High Contest and Low-context Culture

Body language, eye movement, facial expression, conversation style, nuances of life experience differs from culture to culture which makes communication more challenging. So, it is very necessary to understand the context of culture to make the business profitable.
Now, let’s define what high context culture actually is. High-context culture can be defined as the means of communication which is primarily broadcasted through the use of body language, tone of voice, or a person’s status (Williams, n.d.). We can find this kind of culture in Asia, Middle East, South America, Africa etc. The people who follow the high context culture emphasize on the interpersonal relationship and trust building is very important for them before starting any business. The people of Asia, Middle East, South America, and Africa preferred groups during learning and solving problems. For instance, people of India, China, and Nepal love to organize the family gathering, host a friend in our home overnight, and invite relatives for religious congregation which symbolizes the high context culture.
Now, moving towards the low context culture, it can be defined as a culture in which people tend to communicate information in a direct manner with words rather than contextual elements such as body language, the tone of voice, or a person’s status (Solomon, 2015). We can find such kinds of culture in U.S.A, Canada, Germany Switzerland etc. The people who follow these kinds of culture emphasize in facts, tasks, and goals rather than interpersonal relationship. This culture mostly follows the explicit, and concise verbal messages with fact and logic. High context culture is highly rule-oriented and task centered.
         For example, the working environment USA is inclined towards the low context culture. So, while doing business, an American manager may be direct, task-centered and focus on rational solutions. So, he may say, “Let’s make a deal”. But if a manager of high context culture wants to do the same business then he may ask the client that Is your family is interested in making a tour to London?.
References

Williams, Y. (n.d.). High-Context Culture: Definition & Examples. Retrieved from http://study.com/academy/lesson/high-context-culture-definition-examples-quiz.html

Solomon, M.R. (2015). Consumer behavior: Buying, having and being. New Jearsey. Pearson Education, Inc.


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