Context In Communication: 10 Important Types With Examples
Context in communication refers to the environment or setting in which communication takes
place, which includes elements like the participants, the physical setting, the psychological
environment, and the cultural backdrop.
The context of a communication process shapes the meaning, interpretation, and effectiveness of
the encoded messages transmitted between the sender and the receiver.
📣For example, we can use context to infer whether a phrase is literal or sarcastic, whether we
should be communicating formally (e.g. in a job interview) or informally (e.g. among old
friends) , and so on.
📣 Contexts we can consider when interpreting messages can include: physical, temporal,
situational, historical, socio-cultural, and social-psychological contexts. Each is explored, with
examples, to the next slide.
📣 Context In Communication
Note that many of these contexts overlap and aren’t completely different to one another.
1. Temporal Context
The concept of temporal context encompasses the timing of the message delivery and the
sequence of events.
For instance, a message delivered at the wrong time might not receive the intended reaction, and
can lead to misunderstanding or confusion. Just ask a comedian – timing is everything!
Likewise, understanding the chronology or sequence of communicated messages helps in
deriving their contextual meaning, preserving the flow and coherence of the communication.
Examples:
Daily Briefings: Holding a morning briefing at the start of a workday sets employees up with
essential information and tasks needed for that day’s operations, thus harnessing the temporal
context.
📣 Seasonal Product Launch: A company launching a winter clothing line in autumn uses the
temporal context to appeal to customers preparing for the colder season.
📣 Socio-political Announcements: A politician announcing campaign strategies right before
election season capitalizes on the temporal context, as the timing of the announcement can
garner more attention and potential voting support.
2. Social-Psychological Context
Social-psychological context refers to the climate and environment of a communication
interaction shaped by interpersonal communication, relationships, status distinctions, norms, and
roles.
The social status, power dynamics, and general sentiments between communicators influence
their message delivery, reception, and interpretation.
Respect towards authority, friendliness between friends, adherence to societal norms and values,
consideration of gender roles—all of these shape this context.
Examples:
Business Communication: The power hierarchy and professional norms affect how messages are
interpreted and delivered. A CEO’s message holds different weight and interpretation than a
message from an intern.
Family Conversations: The interplay of roles (parents, children, siblings etc.) and emotions affect
the communication within a family. Conversations have different dynamics based on the
affection, understanding, or conflicts among family members.
📣 Online Platforms: In the cyber world, anonymity influences users’ behavior and responses. This
new form of social-psychological context leads to distinct communication patterns like trolling,
flame wars, etc.
3. Cultural Context
Cultural context refers to the shared beliefs, values, norms, and behaviors of the people within
the communicating group. The dominant cultural context in the situation will impact the
communication styles expected in the situation.
📣 This context carries substantial weight because people from different cultures often carry
different communication etiquettes, norms, and interpretations. Therefore, if there are multiple
different cultures at play, there can often be miscommunication due to cultural differences.
Each culture have their own gestures, pauses, conversational distance, eye contact, and many
more unspoken rules, which greatly vary from one culture to another.
One key distinction is between high-context and low-context cultures:
High Context Culture: High-context culture relies heavily on implicit communication and non-
verbal cues, with meaning often embedded in the social context.
Low Context Culture: Low-context culture emphasizes explicit communication, where meaning
is primarily derived from the spoken or written word.
📣Examples:
International Diplomacy: In international diplomacy, understanding cultural context is vital. The
way one country’s diplomats greet another, symbolize respect, or argue their viewpoints all stem
from their own cultural backgrounds, affecting communication outcomes.
Multicultural Workplaces: In diverse workplaces, cultural context influences how employees
interact, negotiate, and collaborate with peers from different cultural backgrounds.
Misunderstandings may occur when cultural communication styles clash.
Global Marketing: Businesses creating global marketing strategies must account for cultural
differences. Advertisements must respect cultural norms and use idioms, humor, and references
that resonate with the targeted audience’s culture.
4. Physical Context
Physical context refers to the actual location and environment where communication takes place,
and includes the presence or absence of physical stimuli.
This type of context has a significant influence on the communication process as certain
environments and surroundings can directly impact how messages are sent, received, and
interpreted.
📣 The architecture, furniture arrangement, noise levels, level of privacy, temperature, lighting:
each of these aspects shape the communication environment and its dynamics.
Examples:
Business Meetings: The settings of business meetings, like a formal boardroom versus a casual
coffee shop, significantly influence the group communication flow. Boardrooms might
encourage more formal and structured conversations, while informal settings might foster free-
flowing, creative discussions.
Social Gatherings: The ambiance, noise level, and size of a gathering can affect interaction. A
quiet intimate dinner party might facilitate deep, personal conversations, whereas a loud,
crowded party might limit communication to short, superficial exchanges.
📣 Online Spaces: The physical context also applies to virtual environments. The design and
features of an online platform (like a professional webinar room or a relaxed group chat) shape
the communication dynamics considering the physical environment of the participants, the
efficiency of their electronic devices, and the robustness of their internet connections.
5. Social Context
The social context refers to the societal structures and systems within which the communication
occurs. This isn’t about cultural values but social rules, but the concepts are interlinked.
Society’s structures and systems could include family units, peer groups, organizations, societies,
and even broader social-economic systems. The social context provides insight into the social
roles and norms that shape the implicit rules of communication.
Examples:
Classroom Setting: In an educational institution, students and teachers engage in conversations
adhering to the social context of the classroom. Teachers lead, instruct, and discipline, while
students follow, learn, and interact within defined norms.
📣 Corporate Environments: The organizational structure dictates communication within a
company. The way a manager communicates with an employee is distinct from the way two
colleagues or two executives communicate.
📣 Digital Platforms: On social media platforms, distinct social contexts emerge. The way users
interact on LinkedIn (a professional networking site) vastly differs from interactions on
Instagram (a casual, visual-sharing platform). So, understanding the nature of the platform, its
audience, and behavior standards is important.
6. Historical Context
Historical context in communication refers to the background, circumstances, or events in the
past that influence the understanding and interpretation of the present communication.
Messages are often interpreted through the lens of prior events and experiences, which impact
the views and reception of the receiver. Historical context helps in understanding the origins and
development of current communication and literature.
📣 Without considering the historical context, communication risks misinterpretation, as messages
can be tied to past time frames with distinct norms, societal behaviors, and expected reactions.
Examples:
News Stories: When covering ongoing events, news outlets often reference previous happenings
to provide their audience with a broader understanding of the issue. Such aliasing to historical
context helps make sense of current events.
Academic Studies: Scholars often delve into the historical context when studying literature,
philosophy, or sociology to precisely decipher the intended meanings, allusions, and metaphors
rooted in the time when a work was created.
📣 Political Speeches: Politicians regularly draw on historical events in their speeches to set their
agenda, invoke shared sentiments, or justify their policies. Understanding this historical context
helps constituents to appreciate and critically analyze their messages.
7. Relational Context
Relational context in communication refers to the established relationship and shared history
between the communicators.
The history of interactions and the nature of the relationship between the communicators
significantly affect the meaning extracted from their communication. In fact, the established
rapport, goodwill, and trustworthiness based on prior interactions often dictate the manner of
current and future interactions.
📣 Relational context also affects how messages are presented. Friends will communicate
differently than strangers, and long-term colleagues will communicate differently than newly-
introduced workmates.
Examples:
Friends’ Gatherings: At a friends’ gathering, individuals speak openly, use inside jokes, and
demonstrate behaviors governed by their established relational context.
Teacher-Student Interaction: In an academic setting, the teacher-student relationship—shaped by
perceived roles, past encounters, and established rapport—affects how they communicate,
impacting the learning experience.
Negotiations: During business negotiations, the history of business dealings sets a relational
context influencing the trust levels, negotiation techniques, and potential outcomes of the
negotiation. Understanding this relational context is crucial for successful negotiations.
8. Functional Context
Functional context refers to the intended goal or function of communication.
The function can vary from giving or receiving information, problem-solving, decision-making,
persuading, entertaining, expressing feelings, and so forth. This context will affect the method of
communication used and the kind of content that’s conducive to achieving the intended goal.
📣 Understanding the function of communication can lead to selecting the right communication
practices to facilitate the desired outcomes.
Examples:
Educational Courses: In a classroom setting, the functional context is to transfer knowledge and
skills from the teacher to the students, shaping the communication forms like lectures,
discussions, and evaluations.
Business Meetings: Business meetings serve multiple functions such as information exchange,
decision-making, problem-solving, which govern the meeting’s agenda, protocols, and the
participants’ communication.
📣 Social Media Platforms: The functional context varies across different social media platforms.
Platforms like Twitter are more news-centric and involve information sharing, while Instagram
focuses more on visual experiences and personal sharing. Each one’s functional context shapes
user behavior, communication, and engagement.
9. Situational Context
Situational context refers to the specific circumstances or events that surround a communication
act.
These circumstances can include factors like the event that led to this communication, the reason
for communicating, and the immediate reactions required by the situation. It shapes the
communication and its urgency, formality, and style.
📣 Situational context is important in understanding the nuances of messages that can be lost
without understanding the specific circumstances of the situation.
Examples:
Emergency Services: In emergencies like natural disasters, the situational context necessitates
immediate, clear, and precise communication to coordinate rescue efforts.
Job Interviews: The situational context of a job interview involves formal communication
focusing on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, and fit for a job.
📣 Wedding Toasts: At a wedding, speeches and toasts are guided by the situational context. They
focus on celebrating the couple, sharing anecdotes, expressing well wishes, and maintaining a
festive atmosphere.
10. Environmental Context
Environmental context in communication encompasses the broader physical, social, and cultural
environment impacting the communication process.
📣 This can include the geographical location, cultural norms, societal structures, climatic
conditions, and the available communication infrastructure of this environment.
📣 Often, environmental context creates potential barriers or facilitators to effective
communication, and understanding it can enhance the adaptation and effectiveness of
communication strategies.
Examples:
📣Rural vs. Urban Settings: In a rural setting, limited technological infrastructure can affect the
mode and speed of communication compared with an urban context equipped with advanced
technology.
Cross-Cultural Communication: Understanding the cultural and social norms of the environment
is crucial in cross-cultural communication to ensure respect and effective communication.
📣Climate Communication: In areas prone to natural disasters, communication often involves
preparedness measures, safety procedures, and updates about climate conditions, reflecting the
environmental context’s influence on communication.
