cross cultural body language

8/12/2019 Cross Cultural Body Language

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BODY LANGUAGE


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How Does The Body Speak?

- Like any spoken

language, body language

has words, sentences

and punctuation.- Each gesture is like a

single word and one

word may have several

different meanings.


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BODILY SPEAKING

According to the social anthropologist,

Edward T. Hall, in a normal conversation

between two persons, less than 35%of

the social meanings is actually transmitted

by words.

So, at least 65%of it is conveyed through

the body (non-verbal channel).


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Lets Examine How Body

Communicates, from head to toes


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HEAD

- Nodding the head

- Yes in most societies

- No in some parts of Greece, Yugoslavia,

Bulgaria, and Turkey

- Tossing the head backward

- yes in Thailand, the Philippines, India, Laos

- Rocking head slowly, back and forth

- yes, Im listening in most Asian cultures


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FACE


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FACE

* Facial expressions reflect emotion,

feelings and attitudes, but..

* The Asians are sometimes known as

- emotionless

- mixed-up emotion


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EYES

* Eye contacts

- Encouraged in America, Canada, Europe

- Rude in most Asian countries and in Africa

* Raising eyebrows

- Yes in Thailand and some Asian countries

- Hello in the Philippines

* Winking eye- Sharing secret in America and Europe

- flirtatious gesture in other countries


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EYES(Contd)

* Closed eyes

- bored or sleepy in America

- Im listening and concentrating. in Japan,

Thailand, China


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EARS

* Ear grasp

- Im sorry. in parts of India

* Cupping the ear

- I cant hear you. in all societies

* Pulling ear

- You are in my heart for Navajo Indians


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NOSE

* Holding the nose

- Something smells bad. universal

* Nose tap- Its confidential. England

- Watch out! or "Be careful. Italy


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NOSE

* Pointing to nose

- Its me. Japan

* Blowing nose- In most Asian countries, blowing the

nose at social gathering is disgusting.


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CHEEKS

* Cheek screw

- gesture of praise - Italy

- Thats crazy. Germany

* Cheek stroke

- pretty, attractive, success most Europe


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LIPS AND MOUTH

* Whistle, yawn, smile, bite, point, sneeze, spit, kiss..

* Kiss. In parts of Asia, kissing is considered an intimate

sexual act and not permissible in public, even as a social

greeting.

* Kissing sound. To attract attention in the Philippines, to

beckon a waiter in Mexico.

* Finger tip kiss. In France, it conveys several messages,

Thats good! Thats great! Thats beautiful!.


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LIPS AND MOUTH(Contd)

* Spitting.

* Spitting in public is considered rude and crude

in most Western cultures.

* In the PRC and many other Asian countries,

spitting in public is to rid a persons waste

and, therefore, is healthy.


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THE LIP POINTING

* Lip pointing(a substitute for pointing with

the hand or finger) is common among

Filipinos, Native Americans, Puerto

Ricans, and many Latin Americans.

* Open mouth. Any display of the open

mouth is considered very rude in most

countries.


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ARMS

* Some cultures, like the Italians, use the

arms freely. Others, like the Japanese,

are more reserved; it is considered

impolite to gesticulate with broadmovements of the arms.

* Folding armsare interpreted by some

social observers as a form of excludingself, I am taking a defensive posture, or

I disagree with what I am hearing.


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ARMS(Contd)

* Arms akimbo. In many cultures, this

stance signals aggression, resistance,

impatience, or even anger.

* Arms behind back, hands grasped is a

sign of ease and control.

* Arms in front, hands grasped, common

practice in most Asian countries, is a sign

of mutual respect for others.


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HANDS

* Of all the body parts, the hands are

probably used most for communicating

non-verbally.

* Hand wavesare used for greetings,

beckoning,or farewells.


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HANDS

* The Italian good-bye wave can be

interpreted by Americans as the gesture of

come here.

* The American good-bye wave can beinterpreted in many parts of Europe and Latin

America as the signal for no.


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HANDS(Contd)

* Beckoning.

* The American way of getting attention (raising

a hand with the index finger raised above

head) could be considered rude in Japan, andalso means two in Germany.

* The American come here gesture could be

seen as an insult in most Asian countries.

* In China, to beckon a waiter to refill your tea,

simply turn your empty cup upside down.


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HANDS(Contd)

* Handshakingis a form of

greeting in most Western

cultures.

* In the Middle East, a gentle gripis appropriate.

* In most Asian cultures, a gentle

grip and an avoidance of direct

eye contact is appropriate.


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HANDS

* Hand-holdingamong

the same sex is a

custom of special

friendship and respectin several Middle

Eastern and Asian

countries.


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HANDS(Contd)

* Right hand. The right hand has special

significance in many societies. In certain

countries in the Middle East and in Asia, it

is best to present business cards or gifts,or to pass dishes of food, to get an

attention, using only the right hand or both.

* Left handis considered unclean in muchof the Middle East and in parts of

Indonesia.


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HANDS(Contd)

* Hang loose. (thumb and little finger

extended)

* could convey different meanings:

* in Hawaii, its a way of saying, Stay cool, or

Relax.

* in Japan, it means six.

* In Mexico (do vertically), it means, Would youlike a drink?


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HANDS (Contd)

* Clapping hands.

* Russians and Chinese may use applause

to greet someone.

* In many central and eastern Europe,

audience frequently clap in rhythm.


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FINGERS

* The O.K. signal. (the thumb and

forefinger form a circle) means

* fine, or O.K. in most cultures,

* zero or worthless in some parts of Europe

* money in Japan

* an insult in Greece, Brazil, Italy, Turkey,

Russia and some other countries


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FINGERS(Contd)

* Thumb-up means:

* O.K. good job or fine in most cultures,

* Up yours! in Australia

* Five in Japan; One in Germany

* Avoid a thumb-up in these countries:

Australia, New Zealand, Greece, Turkey,

Iran, Russia, and most African countries.


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FINGERS(Contd)

* Pointing.

* Pointing with the index

finger is common in North

America and Europe.

* But it is considered impolite

in Japan and China where

they favor using the whole

open hand.

* Malaysians prefer pointing

with the thumb.


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LEGS AND FEET

* In Asia, do not point with your toes.

* In Asia and some European countries,

putting feet up on a desk or any other

piece of furniture is very disrespectful.

* Sitting cross-legged, while common in

North America and some European

countries, is very impolite in other parts of

the world.


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WALKING

* Walking can reflect many characteristics of aculture. For example,

* In parts of Asia and some of the MiddleEastern countries, men who are friends may

walk holding each others hand.* In Japan and Korea, older women commonly

walk a pace or two behind male companion.

* Asians often regard Western women as boldand aggressive, for they walk with a longergait and a more upright posture.


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HOW PEOPLE OF VARIOUS PARTS

OF THE WORLD VIEW AMERICANS

* Careless with dress, manners, and body movement

* Generous as neighbors

* Superficial, shallow and short-lasting friendship

* Confident but demand almost too much of self* Ethnocentric - less interested in others

* Independent - Individually feeling, not to fit othersmold.

* Source: Tyler, V. Lynn. Intercultural Interacting. (1987)


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Becoming sensitive to the clues of

body language can help us

communicate more effectively.


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We can share feelings too strong

or too difficult to be expressed in

words.


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Or decode secret messagespassing silently from person to

person,


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We do not have

bodies; we are

our bodies.

cross cultural body language

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