How culture affects communication

Summary

In 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

00:00

🌐 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.

05:00

🌏 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.

Keywords

💡Culture

Culture refers to the set of values, beliefs, and traditions that are shared within a society and are passed down through generations. It is complex and constantly evolving. In the video, culture is discussed as a fundamental aspect that influences communication styles and practices, shaping how people interact within and across different societies. The script mentions that culture can be seen in everyday practices and is a key factor in understanding communication differences.

💡Communication

Communication is defined as the use of symbols by humans to convey messages to one another. This can include verbal and nonverbal symbols. The video emphasizes that communication is not just about the words we use but also the tone, volume, pronunciation, eye contact, body posture, and facial expressions. Understanding these elements is crucial for effective cross-cultural communication.

💡Individualism

Individualism is a cultural value that prioritizes personal goals and independence over group goals. People from individualistic cultures, such as the United States or Germany, tend to feel less connected with others and are more self-reliant. The video uses this concept to explain how nonverbal communication, such as personal space, can vary significantly between individualistic and collectivist cultures.

💡Collectivism

Collectivism is a cultural value that emphasizes group goals and interconnectedness over individual goals. In collectivist cultures, such as those in the Middle East, people feel a strong sense of belonging and loyalty to their in-group, and their needs are often secondary to the group's needs. The video discusses how collectivism can affect communication by fostering close physical proximity and a sense of community.

💡Power Distance

Power distance refers to the degree of inequality between people with high power status and those with low power status within a culture. High power distance cultures, like China and Japan, accept a hierarchical structure where power is inherited and less power is distributed. The video explains that in these cultures, communication patterns reflect these power dynamics, with less emphasis on upward mobility and more deference to authority.

💡Masculinity

Masculinity, in the context of the video, refers to a cultural value that emphasizes traits such as assertiveness, competitiveness, and dominance. Cultures that score high on masculinity, like Japan and India, tend to value these traits in both men and women, although men may exhibit them more prominently. The video suggests that communication in masculine cultures can be more direct and goal-oriented.

💡Femininity

Femininity, as discussed in the video, is a cultural value that emphasizes traits like caring, cooperation, and patience. Cultures that score high on femininity, such as New Zealand and Norway, value these traits in both genders, promoting a more nurturing and collaborative communication style. The video highlights how these values can lead to a more egalitarian and supportive communication environment.

💡Nonverbal Communication

Nonverbal communication encompasses all forms of communication other than the spoken word. This includes body language, facial expressions, eye contact, and physical proximity. The video explains that nonverbal cues are heavily influenced by cultural values, such as individualism and collectivism, and can significantly impact how messages are interpreted across cultures.

💡Verbal Communication

Verbal communication involves the use of spoken words to convey messages. The video discusses how verbal communication can be influenced by cultural factors, including tone, volume, and pronunciation. Understanding these nuances is essential for clear and effective communication, especially in multicultural settings.

💡Proxemics

Proxemics is the study of how people use and perceive space in social interactions. The video touches on this concept when discussing how cultural values like individualism and collectivism affect the physical distance people maintain during communication. For example, individuals from collectivist cultures may be more comfortable with closer proximity than those from individualistic cultures.

💡Kinesics

Kinesics is the study of body motion and gestures in communication. The video mentions body posture and facial expressions as part of nonverbal communication, which are aspects of kinesics. Understanding kinesics is crucial for interpreting nonverbal cues accurately and adapting one's own nonverbal behavior to communicate effectively in different cultural contexts.

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