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Cultural communication differences
Importance of body language for verbal communication
Communication in culture
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Body language is not a spoken language but it is an act or behavior that humans perform to express their internal feelings and emotions more clearly to others. This language includes some physical movements or gestures such as facial expressions, or expressions of head, eyes, hands or feet even. It also includes the tone of sound, such as raising or lowering it during conversation. in spite of the fact that many people neglect this language and concentrate on the speech itself and what its meanings or expressions, still body language is an impulsive, innate language that happens unintentionally, so it carries a great deal of information about the person Scientific studies show that body language transfers between 50-80% of information. One …show more content…
Just As we differ in the languages we speak, we also differ in our body language too. The movements and gestures we send in a culture for any purpose may not have the same meaning in another culture. For example, cheek kissing between men is acceptable in Middle East in general: Arab world, Turkey as well as in Russia, but it is unacceptable and disapproval in many countries in Europe and America, In spite the fact that shaking hands is widely spread in many cultures as a kind of greeting, we find that the Japanese people and japan one of countries where is people are not accustomed to shake hands and kiss, where such physical contact is considered to be immoral conduct! To greet the other, people greet each other by bowing only! A bow can range from a small nod of the head to a deep bend at the …show more content…
However, when one of the Japanese attendants was talking to one of the American, the two of them were moving around the room. The American is moving backwards away from the Japanese and the Japanese is gradually moving towards the American!! Simply it was an attempt by both the American and the Japanese to adjust their own comfortable cultural distance between each one of them The Japanese with his 25-cm intimate space zone was constantly moving forward to adjust his need for this contact close zone. But by doing so he was invading the intimate American zone or sphere if is right to say, making him step back to keep his own range. That is why no wonder anymore to know when trade negotiations are held for example, Europeans and Americans refer to Asians as "audacious " if it is right to say and "overstepping the limits of decency and formalism" !!, while the Asians refer to them as "cold , incommunicative and "apathetic "
In this video, Ann Washburn talks about how body language is a key to access our subconscious. Body language is something that demonstrates and determines who we are as a person because we send messages to others and to ourselves with our body language. For example, if a person stands with crossed arms while putting his weight on one leg, it sends out a message that the person is weak. On the other hand, if the same person stands with his hands on the side keeping the weight on both the legs, it sends a message of being confident to his subconscious and signals others that he is a strong person. Another example in the video is about our reaction to the compliments given by others to us. If a person says thank you after hearing the compliment
He was actually portraying and explaining the rituals of the American people and how we are so consumed with self-image. Our cultural worldview influence and inform our perception of people from other cultures by the way our own culture has taught us to behave. For example, we are so consumed with self-image that Miner explains how the Nacirema culture “have an almost pathological horror of and fascination with the mouth, the condition of which is believed to have a supernatural influence on all social relationships. Were it not for rituals of the mouth, they believe that their teeth would fall out, their gums bleed, their jaws shrink, their friends desert them, and their lovers reject them” (Miner, 2007, p.504). Some of the practices and rituals of other cultures seem odd or foreign to us because we of the way our own culture has shaped us. The US is an individualistic culture where Japan is seen as a collectivist culture. Other cultures practice different rituals then us such as religion, family practices and other standards. Our cultural norms affect our understanding and perception of other cultures by the way we practice our cultural norms. For example, we might find it respectful to shake someone’s hand when introducing ourselves or saying hi, however in India it is avoided with it is with the opposite sex. Another example is eye contact. We are taught when speaking to someone always display eye contact, but in Japan you avoided it with superiors as a sign of
William Ecenbarger’s “A Cultural Minefield” is an essay about respect in different cultures. He commits faux pas as he travels throughout different countries. A faux pas is doing something embarrassing in a social situation. As he has traveled around the world, he has learned minor actions can have a major impact. He explains how a gesture in one culture can be normal and respectful, while in another culture, the same action can deeply offend people. People that travel to other countries may not have malicious intent but can still come off as rude. Simple actions such as reaching for bread with your left hand or signaling that you are okay are primarily unconscious acts-- they come off as second nature to Americans. However, while abroad, one
As a child, my brother knew what I wanted before I could even speak because of my body language. He told my parents whether I was hungry, needed a diaper change, or was just tired. Body language was one of my first learned literacies. Even before I began to learn how to vocalize my thoughts and feelings, I learned to internalize what others were saying. I was able to understand what others wanted and later learned to form words I wanted to say.
Americans try to avoid miscommunication by being very clear and direct about what they are trying to say (Western Washington University, 2011). In typical day-to-day social interactions, people in the U.S. tend to be less formal and polite and are more physical than the Japanese (AngloINFO, 2014).
In conclusion in Greek theology, the evil eye is considered harmful, in Mexico machismo is still an ongoing problem, in Rwandan culture it is a norm for men to hold hands in public without necessarily being deemed homosexual and in Chinese culture it is taboo to hug a member of the opposite sex. This analysis described a few examples of how culture’s can influence communication styles and pattern beginning from the communities stand point all the way down to the individual. We should embrace diversity and strive to understand each other without losing our cultures all for hope of a more harmonious world.
The first point I would like to illustrate is the way body language can have different effects on people. For example, in England the use of hands when you are speaking is quite rare, the odd movement of the hand may be seen but the most common use of hand signals or motions is when someone is making an insult. I will use the Italians as an example of at times exaggerated and frequent use of hands. The Italians often use their hands as a way of secondary communication. As they speak they dramatise their conversations which can be mistakenly perceived by some people as confrontation when in fact they are having a simple conversation. This is where the lack of knowledge of a culture can cause a misunderstanding. Another example of communication which can cause raised eyebrows is the way the French acknowledge one another is doing something called the “bises.” This is where they give a kiss on each cheek. (Depending on the region this could be two, three even four kisses.) It is considered rude to just verbally greet someone so the “bises” is the norm for them. However when they are out of their country they could receive strange looks because people don’t understand their reasons and therefore could be perceived that French m...
...n vary just the same as dialects of a language. Nonverbal communication has become part of life and should be utilized whenever possible. It adds emotion and feeling to the message being sent and also shows understanding and comprehension by the receiver.
Different countries have different cultures, values, and ideologies. In every society, manners and etiquette are essential. These beliefs have been derived and practiced from the old generation to the modern generation. Manners also shape societies and rule people. In some countries, Thailand and Japan, have a significant numbers of foreigners for varied purposes such as travelling, working, and studying. However, living in the different circumstances is not simple. People may experience some troubles, which can make them confused and embarrassed. Learning to adapt ourselves by learning through their behaviors may encourage people to understand them better. This essay will compare the difference of manners and etiquettes between Thailand and Japan in three significant points.
When we communicate, we can say a lot without speaking, through our body, our posture, tone of voice and the expression on our face all display a message. If our feelings don’t fit with our words, it is often the body language that gets heard and believed. Nonverbal communication is a rapidly flowing interactive process. Being aware and understanding the cues you may be sending along with the cues others send and pick up from your body language, may not be showing what you are really trying to communicate to others at that moment.
When we think about communication, we think about interactions. So what is your body language communicating to me? This are the words that Amy Cuddy a social physiologist, uses when she start up her talk about body language. Cuddy’s talk “how body language shapes who you are” explains how body language can identify how much power one is feeling just by observing someone’s body language. Amy Cuddy states that when one expands one is feeling power, and when the opposite is done which is shrinking one is feeling powerless.
There are different types of communication (verbal, nonverbal, paralinguistic). Verbal communication is communicating with words. For instance, an individual speaks to another at a business meeting regarding profit margins. Second, nonverbal communication is communicating without the use of words but through gesture, body language, facial expression and eye contact (Baron, Branscombe, Byrne). Also these physical expressions can provide powerful and valuable information about others’ current feelings and reactions without the need of words. Lastly paralinguistic is defined as the use of emotional expression, gestures, and the location of the body in relation to the other's body, eye contact, and level of voice instead of verbally expressing these cues (Triandis). Additionally, paralinguistic is also known as paralanguage as a way to modify or nuance meaning, or convey emotion, with the use of pitch, volume, and intonation (Triandis). For instance, as described by Triandis’ article Culture and Communication, “in Bulgaria and south India a nod means "no,” and a shake of the head, means "yes".” It’s interesting how Triandis describes the amount of difficulty it was to compre...
Your body language may speak louder than your words. Nonverbal communication is very obvious. Body Language is the easiest way to tell how someone really feels about a certain topic. The sayings body language and nonverbal communication are the same thing. Body language is very powerful because it can communicate things without a word being spoken.
The way people communicate varies widely between, and even within, cultures. One aspect of communication style is language usage. Language has always been perceived as a link between people but it can also constitute a barrier. Across cultures, some words and phrases are used in different ways. For example, even in countries that share the English language, the meaning of "yes" varies from "maybe, I'll consider it" to "definitely so," with many shades in between . Furthermore, communication between cultures which do not share the same language is considerably more difficult . Each culture, has its distinct syntax, expressions and structure which causes confusion in intercultural communication. For example , in Asian countries the word “no” is rarely used, so that “yea” can mean “no” or “perhaps”. Therefore, an American traveling to Japan might be considered impolite if he ignores this rule. Furthermore, individuals who are not comfortable with a certain language may not be taken seriously. Such is the case in the classroom, where a student who has a perfect knowledge of the subject in question may have difficulty expressing his idea due to his inability to write properly and therefore he would not receive the grade he truly deserves. Similarly intercultural communication is dominant in the workplace. In the past, many companies and organizations could operate entirely within their country of origin and conduct their activities exclusively in their own native language. But now, due...
...tention to how people react to one another’s comments, guessing the relationship between the people and guessing how each feels about what is being said. This can inform individuals to better understand the use of body language when conversing with other people. It is also important to take into account individual differences. Different cultures use different non-verbal gestures. Frequently, when observing these gestures alone the observer can get the wrong impression, for instance, the listener can subconsciously cross their arms. This does not mean that they are bored or annoyed with the speaker; it can be a gesture that they are comfortable with. Viewing gestures as a whole will prevent these misunderstandings. Non-verbal gestures are not only physical, for example; the tone of voice addressing a child will be different from the way it is addressed to an adult.