Unit II – Non-verbal and Intercultural Communication

Nonverbal communication is usually understood as the process of communication through sending and receiving wordless (mostly visual) messages - i.e., language is not the only source of communication, there are other means also. Messages can be communicated through gestures and touch (Haptic communication), by body language or posture, by facial expression and eye contact. Meaning can also be communicated through object or artifacts (such as clothing, hairstyles or architecture). Speech contains nonverbal elements known as paralanguage, including voice quality, rate, pitch, volume, and speaking style, as well as prosodic features such as rhythm, intonation and stress. Dance is also regarded as a form of nonverbal communication. Likewise, written texts have nonverbal elements such as handwriting style, spatial arrangement of words, or the physical layout of a page and removal of things.

However, much of the study of nonverbal communication has focused on face-to-face interaction, where it can be classified into three principal areas: environmental conditions where communication takes place, the physical characteristics of the communicators, and behaviors of communicators during interaction.

Functions of Nonverbal Communication

Argyle (1970) put forward the hypothesis that whereas spoken language is normally used for communicating information about events external to the speakers, non-verbal codes are used to establish and maintain interpersonal relationships. It is considered more polite or nicer to communicate attitudes towards others non-verbally rather than verbally, for instance in order to avoid embarrassing situations.

Argyle (1988) concluded there are five primary functions of nonverbal bodily behavior in human communication:

Express emotions Express interpersonal attitudes To accompany speech in managing the cues of interaction between speakers

and listeners Self-presentation of one’s personality Rituals (greetings)

Different Patterns of Non-verbal Communication:

Personal Appearance:

Recognizing How Personal Attributes Affect Negotiations

Personal Physical Appearance: You need to be aware of the effect that your physical appearance may have on nonverbal communication. Awareness may permit you to build on your natural advantages. However, awareness of any natural disadvantage may be even more important.

Research has found that:

Physical attractiveness affects the way you perceive yourself and the way other perceive you.

Attractive people: Are better liked, get better jobs, and have more self-esteem and social power

than unattractive people. Receive preferential treatment in the initiation and development of interpersonal relationships.

Height affects perceptions: Taller men and women are normally perceived as more dominant than

shorter men and women. Tall females are perceived as even more dominant and smarter when they

are with short males. Body type affects perceptions

Athletic looking people are normally perceived as more assertive and self-reliant than people with other body types.

Heavier less athletic looking people are normally perceived as more lazy, sympathetic, and dependent than people with other body types.

Skinny fragile looking people are normally perceived as more suspicious, nervous, and pessimistic than people with other body types.

Personal Dress. The importance of how we dress is highlighted by the cliché, "Dress for success." Clothing has been found to affect perceptions of credibility, likability, attractiveness, and dominance, but researchers agree that clothing has the most potent affect on credibility.

Unfortunately, many otherwise good negotiators ignore the importance of personal dress during negotiations, and that ignorance negatively affects their ability to attain mutually satisfactory negotiation results.

Make sure that your clothing is appropriate for the negotiation situation. Normally, you should dress for negotiations as you would for a promotion or

job interview. This type of dress emphasizes your credibility and professionalism. Casual days are growing in popularity. On such days, more casual dress may

be appropriate. If you adopt more casual dress, always: Advise the contractor of your intent to adopt a more casual atmosphere. Remember that more casual dress will reduce the nonverbal emphasis on

your credibility and professionalism. Clothing such as jeans is never appropriate unless you are negotiating on a

construction site or similar area. If you wear a uniform, wear it properly.

In general, people in uniform are perceived to have more power than the same people out of uniform.

Failing to wear a uniform properly may be perceived as showing disrespect for yourself, your organization, and the other negotiator.

General Personal Grooming: General grooming, especially poor grooming, can have a profound affect on how you are perceived by others. Do not allow poor personal grooming (e.g., uncombed hair or an unshaven look) to detract from your appearance and communicate unfavorable nonverbal messages about you or your negotiation position. Remember, that if you look good, you will generally:

Feel better; Perform better; and Be perceived better by others.

Personal Appearance

Your choice of clothes, hairstyle, and personal hygiene all make a statement about the type of person you are. Although this may seem superficial, a first impression is often made before you open your mouth to speak. Leaders should dress appropriately for their position. Also, those who aspire to be leaders should dress for the level they aspire to. For example, if you want to be promoted to the director level at your company and all the directors wear khakis and golf shirts, wear the same type clothing to give them the sense that you are one of them. The workplace has changed over the past few years, with dress codes loosening. No longer are

most men required to wear a three-piece suit to work; nor are women required to wear suits or dresses. A general rule for both men and women is to wear clean, pressed clothes, whether they are formal business attire or casual clothes.

Here are some personal appearance tips for men:

Avoid wearing jeans. Although jeans may be permitted in your workplace, a leader should avoid wearing them on a regular basis. You might limit yourself to wearing them on a light day, such as a day before a major holiday when you are less likely to have to meet with superiors or clients.

T-shirts are not appropriate work attire, unless the T-shirt bears a company logo and is worn for a specific reason, such as a company barbecue.

Hair should be kept clean and neatly trimmed. Many work-places are accepting longer hair on men; however, even long hair should be neatly groomed and worn in a ponytail if it's long enough.

In most cases, err on the side of the conservative. If you enjoy showing off your tattoos and wearing jewelry, limit this dress to evenings and weekends.

Keep nails and teeth clean and maintained.

Most of the preceding rules apply to women as well. However, here are some specific personal appearance tips for women:

Avoid wearing revealing clothing in the workplace. Femininity is a good thing and should be highlighted; however, wearing incredibly short skirts or shirts with plunging necklines is not appropriate at work.

Don't wear too much perfume. In moderation, perfume adds great flair to personal hygiene. But if you use too much, perfume can be annoying, distracting, and the object of ridicule.

Ultimately, use common sense when it comes to your personal appearance at work.

Facial expressions

There are six classically defined facial expressions:

Joy Surprise Fear Anger Disgust

Sadness

Some other examples of feelings that can be expressed are:

Anger Concentration Confusion Contempt Desire Disgust Excitement Empathy Fear Flirt Frustration Glare Happiness Sadness Snarl Surprise Love

Movement:

A body gesture is a movement made with a limb, especially the hands, to express, confirm, emphasize or back up the speaker’s attitude or intention. This non-verbal activity is regularly used in oral discourse. If a body act requires no verbal accompaniment, it is called an “emblem”. Examples are: hand signals such as waving good-bye, the “V” for victory sign or the “high five” signalling victory. While some emblems, for example a clenched fist, have universal meaning, there are others that are idiosyncratic or culturally conditioned. The use of the zero shape made by the fingers, for instance, does not mean the same thing in different cultures. Standing for “OK” in the UK, it may be a vulgar expression in South American cultures, sometimes embarrassingly so… Body gestures are always perceived and interpreted together with facial expressions.

Posture

Posture can be used to determine a participant’s degree of attention or involvement, the difference in status between communicators, and the level of

fondness a person has for the other communicator. Studies investigating the impact of posture on interpersonal relationships suggest that mirror-image congruent postures, where one person’s left side is parallel to the other person’s right side, leads to favorable perception of communicators and positive speech; a person who displays a forward lean or a decrease in a backwards lean also signify positive sentiment during communication. Posture is understood through such indicators as direction of lean, body orientation, arm position, and body openness.

GestureA wink is a type of gesture.

A gesture is a non-vocal bodily movement intended to express meaning. They may be articulated with the hands, arms or body, and also include movements of the head, face and eyes, such as winking, nodding, or rolling ones' eyes. The boundary between language and gesture, or verbal and nonverbal communication, can be hard to identify.

Although the study of gesture is still in its infancy, some broad categories of gestures have been identified by researchers. The most familiar are the so-called emblems or quotable gestures. These are conventional, culture-specific gestures that can be used as replacement for words, such as the hand-wave used in the US for "hello" and "goodbye". A single emblematic gesture can have a very different significance in different cultural contexts, ranging from complimentary to highly offensive. For a list of emblematic gestures, see list of gestures.

Another broad category of gestures comprises those gestures used spontaneously when we speak. These gestures are closely coordinated with speech. The so-called beat gestures are used in conjunction with speech and keep time with the rhythm of speech to emphasize certain words or phrases. These types of gestures are integrally connected to speech and thought processes. Other spontaneous gestures used when we speak are more contentful and may echo or elaborate the meaning of the co-occurring speech.For example, a gesture that depicts the act of throwing may be synchronous with the utterance, "He threw the ball right into the window."

Gestural languages such as American Sign Language and its regional siblings operate as complete natural languages that are gestural in modality. They should not be confused with finger spelling, in which a set of emblematic gestures are used to represent a written alphabet.

Gestures can also be categorized as either speech-independent or speech-related. Speech-independent gestures are dependent upon culturally accepted interpretation and have a direct verbal translation. A wave hello or a peace sign are examples of speech-independent gestures. Speech related gestures are used in parallel with verbal speech; this form of nonverbal communication is used to emphasize the message that is being communicated. Speech related gestures are intended to provide supplemental information to a verbal message such as pointing to an object of discussion.

Gestures such as Mudra (Sanskrit) encode sophisticated information accessible to initiates that are privy to the subtlety of elements encoded in their tradition. Generally large body movements are called Gestures.

Hand Gestures

Hand gestures can be particularly effective at nonverbally communicating your feelings about a particular subject. The "thumbs up," for example, is universally recognized as conveying positive feelings. Some other gestures that may be worth using from time to time include the following:

Clapping your hands together when things are going right or you hear about a recent success from a group member.

Using a finger to lend increased weight to a point you're making. Gently, but forcefully, punching a fist down on a conference room table to

lend weight to a point.

 

Caution: Avoid using negative gestures such as the middle finger in your business relations. Like profanity, such gestures are not appropriate for the workplace.

Eye Contact

Since the visual sense is dominant for most people, eye contact is an especially important type of nonverbal communication. The way you look at someone can communicate many things, including interest, affection, hostility, or attraction. Eye contact is also important in maintaining the flow of conversation and for gauging the other person’s response.

Eye gaze

The study of the role of eyes in nonverbal communication is sometimes referred to as "oculesics". Eye contact can indicate interest, attention, and involvement. Studies have found that people use their eyes to indicate their interest and with more than the frequently recognized actions of winking and slight movement of the eyebrows. Eye contact is an event when two people look at each other's eyes at the same time. It is a form of nonverbal communication and has a large influence on social behavior. Frequency and interpretation of eye contact vary between cultures and species. Eye aversion is the avoidance of eye contact. Eye contact and facial expressions provide important social and emotional information. People, perhaps without consciously doing so, probe each other's eyes and faces for positive or negative mood signs. Gaze comprises the actions of looking while talking, looking while listening, amount of gaze, and frequency of glances, patterns of fixation, pupil dilation, and blink rate.

Voice:

The nonverbal messages communicated by the sound of the human voice, can provide valuable information during negotiations. There are eight attributes of speech that provide especially important vocal cues that you should consider during negotiation:

Loudness. Without enough loudness you cannot be heard. However shouting or a harsh sounding voice may be perceived as disruptive or insulting. Many times, lowering your voice almost to a whisper will help you make a point better than shouting.

Pitch. Most factual communication includes moderate changes in the pitch of your voice. A monotone involves little or no change and may be perceived as indicating apathy or boredom. A high pitched voice may be perceived as indicating excitement. A low pitched voice may be perceived as indicating anger.

Rate. A slow rate of speech may frustrate the listener. An increasing rate may be perceived as the result of increasing intensity. A fast rate may be perceived as an indicator of nervousness and it may also be difficult to understand.

Quality. This is the characteristic that permits you to differentiate one voice from another.

Regularity. The regular or rhythmic voice pattern will normally make you sound more confident or authoritative. Irregular speech might be perceived as

more thoughtful or uncertain depending on your words and other nonverbal messages.

Articulation. Speaking each word clearly makes you easier to understand.

Pronunciation. To be understood, you must also use the correct sounds and emphasis in pronouncing each word. Mispronouncing a word might be perceived as indicator of ignorance or incompetence.

Silence. The absence of sound can also send a strong message. Silence gives you an opportunity to listen. You can obtain useful information from the contractor's team by listening to what they say and how they say it.

Cultural Differences in Non-verbal Communication – World View

1. General Appearance and Dress

All cultures are concerned for how they look and make judgements based on looks and dress.  Americans, for instance, appear almost obsessed with dress and personal attractiveness.  Consider differing cultural standards on what is attractive in dress and on what constitutes modesty. Note ways dress is used as a sign of status?

2. Body Movement

We send information on attitude toward person (facing or leaning towards another), emotional statue (tapping fingers, jiggling coins), and desire to control the environment (moving towards or away from a person).

More than 700,000 possible motions we can make — so impossible to categorize them all!  But just need to be aware the body movement and position is a key ingredient in sending messages.

3. Posture

Consider the following actions and note cultural differences:

4. Bowing (not done, criticized, or affected in US; shows rank in Japan)

5. Slouching (rude in most Northern European areas)

6. Hands in pocket (disrespectful in Turkey)7. Sitting with legs crossed (offensive in Ghana, Turkey)8. Showing soles of feet. (Offensive in Thailand, Saudi Arabia)9. Even in US, there is a gender difference on acceptable posture?

Gestures

Impossible to catalog them all.  But need to recognize: 1) incredible possibility and variety and 2) that an acceptable in one’s own culture may be offensive in another.  In addition, amount of gesturing varies from culture to culture.  Some cultures are animated; other restrained.  Restrained cultures often feel animated cultures lack manners and overall restraint.  Animated cultures often feel restrained cultures lack emotion or interest.

Even simple things like using hands to point and count differ.

Pointing : US with index finger; Germany with little finger; Japanese with entire hand (in fact most Asians consider pointing with index finger to be rude)

Counting:  Thumb = 1 in Germany, 5 in Japan, middle finger for 1 in Indonesia.   Facial Expressions

While some say that facial expressions are identical, meaning attached to them differs.  Majority opinion is that these do have similar meanings world-wide with respect to smiling, crying, or showing anger, sorrow, or disgust.  However, the intensity varies from culture to culture.  Note the following:

Many Asian cultures suppress facial expression as much as possible.

Many Mediterranean (Latino / Arabic) cultures exaggerate grief or sadness while most American men hide grief or sorrow.

Some see “animated” expressions as a sign of a lack of control.

Too much smiling is viewed in as a sign of shallowness.

Women smile more than men.

Eye Contact and Gaze

In USA, eye contact indicates: degree of attention or interest, influences attitude change or persuasion, regulates interaction, communicates emotion, defines power and status, and has a central role in managing impressions of others.

Western cultures — see direct eye to eye contact as positive (advise children to look a person in the eyes).  But within USA, African-Americans use more eye contact when talking and less when listening with reverse true for Anglo Americans.  This is a possible cause for some sense of unease between races in US.  A prolonged gaze is often seen as a sign of sexual interest.

Arabic cultures make prolonged eye-contact. — believe it shows interest and helps them understand truthfulness of the other person.  (A person who doesn’t reciprocate is seen as untrustworthy)

Japan, Africa, Latin American, Caribbean — avoid eye contact to show respect.

Touch

Question: Why do we touch, where do we touch, and what meanings do we assign when someone else touches us?

Illustration: An African-American male goes into a convenience store recently taken over by new Korean immigrants.  He gives a $20 bill for his purchase to Mrs Cho who is cashier and waits for his change.  He is upset when his change is put down on the counter in front of him.

What is the problem?  Traditional Korean (and many other Asian countries) don’t touch strangers., especially between members of the opposite sex.   But the African-American sees this as another example of discrimination (not touching him because he is black).

Basic answer:  Touch is culturally determined!  But each culture has a clear concept of what parts of the body one may not touch.  Basic message of touch is to affect or control  — protect, support, disapprove (i.e. hug, kiss, hit, kick).  

USA — handshake is common (even for strangers), hugs, kisses for those of opposite gender or of family (usually) on an increasingly  more intimate basis. Note differences between African-Americans and Anglos in USA.  Most African Americans touch on greeting but are annoyed if touched on the head (good boy, good girl overtones).

Islamic and Hindu:  typically don’t touch with the left hand.  To do so is a social insult.  Left hand is for toilet functions.  Mannerly in India to break your bread only with your right hand (sometimes difficult for non-Indians)

Islamic cultures generally don’t approve of any touching between genders (even hand shakes).  But consider such touching (including hand holding, hugs) between same-sex to be appropriate.

Many Asians don’t touch the head (Head houses the soul and a touch puts it in jeopardy).

Basic patterns: Cultures (English , German, Scandinavian, Chinese, Japanese) with high emotional restraint concepts have little public touch; those which encourage emotion (Latino, Middle-East, Jewish) accept frequent touches.  

Smell

  USA — fear of offensive natural smells (billion dollar industry to mask objectionable odors with what is perceived to be pleasant ) — again connected with “attractiveness” concept.

Many other cultures consider natural body odors as normal (Arabic).

Asian cultures (Filipino, Malay, Indonesian, Thai, Indian) stress frequent bathing — and often criticize USA of not bathing often enough!

Paralanguage  vocal characterizers (laugh, cry, yell, moan, whine, belch, yawn).  These send different messages in different cultures (Japan — giggling indicates embarrassment; India – belch indicates satisfaction)

vocal qualifiers (volume, pitch, rhythm, tempo, and tone).  Loudness indicates strength in Arabic cultures and softness indicates weakness; indicates confidence and authority to the Germans,; indicates impoliteness to the Thais; indicates loss of control to the Japanese. (Generally, one learns not to “shout” in Asia for nearly any reason!).  Gender based as well: women tend to speak higher and more softly than men.

vocal segregates (un-huh, shh, uh, ooh, mmmh, humm, eh, mah, lah).  Segregates indicate formality, acceptance, assent, uncertainty.

Nonverbal Communication Around the World

Nonverbal Communication in Argentina

A handshake and nod show respect when greeting someone.

An embrace and one kiss on the cheek are common between friends and acquaintances.

Argentines stand close to each other when speaking. Do not back away.

The “O.K.” and “thumbs up” gestures are considered vulgar.

Hitting the palm of the left hand with the right fist means “I don’t believe what you are saying” or “That’s stupid.”

Don’t use toothpicks, blow your nose or clear your throat at the dining table

To summon a waiter, raise your hand with your index finger extended.

For social events, arrive thirty to sixty minutes late. Arriving at a party on time is impolite. Telephone your hosts the following day to thank them.

Nonverbal Communication in Cambodia

The head is believed to contain the person soul therefore it is a taboo to touch or point at the head.

Cambodians greet each other by placing their hands, palms together, near their faces and bow slightly. This is called Som Pas.

Cambodian sits with their legs straight down and not crossed. Crossing your legs shows that you are an impolite person.

Feet are considered the lowest in value of body parts and thus it is insulting to point them at someone.

It is not polite to have eye contact with someone who is older or someone who is considered a superior.

Cambodians tend to smile or laugh in both positive and negative situations. Therefore caution should be taken in interpreting a smile or laugh in order to avoid misunderstanding.

When accepting a gift from an older person, it is polite to use both hands.

Before entering a house, it is important to remove your shoes and cap. This simple act is indicative of the esteem your hold for your host.

Nonverbal Communication in China

The Chinese don't like being touched by strangers. Therefore don’t make any body contact.

Never use your index finger to beckon anyone. If you need to call a Chinese person, face the palm of your hand downward and move your fingers in a scratching motion.

Chinese don’t point with the index finger but with an open hand.

Using both hands when offering something to a visitor or another person is considered being respectful.

Touching or pointing to tip of one's own nose with raised forefinger means it's me.

When walking in public places, direct eye contact and staring is uncommon.

During conversations, be especially careful about interrupting - Listening is a sign of politeness and of contemplation.

Many Chinese consider winking to be rude.

Chinese of the same sex have close physical contact with their friends.

Chinese tend to smile easily when they feel difficulty or embarrassment. Smile because of embarrassment by a Chinese might be interpreted as being friendly by a westerner, but really they are embarrassed.

Nonverbal Communication in France

Greeting friends with an exchange of kisses is very common. However the number of kisses and the side that the kisses start on vary by region.

The French shake hands upon meeting someone for the first time, particularly in the business world.

When using the fingers to count the thumb is the first counter, the index finger is two, the middle finger is three, etc. If you hold up two fingers (index + middle fingers), you'll get three of whatever you're ordering, not two. Because the French count the thumb even if you don't hold it up.

Holding your hands out, palms down, and smacking one hand down onto the other means lets get out of here.

Making a fist, holding it up in front of the nose, and twisting your hand while tilting your head the other way - indicates that someone is drunk.

Putting your index finger and pulling down the skin under your eye is equal to saying I don't believe you.

Do not slap your open palm over a closed fist. This is considered a vulgar gesture.

The "okay" sign, made with index finger and thumb, means "zero."

The French use the "thumbs up" sign to say "okay."

Nonverbal Communication in India

Greeting with 'namaste' - placing both hands together with a slight bow is a very common nonverbal communication and shows respect for Indian customs.

You can also shake hands; Men may shake hands with other men and women may shake hands with other women. There are seldom handshakes between men and women because of religious beliefs. If you are uncertain, wait for them to extend their hand.

Indians value personal space, therefore don't stand close to Indians, allow an arm's length space.

Public displays of affection are not proper.

Side to side hand wave is frequently interpreted by Indians as "no" or "go away."

Use your right hand only to touch someone, pass money or pick up merchandise. The left hand is considered unclean.

Do not touch anyone's head. The head is considered sensitive.

Never point with a single finger or two fingers. Point with your chin, whole hand or thumb.

When an Indian answers, "I will try," he or she generally means "no." This is considered a polite "no."

Pointing a finger at someone would be considered rude.

Nonverbal Communication in Japan

Bowing is a customary nonverbal communication in Japan - Bowing during an introduction shows status. Business inferiors must bow lower than superiors.

Walking habits - The Japanese walk in short quick strides and drooping shoulders this low posture is called teishisei.

Eye Contact - eye contact shows that you are being aggressive, and rude. It is normal in Japan to avoid eye contact as it shows respect.

Pointing with the index finger is considered rude. You should point with the entire hand.

When entering a private home or traditional restaurants, it is usually customary to remove your shoes and place them with the toes pointing toward the outdoors.

Frowning while someone is speaking is interpreted as a sign of disagreement. Most Japanese maintain impassive expression when speaking.

Japanese find it hard to say 'no'. The best solution is to phrase questions so that they can answer yes. For example, do you disagree with this?

Nonverbal Communication in Mexico

Shake hands or give a slight bow when introduced.

Women (initiate the handshake) and Mexicans generally stand close together when conversing. Don't show signs of discomfort, which would be considered rude by your Mexican counterpart.

Don't stand with your hands on your hips; this signifies anger. It is considered rude to stand around with your hands in your pockets.

Time is a very flexible thing in Mexico. As such, don't be offended or surprised if your contacts in Mexico don't show up in time.

Nonverbal Communication in Nigeria

Be careful about eye contact. Constant and direct eye contact can be seeing as being intrusive. Therefore gazing at the shoulder level or the forehead is considered polite.

Touching or making gestures when speaking is very common and should not be interpreted as having any sexual undertone.

Don't use your left hand to give or receive objects. The left hand is considered unclean.

Shake hands upon meeting someone and don't forget to smile! Sometimes men may place their hand on the other person's shoulder during a handshake. Shake hands again upon departing.

Don't shake hands with a woman unless she initiates it.

Exchange hugs and kisses with people you know well.

To rush a greeting is extremely rude; spend time inquiring about the other person’s general well-being.

Thumb extended upward is considered a very rude signal.

Nonverbal Communication in Russia

A handshake is always appropriate when greeting or leaving.

Don't shake hands over a threshold (Russian belief holds that this action will lead to an argument).

Public physical contact is common. Hugs, backslapping, kisses on the cheeks are common among friends or acquaintances and between members of the same sex.

Russians stand close when talking.

When a Russian touches another person during conversation, it is usually a sign of confidence.

The “thumbs-up” sign can be an acceptable gesture of approval.

Putting your thumb through your index and middle fingers or making the "OK" sign is considered very rude gestures in Russia.

Speaking or laughing loudly in public is discouraged.

Nonverbal Communication in Thailand

The traditional Thai greeting is called the wai. In general, the younger person greets first, by placing the palms together at chest level and bowing slightly. If someone wai to you, it is polite to wai back.

In giving or receiving gifts or passing things, Thais ordinarily use the right hand. They place the left hand under the right elbow, and bow the head slightly.

Do not touch another person’s head. The head is considered sacred, since it is the source of intelligence and spiritual substance.

The feet come in contact with the ground, and thus are considered to be dirty. Pointing the bottom of your feet at someone can be interpreted as an insult.

Remove your shoes before entering a temple or a home.

It is rude to sit with your ankle crossed over a knee, or to place an arm over the back of someone’s chair.

A smile is often used for an apology, and a nod doesn't mean yes, it is simply a gesture of respect.

Nonverbal Communication in Turkey

People greet each other with a two-handed handshake or by a kiss on both cheeks.

It is very common to see two man holding hands or arm in arm at walking on the street This means that they are just good friends.

Waving a hand up and down at you, palm towards the ground, is a signal for you to come.

Elders are highly respected. If you are seated, rise to greet them when they enter a room.

Don't cross your arms or put your hands in your pockets while facing or talking to someone.

Inclining your head forwards means ‘yes’ and inclining your head backwards and raising eyebrows means ‘No’

In most countries when thumb and index finger form a circle it means “Okay”. In Turkey it means homosexual and is considered a big insult.

Turned-up palm and fingers held together forming a small ”bowl”: means “good”, and is used when commenting on food.

Turks tend to stare at one another and at foreigners.

Turks will stand close to you while conversing. Do not back away, as this can be construed as unfriendly.

It is vital that you maintain eye contact while speaking since Turks take this as a sign of sincerity.

Pressing your thumb on your upper teeth is a sign of fear.

Nonverbal Communication in United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Placing hands on the heart shows genuine respect and humility. Sometimes, this is used in combination with a small bow, meaning thank you.

Scratching or holding of a chin or beard is an indication that someone is thinking. It might be wise to wait until the person has finished thinking before continuing talking.

Friends' kissing each other on the cheek is a sign of friendship, and it is common amongst male friends.

Shaking hand is the normal greeting with a male. Females do shake hands with each other, and occasionally a kiss is shared. Males should not shake hand with a female unless the hand is offered by a female.

Touching noses three times when shaking hands is a traditional Bedouin greeting.

Holding hands for a long period after shaking hands is a sign of friendship

A Hug is an indication that you are considered a trustworthy friend. A refusal to touch may suggest that you are believed to be untrustworthy or unclean.

If an Arab bites their right finger, it is a sign of contempt and that you are not liked.

If a semi clenched hand is placed in front of the stomach, it means that you are thought to be a liar.

Placing finger on the Nose, beard or head means that it is the intention of the person to undertake what you are talking about.

Putting all fingers and thumbs together (like a cup) means; 'Wait just one minute' or 'slow down'.

If the fingers of the left hand are clasped together and touched with the right forefinger, this is the equivalent of giving someone the finger in the West.

A clawing action with the right hand is usually indicative of a beckoning to move closer or to come into a room. Never beckon anyone with one finger pointing up

The sole of the foot is dirty - never point the sole of your foot in the direction of an Arab.

When offered something to drink, always say yes. Saying no would mean rejecting someone's hospitality.

Nonverbal Communication in Britain

The handshake is the common form of greeting.

There is some protocol to follow when introducing people in a business: Introduce a younger person to an older person. Introduce a person of lower status to a person of higher status. When two people are of similar age and rank, introduce the one you know better to the other person.

Hugging, kissing and touching is usually reserved for family members and very close friends.

The British like a certain amount of personal space. Do not stand too close to another person or put your arm around someone's shoulder.

Staring is considered rude, and makes people feel uncomfortable.

If you hold up two fingers in a ‘v’ sign and the palm is facing inward it means ‘up yours’.

Nonverbal Communication in the U.S.A

Greetings are casual and quite informal - A handshake, a smile, and 'hello'.

Stand while being introduced. Only the elderly, the ill and physically unable persons remain seated while greeting or being introduced.

Handshakes are usually brief. Light handshakes are considered distasteful. Use a firm grip. Eye contact is important when shaking someone’s hand.

Keep your distance when conversing. Americans are generally uncomfortable with same-sex touching, especially between males.

Americans smile a great deal, even at strangers. They like to have their smiles returned.

Men and women will sit with legs crossed at the ankles or knees, or one ankle crossed on the knee.

It is considered rude to stare, ask questions or otherwise bring attention to someone's disability.

Arrive on time for meetings since time and punctuality are so important to Americans.

Enhancing your communications:· Because gestures can both compliment and contradict your message, be mindfulof these.· Eye contact is an important step in sending and receiving messages. Eye contactcan be a signal of interest, a signal of recognition, even a sign of honesty andcredibility.· Closely linked to eye contact are facial expressions, which can reflect attitudesand emotions.· Posture can also be used to more effectively communicate your message.· Clothing is important. By dressing for your job, you show respect for the valuesand conventions of your organization.· Be mindful of people’s personal space when communicating. Do not invade theirpersonal space by getting too close and do not confuse communications by tryingto exchange messages from too far away.

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