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The conversation got weird as I was trying to keep eye contact and he was as minimal as possible. I got annoyed and I stopped the conversation and gave an excuse that I had a meeting. I took him to his hotel room and went home wondering what was wrong with him. After researching, I realized that Americans maintain direct eye contact, which is considered as an indication of honesty and confidence. According to Asians, direct eye contact is considered rude and aggressive.
The assumption that similarities exist in both our cultures was a huge mistake. Nonverbal signs are often misinterpreted leading to miscommunication. Rather than taking offence, that my friend seemed dishonest, confronting him on the issue would have solved the problem. The tendency of concluding that he was dishonest was not wise instead of taking time to understand him (Samovar and Porter 118).
In conclusion, intercultural communication can bring up a conflict because of a misunderstanding of information.
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