The common trait of a business communicator from a low context culture is being too self-absorbed. It is like comparing the business world to one’s home life. The person will be too focused on results and not on building a meaningful relationship with those that they are meeting. This person also tends to avoid conflict and prefers to take the easy way out. This person may use language that sounds mechanical, over-simplified or even robotic.

Another common trait of a business communicator from a low context culture is that the conversations are too dry. This means that the person speaking does not engage, does not demonstrate enthusiasm but rather just drips with enthusiasm. This type of person tends to prefer the more simplistic language of business. They do not like to hear or read complex arguments. So if you are in business, this is not the person that you want as a friend.

• Another common trait of a business communicator from a low context culture is that he or she tends to leave people hanging. Here is what I mean by that.
• If you go to a party and engage in conversation with 10 people, out of those 10 people you will have to ask questions to get more information.
• The person will then probably say something and leave you hanging because you had to ask another question for clarification.
• This is a dead end process that can drive people away from any type of engagement.

A business communicator from such a culture tends to avoid any type of dialogue and prefers to lead and control the conversation. Such people rarely initiate any type of conversation and tend to remain in the background. If a person has to engage someone they most likely do so by leading the conversation or through intermediates such as a handler. Such people clearly lack an ability to effectively initiate and control meaningful dialog. As a result they limit the potential of any type of meaningful communication.

Another common trait of a business communicator from a low context culture is that they communicate through gestures and body language. Again, this is a great way to communicate but it also limits the kind of communication that takes place. It is much easier to give a speech or make a presentation via email than it is to hold a one-on-one conversation with someone. And even when a person does have a one on one conversation they are often instructed to use physical cues and nonverbal communication to further establish their point. This is extremely ineffective and often leads to misunderstandings and bad experiences with their audience.

Finally, a business person from a low context culture is almost always a native speaker. Even those who are not native speakers are able to communicate in some way. Therefore, they can usually understand what another person is trying to say. However, this understanding often does not translate into a meaningful exchange of information or meaningful exchange of perspective. This means that the person often does not fully understand what they are trying to get their audience to understand.