Page 170 - Between One and Many The Art and Science of Public Speaking

Chapter 6 Adapting to Your Audience 137

Exhibit 6.1
Levels of Diversity
Beliefs
Values
Individual Motives
Attitudes
Knowledge
Expectations
Needs

Age
Gender/Sex
Ethnicity
Demographic Geographic origin
Socioeconomic status
Occupation
Religion, Language

Power distance
Collectivism vs. individualism
Cultural Femininity vs. masculinity
Uncertainty avoidance
Long-term vs. short-term orientation

Discovering Cultural Diversity

Culture is a learned system of beliefs, customs, and values with which people
identify. Culture also is more a product of language than of geography. French-
speaking Canadians, for example, think of themselves as more French than
English, even though Canada has mainly English traditions. Barcelonians think
of themselves as Catalonians rather than Spaniards because they speak a dia-
lect that is distinct from the rest of their country. Cultural diversity refers
cultural diversity
mainly to differences among people in terms of beliefs, customs, and values—in
Differences among
a sense, their worldview.
people in terms of beliefs,
Because culture is learned, what is appropriate in one culture may not be per-
customs, and values—in
ceived as appropriate in another. The list of specifi c things that make one culture a sense, their worldview.
unique from another is inexhaustible. However, recognizing and responding to
cultural diversity does not demand that you try to learn everything about a spe-
cifi c culture. To the contrary, discovering what is common but variable among
cultures is the key to culturally responsive speaking.
Dutch communication scholar Geert Hofstede says that all cultures vary in
terms of at least four dimensions: “power distance (from small to large), col-
lectivism versus individualism, femininity versus masculinity, and uncertainty
avoidance (from weak to strong).” In addition, Hofstede notes that a fi fth di-
5
mension has recently been discovered: long-term versus short-term orientation
6
to life. We think Hofstede’s dimensions are a useful guide for analyzing an audi-
ence’s cultural diversity.