Lamberton and Minor (2014) define a high context society as being one, for example, where the social context surrounding an agreement in writing is more important that the writing itself. This translates to the fact that this society does not take words at face value but instead looks to the nonverbal behaviors and cues that the speaker is giving off to the intended audience. Examples of countries that practice higher context culture include Asia and the Middle East (Lamberton & Minor, 2014). Lower context countries such as Switzerland, Germany and the United States believe that most things can be taken at face value including contracts (Lamberton & Minor, 2014). Although nonverbal cues can be interpreted in a lower context society, emphasis is placed on letting your words be binding. …show more content…
Here in the United States, everything for the most part is taken at face value with little emphasis on nonverbal messages. This is changing as the country begins to recognize the different cultural practices that make up our society. As a nurse, my place of work is completely lower context with no intended hidden meanings behind our daily conversations with the patients. Sometimes, however, if the patient is about to hear terminal news, they can quickly pick up on the unsaid message by the healthcare provider, through body language. When providing medical care, it is important to be direct and use lower-context communication technique because the patients need to know all the information pertaining to their care so that they can make informed