Page 148 - Between One and Many The Art and Science of Public Speaking

Chapter 5 Listening 115
Considering Diversity

Listening in High- and Low-Context Cultures
As discussed in this chapter, some cultures place greater in Vietnam, was the shape of the conference table. Why?
emphasis on the context in which communication occurs Because the North Vietnamese were concerned about the
than on what is actually said. In such high-context cultures, “message it would send” to those observing the negotia-
as they are called, people realize that what one hears while tions. Vietnam is a high-context culture.
listening must be deciphered only after thoroughly consider- What kinds of problems do you see occurring when
ing the context in which it is heard. Yes may mean no and people from high- and low-context cultures listen to each
vice versa, for example, depending on where and under what other’s speeches? Which of the listening skills discussed in
circumstances they are uttered. The opposite is true in low- this chapter do you think would most help in overcoming
context cultures, where the greatest emphasis is given to the these problems? Be specifi c!
spoken word. People trust what they think they hear with-
out giving undue attention to the context in which it is heard. Source: Edward T. Hall and Mildred R. Hall, Hidden Differences:
One of the major stumbling blocks to the Paris Peace Doing Business With the Japanese (Garden City, N.Y.: Anchor/
Conference, which laid the foundation for ending the war Doubleday, 1987).

or group of people. Racial, religious, sexual, and other such biases, although
forbidden by law, often exist in the reality of people’s opinions. Recognizing bias
is an important step to overcoming it.
Bias isn’t always based exclusively on false generalizations about groups of
people. Prior, but incomplete, knowledge can cause people to form hasty judg-
ments. Such was the case with the man who shot and killed a Sikh gas station
owner in Arizona shortly after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the
9
World Trade Center and Pentagon. Not only is it wrong to assume all Arabs
and Muslims are terrorists or support terrorists’ goals, Sikhs are neither Arab
nor Muslim. They actually are a different religious group originating in India.
Regardless of its source, bias is a serious impediment to listening. To over-
come bias, listeners need to fi rst recognize its existence, mentally set it aside,
and recognize its irrationality. Although this may seem easier said than done,
the ability to listen without undue bias is one of the keys to critical thinking and
decision making.

Connotative Meanings

Important to this discussion are the related concepts of denotation and connota- denotation
tion. Denotation involves the objective, conventional meanings you fi nd in a The generally agreed
dictionary for a word. Connotation involves meanings you won’t always fi nd upon meaning of a word,
in a dictionary for a word, or the ideas, images, and emotions people associate usually found in the
with a word. Although denotative meanings can be learned by reading a diction- dictionary.
ary, connotations, which are largely determined by cultural usage, are learned
over time from seeing and listening to examples. As an illustration of connota- connotation
tion, consider some of the various words used to describe a person who weighs The secondary mean-
ing of a word, often
more than average. The word chubby is appropriate when describing a baby or with a strong emotional,
toddler, but it would prove hurtful when used to describe a teenager. The word personal, and subjective
stocky doesn’t mean the same when used to describe a man as when it is used to component.
describe a woman. And, although it would be okay for a physician to write on a
chart that a patient was overweight, it wouldn’t be appropriate to write “tubby.” 115