ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the role of particular languages in shaping the style of verbal communication, especially how low-context cultures and high-context cultures differ in terms of explicitness and the contextualization of messages. Negotiation and communication are deeply intermingled because parties need to exchange information to explain their needs, positions, and proposals. Relationship-Building communication styles are more implicit, fuzzier, and more interpretive than Deal-Making communication styles, at the possible expense of clarity. Low-context communication provides the lowest common denominator for intercultural communication between negotiators in a way that may not be always fully satisfactory, because it often looks "minimal". The channel-ratio model of intercultural communication emphasizes the importance of "knowledge" and the overlap in the phenomenal fields of the sender and receiver. The chapter concludes on issues related to language choice both in speech and writing, the role of interpreters, and how to avoid communication misunderstandings during inter cultural business negotiations.
