Purposive Communication in English: The F A C E Model Approach

PURPOSIVE
COMMUNICATION
IN ENGLISH
The F A C E Model Approach

Module 2
Culture and Global Issues in Communication

Explanation:
Most of the misunderstandings that people have

been facing are caused by miscommunication.
Different cultures make use of different languages
that the people who use them can sometimes cause
differences in the way communication takes place.
When communication across cultures contains
issues and gap, this may lead to separation and
dividedness. In this module, you will learn the
importance of communication styles and how
cultural and global issues affect communication.
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this module, you

should be able to:
• Enumerate the different
communication styles across
cultures; and
• explain how cultural and
global issues affect
communication.
FAMILIARIZE
Read the comic strip below.
Analyze
Task 5
In a group of three, discuss the
following topics about the comic strip.
1. Who are the participants in the

conversation?
2. What was the conversation all about?
3. What problem/s did the communicators
encounter in their conversation?
4. What might have caused the problem
in the conversation?
5. How was the problem resolved?
CONCEPTUALIZE
Explanation:
Based on the comic strip, language is a very important component of effective
communication. We communicate for various purposes. A teacher’s purpose in
communicating is to inform, a lawyer communicates to probe, and a doctor
communicates to know the patient’s medical history, while a pharmacist communicates
to give information and to ask questions. Moreover, Comedians and other celebrities
communicate to entertain.
In module 1, you have learned how language plays a vital role to communicate one’s
ideas and emotions verbally. If you are to relate it in the example that was provided
earlier, you will notice that a word may appear in two different languages but could
mean different. This is a proof that the language we use in communicating is based on the
culture which guides us when and where words are supposed to be used. And so, we can
say that culture and language are strongly connected to each other.
Culture and Language
Culture plays a vital role in communication

using the language which is shared by the
community.
Your culture refers to the shared values,
beliefs, and behaviors of the social group to
which you belong.
Culture also uses language to shape one’s
value, perception, and even social identity.
Culture and Language
Communication across cultures is probably a great challenge for one who is visiting a new
place. This does not exist only among people from different parts of the world, but also
among people who live in the same country but are from different regions. Culture plays
a vital role in communication using the language which is shared by the community.
Your culture refers to the shared values, beliefs, and behaviors of the social group to
which you belong. This social group could be your family or your countrymen. This group
has its culture and so at some point, this culture makes use of language to communicate
information. Culture also uses language to shape one’s value, perception, and even social
identity. Therefore, it is important to educate ourselves with how language is used across
cultures to avoid communication problems. In some countries, language is considered
sacred and failure to study the basics is like disrespect for the locals.
The following discussions explain how you can avoid communication problems when
engaging to verbal communication.
Verbal
Communication
Styles across
Cultures
Different ways which
people from different
cultures
communicate.
Direct-indirect
Verbal Style
Explanation:
Verbal Communication Styles across Cultures
Each language possesses its own unique style that sets it apart from the others.
Adler and Rodman (2006) elaborate that there are different ways which people
from different cultures communicate.
• Direct-indirect verbal style – Edward Hall (as cited by Adler & Rodman,
2006) explained that there are two distinct cultural ways of using Language.
Low Context Cultures use language to share their thoughts, feelings, and
ideas as clearly and logically as possible. To low-context cultures, the meaning
of a statement is in the words spoken. On the other hand, high context
cultures value language as one way to maintain harmony in the society. They
try to discover the meaning through context in which a message is delivered.
This includes the nonverbal behavior of the speaker, this history of the
relationship of the communicators, and the general social rule that govern
interaction between people.
Elaborate-Succinct
Verbal Style
Explanation:
• Elaborate-Succinct – Culture can affect the use of
language in communication. Others may use richer and
expressive language like in Saudi Arabia. Say for
example, if you will ask why a person behaves the
negative way, they might just answer “A tree begins with a
seed” which could mean that the person as trained that
way. In English, this may sound ridiculous or exaggerated.
This means that contrast in the way language is used when
communicating may cause misunderstandings between
people from different cultures.
Formal-Informal
Verbal Style
Explanation
• Formal-Informal – The informal approach that characterizes relationships like the
United States, Canada, and Australia is quite different in terms of the use of speech
in many parts of Asia and Africa. In Korea, there are certain ways of greeting a
person whom you meet for the first time as compared to greeting a friend that you’ve
always known for a long time. At times, the way you speak may also be determined
by the social status of the person you are communicating with. You are expected to
bow your head down while speaking politely to an emperor or king. You do not do
such act whenever you are speaking to a friend most especially if you are from a
country where emperors do not exist. In the earlier times of the United Kingdom, the
servants are expected to use the expression “Your Majesty” and “Your Royal
Highness” which is a formal way of addressing a member of the royal family. In most
parts of America, you are not expected to call a woman Ma’am followed by the last
name. Instead, they prefer you calling them by the first name regardless of your
social rank or status. In the Philippines, calling a teacher by his/her first name is
considered rude and impolite. Hence, it is very important to know the culture of the
community that you are going to immerse yourself with before engaging into
conversation with them.
Words and the way they are used in
communication can either build a relationship
or break it. It is so delicate that when words are
improperly used, you might cause
disappointment, insult, and even offend others.
According to Foreman (2004), “Words are

scalpels which are comparable to a surgeon’s
sharp tool. Cutting words are considered as the
worst when they are unintended”.
Explanation:
Words and the way they are used in communication can either build a
relationship or break it. It is so delicate that when words are improperly used,
you might cause disappointment, insult, and even offend others.
Foreman (2004) wrote an article on the impact of words and language
communication. According to her, words are scalpels which are comparable to a
surgeon’s sharp tool. Cutting words are considered as the worst when they are
unintended. She gave an example wherein a doctor may say, “The patient failed
chemotherapy.” If we are going to analyze, it is not really the patent who failed
the chemotherapy but it is the chemotherapy that failed the patient. This is a
clear indication that we have to be very careful with the words that we say
because words are powerful tools being used in communicating in the academe,
field of work, or even daily conversations. What’s said can no longer be
retracted and so being conscious of the purpose and the hearer’s/reader’s
culture may help in avoiding the gap and possible miscommunication.
ENRICH
TASK 6
(Individual work)
Do the tasks specified in each letter
A. Think of a situation wherein you have experienced

communication issues. How will you describe the way
language was used by your hearer/reader? How did this
affect the flow of the communication? Write an essay
about it.
B. On a short bond paper, draw your own comic strip
showing the problems that may arise brought by one’s
failure to know another person’s way of using a language
and culture. (scan and upload in FB)
C. Conduct an interview with a friend who has been to another country or
has encountered a citizen from another place. Ask him/her to share
something about the following questions then write the interview data in
the table below:
1. Do the people in the foreign country communicate the ideas through

direct words or indirect ways?
2. How do people communicate when they are inside the classroom?
Are there words that need to be avoided when speaking in public?
What are these words?
3. How should a person dismiss a conversation with another in the
foreign country?
4. What are the “forbidden words” in that foreign country?
5. How do the citizens speak to the elderly?

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PURPOSIVE

The F A C E Model Approach

Culture and Global Issues in Communication

Most of the misunderstandings that people have

At the end of this module, you

1. Who are the participants in the

Culture plays a vital role in communication

Verbal Communication Styles across Cultures

According to Foreman (2004), “Words are

A. Think of a situation wherein you have experienced

1. Do the people in the foreign country communicate the ideas through

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