ABSTRACT
The spread of the COVID-19 is a phenomenon that presents a huge challenge for governments around the globe. With ever-rising cases in more than 200 countries, areas, and territories, almost all governments have been forced to respond to the virus and implement measures to protect their societies. Not only do these measures differ around the globe, but also the communication regarding the implementation of these measures varies. Reasons for the range of approaches are manifold, but cultural differences may represent one of them. Theories of Intercultural Communication and Intercultural Management, such as High versus Low Context communication, Hofstede´s cultural dimension theory, or the Culture Map, have highlighted differences in how people communicate around the globe. Taking these theories and further research findings into account, this chapter analyzes the speeches of 11 Heads of State from different countries and continents, applying qualitative content analysis and comparing the speeches regarding 11 cultural dimensions. Results not only visualize cultural differences in governmental communication in times of high uncertainty, but also compare the different ways of communicating to the cultural models used and, hopefully, foster intercultural understanding and communication.
