18 Questions
What is a characteristic of individualistic cultures?
Valuing individual freedom and choice
Which type of culture relies heavily on shared knowledge and implicit rules?
Implicit-rule culture
What is the role of an etic perspective in intercultural communication?
Understanding a culture from outside
What is a key aspect of collectivist cultures?
Valuing group harmony and unity
What is the primary difference between high-context and low-context cultures?
Amount of explicit rules and procedures
What is a common cross-cultural communication barrier?
Cultural values and norms
What is a characteristic of low-context cultures, such as American culture?
Menus often have detailed descriptions of food
What is a feature of direct communication styles?
Concise and unambiguous language
Arab culture is characterized as being _____, while American culture is _____?
being-focused, doing-oriented
What is a distinction between oral and literate societies?
Literate societies rely on intuition, anecdote, and metaphor
In linear societies, what is emphasized?
Beginnings and endings, empirical use of evidence
What is a challenge in cross-cultural communication?
Different communication styles and value orientations
What is essential to avoid in intercultural communication?
Defending your own cultural values
In high-context cultures, where does the burden of meaning fall?
On the listener
What characterizes doing-oriented values?
Focusing on achieving specific goals
In which type of culture is oral communication more prevalent?
High-context culture
What is a key characteristic of indirect communication?
Expecting others to infer meaning
According to the study by R.S. Zaharna, what was the focus of the research?
Cross-cultural communication in public relations
Study Notes
Types of Societies
- Individualistic cultures value individual freedom, choice, and uniqueness (e.g., USA)
- Collectivist cultures value the group over the individual (e.g., UAE)
Social Explicitness
- Implicit-rule cultures have unwritten rules and norms embedded in cultural traditions and customs
- Explicit-rule cultures have documented rules, procedures, and expectations, often with the force of law
Understanding Cultures
- Etic understanding: understanding a culture from an outside perspective (e.g., an American learning Saudi culture)
- Emic understanding: understanding a culture from an inside perspective (e.g., a Saudi learning Saudi culture)
Aspects of Culture
- Culture includes language, religion, nationality, ethnicity, values, customs, family and social structures, and more
Communication Styles
- High-context cultures (e.g., Arab culture) rely on social context and nonverbal communication, with the burden of meaning on the listener
- Low-context cultures (e.g., American culture) rely on verbal language to carry the meaning
- Direct communication styles (e.g., English) are concise and unambiguous, while indirect styles (e.g., Arabic) use language to evoke emotion and tolerate nuance and ambiguity
- Doing-oriented cultures (e.g., American culture) value activity and achievement, while being-focused cultures (e.g., Arab culture) value connectedness
Cultural Divides
- Oral societies (e.g., Arab culture) focus on intuition, anecdote, and metaphor, while literate societies (e.g., American culture) favor evidence, reasoning, and analysis
- Linear cultures (e.g., American culture) stress time, empirical evidence, and objectivity, while nonlinear cultures (e.g., Arab culture) focus on multiple themes and have less emphasis on time segmentation
Approaching Intercultural Communication
- Approach with a positive attitude and a goal of understanding the other side
- Avoid ethnocentrism and try to understand how a concept, product, or practice fits into the other culture
- Be flexible and open to changing your communication style or interpretation
- Be aware of cues that suggest you should adjust your approach
Test your understanding of cultural differences in communication styles, including high-context vs low-context cultures, indirect vs direct communication, and doing vs being cultures.
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