Interpersonal communication is contextual

In other words, communication does not happen in isolation. There is:

• Psychological context - who you are and what you bring to the interaction. Your needs, desires, values, personality, etc.
• Relational context – your reactions to the other person–the “mix.”
• Situational context – where you are communicating.  An interaction that takes place in a classroom will be very different from one that takes place in a bar.
• Environmental context - furniture, location, noise level, temperature, season, time of day, all are examples of factors in the environmental context.
• Cultural context – all the learned behaviours and rules that affect the interaction. If you come from a culture (foreign or within your own country) where it is considered rude to make long, direct eye contact, you will out of politeness avoid eye contact. If the other person comes from a culture where long, direct eye contact signals trustworthiness, then we have in the cultural context a basis for misunderstanding.