Context Communication

Context communication refers to aspects of interpersonal communication that are influenced by two factors: culture-specific and situation-specific expectations. People's values, customs, and environment shape the [Page 111]cultural context; expectations for a specific situation in which the communication occurs shape the situational context. Cultural context creates a lens for perceiving, thinking, and behaving.

Edward T. Hall developed a way to classify and study context communication that refers to high-context (HC) and low-context (LC) messages and cultures. In LC messages, meaning is directly conveyed and requires little knowledge of the cultural context. Conversely, HC messages are subtle and indirect, relying on one's understanding of the culture, values, and patterns of discourse. In HC messages, meaning is embedded within nonverbal communication, gestures, and subtle, indirect oral discourse. These messages use specific code words, nuances, and forms of etiquette that express a person's emotions or intent, sometimes in indirect ways that are difficult to perceive by those who are unfamiliar with the culture and its norms for communicating meaning. For example, context communication occurs at a dinner party when the host asks his or her guests whether they would like a second serving of a dish. In some cultures, saying no to the host would be perceived as insulting, but in others, one would expect to say no a certain number of times before agreeing to accept more. Cultural context is what tells the guests how to respond in a polite and culturally appropriate way.

Cultures can be considered along a high- to low context continuum. According to Hall, in HC cultures such as Japan and China, social norms are grounded in tradition and homogeneous cultural values. In contrast, LC cultures such as Sweden, Germany, and, to a lesser extent, the United States use more direct statements of meaning, are more culturally heterogeneous, and change more rapidly because communication is not embedded in traditional and stable ways of expression. Conflict may arise when members of LC and HC cultures interact because they are guided by different patterns of communication.

Hall noted that communication and cultures are very complex, and there is no simple distinction between HC and LC communication. Both types may occur within the same culture or between the same two people depending on the expectations of different situations. For example, a well-established couple will often use HC communication, giving just a glance or a comment as a cue for a much more complex set of thoughts and feelings. Because they know each other, they can correctly interpret that look or tone of voice. They may use LC communication when giving step-by-step instructions on how to fix something.

Low-context messages provide the details needed to attach meaning to new learning, whereas HC messages are confusing or frustrating to someone who does not know the unwritten assumptions necessary to decode their meaning.

The impact of HC and LC communication is evident when visiting a new culture. Without knowing the social norms for behavior in the new culture, a visitor may feel tenuous and unsure while trying to learn the appropriate ways to behave and communicate. A guide who uses LC communication to directly point out cultural differences and make expectations explicit helps the visitor learn to navigate in the new culture. In contrast, a guide who uses HC messages with many colloquial and symbolic expressions will frustrate the visitor who might be trying to translate these message literally.

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