Let me explain the international business concept high and low context cultures. The concept was developed by anthropologist Edward Hall who founded the field of intercultural communication in 1959 with his book The Silent Language. Hall defines intercultural communication as a form of communication that shares information across different cultures and social groups.
One framework he developed for intercultural communication was high context and low context cultures. which refers to the value cultures place on indirect and direct communication. A high context culture relies on implicit communication and non-verbal cues. In high context communication, a message cannot be understood without a great deal of background information. Asian, African, Arab, Central European and Latin American cultures are generally considered to be high context cultures.
A low context culture relies on explicit communication. In low-context communication, more of the information in a message is spelled out and defined. Cultures with Western European roots, such as the United States and Australia, are generally considered to be low-context cultures. In summary, recognizing whether a country is a high- or low-context culture is very important for more effective negotiation and cultural understanding with different countries.