Sathya, you have succinctly presented the merits and justification of using indirectness in oral communication in the Indian context and topped it up with your learning. However, the scope of misunderstanding the message can get enhanced in indirect communication. Also, the need to couch the message with niceties, politeness et al, and the consequent choice of words/phrases makes it more laborious. Your narration does provide food for introspection.
profound thoughts… journey to self .. deeper introspection indeed .. the indirectness is well couched with extreme sensitivity so as not to hurt the other even remotely .. where as a blunt blurt out could be direct but with its misgivings .. an interesting insight , sathya and for your expansive reflective musings . .. m.v. rao
That is the beauty of this approach! Being polite yet conveying your thoughts and driving the point home. One has to be sensitive to the cultural and contextual settings. Thank you so much for your words !
Great points Sathya. Cultures like Japan are called high-context cultures - they rely on subtle cues and more on non-verbal communication. Cultures like Germany are low context cultures - they rely on open and direct verbal communication (as outlined by Hofstede). We just need to be aware of this when we communicate with various global cultures.
Thank you so much Prof Mohan! As much as there is the need to take cognizance of the cultural differences and sensibilities across countries, there is a unique perspective offered by each one of them!
Sathya, you have succinctly presented the merits and justification of using indirectness in oral communication in the Indian context and topped it up with your learning. However, the scope of misunderstanding the message can get enhanced in indirect communication. Also, the need to couch the message with niceties, politeness et al, and the consequent choice of words/phrases makes it more laborious. Your narration does provide food for introspection.
profound thoughts… journey to self .. deeper introspection indeed .. the indirectness is well couched with extreme sensitivity so as not to hurt the other even remotely .. where as a blunt blurt out could be direct but with its misgivings .. an interesting insight , sathya and for your expansive reflective musings . .. m.v. rao
That is the beauty of this approach! Being polite yet conveying your thoughts and driving the point home. One has to be sensitive to the cultural and contextual settings. Thank you so much for your words !
Great points Sathya. Cultures like Japan are called high-context cultures - they rely on subtle cues and more on non-verbal communication. Cultures like Germany are low context cultures - they rely on open and direct verbal communication (as outlined by Hofstede). We just need to be aware of this when we communicate with various global cultures.
Thank you so much Prof Mohan! As much as there is the need to take cognizance of the cultural differences and sensibilities across countries, there is a unique perspective offered by each one of them!