Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. Since a high-context culture is based on fewer, deeper relations with people, there are many unspoken social rules and understandings within the culture. [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. A high-context culture is a culture in which the values, rules, and social norms are primarily communicated through the use of contextual elements (such as body language, a person's status, and tone of voice) and are not explicitly stated. Meanwhile, in a high-context culture, nonverbal cues and unspoken background . High-context cultures are collectivist, value interpersonal relationships, and have members that form stable, close relationships. By contrast, a low-context culture enjoys communications that take place most often through written or spoken (verbal) speech and rules are directly and explicitly stated. Note: Comparison of low- and high-context cultures reprinted from Business communication: Process & product (p. 64) by M.E. Reviewers ensure all content reflects expert academic consensus and is backed up with reference to academic studies. In low-context cultures, communication tends to be more direct and to the point. (1971). 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]. Both often take many aspects of the other's cultural communication abilities and strengths into account. - Effects & Types, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs): Definition, effects & Types, Trepanning: Tools, Specialties & Definition, What is Pseudoephedrine? In the 1970's, anthropologist Edward T. Hall coined the phrases "high-context culture" and "low- context culture.". An in-depth understanding of cultural norms is not required because the communication is explicit. China, Japan, Turkey, and Mexico are some countries that lean towards high-context. For an outsider, it is easier to enter into low-context cultures because one does not need to be aware of the shared history/values of the group. Examples of low context cultures include: Scandinavia; Germany, and the US. I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. Low context cultures rely on the spoken word to communicate. Therefore, it is necessary for more explicit information to be included in the message so it is not misinterpreted. Trust High context cultures and situations may extend significant trust to members. Teachers can illustrate the differences between high- and low- context cultures by providing examples of behaviors. Watch this video from international business expert Erin Meyer [1]. Low-Context Culture Communication & Examples | What Is Low-Context Culture? The study tested 16 items, covering various aspects of the high-versus-low context concept, including social orientation, responsibility, confrontation, communication, commitment, and dealing with new situations. [30][32], Families, subcultures and in-groups typically favour higher-context communication. People within low-context cultures see their relationships much looser and the lines between networks of people are more flexibly drawn.[11]. 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]. 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. These include specific forms of body language, the social or familial status of an individual, and the tone of voice employed during speech. Message is carried more by words than by nonverbal means. 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. Examples of High Context Small religious gatherings, party with close friends, family functions, dining out with family or friends, and sleep over at friend's place, etc. 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. 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. Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices. High-context cultures are those that communicate in ways that are implicit and rely heavily on context. High-context communication tends to be more indirect and more formal. Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): A graph which shows the level of context in various world cultures. High-context cultures: Much of the society's communication takes place through . [25] Pleasure, affection and inclusion were the highest motives for communication in both cultures, and control was the lowest for both cultures. (2013)[2]explain the concept of cultural context: Cultural context is a concept developed by cultural anthropologist Edward T. Hall. All rights reserved. However, there are some other characteristics also. In high cultures, much of the communication is understood by the group either by non-verbal coding, which refers to common body language; distinct in-groups and out-group's, which refers to the cohesiveness of the group; and covert and implicit messages, which refers to what we refer . Primarily use non-verbal methods to relay meaningful information in conversations, such as facial expressions, eye movement, and tone of voice. In his model, context refers to the stimuli, environment, or ambiance surrounding an event. We have close, personal relationships with our relatives. They rely less on context & non-verbal cues and instead convey meaning more directly. Guffey, D. Lowey, K. Rhodes, K., & P. Rogin. They assume that listeners know very little and must be told practically everything. Their communication is less-task oriented, and their decision-making is driven by relationships, shared experiences, and emotions. 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. High context refers to societies or groups where people have close connections over a long period of time. They have a Bachelor's in Air Traffic Management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and minored in Aviation Safety and Homeland Security. There are strong distinctions made between individuals who are members of the ingroup and those who are not members in high-context cultures. For the processing of complex messages, the perspective of context theory is very relevant. In high-context cultures, language may be used to assist and maintain relationship-building and to focus on process. Relationships are easy to build, can start very quickly but end just as soon. Information has to be explicit and detailed for the message to be conveyed without distortion. [3] 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. 3. Examples of high context cultures include many Asian, African, and Latin American countries, as well as some European cultures such as Spain and Italy. 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. Trompenaars' Cultural Dimensions Model & Examples | 7 Dimensions of Culture, Hofstede's Uncertainty Avoidance | Culture, Example & Index, Developing an Audience-Centered Presentation, Methods to Increase the Accuracy of Impressions, Long-Term vs. Short-Term Orientation | Hofstede, Culture & Concept, Cross-Cultural Interactions & Relationships in Agile Organizations. Examples of low-context cultures include Germany, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Canada, and the United States. [32] Awareness of miscommunication between high- and low-context cultures within the workplace or intercultural communication settings advocates for collected unification within a group through the flexibility and ability to understand one another. High-context cultures also value group harmony above individual achievement. Communication Differences in Low-Context vs. High-Context Cultures, Comparing Communication Styles in Low- and High-Context Cultures, Additional Resources for Determining Cultural Contexts, Ethnocentrism and Cross-Cultural Competence, Additional Resources for Understanding Trompenaars Dimensions, Three Prototypes: Dignity, Face, and Honor Cultures, Ethnocentrism, Culture Shock, and Cultural Relativism. Routledge. A low-context culture is a culture in which people communicate explicitly. India and Japan are typically high-context, highly collectivistic cultures, where business is done by building relationships and maintaining respectful communication. 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]. Establishing relationships is an important part of communicating and interacting. Examples of low-context cultures include the United States, Australia, and many Western countries. Wurtz studied McDonalds online advertising in various countries such as Japan, Germany, the United States, etc. Low-context countries, on the other hand, relied more on linear processes and verbal communication. This is in direct contrast to low-context cultures, in which information is communicated primarily through language and rules are explicitly spelled out. The American sample scored the lowest compared to the two "Oriental samples," which aligns with Hall's concept. The author states that Japan is a high context culture because they have every decision based on their culture and France is both a high and low mixture finally low context example is America. 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. In contrast, a high-context language like Japanese or Chinese can use a high number of homophones but still be understood by a listener who knows the context. High context is where the groups of people or societies in which individuals have had close links in the course of a long period. Required fields are marked *, This Article was Last Expert Reviewed on January 24, 2023 by Chris Drew, PhD. Low-context and high-context cultures are the ends of a continuum portraying how cultures communicate. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. 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. Hall, E. T. (1976). Settings and cultures where people come together from a wider diversity of backgrounds such as international airports, large cities, or multi-national firms, tend to use lower-context communication forms. "[29] A similarity that the two communication styles share is its influence on social characteristics such as age, gender, social class and ethnicity. Japan is a country with a high-context culture. Low context can describe situations, environments and cultures. The GLOBE Project Overview & Behavior Styles | What is the GLOBE Project? On one side of the dimension, we have high context cultures, which depend on greater context when communicating. Low-context cultures tend to be logical, analytical, action-oriented, and concerned with the individual. In other words, the relationship between directness and contexting based on traditional classifications of [high-context] and [low-context] cultures is particularly tenuous. [6] How does her experience in Japan demonstrate what youve learned so far about the different dimensions of culture? All the advice on this site is general in nature. Their communication is often indirect and requires a nuanced understanding, so outsiders might find it more difficult to enter their culture. A high-context culture is one in which communication may be more unspoken rather than explicit - for example, much attention is paid to body language, facial expressions, and other non-verbal cues in order to discern a speaker's meaning. Low-context cultures (including North America and much of Western Europe) are logical, linear, individualistic, and action-oriented. 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. Wurtz found something similar while analyzing website design. Once again we return to the differences between high-context and low-context cultures. Instead, many cultures tend to have a mixture or at least some concepts that are shared between them, overlapping the two context cultures.[26]. Instead, a comparison between cultures may find communication differences to a greater or lesser degree. People within high-context cultures tend to be more aware and observant of facial expressions, body language, changes in tone, and other aspects of communication that are not directly spoken. Anchor Press/Doubleday. We also make strong distinctions between those who are a part of our family and those who are not. https://helpfulprofessor.com/low-context-culture-examples/. For example, a low-context communicator can say, "I am unhappy with this outcome and . Goodwill Messages and Recommendations. Japan and China are some of the best examples of high-context cultures, in addition to Brazil, Argentina, Spain, and many nations throughout Africa and the Middle East. Russians employ a communication style that relies on environmental, non-verbal, traditional, and symbolic cues when communicating. But the fact that contexting has not been empirically validated should not necessarily be construed as a failure of the theory. It describes the level of explicit information and the importance of context in a given culture, indicating the range of communicative abilities (verbal messages, gestures, etc.) A case study was done on 30 Romanian and 30 Russian employees, to compare high- and low-context cultures, and results strongly suggested that Russia and Romania are both high-context cultures. Examples of high-context cultures include China, India, and many non-Western societies. According to Hall's theory, the Chinese and Korean samples represented higher-context cultures while the American sample represents a lower context culture. She found out that in high-context countries, the advertising campaigns used more colors, movements, and sounds to provide context. Low-context cultures rely on explicit communication. In anthropology, high-context culture and low-context culture are ends of a continuum of how explicit the messages exchanged in a culture are and how important the context is in communication. In contrast, take a look at the ads on the front page of Weibo, which is considered China's version of Facebook. They often use written contracts and agreements to clarify expectations (Gudykunst & Ting-Toomey, 1988). What are the effects on the communication process? Identify your style Before implementing effective communication practices across cultures, identify your own style: All articles are edited by a PhD level academic. Cultural differences in advertising and marketing may also be explained through high- and low-context cultures. We will write a custom Report on Communication Culture: Hall's High and Low-Context Model of Culture specifically for you. Besides cultural context, personal experiences and preferences also shape communication. Although the concept of high- and low-context cultures is usually applied in the field of analyzing national cultures, it can also be used to describe scientific or corporate cultures, or specific settings such as airports or law courts. Asia, Africa, Latin America, and central Europe are predominantly countries with a high context culture.