High and Low-context

1
Lecture 4

• High and Low-context
• Communication Styles

2
Overview

• Context is the information that
• surrounds an event and is strongly
• connected with the event.
• The elements that combine together to give
  meaning to an event are different
• depending on the culture.

3
High-context Communication

• Messages are implicit
• Most of the message in the physical context
  (including the communicator) Therefore, very
  little information transmitted in the message
• Words depend on setting, shared past experience,
  age, gender, etc.
• Members read nonverbal cues skillfully

4
Low-context Communication

• Messages are explicit
• Most information in great detail, clearly
  communicated and dependent on the choice of words
  and phrases
• Members not as skilled in understanding nonverbal
  cues
• Consequently, people are talkative and often
  redundant

5
Context Scale

• High-context
• Asian
• Arab
• Southern European
• African
• South American
• Northern European
• Australian
• North American
• Scandinavian
• German
• Swiss
• Low-context

6
High-context Cultures

• Nonverbal communication important
• Information flows freely
• Rely on physical context for information
• Environment, situation, guides, gestures,
• mood, cues, hints are all taken into account
• Maintain extensive information network
• Accustomed to interruptions

7
Low-context Cultures

• Less aware of nonverbal cues, environment, and
  situation
• Lack well-developed networks
• Need detailed background information
• Tend to segment and compartmentalize
• information
• Control information on a need-to-know
• basis
• Prefer explicit and careful directions from
• someone who knows

8
High-context Languages

• Implicit ideas can use a very simple and
• efficient language
• (information not in the words, but context)
• Air traffic controller language
• Football team language
• Police language
• Prisoner language
• Military language

9
Low-context Languages

• Complex ideas need a complex language
• (complex grammar and large vocabulary)
• German
• Russian Slavic
• Scandinavian languages
• English

10
Meeting of High and High

• Very difficult to go from one HC Culture to
  another
• Both high but different contexts

11
Meeting of High and Low

• When high meets low, you cant meet in
• the middle
• You must go lower than the low
• Everything must be spelled out verbally
• After shared experiences, then the context
• level can be raised