What are the three dimensions used to interpret interpersonal communication?

Throughout the world, cultural differences shape and define the communication of identifiable groups.   These differences appear in content and relationship-level exchanges in different, predictable ways.  In low-context cultures, people value and expect straightforward, unambiguous, direct language.  Conversely, in high-context cultures, people value interpersonal relationships:  they communicate and interpret information through a holistic understanding of meanings and a collective understanding of a situation.  Because of these differences, individual words express little meaning until they can be used in an appropriate context that considers culture, human relations and individuals to create strategic business messages for cross cultural communication.

The United States and Canada are considered low-context societies, whereas Japan is considered one of the highest high-context societies in the world.  People in the United States value direct, unambiguous dialogue; Japanese draw on deep personal relationships, context and traditions to interpret and convey meaning.  As a result, because communicators assume a collective understanding, people in Japan place little emphasis on stating specifics.  For instance, in a low-context society, managers tell employees to meet them at a specific time, at a specific place, to discuss a specific subject.  Conversely, in a high-context society, the manager’s subordinate might assume where the meeting will take place, what time the meeting will occur, who will attend, and whether tea will be served.

3 Dimensions of Relationship-level Meanings

Communication researchers have identified 3 primary dimensions of relationship-level meaning that must be considered when creating strategic business messages for cross cultural communication.  These include Responsiveness, Respect and Influence.  A short description of each follows.

1.      Responsiveness

The dimension of responsiveness describes how much attention and focus others place on us.  For example, people who seem easily distracted and fail to focus attention on what you are saying may have little interest in you.  While you are addressing them, they often refrain from making eye contact and are distracted by other sounds, sights and happenings.  In the United States and Canada, low responsiveness is communicated through broken eye contact, preoccupation with other things, doodling, and other signs, such as using electronic devices under the table.  As a Houston Translator explained, people who show heightened levels of responsiveness may look you in the eyes, ask questions, nod in agreement and even respond verbally.

2.      Respect

The next dimension describes the level of respect, endearment and affection that is communicated.  Respect can be communicated through facial expressions, vocal tone and pitch, choice of words and desired proximity to others.

3.      Influence

The third dimension describes the level of influence, power and control that one person has over another.  Most relationships exhibit an imbalance of power in which one person holds command over another.  One is more likely to win debates or establish a course of action, while the other person is more likely to follow.

Communication and Culture

Across cultures, international managers need to realize the diversity in which societies communicate, ranging from impersonal to interpersonal.  International managers should also recognize that interpersonal cross cultural communication is a complex, methodical process that permits individuals to understand and interpret the intentions and beliefs of others.  The meanings we derive frequently reflect previous encounters and past interactions, making every interaction highly individual and unique.

1. Fundamental concepts—Culture and intercultural communication
   1. Culture and co-culture—Culture is a matter of perception and definition, and co-culture is a term used to describe the perception of membership in a group that is part of an encompassing culture.
      1. In-groups are groups with which we identify.
      2. Out-groups are groups that we view as different.
      3. Social identity is the part of the self-concept that is based on membership in groups.
   2. Intercultural communication describes the process that occurs when members of two or more cultures or co-cultures exchange messages in a manner that is influenced by their different cultural perceptions and symbol systems, both verbal and nonverbal, and the salience, or weight attached to a particular person or phenomena.
   3. To understand the relationship between interpersonal and intercultural communication, one model illustrates the relationship between interpersonal relationships and intercultural communication and shows that some interpersonal transactions have no cultural elements while others are almost exclusively intercultural and without personal dimensions.
   4. Cultural differences are numerous, as there are a number of ways communication varies within and between cultures.
2. Cultural values and norms are captured by five subtle yet vital values and norms that shape the way members of a culture communicate. These are as follows:
   1. High- versus low-context—Low-context culture uses language primarily to express thoughts feelings and ideas as directly as possible, while high-context culture relies heavily on subtle, often nonverbal cues to maintain social harmony.
   2. Individualism versus collectivism can be described as members of an individualistic culture viewing their primary responsibility as helping themselves, as opposed to members of a collectivistic culture feeling loyalties and obligations to their in-group.
   3. Power distance describes the degree to which members of a society accept an unequal distribution of power.
   4. Uncertainty avoidance is a term used to reflect the degree to which members of a culture feel threatened by ambiguous situations and how much they try to avoid them.
   5. Achievement versus nurturing is described as an achievement culture placing a high value on material success versus a nurturing culture regarding the support of relationships as especially important.
3. Codes relate to culture, as there are different verbal and nonverbal communication systems.
   1. Verbal codes are similar and different among the world's languages.
      1. Verbal codes exist across cultures, as each language has its own unique style that distinguishes it from others. When a communicator tries to use the verbal style from one culture in a different one, problems are likely to arise.
      2. Verbal communication styles vary along three cultural differences.
         1. Directness or indirectness is the degree to which language is, or is not, used to express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly and logically.
         2. Elaborate and succinctness is the degree to which a language is, or is not, rich and expressive.
         3. Formality and informality is the degree to which individuals are open or more standoffish.
   2. Nonverbal codes exist; while there are similarities across codes, the range of differences in nonverbal behavior is tremendous.
   3. When decoding messages, the potential for misunderstandings for communicators from different cultural backgrounds is great.
      1. Attribution is the process of making sense of another's behavior, and because most behavior is ambiguous and may have several interpretations, the attribution process can lead to faulty interpretations.
      2. Patterns of thought vary in the way members of a culture are taught to think, and reason shapes they way they interpret others' messages.
4. Developing intercultural communication competence involves having a set of skills and behaviors and being able to choose the appropriate one when needed.
   1. Motivation and attitude describe the desire to communicate successfully with strangers, along with a cultural-general attitude.
   2. Tolerance for ambiguity has to do with the level of uncertainty when encountering communicators from different cultures; intercultural communicators must welcome ambiguity.
   3. Open-mindedness involves being free of ethnocentrism, which is an attitude that one's own culture is superior to others, and prejudice, which is an unfair and intolerant attitude toward others who belong to an out-group; stereotyping is applying prejudiced views about an entire group of people.
   4. Knowledge and skill are needed for communicators to possess enough knowledge about other cultures to know how to best communicate, because communication with people from different backgrounds is culture specific.
      1. Passive observation is noticing what behaviors members of another culture use and applying them effectively.
      2. Active strategies are gaining insights about intercultural communication through seeking information from films, books, etc.
      3. Self-disclosure is volunteering personal information to people from another culture, such as expressing cultural ignorance.
5. Social media in a changing world—Social media collectively describes all of the channels that make remote personal communication possible.
   1. The characteristics of social media are, in some ways, similar to face-to-face communication; however, there are some differences as well.
      1. Media richness describes the abundance of nonverbal cues that add clarity to a verbal message. However, social media channels are leaner, with increased use of hyperpersonal communication, which is characterized by accelerated disclosure and relational development.
      2. Synchronous communication is two-way and occurs in real time, whereas asynchronous communication occurs when there is a gap in time when a message is sent and received.
   2. Mediated communication affects relational quality; for example, mediated communication makes communicating easier.
   3. Communication competence with social media can be improved by using the following guidelines.
      1. Be careful what you post.
      2. Be considerate by respecting others' need for undivided attention, keeping the tone civil. Be mindful of bystanders, and balance mediated and face time.

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