Hall’s Handles

In their book Understanding cultural differences (1990) Edward and Mildred Hall looked at nine aspects of communication across borders.

▽▽ fast and slow messages:

sending messages with a

different speed, depending on

whether or not a message can

be quickly understood and

responded to.

▽ high and low context: the

degree of common background

of parties concerned; discussed

below in some more detail

▽ space: territoriality, personal

space, the multi-sensory spatial

experience, unconscious

reactions to spatial differences

▽ mono-chronic and poly-chronic

time perception, the relation

between time and space, poly-

chronic time and information,

past- and future-oriented

countries; whether people do

one thing at the time, step-by-

step (similar to Lewis' concept of

linear cultures) or are involved in

more than one thing at a time

(like Lewis' multi-active)

▽ time as communication: tempo,

rhythm, and synchrony;

scheduling and lead time; the

importance of proper timing;

appointments

¸

▽ awareness of fast and slow

information flow

▽ awareness of a chain of actions

as necessary steps to an

objective. An action chain is the

sequence of events in which

people work together to achieve

a goal. When a step in the

sequence is omitted, rushed, or

delayed (e.g. as the result of a

cultural difference), the goal is

unattainable.

▽ interfacing: creating the proper

fit

▽ releasing the right responses

High and low context probably received most attention. Context is strongly related to culture and includes historical background, relationship, status, mood, time of day and the place where the communication takes place.

Low context cultures are those in which people do not have much information about one another and nearly everything needs to be spelled out in detail. Its opposite is high context cultures.