S2 Oral communication

Prof. BOUTABSSIL
Week 8
06/05/2024

Culture in interpersonal
communication
 Defining and interpreting
culture
 Culture is a very difficult concept to be defined, partly
because it is complex, multidimensional and abstract.
 Culture is the shared, personal and learned life
experiences of a group of individuals who have a
common set of values, norms and traditions.
 When we identify with a group that is part of a more
extensive cultural group, you are a member of a co-
culture.
 Co-cultural membership, often found in many
societies, can include many subsets:
- Age and generation (e,g, adolescents, older adults)
- Gender (e,g, masculine, feminine,…)
- Race, ethnicity (African American,…);
- Spiritual and religious identity;
- Geographic region;
Culture evolves from one generation to another

 People learn about a culture through the

communication of symbols for meaning and
we do this learning both consciously and
unconsciously.
 We can learn about our culture directly such
as when we observe cultural practices.
Family, friends, schools and (social) media
can be the primary teachers of our culture.
 Yet, cultural practices can evolve
significantly (e,g, marriage, dating,…)
Culture both promotes and divides
community
• Central to our definition of culture is the assumption that it
helps create a sense of community. We view community
as the common understandings among people who are
committed to coexisting.
• Each community has unique communication behaviors and
practices to which members subscribe and adhere to.
• Membership in a co-culture provides individuals with social
identity. Still, such membership can be problematic. For
instance, if you are a member of a unrepresented or a
marginalized co-culture, you may be disadvantaged in a job
interview because interview protocols are generally
determined by dominant groups.
• Many times, culture mesh effortlessly; however, sometimes,
a culture clash, or a disgreement or conflict over cultural
expectations, occurs. Consider for instance the reaction of
an immgrant in a totally different environment.
 Culture is multilevel
• On the national level of culture, we assume that people of
the same national background share many things that
bind them in a common culture.
• However, cultures can be formed on other levels such as
generation, gender, sexual identity, race, and region
among others.
• In many parts of a country, regionalism exists. That is,
people can belong to the same country but still, each
group might have their unique way of looking at things.
• The multilevel nature of a co-culture is a culture that
develops around a certain age cohort. That is, culture is in
a dynamic process; it changes over time. Thus, reactions
to specific events can differ from one era to another and
from one generation to another.
 Enculturation
• When you identify and even acquire the
knowledge, skills, attitudes and values that
allow one to become fully functioning in a
culture, you are said to be enculturated.
• Enculturation occurs when a person learns
to identify with a culture and a culture’s
thinking, way of relating and worldview.
• Enculturation allows for a successful
participation in a particular society and
typically makes that person more accepted
by that society.
 Acculturation
Acculturation occurs when you learn, adapt to,
and adopt the appropriate behaviors and rules
of a host culture.
Acculturated individuals have successfully
absorbed themselves into another society.
Immigrants, for instance, typically adapt to the
country to which they have migrated by using
its services, understanding its laws, or
participating in social gatherings.
To sum up, enculturation is first-culture learning,
and acculturaltion is second-culture learning.
 Hofstede’s cultural dimensions
Dimension Description
Uncertainty Refers to the extent to which uncertainty is tolerated. According
avoidance to Hofstede, this should influence intercultural communication

Power distribution Refers to how different cultures approach the distribution of

power. Some cultures believe that members of society should
benefit from an equal distribution of power while others
believe in social classification.

Masculinity- Masculine and feminine cultures view the world differently.

Femininity While the first values competitiveness, material success and
assertiveness, feminine cultures value quality of life, affection,
and caring for the less fortunate.

Individualistic- Individualistic cultures value individual achievement, collectivist

Collectivist cultures culture value group collaboration. Understanding these
differences facilitates intercultural communication.

Time orientation Hofstede suggests that the concept of time matters in how
members of a specific cultures view the future especially in
business contexts.
 Uncertainty avoidance
 Uncertainty avoidance refers to how tolerant or untolerant a
person is of uncertainty.
 According to Hofstede, there are two types of cultures;
cultures with high degree of uncertainty avoidance and others
with a low degree of uncertainty avoidance.
 A culture that resists change and high levels of anxiety
associated with change are said to have a high degree of
uncertainty avoidance. These cultures rather prefer
predictability. They need specific laws to guide behavior and
personal conduct. Risky decisions are therefore discouraged
because they increase uncertainty.
 Cultures, like the US for instance, that are unthreatened by
change have a low degree of uncertainty avoidance. They are
comfortable taking risks and are less aggressive and less
emotional than cultures with high degree of uncertainty
avoidance.
 Hofstede suggests that the extent to which members of a
culture are tolerating uncertainty has an impact on
intercultural communication.
 Distribution of power

• Distribution of power refers to how a culture

deals with power or the extent to which a society
accepts a unequal distribution of power.
• Citizens of nations that are high in power
distance tend to show respect to people with
higher status. Also, these populations typically
do not work against authority centeredness.
• Differences in age and income are exxagerated
in these cultures and people accept these
differences. Example: social classification of
citizens based on their status. Communication in
this case is not equally distributed among all
groups. Only those at the top are allowed to
communicate with all groups.
 Distribution of power

• Cultures that are low in power distance

believe that power should be equally
distributed regardless of age, gender,
status,…They minimize differences among
the classes and are able to accept
challenges to power in interpersonal
relationships.
• Intercultural encouters between people of
high and low power distance cultures can be
challenging. Think for instance of a
supervisor from a high power distance
cultures working with employees from a low
power distance culture.
 Masculinity-Femininity

 In describing cultures, Cultural Variability Theory

articulates the presence of a binary gender identity.
 The masculinity and femininity traits depict the extent
to which cultures represent masculinity and femininity
traits.
 According to Hofstede, masculinity does not refer to
male, nor does feminity refer to female.
 Masculine cultures focus on achievement,
competitiveness, strength and material success.
Emphasis is on money and labour is divided based
on sex.
 Feminine cultures emphasize gender and sex equality,
nurturance, quality of life, supportiveness, and
affection; that is, traits that are generally associated
with feminine people. Compassion for the less
fortunate is also characterizes feminine culture.
 Masculinity-Femininity

o Hofstede’s research has shown that countries

such as Mexico, Italy, Venezuela are masculine-
centered. Countries such as Norway, Thailand,
and Netherlands are feminine-centered cultures
where a promotion of gender equality exists.

o What might happen when a person from a

culture that honors masculine traits
communicates or intersects with a person from
a culture that honors feminine traits?

o Think about a woman who is asked to lead a

group of men in a masculine culture.
 Individualistic Vs collectivist cultures

 Some societies embrace the individual while

others embrace the group. Hofstede suggests
that this binary division impacts intercultural
communication.
 When a culture values individualism, it prefers
competition over cooperation, the individual
over the group and private over the public.
 Individualistic cultures have and I
communication orientation, emphasizing self-
concept, autonomy, and personal
achievement. They tend to reject authority
and typically believe that people should « pull
themselves up by their own bootstraps ».
 Individualistic Vs collectivist cultures
 Collectivism suggests that the self is secondary to the
group and its norms, beliefs and values. Group
orientation takes priority over the self.
 Collectivist cultures teach their members about duty,
tradition, conformity and hierarchy. A we
communication prevails. Collectivist cultures work
together to achieve goals.
 Taking care of family, including extended members is
valued.
 However, the collectivist and the individualistic
intersect at time; a collectivist sense of family coexists
with the individualistic need for community members
to become personally successful.
 Think of an immigrant coming from a collectivist
culture moving to a country with an individualstic
culture.
 Time orientation
 Every culture has its own perception of time.
 Every culture must reconcile the past with the
challenges of the present and an uncertain future.
 Long-term orientation cultures (LTO) prefer to stay
focused on the future. They are enthusiastic about
change. LTO cultures also appreciate perseverance,
encourage innovation and make decisions with these
values in mind.
 The short-term orientation cultures (STO) emphasize the
present and the past and consider them more important
that the future.
 Members of STOs embrace time-honoured traditions
and believe that the social hierarchy remains adequate.
They also fulfill social obligations as necessary (getting
married to someone from the same co-culture…)
 Time orientation

 Hofstede suggests that the way a culture

perceives time will influence how its members
view the world and consequently how they
communicate with others.
 Think for instance about a company where its
employees relate productivity with time. An LTO
member would rather be interested in long term
productivity while and STO member would think
of it on a short term.
 Work culture can then be influenced by how its
individuals view progress and how they use time
to achieve that progress (cultural incentives
should be discussed in this context to enable
successful intercultural communication).
 Context Orientation Theory

- Intercultural communication theorists

find that people of different cultures
use context to varying degrees to
determine the meaning of a
message.
- Context orientation theory answers
the following question: is meaning
derived from cues outside of the
message or from the words in the
message?
- The cultures of the world differ in the
extent to which they rely on context.
 Context Orientation Theory

• High-context cultures are those that communicate in

ways that are implicit and rely heavily on context.
• In contrast, low-context cultures rely on explicit
verbal communication. High-context cultures are
collectivist, value interpersonal relationships, and
have members that form stable, close relationships.
• In high-context cultures, the meaning of a message
is primarily drawn from the surroundings. People in
such cultures do not need to say much when
communicating because there is a high degree of
similarity among members of such cultures
(homogeinity).
• That is, people read non verbal cues with a high
degree of accuracy because they share the same
structure of meaning.
 Context Orientation Theory

- In low context cultures, communicators

find meaning primarily in the words
within the message, not the
surroundings. In such cultures,
meanings are communicated
explicitely; little of the conversation is
left open to interpretation.
- As a result, non-verbal communication
is not easily comprehended. Self-
expression, then, becomes a relational
value. Examples, of low-context
cultures include Germany, Switzerland,
 Challenges of intercultural communication:
Egocentricity and ethnocentrism

 People from different groups behave and think

differently.
 Some people are egocentric; seeing the world
from their own perspective. Communication
attempts tend to fail in these circumstances.
 Ethnocentrism refers to perceiving one’s cultural
beliefs and customs as superior to those of other
people.
 When communicating, an attitude of
ethnocentrism makes people from other cultures
feel undervalued.
 Thus, communication is unproductive or even
counter productive.
 Challenges of intercultural
communication: Cultural
 Individuals whoappropriation
culturally misuse a culture ’s values
and practices and employ them in ways that are
incogruent with or unintended by the original culture.
 Some have called it a form of identity theft in that it is
an opportunity for others to adopt or integrate a
cultural custom, practice or behavior with little to no
respect for that culture.
 In communication encounters, cultural appropriation
can be quite problematic. It occurs when a member of
the majority culture trivializes or even disrespects the
ideas, art, and images of a minority culture.
 Cultural appropriation might be unintentional by
nature, but it usually prompts misunderstanding and
meaning crossfires within intercultural relationships.
 Challenges of intercultural
communication: Uncertainty
and
 One may feel anxious anxiety
and uncertain when introduced to people
who speak or look differently from them. In such intercultural
encounters, many people wonder what words or phrases to use
while approaching people of different cultural backgrounds.
 Most of communicators want to be culturally aware and use
language that does not offend. For instance, one won’t know
whether it is appropriate to refer to someone as an African or
« Black ». These cultural references can be unnerving as there
are serious disagreements on appropriate and sensitive word
usage.
 Our family and friends remain influential on our perceptions. In
particular, their observations and reactions to cultural
differences are often passed on to us. They can prompt us to
either feel that we are members of what scientits refer to as an
in-group or an out-group.
 In-groups are people to which a person feels they belong, and
out-groupsare those groups to which a person feels they do not
belong.
 communication: The
assumption of similarity and
 According to scientists, in intercultural encounters,
difference
communicators tend to assume that people from
other cultures are either similar or different from
them (in terms of cultural background).
 Assuming similarity fails to appreciate difference,
and assuming difference fails to appreciate
cultural commonalities.
 Intercultural communication fails if we believe that
others cultures should do things or behave the
way we do things.
 Further, if something is practiced in our culture
does not mean that it is similarily practiced in
other cultures. Assuming similarity across
cultures, then, is problematic.
Melting pot

The end