HEY HO, LET'S GO!

According to Edward T. Hall, there are two types of cultures. One high in context, and the other (you guessed it, genius!) low.

High context culture focuses on information preprogrammed in the receiver and its setting, and does not place much importance on the message itself. There is a prevalence of restricted codes, contextual cues; subtle cues are more important than the actual words written/spoken. Explicit communication is considered rude and brash. (Talk less, think more)

Low context culture, on the other hand, focuses on the transmitted message in order to make sense of the context. Silence is interpreted as incomprehension; and, indirect communication is considered deceptive. Importance is placed on speech because in low context culture, it is used as a tool to express, clarify and influence. (Talk more, think more)

This subtle difference is especially important to advertisting companies which want to strike a chord with their target audience that is the masses. On a side note, if an advertisement is related with local obstrusive issues, it will be less effective. This is why several multinational corporations such as Sony and Nike, have numerous websites with specific content for varying regions. Depending on the product/advertisement concept, you wouldn't see an ad here in Singapore of a person escaping from a prison for quite sometime...

Happy Deepavali everyone! Thanks for please-commenting-here haha :)

GREETINGS.

Culture. To many (or me at least), that word means, "a particular form or stage of civilization, as that of a certain nation or period: Singaporean culture" (dictionary.com).

However, in the context of communication, culture refers to "templates for living". These templates tell us who we are, what groups we belong to, and how we live our lives. They influence and interpret behaviour. Culture is learned, shared, dynamic and multifaceted.

There are many ways to greet people all over the world. For instance, according to this web article, if you were to spit at someone's feet here in Singapore, it would be considered pretty offensive and illegal. However, that's the way some South-East Africans say hello to each other (though they only pretend to spit).

In a world as diverse as ours, it is important to respect others' culture, lest it leads to unnecessary misunderstandings. It is easier said than done, but we have to go against our human tendency to judge and conclude prematurely. Only then will the sun shine brighter and birds sing louder- the world will be an infinitely better place! :)

WHAT'S UP?

"Two heads are better than one." This adage might ring true for certain circumstances, but this doesn't necessarily mean that more heads are always better! Arithmetically speaking, the more people involved in a group discussion, the greater the number of ideas generated- but so is the amount of feedback/noise/irrelevant nonsense.

Although a group may be more dynamic and synergic in terms of productivity (if focused on the task at hand), it is prone to a detrimental effect known as Groupthink (GT). According to prominent research psychologist Irving Jarvis, GT is "a mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, when the members' striving for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action".

In other words, excessive belief in your group might actually be negative because it could be an illusion of invulnerability, morality or unanimity- all symptoms of GT.

To combat this intangible enemy, a group should appoint a third party to advocate and supervise; or reflect objectively on their own if they're mature and aware enough. A patient cannot be cured if he does not admit he's sick enough to see a doctor- similarly, a group needs to be educated of the existence of GT before they can combat it.

I'm basing this week's article on GT because my group is incredibly proactive and deeply involved in our communication project- hence, we are subject to GT ourselves! But at least one of their group members is enlightened! Haha! <:D