High/Low Context Cultures

High- and Low-Context Interactions

The consequences of interactions between people from high versus low context cultures within the United States can be significant. As the 2010 census reveals, the United States has seen an increase in the Asian and the Hispanic-Latino population, as well as an influx of refugees and immigrants from Arab and African countries. By 2030, the United States will be a minority-majority culture, so there is value in considering the differences in high context and low context interactions.

People from a high context culture do not consider it necessary to have a lot of data or detailed information about an event, as the tight network of personal relationships provides opportunities to learn about an event, a decision, or a situation. Low context communication is characterized by more information, discomfort with silence, a preference for explicit meaning and direct and assertive language.

For individuals from a high context culture, meaning can be provided through silence, inference, nonverbal communication, and shared common experiences. The status of the participants in a communication exchange may include title, family background, associations, education, gender, and age. The tightness and often homogeneity of the high context facilitates implicit understanding. Indirect communication, as opposed to assertive and direct communication, is essential to maintain harmony, to acknowledge authority, and to save face.

Implications for a high context person or members of a community interacting with members of a low context community can be subtle or dramatic. Methods of address also vary. For Japanese or Chinese, greeting protocol and terms of address are important as they reflect the presentation of self and face. The subordination of the individual to the group in collectivist and high context cultures leads to a different communication style. In business, on first meetings, and in organizational settings, who speaks and how people are addressed count. First names are generally not used but rather titles or honorifics acknowledging the status of the participants. The use of first names for terms of address may be offensive to individuals from a high context culture, particularly in a business or religious setting. Knowing the protocol for greeting behavior and terms of address facilitates the success of a communication situation.

...