Purposive Communication

COMMUNICATION IN MULTICULTURAL SETTINGS

Communicating with people of various backgrounds is unavoidable. In your classroom, for

instance, your classmates come from different family, cultural, and religious backgrounds. Some
of them might come from other regions in the Philippines. Others might be born and raised in
other countries and might therefore be speaking a different language from yours. Since you are
classmates, you have no choice but to communicate with each other. As discussed in the
previous lesson, one of the principles of communication is that it is inevitable. When you
become part of the work force, communicating will even be more complicated as you have to
constantly deal with people of different perspectives, personalities, and culture.

In any communication situation, it is essential that you understand how various contexts, cultural
diversity, and the advent of technology shape and influence the way you communicate with
people not just in your locality, but more importantly, in the global community.

Communication Contexts

Human interaction does not exist in a vacuum. It operates within a certain context.
Communication context pertains to the personal, physical, social, psychological, and cultural
circumstances, among others in which communication occurs. It influences the expectations
from the participants, the meaning derived from the exchange of utterances, and the subsequent
actions in communication.

The personal context involves the background of both the sender and the receiver of the
message. It includes their education, religion, socioeconomic status, marital status, and beliefs
that greatly influence what and how they communicate. It is important that there is awareness of
these kinds of information on both parties, so misunderstanding avoided and respect can be
maintained.

The physical context pertains to the environment where communication takes place. It involves
tangible factors which can be easily perceived by the senses such as temperature, humidity, odor,
lighting, and noise level, among others. For instance, people conversing a very humid location
may feel uncomfortable and thus might not be able to each other's messages. Further, the
physical context includes proximity, how far from or how close the participants are to each other,
as well as the medium used in sending message. Over the years, most of communication occurs
in a virtual environment (e.g., email, Skype, Facebook, Messenger, etc.) consequently
influencing the way messages are sent, received, and perceived.

The social context refers to the kind of relationship that exists between the sender and the
receiver. For example, the way you talk to your parents differs from the way you talk to your
friends, younger siblings, and more so with your classmates. Ideally, you easily communicate
with people who are closer to you and as such, you easily gain their respect and understanding.

The psychological context includes the emotions and feelings of the participants in the
communication process. It involves their opinions, judgments, prejudices, attitudes, and
perception toward each other which can play part in the transmission of messages. For example,
a person who is emotionally unstable because of a recent break-up with a partner may not readily
receive your message well. Hence, it is important to recognize one's mood or overall emotional
condition in communication.

The cultural context is one of the vital considerations in communication. It includes the sets of
beliefs, value systems, guiding principles, and assumptions based on one's race, ethnicity, age,
gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and religion within which communication happens.
The content (what is said) and the delivery (how it is said) vary from one culture to another.

Activity 3: Read the Communication Context and answer the following questions.
1. In what ways do socioeconomic statuses influence communication styles between
individuals?
2. Why is it essential to consider the physical environment during communication?
3. How does emotional state affect the interpretation of messages in communication?
4. How does the social context between individuals influence how they convey messages?
5. What strategies can be employed to mitigate misunderstandings due to different cultural
backgrounds?

Cultural Dimensions in Communication

1. Individualism vs Collectivism
2. Context Culture
a. Low-context Culture
b. High-context Culture
3. Chronemics
a. Monochronic Culture
b. Polychronic Culture
4. Uncertainty Avoidance
a. Low-uncertainty Avoidance
b. High-uncertainty Avoidance
5. Power Distance
a. Low-power Distance Culture
b. High-power Distance Culture
6. Masculinity vs Feminity Culture
7. Long-term vs Short-term Orientation Culture

The first dimension distinguishes individualism from collectivism. Individualistic culture puts
premium on the self and personal fulfilment while collectivist culture values teamwork and
collaboration. Cultures in First World Countries such as the USA, Canada, Northern and Western
European countries are highly individualistic while most of the cultures in Latin America, East and
Southeast Asia, and Africa are collectivist. In relation to communication, people with an individualistic
cultural background tend to be more assertive, confrontational, and direct to get things done at their own
pace while people with a collectivist cultural background work more harmoniously in groups and
cooperate with others to avoid conflict.

The second cultural dimension is context which has two categories: low and high. Low-context culture
views explicit words as a way to convey messages while high-context culture uses subtle non-verbal
behaviors and implicit information to convey meaning. For instance, people in the USA, Germany, and
Scandinavia have low-context culture. Their verbal messages are direct, definite, and detailed. Latin
American and most Asian cultures have high contest culture. Therefore, the verbal messages of people
from these countries are unclear and mostly indirect. When people who have low-context cultures interact
with people from high-context cultures, they have to be sensitive to each other's messages. People from
low-context cultures have to pay attention to the body language and gestures of those from high context-
cultures. They might need to ask for clarifications for vague messages. People from high- context cultures
need not be offended if they receive direct messages and assertions from people with low-context
cultures,

The third cultural dimension is chronemics which pertains to the concept of time among cultures.
Monochronic culture advocates punctuality, timely completion of tasks, and accomplishment of one task
at a time. Schedule matters in a monochronic culture. The dominant culture of USA has a monochronic
sense of time. On the other hand, polychronic culture has a more fluid and flexible concept of time. In
this culture, task interruption and multi-tasking are acceptable practices and maintaining relationships is
more important than strictly following a schedule. Latin American, Arab, and Southern European cultures
are more flexible when it comes to time. Since monochronic culture views time as something very
important, people from this culture might be annoyed with a person with a polychronic cultural
background who arrives late. In this case, both parties need to be more flexible and sensitive to each
other's time.

The fourth cultural dimension is termed as uncertainty avoidance which refers to the need to foresee
what is going to happen. Low-uncertainty avoidance culture is tolerant of unpredictable and
uncontrollable situations. It usually maintains few rules as possible and allows for the spontaneity of
responses to situations. High-uncertainty avoidance culture values precision and always attempts to
anticipate risks to possibly reduce them. To make this possible, rules and systems are created. People
from USA, Sweden, and Denmark are more tolerable of unpredictable people, events, or situations
because of their low-uncertainty avoidance orientation while people from Germany, Portugal, Greece,
Peru, and Belgium have low tolerance to uncertainty and tend to control unpredictable people or
situations because of their high uncertainty avoidance culture. People having high- uncertainty avoidance
culture use precise language and ask a lot of questions. They are particular about rules and systems.
However, people from low-uncertainty avoidance cultures might find the imposition of too much rules
and systems quite upsetting and asking a lot of questions too demanding in terms of relationship building,
people having high-uncertainty avoidance culture would rather date or meet with family and friends but
for people having low-uncertainty avoidance culture, meeting strangers or initiating new relationships are
fun and exciting.

The fifth cultural dimension to be considered when communicating is the extent to how the equality or
inequality of power is expected or accepted. This is referred to as power distance. Low-power distance
culture values equal distribution of power. This is observed in the cultures of Austria, Finland, Denmark,
Norway, and USA. Though power exists, people from these culture value democracy and egalitarian
behavior. Conversely, high-power distance culture recognizes that unequal distribution of power is
normal. This type of culture is evident in countries in the Middle East, and in Malaysia, Guatemala,
Venezuela, and Singapore. This cultural dimension is particularly reflected in how people communicate
with individuals who hold authority. If you belong to low-power distance culture, you might be
comfortable challenging the status quo or arguing with your boss. Otherwise, you may exhibit a high-
power distance culture wherein you are just likely to follow any rule without question.

The sixth cultural dimension pertains to gender- masculinity or femininity. Masculine cultures
advocate for strict adherence to conventional gender roles and behaviors. In this culture, masculine roles
are more valued than feminine roles. Feminine cultures, on the one hand, are based on the premise that
men and women assume varieties of roles and thus, are both valued regardless of their sex and gender.
Mexico, Italy, and Japan have highly masculine cultures in which the role of males is highly valued than
the role of females. If you go to Sweden, Denmark, and Norway, there seems to be no male supremacy
because males and females are viewed equally in terms of their role in society.

Driven by a high standard of performance, assertiveness, and competitiveness, men having a high
masculine cultural background are not to empathize well with others and exhibit compassion while
women tend to be more silent and passive. For men and women in feminine cultures, they are able to
empathize, sympathize, argue, and assert themselves without necessarily being abhorred by society.
Finally, the last cultural dimension is long-term or short.

Finally, the last cultural dimension is long-term or short-term orientation which refers to how patience
is valued in waiting for the outcomes of actions. Short-term orientation culture is characterized by
being very performance-driven. It emphasizes quick results, fulfilment of social obligations, and efficient
revenue generation. Therefore, it values rewards in the here and now. Long-term orientation culture is
more laid back that it has more patience in waiting for the outcomes of an action. It values perseverance
towards the achievement of goals. Countries with short-term orientation culture include USA, Pakistan,
Russia, Canada, Norway, and the United Kingdom. For people from these countries, work time is
separated from leisure time. They want quick results. People from Japan, China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan
belong to the long. term orientation culture. They can juggle work time and leisure time together. They
are more patient when it comes to waiting for the rewards of their hard work. When talking to someone
from short-term oriented culture, it might be impolite to talk about business during lunch or dinner time.
However, this will not be a big issue for someone who belongs to the long-term oriented culture since he
or she can mix working time and leisure time.

An understanding of these cultural dimensions is integral to becoming an effective intercultural

communicator who is competent in interacting and dealing with people and situations in multicultural and
diverse settings. A competent intercultural communicator interprets and shares meanings with individuals
from different cultures with accuracy, respect. and a high level of sensitivity.

Task 1:Answer the following questions based on the Cultural Dimensions in Communication

1. What challenges might arise during interactions between low-context and high-context
communicators?

2. How does long-term orientation manifest in workplace attitudes and behaviors compared to short-
term orientation?

3. What are the implications of masculinity and femininity cultural dimensions for gender roles in
society?

4. In what ways do low-uncertainty avoidance cultures adapt to unpredictability compared to high-

uncertainty avoidance cultures?

Task 2:In each dimension, choose the one that characterizes, the Filipino. Provide an example to support
your answer. You may use real-life experiences, a television show, a TV commercial, an article, or a
literary composition, provided that they are situated in the Filipino context following the table below.

Cultural Dimension Answer Examples

Individualistic or
Collectivist Culture

Low-Context or High-
Context Culture

Monochronic or
Polychronic Culture

Low-uncertainty
Avoidance or High-
uncertainty Avoidance
Culture

Low-Power Distance or
High-Power Distance
Culture
Masculine or Feminine
Culture

Short-term Orientation or
Long-term Orientation
Culture