Nonverbal Communication in Foreign Culture vs My Culture

Nonverbal communication is is defined as “messages expressed by non linguistic means”(Adler 188). This includes verbal cues that do not involve words such as: sighs, laughs, throat clearings, and other noises. Nonverbal communication also includes nonlinguistic dimensions of the spoken word such as volume, rate, and pitch. It also includes abstract factors such as physical appearance, the environment, and how far we stand away from each other and the way we use time. Nonverbal is also the factors that we think of, body language, facial expressions, and eye contact. Some studies show that 93 percent of the emotional impact of a message comes from nonverbal cues, while others show that the figure is closer to 65 percent. Nonverbal communication plays an important role in how we make sense of one another’s behavior (Adler 188). There are many influences that contribute to the way we communicate nonverbally. A few of those influences include: gender, culture, and age.

Explain how different social, professional and cultural contexts may affect relationships and the way people communicate.

Business communication is a skill not everyone has; it is however something that can be learned. Many people think of only verbal skills when working on their business communication; however some forget how nonverbal cues can affect a message. Nonverbal communication can make or break a business conversation. If a potential partner interprets nonverbal communication conveying a different message than the verbal does it can lead to complications when trying to close an opportunity. As the world has become more connected, the importance of knowing different culture’s interpretations of nonverbal cues has become more important than ever. Since 1950, the world trade has grown more than twenty-seven fold in volume terms (Expansion of International Trade section, para. 1). Technological advances have provided easier access to new markets and manpower which has changed the face of business as we know it. It is more important than ever to be aware of how nonverbal communication is received by others because nonverbal in order to be successful in business; nonverbal communication is just as important as verbal communication.

Nonverbal communication or body language makes up 55% of effective communication. This plays the biggest part in communication, and it shows the client or colleague more information than words alone ever could. Nonverbal communication includes facial expressions, body movement and gestures, head movements, eye contact, posture, and the use of distances and space. Understanding and using nonverbal communication can enhance the connection between you and others, navigate challenging situations and well as expressing interest in the conversation. this can also established effective rapport between you and the client or colleague.

Non-verbal communication consists mainly of the things people do with their body language. There are times where words are expressed and non-verbal communication could help emphasize the message. A few examples of nonverbal communication are hand gestures eye contact, facial expressions as well as tone and volume. I was given this assignment to observe a situation and take note of the nonverbal communication that occurred. I also had to observe whether the non-verbals were able to execute the message and if the behavior was acceptable.

Nonverbal communication is a major factor role in every conversation. Eye contact, posture, and personal space determine how verbal communication is interpreted. Personal space is the aspect of nonverbal communication that acts as a backdrop to every other means of interpersonal communication. Learning to use and understand nonverbal communication effectively is extremely important, but can be challenging when one is speaking to someone of a different culture. Every culture has its own nonverbal communication norms that have developed from its unique historical background. Egypt’s nonverbal communication differs from Australia’s because each developed according to its own historical background. Communicating across cultures is complicated by differences in the unique norms of nonverbal communication found in different countries.

There are eight key forms of nonverbal communications used on a daily basis. These forms can affect the way people view another person; however, without understanding the forms of nonverbal communication there is certain to be a lot of misinterpretations. Cultural and language differences are a common reason for miscommunication. When communicating with people in different cultures, a person should be extremely aware of the hand gestures and nonverbal communication tools they are using. Many of the hand gestures used in the United States that mean good things, mean offensive and profane things to other cultures. Nonverbal communication is described as body language, hand gestures, and facial expressions. It is known that people reveal more information through nonverbal communication, than words alone to get a point across. There will always be some interaction between two or more people that everyone’s

While communication across cultures relies on speech to convey the messages of those living in the same society, usually the unspoken language has a larger role to play in delivering these messages. Similar to the country’s language being specific to the region it surfaces from, body language and facial expressions also have individual characteristics within a particular region. There are shared attributes of nonverbal communication across the world but these are commonly divided into high and low context cultures. This results from different cultural beliefs and attitudes within such societies and impact on the social norms of communication. In Japan, the citizens communicate with actions and gestures to a larger percent in comparison to their speech, as they are able to understand each other’s meaning without additional words. Due to it being a high context culture Japan relies heavily on its nonverbal communication for its society to function efficiently and for adequate comprehension to be achieved.

Nonverbal communication is behaviors and characteristics that convey meaning with out the use of words. Sometimes accompanying verbal messages, to clarify or reinforce them. (Floyd, Communicating Nonverbally, 2013) It is said to be true that nonverbal communication sometimes gives more information that verbal communication. People’s facial expressions, gestures, and personal appearance are all forms of nonverbal communication and it relies on our sense of vision. For instance, when my sorority and I get together for a meeting and the president of our chapter stands up in front of everyone to share information, it is important that we let her know that we are interested by nodding our head in agreement, smiling at her, clapping our hands, and keeping eye contact with her so she knows our focus is on her. For our chapter it is important to reassure our president that we are listening and focused on what she has to say by using nonverbal behaviors. Without nonverbal communication, it would be hard to tell when someone is interested or not in a conversation. Nonverbal communication helps us maintain

Nonverbal communication includes all communication besides the use of words themselves. In correlation with gender it has two functions: It expresses cultural meanings of gender, and men and women use nonverbal communication to act out their genders to others (Wood 2014). While an artifact such as the

Hand gestures, smiles and posture, these are all examples of non verbal communication. All people no matter their age, gender or physical state show non verbal gestures . According to business dictionary.com the definition of non verbal communication is as the following,”Transmission of messages by a medium other than speech or writing.”

In every society nonverbal communication is one of the most powerful tools that a person can use to interpret the message that is being delivered. Even though verbal communication is fairly straightforward, nonverbal communication allows others to sense the true emotions of the person that is expressing them. For example even though a person may say that they are not irritated, their usage of voice may display otherwise. Nonverbal communication not only reveals hidden messages, but it also complements, substitutes, and exaggerates verbal communication.

Through the use of technology and the expanding global marketplace, communication among different cultures occurs more often than ever. With the increasing cross-cultural communication, an understanding of cultural norms is essential to effective communication. Scholars disagree on the percentage of meaning derived from nonverbal communication, but they do agree that it carries substantial weight in the interpretation of messages (Burgoon, Guerrero, Floyd, 2010, pp. 2-3). Additionally, nonverbal behavior is strongly shaped by culture and co-culture, as different meanings are assigned to different behaviors varying by culture. “People rely heavily on nonverbal cues to express themselves and to interpret others’ communication. …when verbal messages contradict nonverbal ones, adults usually believe the nonverbal messages over the verbal ones and rely on nonverbal behavior to judge another’s attitudes and feelings” (Burgoon, Guerrero, Floyd, 2010, p. 3). With this knowledge, the importance of understanding sociocultural influences on nonverbal communication is central to effective communication when interacting among different cultures.

Nonverbal communication plays a central role in any conversation. Eye contact, posture, and proximity all determine how verbal communication is interpreted. In his book Managerial Communication: Strategies and Applications, Geraldine E. Hynes breaks down these aspects of nonverbal communication. Every culture has its own form of nonverbal communication that can impact the way a person from that country is understood outside of their homeland. For example, Erin Meyer, and American writer, misinterpreted her audience because they were using a form of nonverbal communication she was not familiar with. Likewise, Egypt’s nonverbal communication is very different from Australia’s, according to USA Today and (your source for Austrailia). These differences have developed in accordance to the historical backgrounds of their country. Given these differences in nonverbal communication, it can be said that communicating across cultures is complicated by the unique norms of nonverbal communication used in different countries and cultures.

This study goal is to examine the role of non-verbal communication in intercultural communication.particular,ly the study identifies the importance of understanding and using non verbal behaviour in living and study in an English speaking country. Moreover, the research reveals some difficulties that participants have encountered when they communicate intercultural. These difficulties further suggest the need of incorporating skills of nonverbal communication in to English language teaching is to enable English