Impact of Culture and Context on Communication - Essay Example

Impact of Culture and Context on Communication Name Institutional affiliation Introduction In communication practice, it is important to understand that for any communication to have the desired and most effective meaning, it is necessary that the context of such communication be understood and considered adequately. Different contexts have the ability to have various realizations of meanings. This is so since context is key towards a speaker’s audience effectively comprehending the message sent. Such a situation might be two way, as the speaker also might find it necessary to understand their audience through analysis of the context for effective communication. This essay thus looks at how different contexts might influence meaning attached to communication, and draws specific illustrations of first hand observation of context on meaning and from a cultural perspective. Understanding impact of culture and context on communication Context could be situational in a speech practice. In a situational context case, the reason behind an individual striving to communicate is sought (Nakane, 2007). Here, analysis of the event in which a speech is made is critical. On the other hand, context could still categorize as being environmental. In this consideration, the time and physical space in which a speaker passes a message is considered. Environmental context thus might necessitate the consideration of the influence of the venue of an event in which a speech is made on the overall interpretation of meaning. If one is to adequately understand the context of a speech act and the subsequent meaning ascribed to the speech, they will find it necessary to develop an intrinsic habit of being aware of the situation in which they are communicating. Such cultivation of situational awareness might not be achieved overnight, but rather through patient observation of the surrounding of the speaker, which teaches on how to think ahead and adopt to sudden changes in context while one is conversing. Situational awareness as related to meaning through context refers to the manner in which an individual perceives the elements of the environment with regard to the physical space and time, the meaning that the individual might ascribe to the elements, the projected status of such elements in cases of change of such variables as predetermined events or time (Radke, Johnson &Baranyi, 2013). Context therefore is understood as an overall recognition of the setting, background, circumstances or surroundings which afford clarification, specification or determination of the meaning ascribed to an occurrence or an event. Therefore, if an idea is to be fully and effectively assessed and understood, it is important that the conditions which give rise to the setting of an idea, statement or event are identified, since context is the basic source of sufficient meaning to content in the communication process. In any form of communication, the importance of observance of content and context is intertwined, such that a communication made with disregard to the context is bound to lose meaning as the message, intent of communication or call for action lacks effective meaning. A speaker in such a situation is likely to lose the concentration of their audience. The importance of context cannot be overlooked to a communication process. It is therefore critical that a speaker understand the means through which they can master the context in which they are to communicate. The need to get the message across to the audience might as well block the speaker from seeking to forget or misunderstand the context. However, the audience will largely expect that the speaker is aware of the context, from which they rightly are to judge the message they receive. A speaker ought to analyze the context by considering the why, when, where, what and who aspects of the communication process (O'Rourke, 2009). In this way, the speaker is in a position to identify the right context for the communication to the audience. It is advisable that the speaker clearly defines the why and who aspects of the communication process ahead of the other aspects as the audience is more inclined to give better response to a message communicated when they are adequately informed of the why the message given is of importance and who is concerned before they get to know the central message as defined by what. The next step towards clarification of the context of communication is understanding the audience expectations. This is a great pointer towards effective analysis and identification of the means through which communication can be made and identification of the most appropriate message to be communicated. The ultimate context is created through total understanding and consideration of the expectations and aspirations of the audience. A speaker who communicates to the expectations of their audience is more likely to get better responses as opposed to that who pays no [or little if any] attention to the aspirations of their audience. In the current world, the need for communication has grown as a result of globalization, with the need for understanding of context becoming a vital necessity since communication is carried out on a cross-cultural platform (Kamalipour, 2001). Communicators therefore are expected to possess sufficient skills of cross-cultural communication if they are to effectively communicate. The cultural differences and expectation across the varied cultural societies are identified as either low or high context. Studies have shown that it is a human trait to react to sensory cues when involved in a speech practice without necessarily being aware of such cues (Burgoon, Guerrero & Floyd, 2010). It is for this reason that a speaker is expected to perfectly master the communication cues that they are using and those applied by the audience in case the communication process involves individuals from cross-cultural backgrounds. This is the case since culture have filters for meaning which limit the meaning ascribed to the communication process. For cultures that have low context communication, it is common to find individuals ascribing more literal meaning to words while those cultures that have high context communication tend to derive the meaning of a communication from the context of the communication, such that the surrounding and the contextual diction have a great influence on the meaning derived from the communication. A number of instances in which the context has had massive influence on the meaning of communication can be traced. A local business man shared his experience with me on his experience with a Chinese businessman with whom he had intended to start a business project with. The time of the year was a round the Christmas season, and the local American Business man thus was obliged to send Christmas wishes to his soon to be business partner. However, the feedback from the Chinese counterpart clearly confirmed to the Local businessman that there is indeed need to adequately understand the cultural factors that are specific to one’s audience. The Chinese partner wrote a reply email to the Local businessman, kindly appreciating the Christmas wishes, but further noting in the email that since he belongs to the Chinese community, he ascribes to no form of religion, and thus Christmas wishes were more of a vague wish, although he and his family looked forward to the new year celebrations. Secondly, the businessman shared his experience with a Turkish friend during a party held to celebrate the completion of a master’s degree of their son. The businessman, invited as a family friend, found pleasure in mingling with other guests, and specifically the family members. However, all was okay until he was seen conversing with the wife to the Turkish partner. The Turkish man was a Muslim faithful, and being a religious man, he made it an effort to observe the religious doctrines of the Muslim teachings, thus he warned the businessman that a foreign male is not expected to converse with a Muslim married lady, not unless the foreign male in duly introduced to the lady by her husband. In light of the cultural instances herein illustrated, such cultural aspects of the partners involved in the process of communication need to be well mastered by the partners for the purpose of effective communication. Understanding and mastering the culture of the people with whom one is communicating with is one of the major shows of preparation for effective communication. Whether the communication is formal or informal, through analysis of the cultural expectations of the individuals undertaking a communication act is a basic way through which a common ground for comprehension of one another is established, and such ground is guaranteed through learning the cultural values of the other partners in any act of communication (Patel, Li &Sooknanan, 2011). Personally, I have been involved in a cross-cultural communication instance, in which a signal was sent by a guide and it seemed totally out of context. Attending my weekly basketball training offered by an Argentinian coach, my teammates had undergone rigorous guides from the coach, and it was time to get to the court and practice the skills taught. The coach divided us into groups, and the practice started. However, since the noise levels were high, he could not effectively give orders verbally, thus was bound to use gestures. Only then did he signal my team using his middle finger, which to us carried the notion of an abuse. However, when I approached him, he explained that he was asking whether everything was alright, and he laughed off, telling me that in his mind, he had the question OK. In another instance, I was forced to contain my joy as I shared the news of my winning of a school bursary which was to cater for my school fees to my friend who had equally applied for the same bursary fund allocation and had not qualified. Although I was full of joy, the context demanded that I restrain the expression of my joy, lest my friend would fail to understand that I did not share in her disappointment in failing to qualify for the bursary. However, in sharing the news with my parents, I openly expressed my joy at the award for in that context I would not offend their emotions. Conclusion Therefore, the context in which one is involved in an act of communication has influence on the meaning of communication. Since meaning is what a speaker or a sender of a message seeks to pass across, context is the giver of desired meaning of the message sent. If an effective context is set in an act of communication before the actual communication takes place, the process of communication is expected to achieve effectiveness as the audience will better understand the message. Failure to observe context, on the other hand, is bound to result in a communication process which is ineffective, and the audience might not give the desired feedback. Such is the case with cultural values which govern communication. When conversing with a person from a different cultural setting, it is important to learn their culture so that communication is not impaired. References Burgoon, J. K., Guerrero, L. K., & Floyd, K. (2010). Nonverbal communication. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Kamalipour, Y. R. (2001). Global communication. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth / Thomson Learning. Nakane, I. (2007). Silence in intercultural communication: Perceptions and performance. Amsterdam: J. Benjamins Pub. Co. O'Rourke, J. S. (2009). Effective communication. London: Dorling Kindersley. Patel, F., Li, M., &Sooknanan, P. (2011). Intercultural communication: Building a global community. Thousand Oaks, Calif: SAGE. Radke, S. L., Johnson, R., &Baranyi, J. (2013). Enabling comprehensive situational awareness. Read More

Therefore, if an idea is to be fully and effectively assessed and understood, it is important that the conditions which give rise to the setting of an idea, statement or event are identified, since context is the basic source of sufficient meaning to content in the communication process. In any form of communication, the importance of observance of content and context is intertwined, such that a communication made with disregard to the context is bound to lose meaning as the message, intent of communication or call for action lacks effective meaning.

A speaker in such a situation is likely to lose the concentration of their audience. The importance of context cannot be overlooked to a communication process. It is therefore critical that a speaker understand the means through which they can master the context in which they are to communicate. The need to get the message across to the audience might as well block the speaker from seeking to forget or misunderstand the context. However, the audience will largely expect that the speaker is aware of the context, from which they rightly are to judge the message they receive.

A speaker ought to analyze the context by considering the why, when, where, what and who aspects of the communication process (O'Rourke, 2009). In this way, the speaker is in a position to identify the right context for the communication to the audience. It is advisable that the speaker clearly defines the why and who aspects of the communication process ahead of the other aspects as the audience is more inclined to give better response to a message communicated when they are adequately informed of the why the message given is of importance and who is concerned before they get to know the central message as defined by what.

The next step towards clarification of the context of communication is understanding the audience expectations. This is a great pointer towards effective analysis and identification of the means through which communication can be made and identification of the most appropriate message to be communicated. The ultimate context is created through total understanding and consideration of the expectations and aspirations of the audience. A speaker who communicates to the expectations of their audience is more likely to get better responses as opposed to that who pays no [or little if any] attention to the aspirations of their audience.

In the current world, the need for communication has grown as a result of globalization, with the need for understanding of context becoming a vital necessity since communication is carried out on a cross-cultural platform (Kamalipour, 2001). Communicators therefore are expected to possess sufficient skills of cross-cultural communication if they are to effectively communicate. The cultural differences and expectation across the varied cultural societies are identified as either low or high context.

Studies have shown that it is a human trait to react to sensory cues when involved in a speech practice without necessarily being aware of such cues (Burgoon, Guerrero & Floyd, 2010). It is for this reason that a speaker is expected to perfectly master the communication cues that they are using and those applied by the audience in case the communication process involves individuals from cross-cultural backgrounds. This is the case since culture have filters for meaning which limit the meaning ascribed to the communication process.

For cultures that have low context communication, it is common to find individuals ascribing more literal meaning to words while those cultures that have high context communication tend to derive the meaning of a communication from the context of the communication, such that the surrounding and the contextual diction have a great influence on the meaning derived from the communication. A number of instances in which the context has had massive influence on the meaning of communication can be traced.

A local business man shared his experience with me on his experience with a Chinese businessman with whom he had intended to start a business project with.

Read More