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Culture refers to the values, beliefs, attitudes, accepted actions, and general characteristics of a group of people. We often think of culture in terms of nationality or geography, but there are cultures based on age, religion, education, ability, gender, ethnicity, income, and more. Consider cultural contexts as you plan and draft your communications. And realize that your consideration occurs through your own cultural lens. According to Bovee and Thill:
Although it may seem that cultural variables are too plentiful to ever master, simply being aware of cultural contexts and trying to develop fuller cultural awareness, as well as fuller self-awareness of your own assumptions and cultural lens, can help you as you analyze communication situations. The video below offers tips intended to help you communicate with more cultural awareness. One major aspect to consider in your analysis of various national and social cultures is the concept of high-context vs. low-context cultures. High-context cultures, such as those in Asia, Greece, France, Africa, South America, or Southern India (which the narrator describes in the video above), value personal, trusting relationships. In high-context cultures, you might expect discussion of family, health, and other common topics before entering into the topic of a professional discussion. High-context cultures rely on non-verbal communications as well as verbal (e.g., there is a specific physical protocol for presenting business cards in Japan). High-context cultures also emphasize group as opposed to individual work, and members of high-context cultures are often comfortable with physical closeness in face-to-face business situations. In contrast, low-context cultures, such as those in Northern Europe, Scandinavia, and North America, value directness and task-oriented business relationships. In low-context cultures, you might expect quick focus on the task with relatively little context-setting; the task itself provides the context. Low-context cultures rely on more on verbal communications as well as task-oriented protocol, as opposed to non-verbal communications, in order to move toward goals (e.g., minutes of last meeting, overview of agenda, discussion of agenda items in order, maintaining the time allotted to each item). Low-context cultures also emphasize individual as opposed to group work, and members of low-context cultures usually maintain their physical space in face-to-face business situations. For an interesting discussion of becoming aware of diverse cultures, which includes examples of high- and low-context cultures, view the following video. The next video offers additional ways of considering cultural context, in terms of power distance, individualism vs. collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, “masculine” and “feminine” traits, and long-term orientation.
This short video offers a few simple scenarios that deal with cultural context. Pause the video at each multiple-choice question and choose your answer before viewing the explanation. As you can see, there are many aspects to cultural context to consider when planning professional communications. The main idea in analyzing cultural context is to try to understand the lens through which your audience experiences the communication, to strengthen the focus on creating and receiving a message respectful to the audience. Applying an Understanding of Culture to CommunicationsIn general, when considering cultural context, consider the following factors as you create communications:
Learning About CulturesEven though it’s important to know as much about your audience as possible before starting a communication, it’s often difficult to determine cultural context: cultural biases, assumptions, and customs. To use a really simple exmaple, professionals in the U.S. write the date with the month, day, and year, but professionals in other countries write a date with the day, month, and year. Not knowing this can cause confusion. Research as many resources as feasible if you know you’ll be communicating with people from specific cultures, since understanding expectations and differences reduces the amount of miscommunication. Your audience will appreciate your knowledge of their customs. Coworkers are also a great source of intercultural information. People familiar with you and the company provide the best information about your audience’s expectations. If coworkers have previously written to your audience, they may be able to offer insight as to how your writing will be interpreted. Previous communications kept by your company can also be a useful tool for determining how to write to another culture. Note that there are countless resources dealing with cultural context and communication, from the Peace Corp’s Culture Matters Workbook, to websites such as Syracuse University’s Disability Cultural Center’s Language Guide, to various websites on specific cultures. Research your audience as much as time allows to learn more about their cultural contexts.
Analyzing Your Own Cultural LensIn addition to considering characteristics of cultures other than your own, realize that people receive information and make meaning through their own cultural lenses. Your cultural lens is the set of values, expectations, beliefs, actions, etc. with which you are familiar. In fact, you may be so familiar with understanding things through this lens that it’s hard to realize your own assumptions and attitudes. Think of a situation in which you were out of your usual context, e.g., celebrating a holiday with your new partner’s family for the first time, moving to a different city, or even moving from one department to another at your workplace. Experiencing a new situation may have made you more aware of some of your own values, attitudes, and beliefs. When analyzing cultural context, try to develop awareness of your own cultural lens as well as characteristic values, attitudes, and beliefs of other cultures. For example, look at the images of Indonesia included at the end of the last Try It exercise on this page. Because this text is written from the lens of western, and particularly U.S. culture, and because the purpose of the exercise was to highlight differences in culture, images were chosen that highlighted place differences between Indonesia and the U.S., playing to the cultural lens through which U.S. residents might view Indonesia (e.g., exotic pagoda architecture, hot climate and rice production). Consider how you might have reacted had you viewed these images at the end of the exercise. If you’re intrigued by the concept of cultural lens, the following video offers fuller explanation of the concepts of culture, cultural lens, and organizational culture. Note that you do not need to delve this deeply into cultures when you’re doing a situational analysis as a prelude to creating a professional communication; however, the information may interest you. [1]Bovee, Courtland and John Thill. Business Communication Today. 13th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2016, pgs. 65-66. |