Verbal Communication

7 Pages 1660 Words

unicate. As defined by the article entitled “High Context/Low Context Communication” published on the internet by About.com, low-context communication is that system “in which the speaker sends a very direct and explicit verbal message.” Conversely, where high-context communication is the system “in which the speaker expects the listener to interpret his intended meaning not only from the verbal message but also from the context of the conversation and other non-verbal channels” (1). To put things in perspective, consider a comparison among culturally diverse Americans that Marcelle E. DuPraw and Marya Axner speak of in their essay “Toward a More Perfect Union in an Age of Diversity: Working on Common Cross-cultural Communication Challenges.” They say that
[…] some white Americans typically consider raised voices to be a sign that a fight has begun, while some black, Jewish and Italian Americans often feel that an increase in volume is a sign of an exciting conversation among friends. Thus, some white Americans may react with greater alarm to a loud discussion than would members of some American ethnic or non-white racial groups.
In the example, although not between one (in this case, American) culture or nationality and another...