“ I would never tell a friend that I didn’t like her dress. In an academic paper, we find the following example: “A Chinese student told her Western-cultured classmates who were struggling to understand indirect confrontation: The indirect confrontation may also rely upon stories, metaphors, or images to cue associative logic intended to provide enough insight such that the other party can craft an appropriate response. Indeed, taking responsibility for resolving problems is the social obligation of a higher-status party in hierarchical cultures. It often involves third parties with the authority to make decisions so that lower-level people do not lose face. Indirect communication dislikes direct confrontation or critique. Both claim and justification are formulated in terms of Aristotelian logic, which is characteristic of Western culture’s analytic mindset. It consists of making a direct claim, then justifying it. This term was first introduced by Edward T. People from these cultures analyze multiple alternative solutions by debating their pros and cons from a self-interested, possibly a win-win perspective.įreely proposing and debating solutions requires an egalitarian society where disagreeing with someone who has more power, won’t affect your position.ĭirect communication is also referred to as low-context. Proposing and debating alternatives is characteristic of low-context and analytical cultures. They tend to propose solutions and value their validity. In these cultures, individuals care about performing actions and finding solutions. Indirect communication is typical for Eastern cultures which tend to be collective, and hierarchical.ĭirect communication is consistent with the individualistic self-interest. Since direct conflict must be avoided at any cost, indirect speakers will express disapproval or unease by non-verbal communication, vague questions or even complaining to a third party.Ĭultural origins of direct vs indirect communicationĭirect communication is usually considered to be characteristic of Western cultures, which tend to be individualistic, egalitarian, and analytical. They will find more convoluted ways to reply to avoid saying “no”.įor them being polite and “ saving face” – avoid hurting another person’s self-esteem is more important than giving an honest answer. Indirect speakers usually don’t make a direct statement if it may cause tension or conflict. Indirect communication is when true intentions are not verbally expressed but come from context or non-verbal communication. This communication style is considered more “ task-oriented” because criticism is expressed more freely and it is taken less personally.ĭirect people are not afraid of conflict and are used to disagree with others openly. They value direct answers, honesty and frankness. Direct communicators’ messages usually don’t have an underlying meaning. Direct communicationĭirect communication is when the speaker communicates true intentions directly in the verbal message. One of the most important insights for successful cross-cultural communication is being aware of the level of directness (or indirectness) people use in their messages. An Eastern European who moves to Germany will have to eventually adjust to a more straightforward communication. For a German who asks one time and expects to receive an honest answer, this might sound strange. You have to decline a couple of times, saying you don’t want to bother the host, then eventually continue declining but with less emphasis, which means that you actually want a cup of tea. In many Eastern European countries, if you come to somebody’s house and they offer you a cup of tea, it is considered impolite to accept immediately.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |