VERBAL/NONVERBAL

INTERCULTURAL BUSINESS
COMMUNICATION

Course Unit 5 , pages78-92

UPON COMPLETION OF THIS CHAPTER, YOU WILL:

understand the importance of nonverbal

communication in business, get familiar with
different types of nonverbal communication,
develop nonverbal communication skills that
will increase the efficiency of your
communication with a foreign business
partner;
understand such terms as nonverbal

communication, kinesics, proxemics,

paralanguage, chronemics, haptics;
distinguish/ differentiate between

verbal/nonverbal communication,
signs/symbols/gestures.
VERBAL COMMUNICATION

Operates with signs and symbols;

Coded communication (all the verbal
messages);
It expresses ideas, opinions, directions,
dissatisfaction, objections, emotions and
preferences.
NON VERBAL INTERCULTURAL
COMMUNICATION
NON VERBAL INTERCULTURAL
COMMUNICATION (I)
It refers to all conscious or unconscious stimuli other
than the spoken word between communicating parties;
The messages we send and receive from others without

words, both on a conscious and subconscious level

(Perkins, 2008: 29).
These non-verbal processes sometimes account for as

much as 70 percent of communication. P. S. Perkins in

her book The Art and Science of Communication
points out the role non-verbal communication plays in
the workplace.
The nonverbal codes of a society are learned in the

same way we learn language, as an integral part of our

symbol system (Perkins, 2008: 30) and convey an
impressive amount of meaning.
NON VERBAL INTERCULTURAL
COMMUNICATION (II)

It includes all the signs, gestures and

pantomimes with which we transfer a
message, a feeling or a reaction;
Conscious or unconscious stimuli other
than the spoken word between
communicating parties;
It varies across cultures.
NON VERBAL INTERCULTURAL
COMMUNICATION (III)
Itsmeaning varies across cultures;
What is acceptable in one culture may be
taboo in another;
These variations make misinterpretation
a barrier in non-verbal communication;
The social and cultural environment,
rather than our genetic heritage,
determines the non-verbal communication
system that we use.
NON VERBAL INTERCULTURAL
COMMUNICATION (IV)

Non-verbal messages can be

broken down into visual, vocal,
physical, temporal, and
spatial messages and they
fulfill, according to Perkins
(2008: 31) seven important
functions:
SEVEN IMPORTANT FUNCTIONS
(V)
1. to substitute words;
2. to control the impression others have of us;

3. to complement the words we speak;

4. to contradict our words;

5. to confirm the messages of others;

6. to distinguish relationships between ourselves

and others;
7. to maintain a congruent understanding of the
messages within a shared environment (i.e.
workplace).
CATEGORIES OF NON-
VERBAL COMMUNICATION
Kinesics, or body language;
Proxemics, or the use of space;
Paralanguage, or the sounds
people produce with their voices that
are not words;
Chronemics, or the use of time.
SUBCATEGORIES
Haptics is a subcategory of kinesics and is
defined as the non-verbal code of touching and
touching behavior that accompanies
communication;
Symbols;

Use of colours;

Ornaments;

Olfaction.
IMPORTANCE OF NON VERBAL
COMMUNICATION IN BUSINESS

It develops interpersonal relationships such as:

Trust
Confidence

Authority

Connections
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN NONVERBAL
COMMUNICATION

Gestures and Body Positioning

Facial Expressiveness

Eye Contact

Conversation Distance

Silence
SOMETIMES WE CAN INADVERTENTLY CHOOSE A BODY POSTURE
THAT WILL HAVE DISASTROUS
RESULTS. CONDON AND YOUSEF DESCRIBE SUCH A CASE :

The British professor of poetry relaxed during his lecture at

Ain Shams University in Cairo.

So carried away was he in explicating a poem that he leaned

back in his chair and so revealed the sole of his foot to an
astonished class. To make such a gesture in a Moslem
society is the worst kind of insult. The Cairo newspapers the
next day carried banner headlines about the student
demonstration which resulted, and they denounced British
arrogance and demanded that the professor be sent home. (1
975,122)
BOWING IN JAPAN
H.BEFU:
The matter of synchrony, in fact perfect synchrony,
is absolutely essential to bowing. Whenever an
American tries to bow to me, I often feel extremely
awkward and uncomfortable because I simply
cannot synchronize bowing with him or her. . . .
Bowing occurs in a flash of a second, before you
have time to think. And both parties must know
precisely when to start bowing, how deep, how
long to stay in the bowed position, and when to
bring their heads up. (1979, 118)
JAPAN-SELF-CONTROL
Self-control, thought of as highly desirable in
Japan, demands that a man of virtue will not show
a negative emotion in his face when shocked or
upset by sudden bad news; and if
successful, is lauded as tiazen jijaku to shite
(perfectly calm and collected), or mayu hitotsu
ugokasazu ni (without even moving an eyebrow). . . .
The idea of an expressionless face in situations of
great anxiety was strongly emphasized in the
bushido (way of the warrior) which was the
guideline for samurai and the ideal of many others.
(1982,308)
THIS HAND GESTURE HAS DIFERENT MEANINGS IN
DIFFERENT CULTURES. BEWARE! DON'T
USE THIS GESTURE IN PARTS OF SOUTH AMERICA
IT DOESN'T MEAN "OK."
MORRIS: PERILS OF NON-VERBAL
COMMUNICATION
The eyelid pull (the forefinger is placed below one eye,
pulling the skin downward and thereby tugging on the
lower eyelid)-meaning "I am alert" or "Be alert" in Spain,
France, Italy, and Greece.
The chin stroke (the thumb and forefinger, placed on

each cheek bone, are gently stroked down to the chin)-

meaning "thin and ill" in the southern Mediterranean area.
The earlobe pull or flick (the earlobe is tugged or

flicked with the thumb and forefinger of the hand on

the same side of the body)-a sign of effeminacy found
predominantly in Italy, meaning "I think you are so
effeminate ..."
The nose tap(the forefinger in a vertical position taps the

side of the nose)-meaning "Keep it a secret."

ANTHROPOLOGIST CONRAD KOTTAK ON
MATTERS OF PERSONAL SPACE IN AMERICA
AND BRAZIL
When Americans talk, walk, and dance, they maintain a certain
distance from others, their personal space.
Brazilians, who maintain less physical distance, interpret this

as a
sign of coldness. When conversing with an American, the

Brazilian characteristically moves in as the American

"instinctively" retreats. In these body movements, neither
Brazilian nor American is trying consciously to be especially
friendly or unfriendly. Each is merely executing a program
written on the self by years of exposure to a particular cultural
tradition. Because of different cultural conceptions of proper

social space, cocktail parties in such international meeting

places as the United Nations can resemble an elaborate insect
mating ritual, as diplomats from different cultures advance,
withdraw, and
sidestep. (1 987, 21 0)
CONCLUSION
Although much has been made of the distinction between
language on the one hand and nonverbal communication
on the other, the two forms of communication are in fact
inextricably interconnected. To learn just the spoken
language and to ignore the nonverbal behavior would be as
inadequate a response to cross-cultural communication as
doing just the opposite. An understanding of both modes is
necessary to reveal the full meaning of an intercultural
event. Being able to read facial expressions, postures, hand
gestures, gaze, and space usage, among others, increases
our sensitivity to the intricacies of cross-cultural
communication so necessary for success in the
international business arena. To really know another
culture, we must first learn the language, and then we must
be able to hear the silent messages and read the invisible
words. (Gary Ferraro)