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Nonverbal Communication

***I like this chapter on nonverbal communication better than the other one in this section.- Maybe we can use this as our main chapter and just borrow examples from the other chapter if needed.-Linda *** I agree*** – Cindy
Nonverbal communication refers to the nonvocal expressions we use to convey messages between people. We use nonverbal communication to express intention, identity, some of our cultural orientations, values, and so on. Pointing, winking, shaking hands, physical distancing, facial expressions, and so on, are examples of nonverbal communication.

Nonverbal signals can be classified under different categories based on what they involve. Some examples include eye behaviour (e.g., staring, gazing, blinking, winking, avoiding eye contact), touching behaviour (e.g., hugging, patting, holding, kissing, and punching) proximity to others, facial expressions, posture, appearance and meaning of colours, head and hand movements, pauses and hesitations, and vocalizations (e.g., laughing, sighing, groaning, and shushing). Each of the nonverbal cues we utilize is culturally constructed and may follow unwritten rules. For example, laughing is a cultural universal, but the way this is expressed across cultures is different. Laughing out loud on a public bus may be acceptable in many Latin American countries, but may be seen as disruptive behaviour in Norway or England. Similarly, greeting someone with two kisses may be the common rule in Spain, but those rules may not be applied in the same way in Muslim countries where people also greet each other with two or more kisses.

Activity: Understanding Nonverbal Communication

Watch the video Non-verbal Communication Across Cultures (5’45”), where Prof Alan Jenkins discusses, in the context of business, how understanding nonverbal communication is key when interacting across cultures. Pay attention to the examples he provides.

Answer the following True / False questions based on Prof Jenkins’ talk.

Activity: Understanding Nonverbal Communication (Text version)

Watch the video Non-verbal Communication Across Cultures (5’45”), where Prof Alan Jenkins discusses, in the context of business, how understanding nonverbal communication is key when interacting across cultures. Pay attention to the examples he provides.

Answer the following True / False questions based on Prof Jenkins’ talk.

  1. People from high-context cultures rely on nonverbal cues more often than people from low-context cultures.
  2. People in Canada and Australia generally have significantly different expectations in terms of eye contact.
  3. In North America and Western Europe making eye contact while in conversation means the person is interested and engaged, while avoiding eye contact may mean that the person is lying or bluffing.
  4. In countries such as China, South Korea, and Japan, it is expected that subordinates make steady eye contact with their superiors.
  5. Intense eye contact could be interpreted as aggressive, confrontational, and disrespectful in countries such as Mexico, Ivory Coast, Argentina, and Nigeria.
  6. In Muslim countries, extended eye contact while in interactions between people of the opposite sex is considered inappropriate.
  7. In Japan, a person can signal interest and that they are listening by nodding up and down.
  8. Physical touch is often used to communicate in countries such as India, France, Italy, and the US.
  9. Most Saudi Arabian men feel comfortable touching when greeting or holding hands whether this is with men or women.
  10. Touching is less common in countries such as Germany, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, and Scandinavian countries, unless people know each other well.

Check your Answers in footnote[1]

Activity source: Advancing Intercultural Competence for Global Learners, CC BY-NC 4.0

When we interact interculturally, our body language helps us get a message across and make connections, for example, through touch, closeness, eye contact, head movements, facial expressions, and gestures that indicate openness and interest in what is being said. We may not always be aware of how we come across when interacting with cultural others, therefore we are often quick to make assumptions about other people based on how we interpret their behaviour.

You have learned how unfair this can be. It is not that you or the other person is being disrespectful, forward, ill-intentioned, disinterested, shy, cold, or choosing to ignore your personal space; you are simply using different codes. That is, you are each communicating nonverbally in ways that are not necessarily shared across cultures.

There are numerous categories of nonverbal behaviours. In the following activity, we will explore gestures, personal space, and greetings to help you expand your knowledge and understanding of different ways to interpret nonverbal signals.

Gestures

Activity: Understanding Gestures

What do the following gestures mean to you? Do you know what meaning they may have in other countries? Print out the word worksheet Nonverbal Communication – Hand Gestures and write your interpretation of each gesture.

Now watch the video The Definitions of Hand Gestures Around the World (5’15”). As you watch, check your answers to see if you matched the meaning intended.

Think about this

  • Were you able to interpret all the gestures correctly?
  • Which of the interpretations came as a surprise?
  • Were there any gestures that did not mean anything to you?
  • Are any of these gestures offensive for you or in your culture?
  • Which ones of these do you use? Which ones do you not use?

Here are further examples of nonverbal communication across different cultures. Have you ever been in a situation where any of these could have influenced the way you felt during an interaction? Can you think of a situation when you could have done something that may have made the other person uncomfortable?

Understanding Gestures (Text version)

Eye Contact

Sustained eye contact is common in most Western countries, where it may be used to indicate attention, respect, interest, and a sense of connection. Stronger or more sustained eye contact is often observed among people from Latin America, Spain, Greece, Italy, and Arab countries. In contrast, people from Japan, South Korea, Finland and many Indigenous peoples from North America may not feel comfortable with direct and sustained eye contact. During conversations, they may instead make less eye contact, glance or look down or away. This behaviour should not be interpreted as disinterest or shyness, as different behaviours (say, maintained and intermittent eye contact) can indeed have the same meaning, for example, showing respect.

High Contact (touching)

Touching behaviour, or haptics, is often used to communicate closeness or may be part of common greetings. However, appropriate behaviour in one culture may convey a different meaning or could even be unacceptable in another one. For example, touching is more common in interactions with people from Italy, Latin America or the Caribbean, and the Middle East. Here, people may hug and kiss when greeting, or often tap each other’s arms or hold touch for longer while conversing (some exceptions may be observed among Muslim and Orthodox Jewish groups, which can have touching restrictions across sexes).

Low Contact (touching)

Compared to the countries mentioned above, people from Japan, China, and Northern Europe tend to engage in less contact; this may be perceived as coldness or shyness by individuals from high-contact cultures. Conversely, in low-contact cultures, hugging and kissing during greetings or constant touching or tapping while in conversation may be perceived as an invasion of one’s space bubble and may make people uncomfortable.

Pointing

Pointing is common around the world, but one can use, for example, a finger, a hand, or a stick when directing attention to something or someone. Being aware of the preferred way to point at a person can differentiate between being rude (e.g., using the index finger) or being polite (e.g., using an open hand with the palm slightly facing upward). Pointing can also be done in other ways or have different meanings. For example, people in the Philippines and some other South Asian countries may purse their lips to ask you to pass them a book on a desk that is out of reach. However, if you were in Nepal, someone may have pointed with their chin, whereas in Japan, pointing at one’s nose with their forefinger means “I” or “me.”

Intense Body Movement

When interacting across cultures, one can observe differences in how people use their bodies and facial expressions to convey a message or support spoken language. People who make use of a wider variety of body movements are considered to be more expressive. Expressiveness is common in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cultures as well as African American people. Being expressive is a way to communicate that may be misunderstood and interpreted as informal, insincere, or exaggerated behaviour by people who do not express themselves in the same way.

Less Intense Body Movement

In some cultures, people use their bodies to enhance or convey a message when conversing. By contrast, in others, arm, head, shoulder, and hand movements are limited. As an example, people from Scandinavia, Germany, and Japan do not generally rely on extensive and constant body movement when interacting. In fact, in Japan as well as South Korea, gesturing with broad movements is considered impolite. Note that less intense body movement is not an indication of a lack of emotion or interest. Instead, it indicates a different way to rely on nonverbal cues in a conversation. However, keep in mind that a person’s level of expression in communication can be an individual characteristic instead of a group tendency.

Posture

The way we stand or sit may also convey different messages across cultures. An example of this is sitting with your legs crossed; this is common around the world with some variations in terms of “how to” and what is considered situationally appropriate. When sitting cross-legged, it is considered disrespectful to show the sole of your shoes or feet to another person in parts of Asia and the Middle East.

Sounds

Nonverbal behaviour also involves nonvocal sounds. For example, the suck-teeth (known in French as le tchip), which originated in West Africa and is common in Caribbean countries from Central America to Guyana. To produce the sound, you place your lower lip in front of your top teeth and draw air into the mouth and through the teeth, thus producing a loud sucking sound (Rickford & Rickford, 1976). This sound expresses disgust, defiance, disapproval, disappointment, frustration, or impatience. In Mali, directing this sound to someone else can make the recipient feel upset, while in France, it is considered inappropriate.

Other Examples of Nonverbal Behaviour

Further examples of gestures around the globe include: tapping your stomach (in Ghana, this indicates “I am full”); stretching your left hand behind your head and scratching your right ear (meaning “This is getting complicated” in Russia); giving and receiving a business card using both hands (in Japan, this indicates respect); forming an “L” with your thumb and index finger and placing it on your forehead (in the US, meaning “loser” while in China it indicates the number 8); winking (in North America, this may convey “playfulness” but in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and China, this may be considered impolite or even offensive depending on the situation).

To learn about gestures

One of the best things you can do when interacting with people across cultures is to pay attention to how they communicate nonverbally and be mindful of your own way of communicating to prevent potential misunderstandings. It is okay to ask for the meaning of a gesture someone else made or explain what you meant if you unwillingly offend someone or notice them reacting unexpectedly to your communication. Take time to learn about hand, body, and face movements not only from diverse people around you, but also by consulting reliable resources to learn more about nonverbal communication within a specific culture and across cultures.

Activity source: Advancing Intercultural Competence for Global Learners, CC BY-NC 4.0

Personal Space

How big is your bubble? Consider the following situations within the context of pre-pandemic times. Picture them in your mind and think about what you would do, if anything.

  • You are standing in line in Starbucks to buy coffee and the person behind you is so close to you that if you take a step back you will step on their toes. How would you react? Would you do anything? Would you be comfortable ignoring it and just buy your coffee?
  • At the end of a lesson, your professor is gathering their materials and you approach them to ask a question about a recommended reading. As you talk, you notice the professor carefully moves away from you while still talking to you and continues to do it every time you come close. You are certain that you are being polite and not doing anything wrong, how would you interpret this?
  • You are sitting on a bench outside a library having your lunch and a person of the same sex sits on the bench where you are, even though there are other vacant benches around. Would you stay in that spot to finish your lunch? Would you feel more comfortable moving to another bench?
  • Look at the following images, taken during normal situations BEFORE the COVID-19 pandemic. Where would you feel more comfortable? Would any of these be confusing to you? How would you feel in each situation? Would you follow the implicit rules for space you observe?
    Unrecognizable people in subway platform near train
    credit: Image by Maxim Titov, Pexels license
    People on Train Station
    credit: Image by Will Wright, Pexels license
    people cueing for bus at a sheltered bus stop in cold weather
    credit: Image by Frank Hank, CC BY-SA 3.0.

    It is likely that people would react in a few different ways to each of these situations, but what are the implicit rules behind your reactions? What do you need to pay attention to? Each one of us carries an invisible bubble around that is culturally constructed. We learn about the right and appropriate distance to keep in our public, social, personal, and intimate interactions during our years of socialization, and this is fully established during adolescence.

Watch the video Cultural Proxemics. Personal Space (7’39”), ***Video didn’t open-Linda the study of space behaviour across cultures, and as you watch, try to put yourself in the situation of each of the people you see so you can think about your own possible reactions.

Space is one of the most immediate ways to create approachability or discomfort when interacting across cultures. For example, people from countries like England, Germany, and even more so those from Sweden, Finland, or Norway are likely to leave significant space when conversing or in public (e.g., waiting for the train). Comparatively, people from Canada, the US, and Australia will seem comfortable with a shorter distance, while in Italy, Spain, Greece, most of Latin America, or Africa, the distance between you and another person will likely be much shorter, potentially even involving some touch while conversing to emphasize the message or form a connection between speakers.

Greetings

How do you greet people in your family? How about friends and peers at university/work? How many ways of greeting do you know? In what situations would you use them? With whom? Based on your experience and background, when is it appropriate to hug someone? Can you apply the same rules with anyone you know? Why?

Watch the video Greetings Around the World (2’45”) and observe the different ways people use to greet each other, which ones would you be comfortable mirroring if a person greeted you in a different way? What do you think people convey through greetings?

Greetings serve many functions and are part of our everyday interactions. They are a way for people to recognize and show appreciation toward others (e.g., friends), to show respect (e.g., to elders, people in authority), to introduce ourselves (e.g., to people at a party, to other students and co-workers), to welcome other people, to mark the start of a class or a conference, to observe respect through protocol and social conventions, and more.

Activity: Understanding Greetings

Look at the list of countries below and decide what kind of greetings people from those countries will likely use:

Activity: Understanding Greetings (Text version)

Look at the list of countries below and decide what kind of greetings people from those countries will likely use:

  1. Apart from verbal greetings, in Canada, people use the following forms of greetings:
    1. A handshake; friends or family may hug; a smile
    2. A handshake; two (air) kisses, one on each cheek; men will add a pat on the back or a hug in addition to the handshake
    3. A handshake; a bow as the traditional form (the lower the bow, the greater sign of respect)
  2. Apart from verbal greetings, in Japan, people use the following forms of greetings:
    1. A handshake; hugs are common between friends and family; within the same sex: four kisses
    2. A handshake; a bow as the traditional form (the lower the bow, the greater sign of respect)
    3. Firm handshake; make eye contact while greeting
  3. Apart from verbal greetings, in Spain, people use the following forms of greetings:
    1. Wai: Holding palms of hands together (as if praying), bow head to touch fingers. The wai is used for both meeting and departing. Handshakes are possible
    2. A handshake; two (air) kisses, one on each cheek; men will add a pat on the back or a hug in addition to the handshake
    3. Constant handshakes, no matter how many times people will run into each other
  4. Apart from verbal greetings, in Egypt, people use the following forms of greetings:
    1. A handshake; hugs are common between friends and family; within the same sex: four kisses
    2. Extended handshake (may last a few moments); one (air) kiss on the right cheek; men will hug and pat each other’s backs while shaking hands; slight head bow and eye contact if greeting from the distance
    3. Namaste: Holding palms of hands together (as if praying) below the chin, accompanied by a nod or slight bow
  5. Apart from verbal greetings, in Finland, people use the following forms of greetings:
    1. Firm handshake; make eye contact while greeting
    2. A handshake; hugs are common between friends and family; within the same sex: four kisses
    3. A handshake; friends or family may hug; a smile
  6. Apart from verbal greetings, in India, people use the following forms of greetings:
    1. Firm handshake; make eye contact while greeting
    2. Namaste: Holding palms of hands together (as if praying) below the chin, accompanied by a nod or slight bow
    3. A handshake; hugs are common between friends and family; within the same sex: four kisses
  7. Apart from verbal greetings, in New Zealand, people use the following forms of greetings:
    1. Constant handshakes, no matter how many times people will run into each other
    2. A handshake; a bow as the traditional form (the lower the bow, the greater sign of respect)
    3. Firm handshake; make eye contact while greeting
  8. Apart from verbal greetings, in Romania, people use the following forms of greetings:
    1. A handshake; a bow as the traditional form (the lower the bow, the greater sign of respect)
    2. Constant handshakes, no matter how many times people will run into each other
    3. A handshake; hugs are common between friends and family; within the same sex: four kisses
  9. Apart from verbal greetings, in Thailand, people use the following forms of greetings:
    1. Extended handshake (may last a few moments); one (air) kiss on the right cheek; men will hug and pat each other’s backs while shaking hands; slight head bow and eye contact if greeting from the distance
    2. A handshake; friends or family may hug; a smile
    3. Wai: Holding palms of hands together (as if praying), bow head to touch fingers. The wai is used for both meeting and departing. Handshakes are possible
  10. Apart from verbal greetings, in Mexico, people use the following forms of greetings:
    1. A handshake; a bow as the traditional form (the lower the bow, the greater sign of respect)
    2. A handshake; hugs are common between friends and family; within the same sex: four kisses
    3. Extended handshake (may last a few moments); one (air) kiss on the right cheek; men will hug and pat each other’s backs while shaking hands; slight head bow and eye contact if greeting from the distance

Check your Answers in footnote[2]

Activity source: Advancing Intercultural Competence for Global Learners, CC BY-NC 4.0

Think about this

  • Have you ever been in a situation where you did not know how to greet others?
  • How about a time when you felt confused or uncomfortable because greeting did not match the other person’s?

Greetings are learned behaviours, so if you make a mistake, it is okay! You can try again next time. You can learn about greeting conventions through observation and by asking people around you if you are unsure what to do. If you feel uncomfortable with any form of greeting and you are unable to reciprocate it, such as shaking hands or air kissing a person from a different sex, it may be better to explain to the other person that you are not used to their form of interaction. It is important to do so in a polite way to help others understand. If you find yourself in an intercultural situation and the other person seems uncomfortable with the way you greet them, perhaps try to explain that this is the way people commonly greet in that particular context and you want to make sure they understand and are comfortable with that. Oftentimes, it helps to wait and see if the other person initiates the greeting, then you can follow suit. It is a matter of being observant and adapting to the situation.

TakeAway points

  • Most of our communication relies on nonverbal signals to emphasize, clarify, or enhance what we are saying with words. Nonverbal communication is classified into categories depending on the area they describe. For example, eye contact, head movement, facial expressions, hand gestures, and posture. We also communicate messages through colour, silence and other non-vocal sounds (e.g., grunting, sighing, and scoffing).
  • Touching behaviour can be used to enhance relationships and make connections in some cultures (e.g., Brazil and Italy), whereas in other cultures, touching may be considerably reduced (e.g., England and Canada), avoided outside family and very close friends (e.g., Japan and South Korea), or considered inappropriate across different sexes (e.g., Muslim countries).

Try These Strategies

  • When you are in a public place, for example, a shopping mall, or even better, at the airport, take a look around you and pay attention to people’s nonverbal behaviours. Notice the space they leave between each other. If there is any touching, how may people react if someone comes “too close”? You can also try this in an elevator or waiting room. Try to do this whenever you have the opportunity; this will help you develop your observation skills while you start to notice patterns and behaviours right in front of your eyes.
  • When you are unsure of how to behave interculturally, try to let other people take the lead. Get used to adapting to differences. If you feel you have made a mistake, it is okay. We all learn by observing, trying, and asking!

Attribution & References

Except where otherwise noted, this page is adapted from “Nonverbal Communication” In Advancing Intercultural Competence for Global Learners by Christine McWebb, Sandra López-Rocha, & Dr. Elisabeth Arévalo-Guerrero, CC BY-NC 4.0

    1. True. In high-context cultures, where indirect communication patterns prevail, people are more geared toward reading and interpreting nonverbal cues than in low context cultures.
    2. False. Western Europe, North America and Australia all have fairly similar social expectations of when and where eye contact is appropriate.
    3. True. Making eye contact in these regions shows a person's interest and engagement with your conversation; avoiding eye contact shows a lack of respect or is interpreted as lying or bluffing.
    4. False. Eye contact is not considered an essential to social interaction, and it is often considered inappropriate. Subordinates should not make steady eye contact with their superiors.
    5. True. In many African and Latin American cultures, intense eye contact is seen as aggressive, confrontational and extremely disrespectful.
    6. True. In Muslim cultures, anything more than brief eye contact with people from the opposite sex is usually considered inappropriate.
    7. True. In Japan and most of Asia, nodding up and down is a way to show that someone is listening and is interested in what you are saying. It does not systematically mean “yes.”
    8. False. Countries that encourage physical touch in most settings include Iran, India, France, Greece, Turkey, Italy, Russia, and most of Latin America, although there may be different rules across sexes, hierarchies, and the context of the situation.
    9. False. Most Arabian men only touch other men, not women, when they greet each other or hold hands.
    10. True. In the US, the UK, Germany, Australia, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, Portugal, and Northern Europe, people tend not to touch unless they know each other very well.
    ↵
  2. a, 2. b, 3. b, 4. a, 5. a, 6. b, 7. c, 8. b, 9. c, 10, c. ↵

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Nonverbal Communication Copyright © by Linda Thomason and Cindy Korpatnicki is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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