Interpersonal Communication and Cultures

Posted on April 01, 2024 by Martin Hahn, One of Thousands of Career Coaches on Noomii.

If you’ve traveled much, you may have noticed that people’s language in various parts of the world differs in how direct and explicit it is. In a low-context culture, people are expected to be direct, say what they mean, and not “beat around the bush.” Low-context cultures value expressing oneself, sharing personal opinions, and trying to persuade others to see things one’s way. The United States is an example of a low-context society, as are Canada, Israel, and most northern European countries.

In contrast, people in a high-context culture, such as Korea, the Maori of New Zealand, and Native Americans, are taught to speak much less directly. In those societies, maintaining harmony and avoiding offending people are more important than expressing one’s true feelings. As a result, people speak in a less direct, more ambiguous manner and convey much more of their meaning through subtle behaviors and contextual cues such as facial expressions and tone of voice.

Cultures differ in several ways that affect communication:

• Stability: cultures do not necessarily stay the same. Conditions in the culture may be stable or may be changing either slowly or rapidly.

• Complexity: the accessibility of information varies throughout different cultures.

• Composition: many cultures are made up of many diverse subcultures. You can expect to communicate easier with persons with fewer subcultures in their background because there are fewer potential differences to consider.

• Acceptance: cultures vary in their attitudes toward outsiders. Some cultures are openly hostile, while others are friendly. Some cultures show a detached aloofness: they do not care about outsiders.

These factors will determine the level of trust and effective communication you can achieve with people of other cultures.

What are the values of Asian and Western cultures?

In Asian societies the vales of collectivism, harmonious relationships, hierarchies, larger power distance, low tolerance of uncertainties or risks is preferred, respects for elders, respect for status, saving face, sensitivity and feelings are important traits, and indirect or third party assistance is considered to be important.

In Western societies the values of individualism, self-actualization, low power distance, tolerance of uncertainty and risk is acceptable, respect for merit, respect for achievement, the importance of objective facts and data and being direct to the point, and assertive, active and outspoken behavior is acceptable.

TIPS FOR INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
• Take responsibility for communication. You are always responsible for the
communication and you cannot assume that it is the other person’s responsibility to communicate with you.
• Withhold judgments. Learn to listen to the entire story while accepting differences in others without judging them.
• Show respect. Learn how respect is communicated. Do your research as to what gestures, eye contact, and other nonverbal cues are used in various cultures.
• Empathize. Try to understand the other person’s feelings and point of view; be sensitive to what he or she is trying to communicate and why.
• Tolerate ambiguity. Many people will become frustrated when placed in an unfamiliar or confusing situation. It is important to control your frustration in intercultural communication settings.
• Look beyond the superficial. Do not be distracted by such things as dress, appearance or environmental discomforts. Show your ability to adapt accordingly.
• Be patient and persistent. Do not give up easily when communicating with someone from another culture. Continue to try to get your own point across until it is fully understood.
• Recognize your own cultural biases. Try to identify your own assumptions and how they are different from the other person’s.
• Be flexible. Communicating with someone from another culture will force you to change your habits and attitudes. This is a sign of respect for the other person and their culture.
• Emphasize common ground. Look for similarities; this will give you a common ground to work from.
• Send clear messages. Try to send clear and consistent verbal as well as nonverbal signals.
• Increase your cultural sensitivity. A lot of miscommunication can be avoided if you are willing to learn more about variations in customs and practices.
• Deal with the individual. Many people make the mistake of stereotyping the other person who then becomes a representative a certain group while this might not be true. Try to communicate with each person as an individual, not as a member of another group.
• Learn when to be direct. Being direct is not always appreciated in many cultures. Investigate when you can send your message directly or and when to send it indirectly

Communicating effectively with people from other cultures requires us to be aware of how their behaviors and ways of thinking are likely to differ from our own. Unfortunately, that is easier said than done. Many of us operate on the presumption that most people think the same way we do, without asking ourselves whether that’s true. Questioning your cultural assumptions can be a challenge, because you’re probably often unaware that you hold them in the first place. However, it’s worth the effort to try, since checking your assumptions when interacting with people of other cultures can make you a more effective communicator. By bridging these differences, you can successfully achieve effective intercultural communication.