Download Dia 1 - Businet

Cross-cultural communucation
Session 3
Talking without talking
www.businet.org.uk
Edinburgh 2011
www.khbo.be
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Cross-cultural communication
Cross-cultural communication
Try to figure out
what the picture is about
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Cross-cultural communication
Body language
 Although language is the
single most important
element in
communication, it is by
no means the only one.
 It has been said that
communication is only
20% verbal while the
rest is intonation, body
language, etc.
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Cross-cultural communication
How men react
when they see a pretty girl
 The American lifts his eyebrows
 The Italian presses his forefinger into his
cheeck and whistles
 The Greek strokes his cheek
 The Brazilian puts an imaginary telescope to
his eye
 The Frenchman kisses
his fingertips
 The Arab grasps his beard.
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Cross-cultural communication
Seven main elements
of body language
 Facial expressions
 Gaze and eye-contact
 Posture
 Gestures
 Proximity
 Touching
 Appearance
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Cross-cultural communication
Facial expressions
 Facial expressions are the most
important aspect of body language.
Your face is highly visible, it is mobile
and flexible, and is capable of
indicating your innermost feelings to
other people.
 E.g. your likes and dislikes, or a subtle
‘happy’ face can display your joy at a
rival’s misfortune even if you are
expressing your deepest sympathy.
 Emotions are also often displayed in
facial expressions even when you
would prefer to hide them.
 Your face = a spontaneous
communicator of messages!
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Cross-cultural communication
Cross-cultural communication
Gaze and eye-contact
In many Western countries, particularly in the business culture,
direct eye contact is standard procedure. While eye contact can
imply sincerity and honesty in other cultures just as it does in e.g.
the US, in many Asian countries, including Japan, looking straight
into someone’s eyes could be considered intimidating or a sign of
aggression.
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Cross-cultural communication
Cross-cultural communication
Posture
 How you move your body,
 how you stand or sit and the position of your limbs,
 all reflect your attitudes and feelings about yourself
and towards others.
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Cross-cultural communication
Gestures
In certain circumstances you can use gestures to
replace the need for words. Indeed, it might be the only
way of communicating is by gestures, especially if you
are trying to communicate with someone who does not
speak your own language or any other language you
know.
It is quite often the subconscious gestures, of which
you are unaware, that reveal a great deal about your
innermost thoughts. Reading and interpreting these
unintended gestures can provide a greater
understanding of the communication that is taking
place.
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Cross-cultural communication
Cross-cultural communication
Proximity
Think about how much personal distance you generally prefer
and then think about the different situations listed below.
For each situation indicate whether you would prefer to keep
the normal amount of distance,
greater than normal,
or less than normal.
If there are differences, is this culturally related or rather individual?
What influences your degree of proximity to other people?
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Cross-cultural communication
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Cross-cultural communication
Cross-cultural communication
Touching
Think about how much touching behaviour is appropriate in
your culture, under what circumstances, and with whom.
If there are differences, is this culturally related
or rather individual?
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Cross-cultural communication
Shaking hands
 Germany and the United States have firm handshakes,
with the German being very brief and the US being about
three to four seconds
 France, Guatemala, and Japan have more limp
handshakes
 Singapore has a longer handshake (10+ seconds)
 Women should be the first to offer a hand for a
handshake in New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, or
Taiwan
 In South Korea, more respect is shown by cupping your
left hand under your right forearm, as if supporting your
right forearm during the hand shake
 A traditional bow may be used in China, Hong Kong, or
Japan
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Cross-cultural communication
Shaking hands
 Traditional greeting in
 India is namaste - place the hands in a praying position, palms
together with the fingers just beneath the chin, bow and say
“namaste”
 Thailand: place, the hands, palms together, in front of the
chin, bow the head to touch the top of the fingers, and say
“wai”
 Women may greet other women by patting the right forearm or
shoulder in Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico,
Nicaragua, or Panama
 Countries with Hindu and Muslim religions forbid public contact
between men and women. When in these countries, follow your
host’s cue to determine if religious tradition will be followed.
 Women should wait for a man to offer his hand first in a Hindu or
Muslim country, if a western handshake is going to be used
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Cross-cultural communication
Appearance
 Your self- image is reflected through your
 appearance
 Dress: appropriate for the occasion
 Grooming: hair, beard, make up, etc.
 Your personal appearance often creates
an initial impression that sometimes is
very difficult to change.
 Your personal appearance is of
importance when you consider body
language because it is an aspect over
which you have considerable control.
 Although very little can be done about the
shape, features and size of your body,
much can be done about what you wear,
how you wear it and the total picture of
how you look.
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Cross-cultural communication
Conclusion : best job presentation
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Cross-cultural communication