Walking together: Healing and hope for Colombian refugees

w a l k i n g
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implied rather than stated directly, and tone of voice, gestures or expression carry important clues for
interpreting the message. Latin American culture is a high context culture, therefore it is likely that the
Colombian refugee family will employ communication strategies such as non verbal communication and
indirectness.
In low context cultures, such as Canadian culture, meaning is conveyed through direct verbal communication.
Clarity, “straight talk” and a forthright tone of voice are characteristics of low context communication. What
is said is meant to be taken at face value, and direct questions or answers are appreciated.
As mentioned above, we all use both types of communication at one point or another. Although Canadians
are typically known to be direct, there are times when we speak indirectly, implying what we mean to say
through our tone or a look rather than our words. Nonetheless, because of Canadians’ general tendency
to be low context communicators and Colombians’ general tendency to be high context communicators,
it is important to understand these different communication styles.
Michelle LeBaron, in her article Communication Tools for Understanding Cultural Differences, outlines a
series of suggestions for people from both high context and low context cultures to keep in mind when
they communicate with people from the opposite context:
“Low-context communicators interacting with high-context communicators should be mindful that
acknowledgement;
communicate fully and frankly;
blocks are encountered.
High-context communicators interacting with low-context communicators should be mindful that
advance shared goals; and
The series of imaginary dialogues demonstrating indirect and direct communication that follow are
intended to illustrate what to be attentive to when communicating with the Colombian refugee family.