Cross Cultural Web Tools For Countries With High Context Cultural Behaviors

Last updated 16 August 2008

There are 5 different scales of cultural behavioral traits.

• High Individualism versus High Collectivism Behavior
• Uncertainty Avoidance versus Low Uncertainty Avoidance Behavior
• High Power Distance versus Low Power Distance Behavior
• High Masculinity versus High Femininity Behavior
• High Context versus Low Context Behavior

Important: Read the Basic Guidelines For Using Cross Cultural Communication Web Tools before implementing any of these web tools.

Today we are only going to look at the web tools for the high context communication behavior trait. This is part of the high versus low context behavior scale.

Traits Of Cultures High Context Communication

Some cultures are described as being high on the context communication scale. These cultures communicate in a style where:

• Key communication is relayed in the context, not only in the words.
• Communication is internalized

Cross Cultural Web Tools For High Context Communication

There is more than one cross cultural communication web tool you can use to appeal to each of the different cultural behavioral traits.

Here are the web tools you can use on your website to communicate better with cultures who score high on the behavioral scale of context communication:

Where Soft Selling Gets You More

When Indirect Communication Is Best

How Visual Harmony On Your Website Gets You More International Sales

These 3 web tools respond well to the traits for cultures high on the context communication scale.

There is lots more on the different cultural behaviors in the June issues of the Get International Clients Weekly Newsletter. Sign up quickly for more tips and ideas for getting more out of your international marketing.

Important Notice

Basic Guidelines For Using This Web Tool

If you have not read the Basic Guidelines For Using Cross Cultural Communication Web Tools as mentioned in the very beginning of this article, please do so before implementing any of these web tools.

You need to look at the whole picture of all five cultural behaviors before tweaking how you use the specific web tools outlined here.

Use these cross cultural web tools to inspire you to improve your web communication with your international clients.

How Visual Harmony On Your Website Gets You More International Sales

Last updated 16 August 2008

There are fives scales to measure different cultural behaviors.

• High Individualism versus High Collectivism Behavior
• Uncertainty Avoidance versus Low Uncertainty Avoidance Behavior
• High Power Distance versus Low Power Distance Behavior
• High Masculinity versus High Femininity Behavior
• High Context versus Low Context Behavior

Important: Read the Basic Guidelines For Using Cross Cultural Communication Web Tools before implementing any of these web tools.

There is more than one tool you can use to appeal to each of the different cultural behavioral traits.

We have already reviewed two web tools for cross cultural communication to cultures with the high Context behavioral trait:

• Soft Selling
• An Indirect Approach

Harmony In Website Aesthetics

This week we will look at the last web tool for cultures with a high Context culture behavioral trait:

• Harmony in how your website looks

Some cultures have a communication style where much of the communication happens in the context of what is being said. It is not all in the content of what is being said. These cultures do not have a straight forward communication. So you need to understand what is being said within the context of it being said.

These cultures respond better to a soft sale. Read more

When An Indirect Communication Approach Is Best

Last updated 16 August 2008

There are fives scales to measure different cultural behaviors.

• High Individualism versus High Collectivism Behavior
• Uncertainty Avoidance versus Low Uncertainty Avoidance Behavior
• High Power Distance versus Low Power Distance Behavior
• High Masculinity versus High Femininity Behavior
• High Context versus Low Context Behavior

Important: Read the Basic Guidelines For Using Cross Cultural Communication Web Tools before implementing any of these web tools.

There is more than one tool you can use to appeal to each of the different cultural behavioral traits.

We have already reviewed one web tool for cross cultural communication to cultures with high Context behavioral traits:

• Soft Selling

Continuing on this series, let’s look at a second web tool.

Polite Is An Indirect Approach

This week we will look at a web tool for cultures with a high Context culture behavioral trait:

• Politeness using an indirect approach

Some cultures are more direct in their communication than others. This is the case of the large English speaking countries. Therefore we need to pay attention when selling to cultures that are different.

In some cultures business cannot be as direct. Things are “said” though other indirect ways, through the context in which they are presented.

Differences in politeness can raise cultural barriers very quickly. If you are doing business with a country where politeness is based on an indirect approach and you are used to doing business with a very direct approach, you will probably need help from a third party. Read more

Where Soft Selling Gets You More

Last updated 16 August 2008

There are fives scales to measure different cultural behaviors.

• High Individualism versus High Collectivism Behavior
• Uncertainty Avoidance versus Low Uncertainty Avoidance Behavior
• High Power Distance versus Low Power Distance Behavior
• High Masculinity versus High Femininity Behavior
• High Context versus Low Context Behavior

Important: Read the Basic Guidelines For Using Cross Cultural Communication Web Tools before implementing any of these web tools.

There is more than one tool you can use to appeal to each of the different cultural behavioral traits.

This is the first web tool for cross cultural communication to cultures with the Context behavioral trait:

Soft Sale

This week we will look at a web tool for cultures with a high Context culture behavioral trait:

• Soft Selling

Some cultures have a communication style where much of the communication happens in the context. These cultures do not have a straight forward communication. They respond better to a soft sale.

You can create cultural barriers if you use a hard sell approach.

As you get to know your foreign markets, pay attention to obvious trends in successful online companies in these cultures.

Let’s review the cultural behavior of high context behavior traits:

Traits Of Cultures High In Context

Some cultures are described as being high on the context scale. These cultures communicate in a style where:

• Key communication is relayed in the context, not only in the words.
• Communication is internalized

Read more