Nonverbal Communication Part I: Read the following article, then complete the items that follow.

Nonverbal Communication: Speaking Without Words "He didn't look at me once. I know he's guilty. Never trust a person who doesn't look you in the eye." --American Police Officer-"Americans smile at strangers. I don't know what to think of that." --Russian En gineer-"Americans seem cold. They seem to get upset when you stand close to them." -- J ordanian Teacher-A The American police officer, the Russian engineer, and the Jordanian tea cher made these comments about interactions they had with someone from a differe nt culture. Their comments demonstrate how people can misinterpret nonverbal com munication that is culturally different from their own. Of course, this can also happen in conversation among individuals of the same cultural background, but i t doesn't not usually happen as often or to the same degree. Many people think t hat all they really need to pay attention to in a conversation is the spoken wor d. This is far from the truth! B Language studies traditionally emphasized verbal and written communicati on. Since about the 1960's, however, researchers seriously began to consider wha t takes place without words in conversations. In some instances, more nonverbal than verbal communication occurs. For example, if you ask an obviously depressed person, "What's wrong?" and he answers "Nothing, I'm fine." you probably won't believe him. Or when an angry person says "Let's forget this subject. I don't wa nt to talk about it anymore!" she hasn't stopped communicating. Her silence and withdrawal continue to convey emotional meaning. C One study done in the United States showed that 93 percent of a message was transmitted by the speakers tone of voice and facial expressions. Only 7 per cent of the person's attitude was conveyed by words. Apparently, we express our emotions and attitudes more nonverbally than verbally. Cultural Differences in Nonverbal Communication D Nonverbal communication expresses meaning or feeling without words. Univ ersal emotions, such as happiness, fear, sadness, are expressed in a similar non verbal way throughout the world. There are, however, nonverbal differences acros s cultures that may be a source of confusion for foreigners. Let's look at the w ay people express sadness. In many cultures, such as the Arab and Iranian cultur es, people express grief openly. They mourn out loud, while people from other cu ltures (e.g., China and Japan) are more subdued. In Asian cultures, the general belief is that is is unacceptable to show emotion openly (whether sadness, happi ness, or pain). E Let's take another example of how cultures differ in their nonverbal exp ression of emotion. Feelings of friendship exist everywhere in the world, but th eir expression varies. It is acceptable in some countries for men to embrace and for women to hold hands; in other countries, these displays of affection are di scouraged or prohibited. F As with nonverbal communication, what is considered usual or polite beha vior in one culture may be seen as unusual or impolite in another. One culture m ay determine that snapping fingers to call a waiter is appropriate, whereas anot her may consider this gesture rude. We are often not aware of how gestures, faci al expressions, eye contact, and the use of conversational distance affect commu nication. To interpret another culture's style of communication, it is necessary to study the "silent language" of that culture.

Gestures and Body Positioning G Gestures are specific body movements that carry meaning. Hand motions al one can convey many meanings: "Come here," Go away," It's okay," and "That's exp ensive!" are just a few examples. The gestures for these phrases often differ ac ross cultures. For example, beckoning people to come with the palm up is common in the United States. This same gesture in the Philippines, Korea, and parts of Latin America as well as other countries is considered rude. In some countries, only an animal would be beckoned with the palm up. H As children, we imitate and learn to use these nonverbal movements to ac company or replace words. When traveling to another country, foreign visitors so on learn that not all gestures are universal. For example, the "O.K." gesture in the American culture is a symbol for money in Japan. This same gesture is obsce ne in some Latin American countries. (This is why the editors of a Brazilian new spaper enjoyed publishing a picture of a former American president giving the "O .K." symbol with both hands!) I Many American business executives enjoy relaxing with their feet up on t heir desks. But to show a person from Saudi Arabia or Thailand the sole of one's foot is extremely insulting, because the foot is considered the dirtiest part o f the body. Can you imagine the reaction in Thailand when a foreign shoe company distributed an advertisement showing a pair of shoes next to a sacred sculpture of Budda? Facial Expressiveness J Facial expressions carry meaning that is determined by situations and re lationships. For instance, in American culture the smile is typically an express ion of pleasure. Yet it also has other functions. A woman's smile at a police o fficer does not carry the same meaning as the smile she gives to a young child. A smile may show affection, convey politeness, or disguise true feelings. For ex ample many people in Russia consider smiling at strangers in public to be unusua l and even suspicious behavior. Yet many Americans smile freely at strangers in public places (although this is less common in big cities). Some Russians believ e that Americans smile in the wrong places; some Americans believe that Russians don't smile enough. In Southeast Asian cultures, a smile is frequently used to cover emotional pain or embarrassment. Vietnamese people may tell the sad story of how they had to leave their country but end the story with a smile. K Our faces reveal emotions and attitudes, but we should not attempt to "r ead" people from another culture as we would "read" someone from our own culture . The degree of facial expressiveness one exhibits varies among individuals and cultures. The fact that members of one culture do not express their emotions as openly as do members of another does not mean that they do not experience emotio ns. Rather, there are cultural restraints on the amount of nonverbal expressiven ess permitted. For example, in public and formal situations many Japanese do not show their emotions as freely as Americans do. More privately and with friends, Japanese and Americans seem to show their emotions similarly. Many teachers in the United States have a difficult time knowing whether their Japanese students understand and enjoy their lessons. The American teacher is looking for more fac ial responsiveness than what the Japanese student is comfortable with in the cla ssroom situation. L It is difficult to generalize about Americans and facial expressiveness because of individual and ethnic differences in the United States. People from c ertain ethnic backgrounds in the United States tend to more facially expressive than others. The key, is to try not to judge people whose ways of showing emotio ns are different. If we judge according to our own cultural norms, we may make t he mistake of "reading' the other person incorrectly. Eye Contact M Eye contact is important because insufficient or excessive eye contact c

an create communication barriers. In relationships, it serves to show intimacy, attention, and influence. As with facial expressions, there are no specific rule s governing eye behavior in the United States, except that is is considered rude to stare, especially at strangers. In parts of the United States, however, such as on the West Coast and in the South, it is quite common to glance at stranger s when passing them. For example, it is usual for two strangers walking toward e ach other to make eye contact, smile, and perhaps even say "Hi," before immediat ely looking away. This type of contact doesn't mean much; it is simply a way of acknowledging another person's presence. In general, Americans make less eye con tact in bus stations, for example, than in more comfortable settings such as a u niversity student center. N Patterns of eye contact are different across cultures. Some Americans fe el uncomfortable with the "gaze" that is sometimes associated with Arab or India n communication patterns. For Americans, this style of eye contact is too intens e. Yet too little eye contact may also be viewed negatively, because it may conv ey a lack of interest, inattention, or even mistrust. The relationship between t he lack of eye contact and mistrust in the American culture is stated directly in the expression "Never trust a person who doesn't look you in the eyes." In co ntrast, in many other parts of the world (especially in Asian countries), a pers on's lack of eye contact toward an authority figure signifies respect and defere nce. Conversation Distance O Unconsciously, we all keep a comfortable distance around us when we inte ract with other people. This distance has had several names over the years, incl uding "personal space," "interpersonal distance," "comfort zone," and "body bubb le." This space between us and another person forms invisible walls that define how comfortable we feel at various distances from other people. P The amount of space changes depending on the nature of the relationship. For example, we are usually more comfortable standing closer to family members than to strangers. Personality also determines the size of the area with which w e are comfortable when talking to people. Introverts often prefer to interact wi th others at a greater distance than do extroverts. Culture styles are important too. A Japanese employer and employee usually stand farther apart while talking than their American counterparts. Latin Americans and Arabs tend to stand close r than Americans do when talking. Q For Americans, the usual distance in social conversation ranges from abo ut an arm's length to four feet. Less space in the American culture may be assoc iated with either greater intimacy or aggressive behavior. The common practice o f saying "Excuse me," for the slightest accidental touching of another person re veals how uncomfortable Americans are if people get too close. Thus, a person wh ose "space" has been intruded upon by another may feel threatened and react defe nsively. In cultures where close physical contact is acceptable and even desirab le, Americans may be perceived as cold and distant. R Culture does not always determine the message of nonverbal communication . The individual's personality, the context, and the relationship also influence its meaning. However, like verbal language, nonverbal language is linked to per son's cultural background. People are generally comfortable with others who have "body language" similar to their own. One research study demonstrated that when British graduate students imitated some Arab patterns of nonverbal behavior (ma king increased eye contact, smiling, and directly facing their Arab partners), t he Arabs felt that these students were more likeable and trustworthy than most o f the other British students. S When one person's nonverbal language matches that of another, there is i ncreased comfort. In nonverbal communication across cultures there are similarit ies and differences. Whether we choose to emphasize the former or the latter, th e "silent language" is much louder than it first appears.