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Join date : 2014-04-25
 |  Subject: Cultural Differences in Nonverbal Communication  Fri Apr 25, 2014 12:45 am | |
| Nonverbal communication can send messages as loud and clear as anything said in verbal communication. Through watching others' nonverbal communication we can sense whether they are bored, lying, romantically interested or many other emotional states. American culture gives much less weight to the nonverbal aspects of communication than other cultures. Differences in cultural interpretations could lead to possible misunderstanding.
Posture and Proximity
- Simple postural differences can miscommunicate cross-culturally. In Turkey, it's rude to put your hands in your pockets or sit with your legs crossed. And it's rude to show the soles of your feet in Thailand. Different cultures also vary in the acceptable distance between people standing next to others; South Americans tend to stand much closer than their North American counterparts, who tend to seek a greater amount of personal space than other cultures. Proximity issues also arise when waiting in line; British citizens and Americans tend to be offended by others cutting in line, whereas the French and Armenians expect it.
Eye Contact
- Latin cultures tend to rely more on eye contact in communication than do non-Latin cultures. In the U.S. and in Arabic cultures, direct eye contact is often seen as a sign of honesty, whereas in some Asian, Middle-Eastern and Native-American cultures, it's considered rude.
Gestures
- Even a gesture as simple as pointing can lead to cross-cultural miscommunication. Pointing with one figure is considered rude in some Asian countries, as is the common American "come here" gesture. Germans point with their little finger, whereas Japanese residents point with their whole hand.
Paralanguage
- Paralanguage refers to all non-linguistic elements of spoken language, such as pitch, rhythm, tone and volume. All these elements are interpreted differently cross-culturally. For instance, increased volume in speaking is interpreted as strength or confidence in Arabic or German cultures, and as loss of control or rudeness to the Japanese or Thai.
Facial Expressions
- All cultures seem to express with the same basic facial expressions the basic emotions of anger, grief, happiness and fear. But the acceptability of such expression varies from culture to culture. Many Asian cultures don't easily express anger or grief on their faces, while Mediterranean Latin and Arabic cultures permit open expressions of grief.
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