Download Chapter 4: Oral and Nonverbal Communication Patterns

Chapter 6
Oral and Nonverbal
Communication Patterns
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Objectives
Evaluate thought patterns
 Understand paralanguage
 Appreciate attitudes toward time and use
of space
 Understand the role that eye contact,
smell, color, touch, body language,
objects, signs, and symbols play in
communicating
 Learn how silence is used
 Recognize nonverbal leakage

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Nonverbal Communication
Nonword messages, such as gestures,
facial expressions, interpersonal
distance, touch, eye contact, smell, and
silence.
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Cultural Differences in Patterns of
Thought or Processes of
Reasoning and Problem Solving
 Deductive
reasoning - go from broad
categories or observations to specific
examples; U.S. persons use deductive
reasoning.
 Inductive reasoning - start with facts or
observations and go to generalizations;
Asians use inductive reasoning.
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Thought Patterns Include
Speed of Making Decisions
U.
S. managers make quick
decisions.
The Japanese use a slower
method of problem solving.
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What is meant by paralanguage?
Refers to rate, volume, and quality that
affects the meaning of the message.
 What
does an increased rate of
speech signify? (Impatience or
anger)
 What does an increased volume
indicate? (perhaps anger or a
desire to be heard)
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Differences in volume of speech is
culture specific and gender specific:
 Arabs
speak loudly; this is an indication of
strength and sincerity.
 The Philippines and Thailand speak softly; it
indicates breeding and education.
 Males usually speak louder than females and
at a lower pitch than females.
 Rate of speech varies with the region of the
U.S.; Northerners speak faster than
Southerners.
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Nonverbal Topics
 Chronemics
(time)
 Proxemics (space)
 Oculesics (eye contact)
 Olfactics (smell)
 Haptics (touch)
 Kinesics (body language)
 Chromatics (color)
 Silence
 Nonverbal Leakage
 Objects, Signs, and Symbols
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Time (Chronemics)
 Attitudes
toward time vary from
culture to culture.
 Countries that follow monochronic
time perform only one major activity at
a time (U.S., England, Switzerland,
Germany).
 Countries
that follow polychronic time
work on several activities
simultaneously (Latin America, the
Mediterranean, the Arabs).
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Monochronic/Polychronic Cultures
Monochronic People
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do one thing at a time
concentrate on the job
take time commitments
seriously
are committed to the job
show respect for private
property; rarely borrow
or lend
are accustomed to shortterm relationships
low-context culture
Polychronic People

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do many things at once
are highly distractible
consider time
commitments casually
are committed to people
borrow and lend things
often
tend to build lifetime
relationships
high-context culture
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Cultural Differences in
Attitudes Toward Time
 U.S.
persons are very time conscious and value
punctuality. Being late for meetings is viewed
as rude and insensitive behavior; tardiness
also conveys that the person is disorganized.
 Germans and Swiss people are even more time
conscious; people of Singapore and Hong
Kong also value punctuality.
 Algerians do not regard punctuality as
important; Latin American countries have a
mañana attitude; people in Arab cultures have
a casual attitude toward time.
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Space (Proxemics)
People in the U.S. tend to need more
space than do persons of other cultures.
U.S. persons back away when people
stand too close. Standing too close is
interpreted as being pushy or
overbearing or may also be interpreted
as unwelcomed sexual advances.
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Space Zones in the U.S.
 The
intimate zone (less than 18 inches) is
reserved for very close friends.
 The personal zone (18 inches to 4 feet) is
for giving instructions to others or
working closely with another person.
 The social zone (4 to 12 feet) is used in
business situations in which people
interact in a formal, impersonal way.
 The public distance is over 12 feet.
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U.S. people need more space than do
Greeks, Latin Americans, or Arabs.
The Japanese stand even farther
away than do U.S. persons.
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Elevator Proxemics
A psychology professor at a southern university gave
his students an assignment to test elevator proxemics.
Students reported the usual U.S. behaviors of facing
the front and watching the illuminated floor indicator,
assuming the Fig Leaf Position (hands/purses/ briefcases
hanging down in front of the body), and positioning
themselves in the corners or against the elevator walls.
Then the professor added another assignment:
students were to break the rules and get on the
elevator, stand at the front facing the other occupants
and jump backward off the elevator just before the door
closed. One of the elevator occupants was heard to
whisper, “Call 911; we’ve got a real weirdo here”
(Axtell, 1998).
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The Office Environment and
Nonverbal Messages
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U.S. persons prefer desks and chairs in a face-to-face
arrangement or at right angles, while the Chinese
prefer the side-by-side arrangement.
In the U.S. outside offices with windows have more
status than inside offices; large offices have more
status than small ones; the top floor has more status
than the first floor.
French top-level executives occupy the middle of an
office area with subordinates around them.
The Japanese do not consider private offices
appropriate; only the highest ranking officers have
private offices and may have desks in large work
areas as well.
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Gaze/Eye Contact (Oculesics)
Although people in the U.S. favor direct eye
contact, in other cultures, such as the
Japanese, the reverse is true; they direct their
gaze below the chin. In the Middle East, on the
other hand, the eye contact is more intense than
U.S. people are comfortable with.
A prolonged gaze or stare in the U.S. is
considered rude. In most cultures, men do not
stare at women as this may be interpreted as
sexually suggestive.
Very direct – moderate – minimal eye contact
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Smell (Olfactics)
 Although
people of the U.S. respond
negatively to body odors, Arabs are
comfortable with natural body odors.
 Other cultures in which smell plays
an important role include the
Japanese and Samoans.
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Touch (Haptics)
 Touch,
when used properly, may
create feelings of warmth and trust;
when used improperly, touch may
cause annoyance and betray trust.
 Hierarchy is a consideration when
using touch in the U.S.: people who
are older or higher rank may touch
those who are younger or of lower
rank; equals may touch each other.
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“Don't Touch” Cultures
Japan
 U.S. and Canada
 England
 Scandinavia
 Other N. European
countries

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Middle Ground Countries
Australia
 France
 China
 Ireland
 India
 Middle East countries

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“Touch” Cultures
Latin American countries
 Italy
 Greece
 Spain and Portugal
 Some Asian countries
 Russian Federation

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Location of the Touch Is Important
 Appropriate
touch in the U.S. is
limited to shaking hands in business
situations - no hugs or expressions
of affection.
 In Thailand do not touch the head.
 In Korea, do not touch the shoulders
of the elders.
 Avoid touching a person with the left
hand in the Middle East.
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Several years ago, when President
Carter was mediating peace talks
between Egypt and Israel, Anwar Sadat
frequently placed his hand on President
Carter’s knee. While this subtextual
message was intended as a gesture of
warm friendship, the subtler message
Sadat was conveying to the world was
that he was President Carter’s equal.
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Body Language (Kinesics)
 Body
language includes facial
expressions, gestures, and posture and
stance.
 To interpret facial expressions correctly,
it is important to take the culture and the
communication context into account.
 People in some cultures rarely show
emotion (China); Asians will smile or
laugh softly when they are embarrassed.
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Facial Expressions
 The
face and eyes convey the most
expressive types of body language,
including happiness, surprise, fear,
anger, interest, and determination.
 Facial expressions must be controlled
when they are inappropriate to the
setting (yawning during a presentation).
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Gestures
 Emblems
or symbols ("V" for victory)
 Illustrators (police officer's hand held up
to stop traffic)
 Regulators (glancing at watch when in a
hurry)
 Affect
displays (a person's face turns
red with embarrassment)
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General Guidelines
U.S. Gestures
 Interest
is expressed by maintaining
eye contact with the speaker,
smiling, and nodding the head.
 Open-mindedness is expressed by
open hands and palms turned
upward.
 Nervousness is shown by fidgeting,
failing to give the speaker eye
contact, or jingling keys or money in
one’s pocket.
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 Suspiciousness
is indicated by glancing
away or touching the nose, eyes, or
ears.
 Defensiveness is indicated by crossing
the arms over the chest, making fisted
gestures, or crossing the legs.
 Lack of interest or boredom is indicated
by glancing repeatedly at one’s watch or
staring at the ceiling or floor or out the
window when the person is speaking.
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Additional Guidelines for
Gesturing in Various Cultures
 The
“V” for victory gesture (holding two
fingers upright, with palm and fingers faced
outward) is widely used in the United
States and many other countries. In
England, however, it has a crude
connotation when used with the
palm in.
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The vertical horns gesture (raised fist,
index finger and little finger extended)
 The
symbol has a positive U.S.
connotation; it is associated with the
University of Texas Longhorn football
team.
 The symbol has an insulting connotation
in Italy.
 The horns are a sign for good luck in
Brazil and Venezuela.
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 The
thumbs-up gesture has been widely
recognized as a positive signal meaning
“everything is O.K.” or “good going.”
Although well known in North America
and most of Europe, in Australia and
West Africa, it is seen as a rude gesture.
 The head nod in most countries means
“yes,” but in Bulgaria it means “no.”
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 The
“O.K.” sign (thumb and forefinger joined
to form a circle) is a positive gesture in the
U.S., while in Brazil it is considered
obscene. The gesture has still another
meaning in Japan: money.
 The beckoning gesture (fingers upturned,
palm facing the body) used by U.S. people to
summon a waiter is offensive to Filipinos
as it is used to beckon animals and
prostitutes. Vietnamese and Mexicans
also find it offensive.
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A U.S. engineer, sent to Germany by his company
who had purchased a German firm, was working
side by side with a German engineer on a piece of
equipment. When the U.S. engineer made a
suggestion for improving the new machine, the
German engineer followed the suggestion and
asked his U.S. counterpart whether or not he had
done it correctly. The reply was the U.S. “OK”
gesture, making a circle with the thumb and
forefinger. The German engineer put down his
tools and walked away, refusing to talk to the U.S.
engineer. The U.S. engineer later learned from
one of the supervisors the significance of this
gesture to a German: “You asshole.” (Axtell, 1998, pp. 16-17)
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Posture and Stance
 Posture
can convey self-confidence,
status, and interest.
 Confident people have a relaxed
posture, yet stand erect and walk
with assurance.
 Walking with stooped shoulders and
a slow, hesitating gait projects
negative messages of lack of
confidence.
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 Interest
is demonstrated by leaning
forward toward the person with whom
you are conversing.
 The posture of U.S. persons is casual,
including sitting in a relaxed manner and
slouching when standing (considered rude
in Germany).
 Posture
when seated varies with the
culture; U.S. persons often cross their
legs while seated (women at the ankle and
men with the ankle on the knee).
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 Most
Middle Easterners would
consider crossing the leg with the
ankle on the knee inappropriate.
 Avoid showing the sole of your shoe
or pointing your foot at someone in
the Arab world.
 Follow the lead of persons of the
other culture; assume the posture
they assume.
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Color (Chromatics)
 Colors
have cultural variations in
connotations.
– Black is the color of mourning in the U.S., but
white is worn to funerals by the Japanese.
– In the U.S. white is typically worn by brides,
while in India red or yellow is worn.
– Purple is sometimes associated with royalty,
but it is the color of death in Mexico and Brazil.
– Red (especially red roses) is associated with
romance in some cultures including the U.S.
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Color (Chromatics)
– Green is not used for wrapping packages in
Egypt because green is the nationalist
color.
– Blue is considered a masculine color, but to
people of France and the UK, red is more
masculine. Blue, in Iran, is an undesirable
color .
– The US consider pink to be most feminine
color, persons in most other countries think
yellow as the most feminine color.
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United Airlines unknowingly got off on the
wrong foot during its initial flights from
Hong Kong. To commemorate the
occasion, they handed out white carnations
to the passengers. When they learned that
to many Asians white flowers represent
bad luck and even death, they changed to
red carnations.
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Silence

Silence is interpreted as agreement or
disagreement, lack of interest, or contempt.
- A prolonged silence means that the person does not
know the answer.
- Silence following a statement may be interpreted as
disapproval.

People of the U.S., Germany, Arab, France,
and Southern Europe are uncomfortable
with silence.
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Silence
 Silence
is appropriate in some cultures.
- East Asia and Finland: listening and learning;
show respect for privacy and individualism.
- Japan: use as a bargaining tool when
negotiating with the persons from the U.S.

Watch the persons’ behaviors and match
their style. Allow pauses with Asians and
avoid pauses with those from the Middle
East.
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Nonverbal Leakage
Nonverbal leakage occurs when people
are unsuccessful in attempting to control
messages sent nonverbally.
 While people are successful in controlling
facial expressions, leakage occurs in the
arms, hands, feet, and legs; these areas
are difficult to control.
 Identified in U.S. culture by physiological
changes such as pupil size and skin color,
as well as licking lips and tapping fingers
on a table.

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Objects, Signs, and Symbols
 Objects
(clothing, accessories, office
furnishings)
- Casual attire conveys a lack of respect.
- Dress professionally have higher
credibility.
- Reflect cultural values: associated with
social standing and wealth (Arabs)
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Objects, Signs, and Symbols
 Signs
-
and Symbols
road signs, sign for train station or airport
arrows to point direction
running figures to indicate exits
circles with diagonal lines across pictures
- a picture of cup and saucer for a coffee
shop
- Statue of Liberty in the U.S.
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