Purposive Communication

Are we Low or High Context Culture

Nicole Louise A. Villanas
I-BMA

Describe the Filipino culture based on the details given in the lecture. Give examples that would support your
claim. Do you think that Filipinos would be able to communicate well globally given this kind of culture?
According to what I've understood from the lecture, high and low context cultures are at opposite ends of a spectrum that measures
how explicit a culture's communications are and how significant the context is in communication. We can also use terms like "implicit
vs explicit" or "direct or indirect" to describe distinctions in communication styles. As what I notice every time I communicate with
people, Filipinos has a high context culture since I observe that some of what we say may not have the literal meaning or may not
mean what we intend when we say it that way. Take this as an example, in a low context society, when people offer their visitors
snacks or drinks and they said no, it means no in the sense that they are not really hungry and thirsty. It is therefore impolite and
forceful to insist on offering them snacks or drinks. However, in a high context society just like the Philippines, that may not be the
case. They may have denied the offer because they are shy and don't want to appear demanding, so insisting on offering them will
eventually persuade them to have snacks or drinks. My second example has something to do with feedback, negative feedbacks do
not always sit well with us Filipinos since we value relationships over transparency. We frequently find it unpleasant, which is
emphasized by the fact that we, Filipinos are the most emotional people conducted in 2012. To conclude, we Filipinos have a high
context culture and are regarded as indirect communicators since much goes on beneath the surface when we communicate. We
practice this behavior because we care deeply about other people's feelings and value peace and relationships above everything
else.