Chapter 6 Oral and Nonverbal Communication Patterns

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Chapter 6 Oral and Nonverbal Communication
Patterns
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Upon Completion of this Chapter

• Be able to evaluate thought patterns and their
  relationship to intercultural business
  communication
• Understand importance of paralanguage
• Appreciate attitudes toward time and space
• Understand the role of eye contact, smell, color,
  touch, and body language
• Learn how silence is used to send nonverbal
  messages in various cultures

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Nonverbal Communication

• Nonword messages, such as gestures, facial
  expressions, interpersonal distance, touch, eye
  contact, smell, and silence.
• Costly business blunders are often the result of
  a lack of knowledge of another cultures oral and
  nonverbal communicating patterns
• A knowledge of these aspects if essential for
  conducting business internationally

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Thought Patterns

• Patterns of thought or processes of reasoning and
  problem solving are not the same in all culture,
  but they all have an impact on oral
  communication.
• Most people in the U.S. use the deductive method
  of reasoning to solve problems.

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Methods of Reasoning

• Deductive reasoning - going from broad categories
  or observations to specific examples U.S.
  persons use deductive reasoning.
• Inductive reasoning - start with observations or
  facts and go to generalizations Asians use
  inductive reasoning.
• Thought patterns also include the pace or speed
  with which problems are solved or decisions made.
  
• 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 Loudness of Speech Culture
Specific Gender Specific

• Arabs speak loudly this is an indication of
  strength and sincerity.
• People of 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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Areas of Nonverbal Communication

• Chronemics (time)
• Proxemics (space)
• Oculesics (gaze/eye contact)
• Olfactics (smell)
• Haptics (touch)
• Kinesics (body language)
• Chromatics (color)
• Silence

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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 Polychronic People

• 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 short-term relationships

• 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

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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 not well organized.
• Germans and Swiss people are even more time
  conscious people of Singapore and Hong Kong also
  value punctuality.
• In Algeria, on the other hand, punctuality is not
  widely regarded. Latin American countries have a
  manana 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 standing too close 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 shaking hands.
• 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
  more 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 (SPACE)
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 weve got a real weirdo here.
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The Office Environment andNonverbal Messages

• 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.

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The Office Environment andNonverbal Messages

• 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. People in China lower their
  eyes as a sign of respect.
• 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.

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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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Touch CulturesMiddle 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 unless friends.
• In Thailand do not touch the head.
• Do not touch Asians on the shoulders or even the
  back of the worker's chair.
• Avoid touching a person with the left hand in the
  Middle East.

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Example of Touch

• Several years ago, when President Carter was
  mediating peace talks between Egypt and Israel,
  Anwar Sadat frequently placed his hand on
  President Carters 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
  Carters equal.

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Body Language (Kinesics)

• Body language includes facial expressions,
  gestures, posture, and stance.
• To interpret facial expressions correctly, it is
  important to take the communication context and
  culture 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
  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 sometimes shown by fidgeting,
  failing to give the speaker eye contact, or
  jingling keys or money in your pocket.

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General Guidelines U.S. Gestures

• Suspiciousness is indicated by glancing away or
  touching your nose, eyes, or ears.
• Defensiveness is indicated by crossing your arms
  over your chest, making fisted gestures, or
  crossing your legs.
• Lack of interest or boredom is indicated by
  glancing repeatedly at your 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 U.S. and many other countries.
  In England, however, it is 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)

• Has a positive connotation associated with the
  University of Texas Longhorn football team.
• This gesture has an insulting connotation in
  Italy
• In Brazil and Venezuela it is a sign for good
  luck
• In other cultures, such as Italy and Malta, the
  horns are a symbol to ward off evil spirits
• This symbol has various meanings in U.S.
  subcultures and should be used only when you are
  sure the other person understands its intended
  meaning

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Gestures

• 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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Gestures

• The O.K. sign, with the 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 people in the U.S. for
  summoning a waiter, for example, is offensive to
  Filipinos, as it is used to beckon animals and
  prostitutes. Vietnamese and Mexicans also find
  it offensive.

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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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Posture and Stance

• 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).

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Posture and Stance

• 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).
• Follow the lead of the person of the other
  culture assume the posture they assume.

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Posture and Stance

• 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.

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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)

• 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

• Although U.S. persons are uncomfortable with
  silence, people from the Middle East are quite
  comfortable with silence.
• The Japanese also like periods of silence and do
  not like to be hurried. Such Japanese proverbs
  as, Those who know do not speak - those who
  speak do not know, emphasize the value of
  silence over words in that culture.
• In Italy, Greece, and Arabian countries, on the
  other hand, there is very little silence.

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Topics CoveredReview Your Materials Carefully

• Evaluate thought patterns
• Understand paralanguage
• Understand attitudes toward time and use of space
• Understand the role that eye contact, smell,
  touch, color, and body language have on
  communication
• Learn how silence is used