The Influence of Culture on the Dimensions of CommunicationPost published:February 19,

2020Post Category:ORAL COMMUNICATION

Culture has a great influence on how people communicate. In this section, we will look into how
culture influences the different dimensions of communication especially in the Philippine
context.

Verbal/Nonverbal Dimensions

Courtesy in Philippine society is expressed when talking to someone, especially someone in

authority, by looking down. Looking straight at them is considered rude and frowned upon. In
Western society, avoiding looking at people in the eye or looking down or around while talking
to them often means that one is not telling the truth or is hiding something. If this is still the case,
what do you think might happen if a Filipino applicant is interviewed for a job by an American
employer; assuming both parties are unaware of the other’s culture? In another setting, in
Thailand, no one sits higher than the King does. Teachers’ chairs are also higher than students’.
This is to show their authority and to command respect.

Oral/Written Dimensions

Misunderstanding occurs when oral and written messages are not in agreement, such as when
you say you are grateful to someone but your Facebook post says otherwise. Culturally, Filipinos
are fond of being very wordy in written communication, oftentimes beating around the bush,
even in formal letters and sometimes in email. We tend to be just as wordy and employ
circumlocution when writing and giving a speech. We also use highfalutin and polysyllabic
words. Westerners are more direct in speaking and they write simpler letters because they find
longwinded letters and circuitous speeches tedious and boring.

Formal/Informal Dimensions

These are not as bifurcated as before. It used to be that among Filipinos, a speech still depends
on whether one views the Communicative Situation as format or informal. Knowing this helps
one to act accordingly in the preparation of the Message and in responding to it. But now,
Speakers at a program may be casually dressed and speak to an Audience as though they are
having a conversation between friends in a coffee shop. Because Filipinos live in a communal
society (where everyone is family), this tends to blur the lines between formal and informal
communications. Still, when a student is speaking with the principal, calling him/her by his/her
first name is not likely to be preferred or appreciated; neither is speaking with him/her as though
he/she is of the same age as the student. Some priests and professors, of course, give permission
to be called by their first names and they encourage people to talk to them as though they are
their friends. This may be shocking for some who believe that there should be some distance
between the youth and the figures of authority. Philippine culture demands it, so they say, even if
modern times allow it.

Intentional/Unintentional Dimensions

Influences on these dimensions can happen in certain scenarios such as this one: Burning up with
fever and hardly able to stand, you take the last seat in the MRT, even as an old woman was
trying to take that seat, too. The woman and the other passengers look at you sharply. In the
Philippines (even in other countries), your act is a discourtesy that reflects badly on you (and
your parents). But you only intended to sit down (and you did), and it was unintended that you
took the seat of the old woman. What do you do? Do you give up your seat? Or explain that you
are so sick that you can hardly stand? Or do you intentionally look out the window, pretend not
to notice the woman or the others. What is the unintended Message? This example shows that, at
times, we take offense at the slightest thing even when there is no reason to. Westerners, being
direct people, would want to clarify any miscommunication right away and ask what went wrong
or what happened to bring about such miscommunication in order to resolve it. When we intend
to say or do something but the opposite happens, most of the time, we, Filipinos, act as though
nothing happened.