| admin | Date: Monday, 2013-01-14, 11:02 AM | Message # 1 |
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Colonel
Group: Administrators
Messages: 156
Status: Offline
| UNIT 3:
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 Office
“Americans smile at strangers. I don’t know what to think of that.”
Russian Engineer
“Americans seem cold. They seem to get upset when you stand close to them.”
Jordanian Teacher
[A] The American police officer, the Russian engineer, and the Jordanian teacher made these comments about interactions they had with someone from a different culture. Their comments demonstrate how people can misinterpret nonverbal communication that is culturally different from their own. Of course, this can also happen in conversation among individuals of the same cultural background, but it does not usually happen as often or to the same degree. Many people think that all they really need to pay attention to in a conversation is the spoken word. This is far from the truth!
[B] Language studies traditionally emphasized verbal and written communication. Since about the 1960s, however, researchers seriously began to consider what 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 want 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 speaker’s tone of voice and facial expressions. Only 7 percent 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. Universal emotions, such as happiness, fear, and 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).
[E] 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.
[F] As with verbal 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. We 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.
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