Page 171 - Between One and Many The Art and Science of Public Speaking

138 Part 2 Between Audience and Speaker

Power Distance
Power distance is “the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions
and organizations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed
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unequally.” All societies are unequal, some more than others. However, differ-
ent societies handle inequality in different ways. For example, there are large
power distances in countries in Latin America, Asia, and Africa and in some
European countries such as Spain. On the other hand, countries such as the
United States and Great Britain and some parts of Europe have smaller power
distances. Sweden is an egalitarian country with a small power distance, whereas
France has a large power distance.
Power-distance differences have important implications for you as a pub-
lic speaker. Suppose you are a manager in an international organization an-
nouncing company downsizing. You could not assume that an audience from a
small-power-distance culture, such as Sweden, would react in the same way to
your speech as would one from a large-power-distance culture, such as Japan.
Similarly, teachers are treated with deference in large-power-distance cultures,
whereas they are treated as near equals in small-power-distance cultures. For
example, a professor from a Japanese university teaching in the United States
might be surprised to be called by his or her fi rst name, though such a prac-
tice is not uncommon at American universities. Conversely, a Japanese student
studying in the United States might fi nd it odd that professors expect students to
treat them less formally than professors are treated in Japan. Interestingly, this
respect is reciprocal. One of us was informed by a Japanese student that not only
do students call their professors by last name as a sign of respect, but professors
in Japan address students by their last names as well. For an example of how one
Japanese student reacts to the culture of an American university, see the box
“Between Two Cultures: Tomoko Mukawa.”

Collectivism Versus Individualism
The second dimension common to all cultures is collectivism versus individu-
alism. “Collectivism stands for a society in which people from birth onwards
are integrated into strong, cohesive ingroups, which throughout people’s lifetime
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continue to protect them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty.” In an individ-
ualistic society, on the other hand, “everyone is expected to look after himself
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or herself and his or her immediate family only.” Some cultures, notably Asian
and Native American, believe the good of the many far outweighs the good of
the few. In these collectivist cultures, people shun the individual spotlight. Sin-
gling out a member of a collectivist culture while you’re giving a speech is likely
to embarrass the person.
In cultures where so-called rugged individualism is admired and encouraged,
the opposite is true. In the United States, for example, the dominant culture is
very individualistic. We champion lone-wolf entrepreneurs who strike it rich,
quarterbacks who stand alone in the pocket, and politicians who march to the
beat of a different drummer. There is evidence to believe, in fact, that the United
States is the most individualistic nation on Earth. 10
Appealing to enlightened self-interest is key when speakers face audience
members from individualistic cultures. Even in the case where these audience
members agree about a common goal, they are likely to perceive that the mech-
anism for achieving the goal is best left to individuals.