UNDERSTANDING CULTURAL DIFERENCES

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Officer Richard Neil (retired)
Community Diversity Part 3
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(No Transcript)
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PART 3

• HIGH LOW CONTEXT CULTURE

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CULTURAL CONTEXT

• The context of a culture is a way to examine how
  language is used
• How information is communicated from one person
  to another
• How do members of a given culture handle
  information
• Context is on a continuum from low to high

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Chinese Tiger Mother
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Tiger Mother

• Is there any truth to Chinese raising more
  competent children?
• Should a child be called garbage if theyre
  disrespectful?
• Is it wrong to choose a childs future for them?
  To ignore their interests?
• Is it smart to deny your child to participate in
  sports and theatre?

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The Tiger Mother
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SPO 4LOW CONTEXT CULTURES (North America,
Sweden, German)
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COMMUNICATION SPO 4

• Words send most of the message
• Value laden
• Words are extremely important and carry explicit
  meaning. Communication process less important
• Language has less emotion

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COMMUNICATION SPO 4

• Eye contact is commonly more direct
• Language deals primarily with the who, what,
  where, when, why and how. Language is based on
  linear thinking that is structured and direct
• The primary language spoken in the U.S. is
  English in which the structure of words sends
  most of the message
• Even though born in the U.S., your communication
  process may be inherited from parents or
  grandparents who came from low or high context
  cultures

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VALUES

• Family structure is predominantly nuclear
• Importance of individualism
• Personal accomplishments
• Competition

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VALUES

• Constitutional rights, laws and responsibilities
  are very important
• More importance usually placed on centralized
  government than on family, village or city rules
  or laws

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SPO 4HIGH CONTEXT CULTURES (i.e. Muslim/Arab,
Somalian, Asian, Hispanic, African and Native
American)
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COMMUNICATION SPO 4

• Words send only part of the message
• Value Laden
• The process of communication is just as important
  as the words used and may bury the implicit
  meaning of the words used or the intended message
• Emotion, posturing and gesturing may be part of
  the communication process

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COMMUNICATION SPO 4

• Less direct eye contact
• The message that is spoken has to be understood
  in the whole context of the culture. Absent a
  cultural understanding, the communication may be
  lacking nuances of the community in that culture
  may send the wrong message

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VALUES

• Extended family
• Family unit is more important than the individual
• Collectivism is important
• Family rules and
  honor are extremely
  important

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VALUES

• Respect
• Family and community rules may be more
  determinate of values, ethics and laws than
  centralized government
• Time is not as important as completing a task

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Officer Richard Neil (retired)
www.officerneil.com