2. Chapter Outline
• Introduction
• Important Communication Facts
• Culture and Communication
• Worldview
• Cultural Values That Affect How We
Communicate
• Conclusion
3. Important
Communication Facts
• Five Foundational Truths about Communication:
• Everything that we do communicates.
• The goal of communication is always more than just to
impart information.
• The communication process is more complex than most
people realize.
• The communication process is dynamic, not static.
• Developing communication patterns that build trust is
an invaluable missionary skill.
4. Culture and Communication
• Every human being is to a large extent
a product of cultural values.
• Like individuals, cultures are not static.
They are dynamic and always
changing.
• People will always interpret your
words and actions through the grid of
their worldview.
5. Worldview
• A worldview is a set of belief systems that
defines the ways we “lean into life.”
• It give us a mental map by which we “read”
everything that happens around us—and it
is also the set of rules by which we
construct the mental map.
6. Cultural Values That Affect
How We Communicate
• High and Low Context: Indirect and Direct
Communication
• Orientation to Time: Polychronic and
Monochronic Cultures
• Orientation to Self: Individualism and
Collectivism
7. Low Context:
Meaning derived
from verbal information
High Context:
Meaning derived from non-verbal
and contextual information
Stored
Information
(Non-Verbal and
Contextual)
Transmitted
Information
(Verbal)
Meaning
Stored
Information
(Non-Verbal and
Contextual)
Transmitted
Information
(Verbal)
Meaning
Direct and Indirect
Communication Compared
High Context
Low Context
8. Direct Communication
• The words used are central to understanding
the message being communicated.
• Verbal openness is more important than
protecting feelings or saving face.
• Does not value “beating around the bush.”
9. Indirect Communication
• The context in which words are used is
central to understanding the message being
communicated.
• Does not cause loss of face by
communicating negative messages directly.
• Values reading the thoughts or intentions of
the other without having to be told directly
what they are.
10. Orientation to Time: Polychronic
and Monochronic Cultures
Time is a reality for every culture. Our
families and societies give each of us a
“rulebook” that tells us how we are to
perceive time and its importance in
relationships. Social time, as opposed to pure
clock time, has been called the “heartbeat of
culture” (Levine and Wolff 1985). More than
simply regulating seasons and days, social
time is an integral part of every interaction in
life.
11. Monochronic Cultures
• Time is viewed as a commodity available in
limited amounts.
• Discrete units of time (seconds, minutes, hours,
etc.) each have value; we value others by valuing
their time.
• Important cultural values include:
• Privacy (interruptions without permission are
unwelcome)
• Promptness as defined by the clock
• Schedules, which help us live “efficiently”
12. Polychronic Cultures
• Time is viewed as a point where you are and is not
easily sliced into separate pieces.
• The value of a person determines how you handle
time with them.
• Cultural values include:
• Multilevel, simultaneous involvement (no one excluded
because of time)
• Interruptions simply part of the rhythm of life
• Promptness defined by the relationship rather than the
clock
13. Orientation to Self:
Individualism and Collectivism
• The collectivist . . .
• wants to fit in and belong to the group.
• develops skills early in life that enable him or her to
blend into the group by changing behavior, and to some
extent, even personality so as to not stand out.
• The individualist . . .
• is taught to be unique and not simply follow the crowd.
• sees conforming to group values as hypocritical, and
values being him- or herself whatever pressures the
group brings.
14. Collectivistic
Cultures Value . . .
• Belonging, fitting in
• Occupying one’s proper place
• Engaging in appropriate action
• Sustaining social obligations
• Promoting others’ goals
• Being indirect: “reading the other’s mind”
• Keeping conflict hidden; using indirect
resolution methods
15. Individualistic
Cultures Value . . .
• Being unique
• Expressing self
• Realizing internal attributes
• Avoiding social obligations
• Promoting one’s own goals
• Being direct: “say what’s on your mind”
• Facing and resolving conflicts openly
16. Indirect Ways to Say No
• Silence or avoiding a direct response
• Hesitation, postponement
• Blaming a third party or circumstances
• Acceptance but no action (relational or
power “yes”)
• Diverting to another proposal or idea
• Tepid approval
17. Conflict in Cultures
• Individualistic cultures
• Have more conflict
• Generally confine
conflicts to the
individuals involved,
and conflicts have less
impact on the group as
a whole
• Use direct methods to
resolve conflict
• Collectivistic cultures
• Have less conflict
• Involve entire groups
in conflict, and
everyone has to take a
side according to
collective obligations;
thus, it is more serious
• Use indirect methods
(including mediators)
to resolve conflict
18. Conclusion
• Crossing cultures and effectively
communicating God’s call to worship is
tricky business.
• The annals of missionary history are full of
shipwrecks that happened simply because
the lines of communication were crossed
and misunderstandings escalated to the
point where relationships were broken.
19. Conclusion (cont.)
• Find appropriate training in
intercultural communication even if
you have no intention of becoming a
missionary.
• In our increasingly globalized culture
the ability to navigate cultural
differences successfully is no longer an
option.
