Intercultural Communication and Body Language

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Intercultural Communication and Body Language
Lecture 3
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Lecture Plan

• What is communication and intercultural
  communication?
• Nonverbal communication
• Gestures used in different cultures and their
  meaning.

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Communication

• Communication is the activity or process of
  giving information to other people or living
  things.
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  ???.

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Intercultural Communication

• focuses on differences in language and behavior
  patterns
• the theory of intercultural communication
  encourages the understanding of the differences
  between two speakers from unique national
  cultures

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Iben Jensens model for intercultural
communication (1998)
Cultural self-perception
Cultural self-perception
Cultural presuppositions
Cultural presuppositions
Fix-points
Positions of experiences
Positions of experiences
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Intercultural Verbal Communication Advice

• Speak slowly
• Repeat as necessary
• Be sincere and empathetic
• Keep it simple and short
• Show and demonstrate by using examples
  /illustrations

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Intercultural Verbal Communication Advice

• Check the other person's understanding by asking,
  What do you understand? not Do you
  understand?
• Be patient, use encouragement and praise
  sincerely
• Watch for body language cues to understand real
  meaning in communication

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Communication
Non-verbal (gestures, glances, changes in the
tone of voice, etc. )
Verbal (words)
( paralanguage)
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Nonverbal communication is studied by

• Proxemics
• Haptics
• Oculesics
• Kinesics

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Proxemics

• the study of space in interpersonal relationships

comfortable interaction distance (comfort zone)
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Average comfortable distances among North
Americans
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Proxemics

• organization of space

Western offices
Japanese offices
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Haptics

• the study of touch

Low-contact cultures
High-contact cultures
North Americans, the British, China, Japan
Italians, the French, Russians, Arabs and Latin
Americans
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Oculesics

• the study of the use of the eyes in interpersonal
  communication

In China and Japan people avoid looking at each
other in public places or in a crowd.
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Oculesics

• the study of the use of the eyes in interpersonal
  communication

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Oculesics

• the study of the use of the eyes in interpersonal
  communication

Asians, Puerto Ricans, West Indians, African
Americans and Native Americans consider a direct
eye contact to be rude, or disrespectful, or
intimidating, while Europeans find it a sign of
openness and honesty.
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Kinesics

• the study of bodily movements and facial
  expressions

instinctive
Gestures
coded
acquired
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Instinctive gestures

• we do them unconsciously

Im happy!
Im sad
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Universal hand gestures
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Coded / technical gestures hand signals used by
TV directors, gestures of referees or brokers in
the stock market
Acquired gestures socially generated
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Facial expressions and head gestures

• The ultimate gesture

• Yes / No gestures

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Hand and arm gestures

• "O.K." gesture
• Victory/Peace sign

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Hand and arm gestures

• thumbs-up sign
• hailing a taxi

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Hand and arm gestures

• finger beckoning
• upraised hand

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Hand and arm gestures

• Hands at the hip with arms akimbo

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Hand and arm gestures

• waving one's hand
• touching a child on the top of the head
• point at an object
• at the restaurant
• placing your hand behind your head

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Hand and arm gestures

• linking your pinky with someone else's pinky
• right/left hand
• counting to ten on the hands

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Hand and arm gestures

• Good luck gesture
• Crazy sign

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Trunk and leg indications

• pointing the sole of your shoe toward someone
• bowing

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Dealing with the Differences

• acculturate, that is, borrow attributes of the
  other culture that will allow you to function
  effectively in it
• practice the skill of switching cultural channels

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International Gestures Quiz

• Look at the pictures showing gestures and guess
  their meaning (some gestures have more than one
  meaning)

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