read this and answer the  questions later. The previous section brought out the importance of addressing diverse audiences and highlighted the need to suspend ethnocentric judgments in favor of ethnorelativism. This section will examine how a speaker can be sensitive to diversity in the audience during the speech planning process.

Diversity in the world is a basic characteristic of human society, and also the key condition for a lively and dynamic world as we see today. ~ Hu Jintao

Cultural patterns refer to common themes through which different cultures can be understood. They consist of beliefs, values and norms shared among members of a group and which remain stable over time. They make most members of a culture respond or behave in more or less similar ways in similar situations. Of course, not all people in a cultural group behave in exactly the same way. Behavior will vary depending on personality orientations, individual values and self- construals, or the way people think about themselves (Lustig & Koester, 2010).

Scholars have proposed different cultural patterns to explain cultural differences among people. Among the most widely accepted patterns are Hall’s (1976) categories of high- and low-context cultures and Hofstede’s (2001) cultural value dimensions. Public speakers need to stay critical and examine how their culture fits into these patterns and how the speaker as an individual fits or does not fit into these patterns. This awareness helps speakers stay conscious of their cultural background while avoiding notions of ethnocentrism as they prepare speeches for diverse audiences.


high- and low-context cultures
Hall proposed that communication patterns are organized by the “amount of information implied by the setting or the context of the communication itself, regardless of the specific words spoken” (Lustig & Koester, 2010, p.109). Low-context cultures prefer to use low-context messages, where the message is encoded in the words used, or in the verbal expression, and not in the context. However, high-context cultures prefer to use high-context messages, where the meaning is implied by the physical setting or is presumed to be part of the culture’s shared beliefs, values and norms.

People from high- and low-context cultures differ in their preferences for types of messages. People from low- context cultures tend to use more overt messages where the meaning is made very explicit. Low-context messages are intended to convey exact meaning through clear, precise and specific words. Verbal expression is of paramount importance, while the context of the speech is relatively unimportant. On the other hand, people from high-context cultures tend to use more covert messages where the meaning is implicit in the context in which the words are spoken. Nonverbal expressions take on more importance than verbal. Communication is intended to promote and sustain harmony and not necessarily to convey exact, precise meaning.

When preparing speeches for audiences that use low-context messages, public speakers will need to focus on their verbal expressions, using clear, specific and precise words that convey exact meaning. On the other hand, while preparing speeches for audiences that use high-context messages, speakers should focus more on non-verbal expressions and the specifics of the context.

Hofstede (2001), in his study of more than 100,000 employees of IBM in more than 70 countries, identified four cultural value dimensions that would differentiate diverse cultures. These dimensions were power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism- collectivism and masculinity- femininity.

power distance
The dimension of power distancerefers to “the degree to which the culture believes that institutional and organizational power should be distributed unequally and the decisions of the power holders should be challenged or accepted” (Lustig & Koester, 2010, p.114). Cultures that have low-power distances tend to minimize social inequalities and challenge authority figures, and they prefer reduced hierarchical organizational structures. On the other hand, cultures that have high-power distances tend to ascribe a rightful place for each person in the order, to not question or challenge authority and to have hierarchical organization structures. Public speakers must keep in mind that audiences from high- power distance cultures are discouraged from asking questions because it is seen as questioning the speaker’s authority. On the other hand, listeners from low- power distance cultures might be more used to questioning authority and to challenge the assertions of the speaker.

Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend. ~ Albert Camus


uncertainty avoidance
The uncertainty avoidance dimension refers to “the extent to which the culture feels threatened by ambiguous, uncertain situations and tries to avoid them by establishing more structure” (Lustig & Koester, 2010, p.116). In other words, cultures with low uncertainty avoidance will have high tolerance for ambiguity and uncertainty, encourage dissent, tolerate social deviance and generally take more risks and experiment with new things. However, cultures with high uncertainty avoidance prefer to avoid uncertainty. They try to ensure security and certainty through an extensive set of rules and regulations. They do not tolerate dissent or social deviance and have a low-risk appetite. Therefore, when public speakers are preparing to speak to audiences from high uncertainty avoidance cultures, they must keep in mind that there are likely to be more and stricter rules and protocols governing speeches. On the other hand, speeches prepared for low uncertainty avoidance groups might be more creative or improvised. Audiences ranked low in uncertainty avoidance, or greater tolerance for ambiguity, can consider abstract ideas without many specifics.

individualism-collectivism
The dimension of individualism-collectivism refers to “the degree to which a culture relies on and has allegiance to the self or the group” (Lustig & Koester, 2010, p.117). Cultures that rank low on individualism are highly collectivistic in nature and demand loyalty to the group. They believe that an individual’s primary obligations lie with the group, and they stress the dependence of individuals on organizations. On the other hand, in cultures that rank high on individualism, the autonomy of the individual is paramount and people are expected to take care of themselves. Audience members from individualistic cultures are responsive to ideas that emphasize personal achievement and highlight individual achievement. On the contrary, audience members from more collectivistic cultures might prefer recognition of group or team achievement to recognition of individual accomplishment.

America's strength is not our diversity; our strength is our ability to unite people of different backgrounds around common principles. A common language is necessary to reach that goal. ~ Ernest Istook

masculinity-femininity
The dimension of masculinity-femininity refers to “the degree to which a culture values ‘masculine’ behaviors, such as assertiveness and the acquisition of wealth, or ‘feminine’ behaviors, such as caring for others and the quality of life” (Lustig & Koester, 2010, p.118). Cultures that rank low on the masculinity index tend to believe in life choices that improve aspects of quality of life, such as service to others and sympathy for the less fortunate. They prefer nurturing roles for both men and women, and have fewer prescriptive behaviors based on gender. On the other hand, cultures that rank high on the masculinity index stress ambition and achievement. When preparing speeches for audiences from predominantly masculine cultures, public speakers can emphasize, for example, performance and achievement. On the other hand, when preparing speeches for audiences from predominantly feminine cultures, public speakers can emphasize ideas such as cooperation and solidarity.

time orientation
People from different cultural backgrounds can vary in their perceptions of time, irrespective of what the clock shows. Hall distinguished between a monochronic, or linear, time orientation and a polychronic, or cyclical, time orientation (Samovar et al., 2010). To people in monochronic cultures, linear time is tangible and can be ‘saved, spent, lost, wasted,’ etc. People from monochronic cultures tend to focus on one thing at a time. Schedules and deadlines are sacrosanct and punctuality is highly regarded. On the other hand, to people in polychronic cultures, cyclical time is less tangible and is seldom considered “wasted.” People from polychronic cultures can often be involved in multiple activities at the same time, with no strict division among the different activities. They usually stress involvement with people and cultivating relationships more than schedules and deadlines, so punctuality is not highly regarded.


Understanding an audience’s time orientation can enhance the effectiveness of a speech to a global audience. For example, an audience from a predominantly monochronic culture might expect the speech to start and end on time. However, an audience from a predominantly polychronic culture might not expect a strict adherence to a schedule. Further, in the two different contexts, you would also have to deal very differently with latecomers. An understanding of cultural time orientation will help you in these situations.

I am not struck so much by the diversity of testimony as by the many-sidedness of truth. ~ Stanley Baldwin