Communication is indirect, implicit, subtle, layered and nuanced
Non verbal cues like tone of voice, eye movements, gestures and facial expressions carry a great deal of
meaning
True intent of the message is not communicated verbally and is often left to the interpretation of the
individual which requires contextual understanding and reading between the lines. In other words, verbal
message is indirect often talking around the point and requires shared cultural context to carry meaning
Focus on long term relationships to derive meaning which makes explicitness unnecessary
During meetings, do not summarize the key takeaways or follow it up with written communication with the
implicit assumption that everyone got their part right
High-context cultures often exhibit less-direct verbal and nonverbal communication, utilizing small
communication gestures and reading more meaning into these less-direct messages. High context defines
cultures that are usually relational and collectivist, and which most highlight interpersonal relationships,
those in which harmony and the well-being of the group is preferred over individual achievement

Low context culture requires stating as you mean it.


In a low context culture:
Communication is concise, straight forward, explicit, simple and clear
Requires attention to the literal meanings of words than to the context surrounding them
With emphasis on sending and receiving accurate messages, nothing is left to interpretation and actual intent
is conveyed in words. Repetition is often used to provide the necessary clarity
The purpose and outcome of the communication takes precedence over interpersonal relationships. Focus on
following standards and procedures leads to short term relationships. This requires that more value be placed
on logic, facts and directness of the message
Summarizing the key takeaways from the meeting and nailing things down in writing are expected to avoid
confusion and set clear expectations
Low-context cultures do the opposite; direct verbal communication is needed to properly understand a
message being communicated and relies heavily on explicit verbal skills. 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. 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.

According to professor Meyer’s research, the United States is the lowest context culture in the world followed
by Canada, Australia, Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom. All Anglo-Saxon cultures fall on the
left-hand side of the scale, with the United Kingdom as the highest context culture of the Anglo-Saxon cluster.
All the countries that speak Romance languages, including European countries like Italy, Spain and France,
and Latin American countries like Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina, fall to the middle right of the scale. Brazil is
the lowest context culture in this cluster. Many African and Asian countries fall even further right with Japan
as the highest context culture in the world.
This is an important aspect when comparing communication styles across cultures.

References:
https://www.techtello.com/high-context-culture-vs-low-context-culture/
https://johnhooker.tepper.cmu.edu/businessCommunication.pdf

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