cross cultural understanding

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background

Communication is far more than an exchange of words. Facial expressions, hand

gestures, posture, eye contact, even silence all these are constantly sending messages

about human’s attitudes, emotions, status, and human’s relationships.

When a person meets other people who speak only Swahili, it is known that person

need an interpreter to translate our words in order to communicate. But what happens

when a person meet, say, a German woman who happens to speak very good English?

No problem, right?

But her words only tell half the story. Body language and other nonverbal cues vary

as widely as spoken language among different cultures. If a person smile to a German

woman, and a German woman does not smile back, what does that mean? Is the

woman angry? Bored? Lost in thought? To really understand what the German

woman is saying, it is need to understand German body language.

Nonverbal cues are critical in the workplace. These cues can tell whether the staff

understands to the instructions, whether the customer is interested in buying, and

much more.

The nonverbal language people learned while growing up seems natural. Normal and

while some facial expressions, such as fear or disgust, are universal biological

reaction, most other nonverbal cues are learned behavior with no universal

interpretation.

This tip sheet will give the reader a brief overview of a few nonverbal signals and

their cultural significance. Many people never learn the meaning of every sign in

every culture. Even in the own country, typical nonverbal “language” can vary by

Cross Cultural Understanding Page 1

region, race, or generation. Individuals within a culture also vary every group has

people who are shyer, louder, bolder, or more smiley than the norm. But learning a

few of the basics can open mind to the differences that are possible and alert to

miscommunications. Greater sensitivity to nonverbal differences is a beginning step

toward successful cross-cultural communication in people workplace.

B. Problems

1. What is the definition of Nonverbal Communication?

2. What is cultural difference in Nonverbal Communication?

3. What are the types of Nonverbal Communication?

4. How to make general and specific suggestions or invitations?

C. Purposeof This Paper

1. This paper purpose is to fulfill Cross Cultural Understanding task.

2. The purpose of this paper is to describe about Nonverbal Communication.

3. The purpose of this paper is to know the types of Nonverbal

Communication.

4. The purpose of this paper is to inform the readers about cultural difference

in Nonverbal Communication, the types of Nonverbal Communication,

and make general and specific suggestions or invitations.


CHAPTER II

CONTENT AND DISCUSSION

A. DEFINITION OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

Nonverbal communication is communication without the use of words.

Important as both written and spoken words are to the process of communication,

they certainly don’t represent all aspects of communication. As Galloway has

indicated, nonverbal communication is used extensively whenever human beings

communicate. Nonverbal communication consists not only of facial expressions

and body gestures but also of the way a person uses space and time. Nonverbal

behaviors are the primary vehicles for expressing emotion. Behaviors, better than

words, convey hate, fear, anger, and anxiety. What is difficult to put into words

often finds its way through facial expression, gesture, and movement. When

people communicate nonverbally, signals are used and cues that do not have

precise definitions. With nonverbal communication, a greater tendency exists to

be less conscious of our communication. Because people are less conscious of our

nonverbal communication, it is tend to be more honest while using it. Nonverbal

actions have always been important. When the Greek philosopher Demosthenes

was asked what mattered in speech, he answered, "Action." This answer is also

relevant today. People tend to believe actions even more than words. And they

believe words even more when nonverbal actions closely match them. Support

group leaders and peer visitors can use nonverbal actions in their work with

people who have amputations. Doing so improves communication and

understanding.


B. CULTURAL DIFFERENCE IN NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

Nonverbal communication expresses meaning or feeling without words.

Universal emotions, such as happiness, fear, sadness, are expressed in a similar

nonverbal way throughout the world. There are, however, nonverbal differences

across cultures that may be a source of confusion for foreigners. Let's look at the

way people express sadness. In many cultures, such as the Arab and Iranian

cultures, people express grief openly. They mourn out loud, while people from

other cultures (e.g., China and Japan) are more subdued. In Asian cultures, the

general belief is that it is unacceptable to show emotion openly (whether sadness,

happiness, or pain).

Let's take another example of how cultures differ in their nonverbal

expression of emotion. Feelings of friendship exist everywhere in the world, but

their 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

discouraged or prohibited.

As with nonverbal communication, what is considered usual or polite

behavior in one culture may be seen as unusual or impolite in another. One culture

may determine that snapping fingers to call a waiter is appropriate, whereas

another may consider this gesture rude. Some people are often not aware of how

gestures, facial expressions, eye contact, and the use of conversational distance

affect communication. To interpret another culture's style of communication, it is

necessary to study the "silent language" of that culture.


C. TYPES OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION.

Gestures and Body Positioning

Some gestures, like making fists or pointing fingers, are seen as forceful

and negative. But a lack of gestures can seem dull and boring. Active and

dynamic speakers or leaders should use natural gestures, but make them bigger.

Take a look at the gesture by asking someone to videotape that has to be

practicing in front of a mirror. Gestures are possible for everyone even those with

arm and hand amputations or an absence of upper limbs. People with upper

extremity amputations can gesture with their prostheses or residual limbs. And

people without arms can gesture with their shoulders or feet. Just as with hand

movements, gestures like these help others understand what it is said. 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.

This is ring gesture. (The tip of the thumb and the tip of a finger meeting to create

a ring.)

-- In America - "OK"

-- In Japan -"money"

-- In France -"zero or worthless"


Facial Expressiveness

From childhood on, people know how to “read" facial expressions. These

include smiles, frowns, raised eyebrows, yawns, and sneers. Studies show that

facial expressions convey more meaning than either words or tone of voice. For

instance, people can show happiness when they smile or anger when they clench

their jaws. As a support group leader or public speaker, pay attention not just to

your own facial expressions but also that of the audience. But do not assume that

always be known what facial expressions mean. Instead, ask people if it is

corrected “reading” their 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 do not easily express anger or grief on their faces, while

Mediterranean Latin and Arabic cultures permit open expressions of grief.While

some say that facial expressions are identical, meaning attached to them differs.

Majority opinion is that these do have similar meanings world-wide with respect

to smiling, crying, or showing anger, sorrow, or disgust. However, the intensity

varies from culture to culture. Note the following:

Many Asian cultures suppress facial expression as much as possible.

Many Mediterranean (Latino / Arabic) cultures exaggerate grief or sadness

while most American men hide grief or sorrow.

Some see “animated” expressions as a sign of a lack of control.

Too much smiling is viewed in as a sign of shallowness.

Women smile more than men.


Eye Contact

The important rules concerning eye contact focus on when to look and how

long to look at another person, in addition to who is and who is not to look at the

other person. The appropriate rules vary from one culture to another. Usually,

when sitting opposite a stranger there are two responses that can occur, depending

on the person's culture and the situation. Either there is no eye contact made, or

behaving in a friendly manner by naturally glancing at the other person and

remaining silent, or even exchanging small talk. When speaking in public,

frequently looking at the audience is the normal practice. Communicating with

one another requires proper eye contact, though it doesn't have to be constant. Not

looking at the other person could imply fear, contempt, uneasiness, guilt or

indifference.In USA, eye contact indicates: degree of attention or interest,

influences attitude change or persuasion, regulates interaction, communicates

emotion, defines power and status, and has a central role in managing impressions

of others.

Western cultures see direct eye to eye contact as positive (advise children

to look a person in the eyes). But within USA, African-Americans use

more eye contact when talking and less when listening with reverse true

for Anglo Americans. This is a possible cause for some sense of unease

between races in US. A prolonged gaze is often seen as a sign of sexual

interest.

Arabic cultures make prolonged eye-contact. Believe it shows interest and

helps them understand truthfulness of the other person. (A person who

does not reciprocate is seen as untrustworthy)


Japan, Africa, Latin American, Caribbean avoid eye contact to show

respect.

Conversational Distance

Each person has around her or him an invisible bubble of space, which is

called personal space. It expands and contracts depending on factors such as the

relationship to the people nearby, the person’s emotional state or cultural

background, and the activity being performed. Few people are allowed to

penetrate this personal space and then only for a short period of time. There are

four types of conversation distance people keep from each other when they

communicate as shown in:

1. Public distance is used for public speaking.

2. Social distance is for interactions among acquaintances.

3. Personal distance is for interaction among good friends or family

members.


4. Intimate distance is for embracing, touching, or whispering with intimate

others.

The personal distance standard for Northern Americans is shown in.

According to Hall, different cultures maintain different standards of personal

space when talking to each other. Therefore, what is considered as appropriate

conversation distance differs from one culture to another. In Latin cultures, the

relative conversational distances are smaller, and people tend to be more

comfortable standing close to each other; in Nordic cultures, the conversational

distances are larger, people tend to keep distance from each other. For example, a

Spanish businessman and a Danish businessman were talking in a meeting room.

While the Spanish businessman kept moving closer to the Danish businessman

during the conversation, the Danish man kept backing away from the Spanish

man. When the Danish businessman hit the wall, the Spanish businessman

realized he was invading the comfortable conversation space of the Danish

businessman. Gauging the conversation distance appropriate to different culture

without realizing, just keep a comfortable distance in interacting with others, the

distance in the conversation has several names, namely: "including", "personal

space", "interpersonal distance", "comfort zone", "body bubble". It all shows how

long the conversation was whether or not comfortable in interacting with others.

People surround themselves with a "bubble" of personal space that they

claim as their own, and they tend to become stressed when other people invade

their "bubble." People’s personal space protects us from too much arousal and

helps others feel comfortable when communicate with other people. Hall (1966)

called the study of interpersonal distance proxemics. From observing Americans,


Hall concluded that four interpersonal distances were important in our social

interactions: intimate, personal, social, and public. Intimate distance is from 0 to

1.5 feet. What can be done at this close range? Vision is minimal, and people rely

on the senses of smell and touch. Making love or comforting someone is intimate

activities, usually restricted to private encounters, which can be performed

comfortably at intimate distances. Just tend not to get this close to people that are

not intimated with, and usually try to escape. Personal distance is from about 1.5

feet to around 4 feet. At this distance, touch is minimal (except perhaps when

shaking hands), and vision and hearing become important. This is the distance that

people use to interact with friends. Within this range, normal conversations can

take place easily. People might allow strangers into the outer limits, but reserve

the inner limits strictly for friends. Social distance extends from approximately 4

to 12 feet, and includes the space required for more formal social interactions.

Hearing and vision are the primary senses involved. The social distance is often

utilized in business, for example, in interviewing new applicants for employment

or negotiating for a raise. Public distance includes distances greater than 12 feet.

Hall suggested that after 25 feet, interpersonal interaction is not possible. At this

distance there is little detail involved in communication. A public speaker (actor

or politician) communicates only one way with an audience. Research suggests

that some people feel uncomfortable when some people itself are too close or too

distant from another person (Scott, 1984). How does it is learnt appropriate social

distances? Baxter (1970) suggested that people imitate others in the each culture.

It is reported differences in three cultures in interpersonal spacing, with Mexicans

moving closest, White Americans next, and African Americans staying farthest

apart. Sex differences have been reported in personal spacing, as well, with


women usually feeling more comfortable at closer distances than men (Ashton &

colleagues, 1980). Still other research suggests that interpersonal distance is

influenced by social relationships. Women prefer more distance between

themselves and an opposite-sex stranger than do men. Ashton and colleagues

found that when they asked pairs of friends and strangers to stand at various

distances from each other, both men and women felt more comfortable when an

opposite-sex friend stood close (about 1@fr{1/2} feet) than when a stranger of

either sex stood at that distance. In general, women tend to stand closer when

talking with friends than do men. Understanding these sex differences can help us

behave appropriately in social situations with both men and women.


D. MAKING GENERAL & SPECIFIC SUGGESTION OR INVITATION

As it was seen in the previous section, yes usually means “yes” and no

means “No”, in the United States. However, sometimes yes doesn’t really mean

“yes”, sometimes it means maybe or” I’d like to but I can’t “. In these cases,

people say yes because they want to be friendly and polite. One point here is very


important, though. People use yes when they do not mean yes only in an answer

to a general suggestion or invitation.

When the suggestion and invitation is specific the person needs to be more

direct and more honest. If people say they will call soon, sometimes soon,

sometimes next week, in a couple of weeks, or at another general future time. It is

not certain that they will actually call at that time or perhaps at all. However, if

they say they will call this evening, tomorrow, on Tuesday, next Saturday, or at

another specific time, they truly plan to call, and people can expect them to do so.


CHAPTER III

CLOSING

CONCLUSION

Nonverbal communication does not only play an important role in daily

conversation but also in interpreting process. Nonverbal communication includes

facial expressions, gestures displayed through body language and the physical

distance between communicators. Those nonverbal signals can give clues and

additional information. When communicate with nonverbal cues can be as

important or in some cases even more important that what a person says or words.

Nonverbal communication has a great impact for the listener and the outcome of

the communication. In the end of the day nonverbal communication helps people

to improve interaction with others and knowledge of those signs can be used to

encourage people to talk about their concerns and can lead to a greater sharer

understanding the purpose of communication. Nonverbal communication or some

actions are important to apply in daily communication in order to others or the

partner can believe with the statements, can understand what the meaning of the

speaker and also others can feel enjoy in conversation or communicate with the

main speaker. Nonverbal communication consists of a complete package of

expressions, hand and eye movements, and gestures which should be interpreted

along with speech (verbal communication). So, by using nonverbal

communication people can convey information about their emotional state,

reinforce the relationship between people, provide feedback to the other person

and regulate the flow of communication.


References

http://www.ehow.com/list_6940465_cultural-differences-nonverbal-

communication.html

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/eq6_nonverbal_communication.htm

http://psychology.about.com/od/nonverbalcommunication/a/nonverbaltypes.htm


http://psychology.about.com/od/nonverbalcommunication/a/nonverbaltypes.htm

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/eq6_nonverbal_communication.htm

http://www.ehow.com/list_6940465_cultural-differences-nonverbal-communication.html

http://www.ehow.com/list_6940465_cultural-differences-nonverbal-communication.html

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cross cultural understanding