How culture affects communication
Summary
TLDRIn this discussion, Brooklyn explores how culture influences communication by examining the concepts of individualism vs. collectivism, power distance, and masculinity vs. femininity. These cultural aspects shape nonverbal cues like physical proximity and eye contact, as well as verbal communication styles. Examples from various countries illustrate these dynamics, highlighting the complexity of cross-cultural interactions.
Takeaways
- 🌐 Culture is a complex and evolving set of values, beliefs, and traditions passed down through generations.
- 🗣️ Communication is defined as the use of symbols, verbal or nonverbal, to convey messages between individuals.
- 👥 Individualism vs. Collectivism: Cultures that value individualism prioritize personal goals over group needs, while collectivist cultures emphasize group harmony and interdependence.
- 🔎 Power Distance: This concept describes the perceived space between those with high and low power status within a culture, affecting communication dynamics and social hierarchy.
- 💪 Masculinity vs. Femininity: Cultures with a high masculinity index tend to value assertiveness and competitiveness, whereas those with a high femininity index value cooperation and nurturing.
- 🌍 Global Diversity: The example of population distribution across continents highlights the vast diversity in cultural values and communication styles worldwide.
- 🤝 Nonverbal Communication: Physical proximity, eye contact, body posture, and facial expressions are influenced by cultural values of individualism and collectivism.
- 🌁 Power Distance in Practice: High power distance cultures, like China and Japan, maintain a rigid social hierarchy, whereas low power distance cultures, such as Norway and New Zealand, encourage social mobility.
- 🌱 Cultural Evolution: Cultures are not static; they evolve over time, influencing how communication norms and practices change within societies.
- 🔍 Study Insights: Research by Michigan State University professor Donald Conlon provides insights into global cultural diversity and its impact on communication.
Q & A
What is the definition of culture according to the transcript?
-Culture is defined as a set of values, beliefs, and traditions that are used every day and are often passed on from generation to generation. They are complex and always evolving.
How is communication defined in the context of the transcript?
-Communication is defined by Geddens as the use of symbols used by one human to convey a message to another human, which can be verbal or nonverbal.
What are some examples of verbal communication mentioned in the transcript?
-Examples of verbal communication include the tone, volume, and pronunciation of the words used when speaking with someone.
What are some key characteristics of nonverbal communication discussed in the script?
-Key characteristics of nonverbal communication include the level of eye contact, overall body posture, physical proximity, and facial expressions.
What are the three main concepts that affect communication between cultures according to the transcript?
-The three main concepts that affect communication between cultures are individualism versus collectivism, power distance, and masculinity versus femininity.
How does individualism versus collectivism affect nonverbal communication?
-In cultures that value individualism, people may not be as comfortable being physically close to others during communication, whereas in collectivist cultures, where people feel more connected, they might be more comfortable with closer physical proximity.
What is power distance and how does it affect communication?
-Power distance is the level of space between those in a low power status versus those in a high power status, and it affects communication by influencing the respect and interaction between different power levels within a culture.
What are some examples of high power distance cultures mentioned in the transcript?
-Examples of high power distance cultures mentioned are China and Japan, where people often inherit their power status and it's difficult to move between classes.
How does the level of masculinity or femininity in a culture affect communication?
-In cultures that value masculinity, assertiveness, aggressiveness, competitiveness, and dominance are common traits, while in cultures that value femininity, calm, caring, cooperative, and patient characteristics are more prevalent.
What are the implications of a culture's preference for masculinity on communication styles?
-In cultures that prefer masculinity, communication styles might be more assertive and competitive, with both men and women displaying these traits, although men might be more likely to do so.
What does the demographic distribution of the world's population according to the Michigan State University study indicate about cultural diversity?
-The study indicates that North America is significantly less populous compared to other regions like Asia, highlighting the vast cultural diversity in the world.
Outlines
🌐 Understanding Culture and Communication
In the first paragraph, Brooklyn introduces the topic of how culture affects communication. Culture is defined as a complex and evolving set of values, beliefs, and traditions passed down through generations. Communication, as defined by Geden, involves the use of symbols—verbal and nonverbal—to convey messages. Verbal communication includes tone, volume, and pronunciation, while nonverbal communication encompasses eye contact, body posture, physical proximity, and facial expressions. The paragraph sets the stage for exploring the relationship between these concepts by discussing their individual meanings.
🌏 Cultural Dimensions in Communication
The second paragraph delves into three main concepts that influence cross-cultural communication: individualism versus collectivism, power distance, and masculinity versus femininity. Individualism and collectivism describe the degree of connectedness within a culture, with individualistic cultures like the United States and Germany valuing personal independence over group interdependence. Collectivist cultures, such as those in the Middle East, prioritize group needs over individual desires. Power distance refers to the perceived gap between those with high and low power status, with high power distance cultures like China and Japan maintaining a rigid hierarchy, whereas low power distance cultures like Norway and New Zealand encourage social mobility. Lastly, masculinity and femininity describe cultural values related to assertiveness, competitiveness, and dominance versus calmness, caring, and cooperation. For instance, Japan and India are more masculine, while New Zealand and Norway are more feminine. The paragraph concludes by summarizing these cultural characteristics and their impact on communication styles.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Culture
💡Communication
💡Individualism
💡Collectivism
💡Power Distance
💡Masculinity
💡Femininity
💡Nonverbal Communication
💡Verbal Communication
💡Proxemics
💡Kinesics
Highlights
Culture is defined as a set of values, beliefs, and traditions that are passed down through generations.
Communication is the use of symbols to convey messages, which can be verbal or nonverbal.
Verbal communication includes tone, volume, and pronunciation.
Nonverbal communication involves eye contact, body posture, physical proximity, and facial expressions.
Three main concepts affect cross-cultural communication: individualism vs. collectivism, power distance, and masculinity vs. femininity.
Individualism focuses on personal achievement and less connection with others, exemplified by cultures like the USA and Germany.
Collectivism emphasizes group needs over individual needs, common in Middle Eastern cultures.
Nonverbal communication is influenced by cultural values of individualism or collectivism, affecting personal space and comfort levels.
Power distance refers to the perceived space between those of high and low power status within a culture.
High power distance cultures, like China and Japan, have rigid class structures and respect for authority figures.
Low power distance cultures, such as Norway and New Zealand, allow for more social mobility and less emphasis on inherited status.
Masculinity in cultures is associated with assertiveness, competitiveness, and dominance, seen in Japan and India.
Femininity in cultures values calmness, caring, cooperation, and patience, prevalent in New Zealand and Norway.
Cultural values of masculinity and femininity influence both men and women's behavior, with varying degrees of expression.
Understanding these cultural dimensions is crucial for effective cross-cultural communication.
The study by Michigan State University professor Donald Conlon highlights the diversity of global cultural perspectives.
The transcript provides a comprehensive overview of how cultural values shape communication styles and expectations.
Transcripts
hi guys my name is Brooklyn and today
I'm going to be discussing how culture
affects communication so to understand
how these two concepts are related we
first need to understand what they mean
on their own so culture is defined as a
set of values beliefs and traditions
that are used every day and they're
often passed on from generation to
generation they're very complex and
they're always evolving communication is
defined by geddens as a use of symbols
used by one human to convey a message to
another human these symbols can be
verbal or nonverbal so some examples for
verbal communication could be the tone
that you're using when you're speaking
with someone the volume that you're
using whether you're talking quietly or
loudly and the pronunciation of the
words that you're using some key
characteristics for nonverbal
communication are the level of eye
contact you're maintaining your overall
body posture the physical proximity
between yourself and another individual
or facial expressions so now that we
understand what these two terms mean we
can really understand how they relate to
one another so there are three main
concepts that affect the way we
communicate between cultures the first
one is whether the culture values
individualism or collectivism the second
is the level of power distance and the
third is the level of masculinity or
femininity that is valued in the culture
so to give an example of how diverse the
universe really is Michigan State
University professor Donald Conlon
conducted a study saying that every 100
people in the world only seven are from
North America fifty-five are from Asia
21 are from Europe nine are from Africa
and eight are from South America so now
we're going to look at what these terms
mean and how they affect the way we
communicate
so the first concept is individualism or
collectivism so these two terms
essentially describe how connected we
fail with others in our culture these
members could be those in a religious
group families particular groups in
society or the overall community so
people that live in cultures that value
individualism often feel less connected
with others around them they feel like
they're more out for themselves whereas
they're not looking out for an overall
group and an area that would be an
example for culture that values this
could be America or Germany so this
relates to nonverbal communication in
the sense that where we don't feel as
connected to others we may not be as
comfortable being physically close to
them while communicating whereas
cultures that value collectivism feel
very connected with others they feel
very close with them they often find
that their needs are not as important as
the needs of the people around them and
some examples for these cultures could
be Middle Eastern countries so now that
we understand that we'll move on to the
next topic which is power distance so
power distance is described as the level
of space between those in a low power
status versus those in a high power
status and what amount of space is
considered normal in that culture so
some areas that value high power
distance could be described as China or
Japan so in these cultures people often
inherit to their power which means that
those who have a low power in that
culture find it difficult to move up
between classes and those that are in a
low power status often aren't as
respected as those in high power so some
cultures that represent low power
distance are in Norway and New Zealand
so in these areas you often have to work
towards your power status so those that
have a high level of power how to work
towards it they didn't know
inherit it which makes it much easier to
move between classes you're not stuck
with what you're born with if you are
born into a low power status like you
would be in a high power distance
culture such as China so now that we
understand that we'll move on to the
final difference between cultures that
affects communication which is the level
of masculinity or femininity so terms
are often associated with masculinity
our assertiveness aggressiveness
competitiveness and dominance so some
areas that value these traits are in
Japan and India so in these cultures
both men and women display these
characteristics however men are a little
bit more likely to display them than
women women are not often as competitive
or dominant as the men whereas in
cultures that value femininity such as
New Zealand or Norway both men and women
displayed the calm caring cooperative
patient characteristics that are
associated with femininity so to sum
everything up the three main
characteristics or groups that affect
the way we communicate that differ and
cultures are individualism versus
collectivism power distance and
masculinity versus femininity the
sources that I used are right here thank
you for listening
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