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Communication styles
The table below outlines different aspects of communication styles and how they tend to vary across cultures. Being
aware of how communication styles tend to vary across cultures can help you avoid misunderstandings, but it is also
important that you understand the unique cultural identity and individual preferences of those you serve in order to
communicate with them effectively.
COMMUNICATION STYLE
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES
EXAMPLES
Tone, volume, and speed of
speech
Culture can influence how loudly it is
appropriate to talk, the tone and level of
expressiveness in the voice, and the speed of
speech. Loud, fast, and expressive speech is
common in some cultures but could be
considered rude or aggressive in others.
Loud and expressive speech is often
more common in African American,
Caribbean, Latino, an Arab cultures.
Some American Indian cultures,
Alaskan native, and Latin American
indigenous cultures favor softer tones
of voice and less expressive speech,
as do some East Asian cultures.
Eye contact
Culture can influence whether it is considered
polite or rude to make eye contact when
addressing someone, and whether eye
contact is necessary to indicate that one is
listening.
Direct eye contact is highly valued,
both when speaking and listening, by
many white Americans.
Direct eye contact is considered rude
in some Asian cultures.
Use of pauses and silence
Culture can influence whether pauses and
silence are comfortable or uncomfortable.
Pauses and silence are
uncomfortable for many people who
identify with dominant U.S. cultural
norms.
Some American Indian cultures value
silences and pauses as they provide
time to process information and
gather thoughts.
Facial expressiveness
Culture can influence whether low facial
expressiveness is considered normal or
interpreted as a lack of understanding, a lack
of interest, or even resistance.
Many of the cultures that exhibit high
verbal expressiveness also exhibit
high facial expressiveness (for
example, many cultures from Latin
American and the Caribbean).
Maintaining a neutral facial
expression is more common among
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COMMUNICATION STYLE
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES
EXAMPLES
some American Indian and Asian
cultures.
Emotional expressiveness
Culture can influence how open people are in
talking about their feelings. It’s important to
note that people from cultures that tend to be
more emotionally expressive may still think
that it is inappropriate to discuss emotions
(particularly negative emotions) with people
who are not close friends or family.
People from Western European
cultures and white Americans are
often relatively comfortable
expressing that they “feel sad.” In
some other cultures, people may feel
more comfortable showing different
emotions, such as anger.
In some cultures (for example, some
East Asian cultures), expressing any
strong emotions could be considered
inappropriate.
Gender, and how it intersects with
cultural identity, can also play a big
role in what emotions, if any, people
are comfortable expressing.
Self-disclosure
Culture can influence whether talking to
others about difficult personal situations is
accepted or considered inappropriate.
Individuals from cultures where self-
disclosure is generally viewed negatively may
disclose little about themselves and feel
uncomfortable when asked to open up about
personal problems.
Self-disclosure may be particularly low
for people from highly collectivist
cultures (such as many East Asian
cultures), especially if they believe it
can bring shame on the family to
admit to having a mental illness or
substance use disorder. However, it’s
important to note that level of trust
with the officer also influences the
degree of a community member’s
disclosure, meaning self-disclosure
can be low for someone of any
cultural group if there is not sufficient
trust and rapport.
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COMMUNICATION STYLE
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES
EXAMPLES
Formality
Culture can influence whether personal
warmth or respect and formality are more
valued.
Many Latinx, African American, and
white American individuals prefer a
personal and warm style. Community
members from these cultures may
expect to make small talk and ask
questions to get to know those who
are providing them with disaster or
emergency assistance.
Other cultural groups (for example,
some East Asian cultures) may expect
a relationship with a disaster or
emergency responder to be formal,
particularly at the beginning.
Directness
Culture can influence whether verbal
directness is valued or considered rude.
The dominant cultural norm in the
U.S. is to be relatively direct
compared to many other cultures.
In many cultures (for example, many
Asian cultures and Latin American
cultures), certain things, particularly
those that are negative or
embarrassing, should not be said
directly but treated with subtlety.
Context
Culture can influence whether communication
is high or low context. In low context cultures,
words convey most of the meaning. In high
context cultures, meaning is conveyed by
more subtle verbal and non-verbal cues.
The dominant culture in the U.S. is
mostly low context (i.e., words carry
most of the meaning), whereas many
other cultural groups are higher
context.
With community members from
higher context cultures, it’s important
to pay attention to non-verbal and
situational cues, not just the actual
words said. Some messages may be
“coded” and not intended to be taken
at face value.
COMMUNICATION STYLE
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES
EXAMPLES
Orientation to self or others
Some cultures are much more oriented to the
self, while others are more oriented to others.
This shows in communication styles through
the use of mostly “I” statements versus use of
primarily third person and plural pronouns.
The dominant cultural norm in the
U.S. is individualistic (self-oriented).
Many other cultural groups are more
collectivistic (i.e., other-oriented).
Members of these groups may speak
in third person and use plural
pronouns rather than “I” statements.
Community members who are more
other-oriented may prefer to involve
their families and communities in
therapy. However, this is not always
the case, as stigma and shame can
also be particular issues for
community members from
collectivistic cultures.
Sources:
Galanti, G. (2008). Caring for patients from different cultures (4
th
ed.). Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press.
Purnell, L. D. (2009). Guide to culturally competent health care (2
nd
ed.). Philadelphia, PA: E.A. Davis Company.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Center for Substance Abuse
Treatment. (2014.) Tip 59: Improving cultural competence. A treatment improvement protocol (HHS Publication No. (SMA) 14-4849).
Retrieved from https://store.samhsa.gov/shin/content/SMA14-4849/SMA14-4849.pdf
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