Interpersonal Communication- A Mindful Approach to Relationships, 2020a

80/17475759.2017.1292944
Stella Ting-Toomey
In 1988, intercultural communication research Stella Ting-Toomey developed face-negotiation theory
to help explain the importance of face within interpersonal interactions. 37 The basic idea behind facenegotiation
theory is that face-saving, conflict, and culture are all intertwined. In the most recent version
of her theory, Stella Ting-Toomey outlines seven basic factors of face-negotiation theory:
1. People in all cultures try to maintain and negotiate face in all communication situations.
2. The concept of face is especially problematic in emotionally vulnerable situations (such as
embarrassment, request, or conflict situations) when the situation identities of the communicators
are called into question.
3. The cultural variability dimensions of individualism-collectivism and small/large power distance
shape the orientations, movements, contents, and styles of facework.
4. Individualism-collectivism shapes members’ preferences for self-oriented facework versus otheroriented
facework.
5. Small/large power distance shapes members’ preferences for horizontal-based facework versus
vertical-based facework.
6. The cultural variability dimensions, in conjunction with individual, relational, and situational
factors influence the use of particular facework behaviors in particular cultural scenes.
7. Intercultural facework competence refers to the optimal integration of knowledge, mindfulness,
and communication skills in managing vulnerable identity-based conflict situations appropriately,
effectively, and adaptively. 38
First and foremost, communication and face are highly intertwined concepts, so when coming
to an intercultural encounter, it is important to remember the interrelationship between the two. As
far as Ting-Toomey’s theory goes, she takes this idea one step further to understanding how face
and communication ultimately enable successful intercultural conflict management. Face-negotiation
theory ultimately concerned with three different types of face: self-face (concern for our face), otherface
(concern for another person’s face), and mutual-face (concern for both interactants and the
relationship). 39 As you can see from Ting-Toomey’s last assumption in her theory above, individuals who
are competent in facework can recognize when facework is necessary and then handle those situations
appropriately, effectively, and adaptively. As such, facework should be viewed as a necessary component
for understanding any form of interpersonal interaction but is especially important when examining
interpersonal interactions that occur between people from differing cultural backgrounds.
Key Takeaways
• Low-context cultures are cultures where the emphasis is placed on the words that
come out of an individual’s mouth. High-context cultures, on the other hand, are
cultures where understanding a message is dependent on the cultural context and
a communicator’s nonverbal behavior.
• Geert Hofstede’s research created a taxonomy for understanding and differentiating
cultures. Geert’s taxonomy was originally based on data collected by IBM, and
he found that cultures could be differentiated by power distance, individualism/
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Interpersonal Communication