Cultural Differences in Nonverbal Communication - Research Paper Example

?Nonverbal Communication Unit INTRODUCTION Communication is an essential aspect of human interaction. Without communication, it will be very hard for people to do anything. Communication can be broadly categorized into verbal and nonverbal communication. Though verbal communication seems to be important at the surface than nonverbal communication, the later form has often been said to be more powerful. Just as there are different languages through which verbal communication is expressed, nonverbal communication is likewise expressed in different ways. The different ways of expressing nonverbal communication become pronounced especially in a multicultural context. Different cultures have different ways of expressing themselves nonverbally. However, it is worth noting that there are nonverbal communication ways which are similar across the board. One unique feature about nonverbal communication is that forms of expression used in a culture to express a particular message may not express the same message if used in another culture. Nonverbal communication forms can therefore be said to be the same across the board, but the ways they are used differs a great deal and hence the messages they communicate differ a great deal depending on how and where they are used. Because of these fundamental differences across the board, it therefore becomes possible for subjects to communicate different messages when using nonverbal communication forms in a multicultural context without their knowledge. This leads to a breakdown of communication and emergence of conflicts. This is the subject of this research paper. The paper will make a detailed discussion of cultural differences in nonverbal communication. NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION A clear understanding of nonverbal communication is essential for a proper discussion of the objective of this paper. According to Martin and Friedman, nonverbal communication is a way of passing messages or/and emotions without using words. Ways in which verbal communication is expressed include “facial expression, gestures, gaze, touch and vocal cues” (Martin and Friedman 3). Davis describes nonverbal communication with more features and includes actions such as “rolling your eyes, how you look at someone, your posture, whether you move your hands, how close you stand, the tone of your voice and the speed at which you speak” (233). In the views of Prinsen and Punyanunt-Carter, nonverbal communication also includes touching and eye contact. Basically, it can be argued that nonverbal communication makes use of body organs to communicate. The manner in which the body organs are twisted or moved or altered can communicate differently. These movements of body organs are numerous and all of them cannot be mentioned in this paper. This is especially the case when different cultures are involved. Martin and Friedman argue that nonverbal communication is quite essential especially where “verbal communications are untrustworthy, ambiguous or otherwise difficult to interpret” (Martin and Friedman 3). Topan shares the same views and adds that nonverbal communication is more important than verbal communication. He argues that this is because “up to 93 percent of all communication takes place at a nonverbal and paraverbal level” (Topan 132). Davis equally concurs by saying nonverbal communication has more effect than words (233). Nonverbal communication has clearly been ranked top as the best means of true expression. Indeed, Topan argues that people will choose to take the message they see in place of the one they hear (136). This simply means if there is a contradiction between what one is saying verbally and nonverbally, then the message communicated nonverbally is taken as the actually intended message that is being communicated. With a good understanding of what nonverbal communication is and even more importantly its significance, it is therefore necessary to examine how different cultures express themselves nonverbally. At this point, it is worth mentioning again that ways of nonverbal communication are literary the same across different cultures but what they communicate differ greatly. This therefore implies that it is possible that a similar gesture in culture A will communicate message A, but in culture B it communicates message C – the same gesture but different messages. CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION Universal versus Culturally Acquired Nonverbal Behavior Nonverbal communication is learned in the early ages of a person’s life. This learning is not uniform across cultures in general. However, studies have shown that there are few ways of nonverbal communication which communicate the same message across all cultures. Six basic emotions have been identified and shown to be expressed by facial expressions which cut across the board. These emotions are “happiness, fear, surprise, anger, sadness and disgust/contempt” (Topan 135). These emotions are expressed in the same manner across all cultures. Therefore, there is no fear that confusion is likely to arise as to the message being expressed through facial expression in regard to one of the above emotions. However, Topan points out that the management of these emotions differs across cultures. He argues that there are display rules associated with these emotions and depending on the situation in hand “these rules may dictate that we diminish, exaggerate, hide completely, or mask the expression of emotion we are feeling” (135). He goes ahead to give the illustration of Asian cultures which more often advocate for masking of negative emotions with a smile. This is often not the case for American or European cultures. Therefore, there is a need to have a deep understanding of display rules across different cultures if nonverbal communication in a bicultural or multicultural context is to be decoded well. Apart from the above mentioned emotions which can be expressed by facial expressions which are similar across cultures, other nonverbal expressions communicate different messages across cultures as discussed below. Eye Contact Eye contact is an important aspect of nonverbal communication. Different cultures hold different view with respect to eye contact. The general assumption is that maintaining eye contact is a show confidence and honesty however this does not cut across the board. Some cultures emphasize prolonged eye contact than others. It has been observed that German, French, Greek and the Middle Eastern Countries cultures prefer longer eye contact. These cultures view longer eye contact as “a sign of attentiveness, respect, honesty and self confidence” (Topan 137). When a longer contact is avoided, the message communicated is that the messenger is shy and not confident. It can also imply that the person being given the message is not respected or worthy of any recognition (Topan 137). Asian cultures however have a different view on eye contact. Maintaining eye contact is considered uncomfortable and impolite. For instance, Chinese and Japanese tend to look below the chin when conversing. Furthermore, some cultures associate eye contact with power relationship. In a conversation, the person with a higher authority is expected to maintain a long eye contact (Topan 137). Greetings Greetings are quite important especially when a good first impression needs to be created. Topan argues that the first greeting often acts as a great stepping stone to future relationship. Clearly, greetings are of great significance and therefore should be handled with all due care. Different cultures have different ways of handling greetings – especially first time greetings. Handshakes are the most common way of greeting people. Handshakes, however, vary from one culture to another. It is noted that in Saudi Arabia when men are greeting each other by shaking hands, the left hand holds the right hand on the lower arm of the person being greeted. This is not very common in European and American cultures which equally use handshakes in greetings. In Saudi Arabia, shaking the hand of another person without holding the lower arm of your counterpart’s lower arm is a show of disinterest in the other person. Depending on the situation at hand, it may also mean that one is not willing to undertake negotiations or not really enthusiastic about meeting the other person. In the Asian cultures, greetings are carried out by means of bowing. However, handshakes have been incorporated with greetings in these cultures due to globalization. In the Indian culture, greetings are carried in the form of pressing one’s palm together and making a slight bow – shaking of hands does not take place. Other cultures still go beyond just mere handshakes in greetings. They involve hugging and kissing on the cheeks or on the lips. The Russians, for instance, greet each other by first hugging and then firmly shaking hands. Greetings therefore vary greatly across cultures. It is advisable that a good understanding of how different people great each other should be understood in order to avoid unnecessary surprises and confrontations. Space When conversing or greeting, there is usually a distance that is kept between or among conversing partners. This distance often varies with cultures. For those cultures that are conservative and do not prefer personal contact when greeting, the distance maintained is usually wide. This is the case for most Asian cultures that use slight bows as a greeting. For other cultures that use handshakes and hugs when greeting, the distance maintained is less wide. While some cultures may respect others personal spaces, others do not. For instance, Italians are likely to invade the personal space of a person they are conversing with: “Italians seem to stand in your space, continuously grabbing you, talking over the top of you, yelling in fact, and sounding angry about everything” (Topan 139). This may be taken aggressively by a person from a conservative background but unfortunately that is how Italians relate when they are being friendly. Davis notes the following concerning keeping of distance in conversations – “Americans keep about an arm’s length distance between one another; the English need an even greater distance; and the Arabs stand just 10 to 12 inches apart” (233). Maintaining the expected distance when either conversing or greeting is highly recommended as this will make the other person comfortable. Invasion of personal social distance when not expected is likely to hinder the overall conversation. According to Topan, the issues of social distances is nothing else but “the nonverbal manifestation of the territorial instinct that modern man inherits from his primitive ancestors” (138). Davis almost shares the same opinion by pointing out that just like animals, human beings are territorial (232). He notes that human being have their ways of protecting their personal spaces. Human beings use territorialism as a means of communicating power. As such personal space can be used at home by a father to assert his power offer the family: “the father who sits at the head of the table may not only be sitting there because it’s comfortable, but also because it’s a familiar way of reasserting his role in the family” (Davis 232). Apart from homes, personal spaces are also used strategically to assert power in offices. Employees of the same rank can be work in an open office in the same floor, but when the ranks are different some form of separation is created. If the open office must be used by all employees, then those of higher ranks will always have larger floor spaces, larger desks among other things. Employees of lower ranks must knock in the offices of their seniors before entering but the reverse does not happen. In a workplace, it is acceptable for a senior officer to invade the personal space of his or her juniors but not the reverse (Davis 233). It should however be noted that this should only take place within the workplace. Gestures Gestures are very significant in communication and many times they replace words especially in the case of deaf people. Gestures put more emphasis on a message that is communicated. Gestures are also said to convey trustworthiness of the verbal message communicated. If a gesture contradicts a verbal message, then the message communicated through the gesture is assumed to be the intended message. It has also been noted that gestures are hard to imitate, for instance, when faking a smile it is noted that the facial expression is not as smooth as a natural and genuine one. Gestures made by use of fingers have been noted to be quite controversial across cultures. For instance, the famous thumbs-up gesture is general taken to communicate the message that everything is alright. However, this is a rude connotation in West Africa as well as Australia. Another finger gesture with diverse interpretations across cultures is the OK sign – formation of a circle using the forefinger and thumb. This sign is positively interpreted in the US to mean alright but in Brazil it is an obscene gesture. In France, the same sign means worthless while for the Japanese it is an indication of money. Apart from fingers, gestures made using a head can also send different messages. In Bulgaria, saying yes can be indicated by shaking the head sideways which actually means saying no in many other cultures (Topan 140). According to Coelho and Galan, correctly decoding patient gestures is very important for physicians. This is because some patients may refuse to talk and give false information but gestures they may be making involuntarily may send the messages they are hiding. Some of the gestures may indicate that the patient is not comfortable with the physician. For instance, among the Indian culture male patients are paired with male physicians. If this is not done, the conversation between the physician and the patient may not be productive. Again the patient may not be brave enough to request for a change of physician (Coelho and Galan 1). Physicians need to understand patient gestures and furthermore be in a position to different between gestures which are rooted in cultural norms and those that indicate some health conditions of the patients. Gestures such as restricted movements, glaring facial expressions among others may be an indication of related unhealthy patterns (Martin and Friedman 5). CONCLUSION Different cultures have different ways of expressing themselves nonverbally. Nonverbal communication is a way of passing messages or/and emotions without using words. Basically, nonverbal communication makes use of body organs to communicate. Nonverbal communication is important and is highly regarded has a means of true expression – people will choose to take the message they see in place of the one they hear. Nonverbal communication is learned in the early ages of a person’s life. This learning is not uniform across cultures in general. However, there are few ways of nonverbal communication which communicate the same message across all cultures. These ways often communicate message such as pain, happiness, and disgust through facial expressions. It is however noted that the facial expressions have different management rules across cultures. Apart from facial expressions, other major nonverbal communications include eye contact, ways of greeting, use of space and gestures. Eye contact is an important aspect of nonverbal communication. Different cultures hold different views with respect to eye contact. Greetings are quite important especially when a good first impression needs to be created. Different cultures have different ways of handling greetings – especially first time greetings. When conversing or greeting, there is usually a distance that is kept between each other – this is the personal space. This distance often varies with cultures. Gestures are very significant in communication and many times they replace words especially in the case of deaf people. Gestures put more emphasis on a message that is communicated. Works Cited Coelho, Ken, and Galan Chardee. “Physician Cross-Cultural Nonverbal Communication Skills, Patient Satisfaction and Health Outcomes in the Physician-Patient Relationship.” International Journal of Family Medicine 1.1 (2012): 1-5. Print. Davis, Bawden. “Battling for Turf.” Orange Coast Magazine Nov. 1988. Martin, Leslie, and Friedman Howard. Applications of Nonverbal Communication. Ed. Riggio, Ronald and Feldman Robert. New York: Routlegde, 2005. Print. Prinsen, Tracy, and Narissra Punyanunt-Carter. “The Difference in Nonverbal behaviors and How it changes in different stages of a relationship.” Texas Speech Communication Journal 34.1 (2009): 1-7. Print. Topan, Flavia. “Nonverbal Communication. A Cultural Guide.” Revista Trnsilvana de Stiinte ale Comunicanii 3.14 (2011): 132-141. Print. Read More