Local and global communication in multicultural settings
How culture shapes communication: Hall, Hofstede, Filipino values, nonverbal differences, barriers, Bennett's stages, inclusive language and political correctness.
Why this topic matters
A call-centre agent in Cebu answers a customer in Texas. A nurse from Ilocos Norte joins a ward team in Riyadh. A Zamboanga City teacher's class speaks Chavacano, Tausug, Cebuano and Tagalog at home. In each scene the words may be understood while the meaning is not. This topic gives you the vocabulary to explain why, and some habits for doing better.
1. Culture and intercultural communication
Culture is learned, not inherited. A child in Iloilo learns by watching and listening how to greet elders, how loudly to speak at a wake, and when silence is polite. Culture is learned, shared by a group, layered (a person belongs to a nation, a region, an ethnolinguistic group, a profession and a generation at once; smaller groups inside a larger one are subcultures) and changing, as Filipino culture has absorbed Austronesian, Spanish, American and global influences.
The Philippines is itself a multicultural setting. It has well over a hundred languages and many ethnolinguistic groups, among them the Ilocano, Kapampangan, Bikolano, Waray, Hiligaynon, Cebuano, Tausug, Maranao, T'boli, Ifugao and Aeta peoples. A Manila-born manager talking with a staff member from Sulu is already communicating interculturally.
Local communication takes place inside a community that shares most of its rules. Global communication crosses national borders, usually in a shared language such as English, often through email, video calls and social media. Shared words do not guarantee shared rules: two people can speak the same English and still differ on how direct to be, how to disagree or how early to arrive.
2. Hall: high-context and low-context cultures
The American anthropologist Edward T. Hall (1914–2009) argued that cultures differ in how much of a message is put into words. In a high-context culture, much of the meaning lies in the situation, the relationship between speakers and what is left unsaid. In a low-context culture, meaning is expected to be stated plainly in the words.
| Feature | High-context | Low-context |
|---|---|---|
| Where meaning sits | In setting, tone, silence, relationship | In the explicit words |
| Style | Indirect, hints, hedging | Direct, specific |
| A refusal sounds like | "We will see," "Maybe," a long pause | "No, we cannot do that" |
| Commonly cited examples | Japan, many Arab and Asian societies | Germany, Scandinavia, the United States |
Hall treated this as a spectrum; every culture uses both kinds. Philippine communication is often described as leaning toward the high-context end, especially among family and friends, while contracts, courts and business emails use plenty of low-context writing. Treat that as a tendency, not a rule for every person.
Time: monochronic and polychronic
A monochronic culture treats time as a line of separate blocks: one task at a time, a fixed agenda, punctuality as respect, interruptions as rude. A polychronic culture treats time as flexible and handles several things at once; relationships may matter more than the clock, so a meeting may run over because a conversation was worth finishing.
3. Hofstede's cultural dimensions
The Dutch social psychologist Geert Hofstede (1928–2020) built his first model from a large survey of the employees of one multinational company in many countries. Dimensions were added with later research; textbooks now list six. They describe national cultures on average, not any individual person.
| Dimension | What it measures | Illustration |
|---|---|---|
| Power distance | How far less powerful members accept that power is unequal | Students never question a grade publicly (high) or freely challenge the teacher (low) |
| Individualism – collectivism | Whether people see themselves mainly as individuals or as members of strong groups such as the family | A graduate picks a job for personal growth (individualist) or to pay for siblings' schooling (collectivist) |
| Masculinity – femininity | Whether a culture prizes competition and achievement (masculine) or care and quality of life (feminine) | Rewarding the top seller versus protecting family time |
| Uncertainty avoidance | How uncomfortable people are with ambiguity | Demanding detailed written rules (high) or "we will adjust as we go" (low) |
| Long-term – short-term orientation | Whether a culture looks toward future rewards through thrift and persistence, or toward tradition and quick results | Saving steadily for a child's college education (long-term) |
| Indulgence – restraint | Whether a culture allows free enjoyment of life, or controls it through strict social norms | Easy talk of leisure and celebration versus strict norms of conduct |
"Masculinity" and "femininity" are technical labels for cultural values. They do not say that men or women must have those traits.
4. Filipino values and communication
Scholars of Filipino psychology and communication have described several values that often shape how people speak. Learn them as tendencies that vary with person, place and relationship. None is a trait every Filipino has, and none is a flaw.
- Pakikisama – keeping smooth, friendly relations and going along with the group so that no one is disturbed. Strength: cooperation. Risk: staying silent about a mistake or a safety concern to avoid conflict.
- Hiya – a sense of shame, propriety and embarrassment about how one appears to others. It makes people mindful of dignity, their own and others'. It can also make a student hesitate to admit confusion before the class.
- Utang na loob – a lasting sense of gratitude and obligation to someone who has helped, repaid over time by loyalty or returned help. It is not a loan with a set amount. It builds trust, though it can become pressure when someone cannot refuse a benefactor.
- Pakikiramdam – sensing others' feelings and the mood of a situation before or while speaking. It supports tactful, indirect communication.
- Respect markers – po and opo, titles such as Ate, Kuya and Ma'am, and mano, taking an elder's hand to the forehead.
Indirectness
These values contribute to a style that is often indirect. A speaker may say "Medyo mahirap po" ("It is a bit difficult") when the answer is no, or "Pag-iisipan ko po" ("I will think about it") when the idea is already declined. Insiders usually read the signal correctly; outsiders may wait for a "yes" that is not coming.
5. Nonverbal communication across cultures
Nonverbal messages carry much of the meaning in any exchange, and they are learned, so their meanings differ across cultures.
| Area | Meaning | Cultural variation (examples) |
|---|---|---|
| Kinesics | Gestures, posture, facial expression | A quick eyebrow raise greets or says "yes" in the Philippines. Beckoning is done with the palm down; palm up can seem rude. |
| Oculesics | Eye contact | Steady eye contact shows honesty and attention in some cultures, and can feel challenging when directed at an elder in others. |
| Proxemics | Use of distance and space; Hall described intimate, personal, social and public zones | A person used to a wider gap may feel crowded by one used to a closer gap, who in turn may find the first cold. |
| Haptics | Use of touch | Handshakes, beso, hugs and mano are accepted or avoided according to culture, gender, age and religion. |
| Chronemics | Use of time as a message | Arriving early, on time or late signals respect, casualness or priority differently from place to place. |
6. Barriers to intercultural communication
- Ethnocentrism – treating one's own culture as the standard and judging others by it. "Our way of greeting is the proper way" is ethnocentric.
- Stereotyping – applying a fixed, oversimplified picture of a group to each of its members. A stereotype can sound positive ("Filipinos are naturally good singers") and still erase individuals.
- Prejudice – a prejudgment, usually negative, about a group, formed without enough knowledge. Discrimination is prejudice acted on, such as refusing to hire someone.
- Language barriers – differences in language, accent, vocabulary, idiom and formality. Idioms such as "break a leg" rarely travel well.
- Culture shock – the stress and disorientation of living in an unfamiliar culture, described by the anthropologist Kalervo Oberg in 1960. It is often shown as stages: a honeymoon of excitement, a frustration or crisis when differences irritate, recovery or adjustment, and adaptation. Returning home after a long stay can bring reverse culture shock, which many returning OFWs know well.
7. Bennett's Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity
Milton Bennett proposed in 1986 that people move through stages in how they experience cultural difference. Three stages are ethnocentric (one's own culture is central) and three are ethnorelative (cultures are understood in relation to each other). Know the names and the order.
| Group | Stage | In a few words |
|---|---|---|
| Ethnocentric | 1. Denial | Cultural difference is not noticed or seen as unimportant |
| Ethnocentric | 2. Defense | Difference is felt as a threat; "us versus them" |
| Ethnocentric | 3. Minimization | Differences seen as surface only: "We are all the same underneath" |
| Ethnorelative | 4. Acceptance | Differences are recognised and respected as valid ways of living |
| Ethnorelative | 5. Adaptation | The person can shift viewpoint and adjust behaviour |
| Ethnorelative | 6. Integration | The person moves comfortably among cultural worldviews |
The model describes how a person's view of difference develops. Most people can grow through it with experience and reflection.
8. Gender-sensitive and inclusive language
Gender-sensitive (or gender-fair) language treats women, men and people of all gender identities equally and avoids assuming that a role belongs to one gender. Inclusive language is the wider idea: words that do not exclude or demean people because of gender, disability, ethnicity, religion, age or other identity.
| Instead of | Consider |
|---|---|
| chairman, policeman, fireman | chairperson (or chair), police officer, firefighter |
| stewardess, businessman, mankind | flight attendant, businessperson, humanity |
| "A nurse must wash her hands" (assumes a woman) | "Nurses must wash their hands," or singular they, which much current usage accepts |
| the handicapped | people with disabilities (person-first language) |
| "tribal" or "primitive" people | Indigenous Peoples (the term used in the Indigenous Peoples' Rights Act of 1997), or the group's own name, such as Ifugao or Aeta |
- Filipino helps here. The pronoun siya has no gender. English needs more care, but you can often rewrite to the plural.
- Follow self-naming. Use the name and title a person prefers. Some groups use collective names they chose, such as Lumad for the non-Muslim Indigenous peoples of Mindanao, or Moro for Muslim Filipino groups in Mindanao. Where people differ (for example "person with a disability" or "disabled person"), follow their preference.
Political correctness
Political correctness (PC) means choosing words and actions meant to avoid offending or excluding groups seen as disadvantaged. Supporters say it applies courtesy and fairness, because words can hurt and shape attitudes. Critics say it can turn into over-policing of speech, empty euphemism or fear of honest discussion. A balanced communicator avoids both extremes: choose respectful terms, stay clear and honest, and never use "that is just PC" as a way to avoid listening to the people concerned.
9. Habits for multicultural settings
- Notice context. Ask how direct and how formal the setting expects you to be.
- Slow down and simplify in global communication: plain words, short sentences, no idioms.
- Check, don't assume. Paraphrase ("So the deadline is Friday noon, correct?") and ask open questions.
- Choose respectful words, and adjust when someone tells you how they prefer to be addressed.
Guided speaking task (not graded)
Think of one real misunderstanding you have had, or seen, with someone from another region, language group, school or country. In two or three minutes, tell a partner or record yourself describing what happened. Name two concepts from this lesson that explain it, such as high-context communication, hiya, proxemics or ethnocentrism. Finish by saying one thing you would do differently next time and one question you could ask to check understanding. Then listen to your partner's story and give one respectful follow-up question.