According to three interrelated dimensions – face and harmony orientation; relationship versus task orientation; and direct versus indirect communication - how does the cultural context affect communication styles?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

but key points from the text may include:
Face and Harmony Orientation - the concept of face may manifest itself differently in various cultures; everyone has a concept of face that influences his or her behavior and action. In collectivist, high-context cultures it would be inappropriate for a manager to praise individuals too highly in front of their peers. Instead, the group as a whole should be praised when things go well; Harmony, is the process through which face is regulated in a particular cultural context; the Mexican value placed on simpatia similarly emphasizes the importance of interpersonal and group harmony; members of low-context individualist cultures are more likely to be concerned with self-face and have a preference for congruence between their private self-image (“authentic self”) and their public self-image (“social self”); In contrast, members of high-context collectivist cultures are more likely to be concerned with other-face in their interpersonal communication and negotiations;
Relationship Versus Task Orientation - different cultures use relational mental models that emphasize by varying degree either instrumental goals or relational goals; Communication in the combined task/relationship mental model or the differentiated mental model focus on either achieving a task or the relationship as it relates to the task; a typical American host would have been more concerned with getting her to her plane on time (differentiated task orientation) than spending additional time in developing the relationship in a social atmosphere (interdependent relationship/task orientation).
Direct Versus Indirect Communication - The most universal communication strategy used to preserve face and harmony, particularly when conveying bad news, is the use of indirectness; Indirect communication refers to the difference between the literal meaning of what one says (semantic meaning) and the intended meaning; indirectness is an important communicative strategy that varies according to cultural context, individualism-collectivism, and relational styles. In cultures where face and harmony are important, people use face-saving communication strategies such as indirectness to avoid conflict and preserve status structures. Members of collectivist, low-context cultures exchange information primarily on the basis of direct, explicit communication that is focused on precise, straightforward words. In contrast, members of individualist, high-context cultures exchange information primarily on the basis of implicit, indirect communication that is focused on shared experiences developed over time (context) utilizing indirect and nonverbal meaning.