Nonverbal Communication In A Cross-cultural Context

Communication can be roughly divided into two categories, namely, verbal communication and nonverbal communication. Besides the spoken language, tone of voice, eye movement, posture, hand gestures, touches, facial expressions and so on are also of vital importance in our communication. Experts say that these nonverbal cues account for about 93 percent of communication and they usually prevail over words. With the rapid development of science and technology, the world is becoming increasingly a global village. Cultural interflow and convergence are powerful trends. However, we are living in a world of differences. Humans need to learn to modify their nonverbal behaviors to meet the demands of new situations, teaming to communicate in another culture, therefore, means learning that culture's nonverbal signals as well. It becomes imperative that we do not simply try to interpret messages of others with our own frames of reference. Some nonverbal aspects of communication are considered to be universal across cultures, while others are quite culturally specific in interpretation of meaning. If we fail to handle this, it will inevitably cause conflicts or misunderstanding when two or more cultures encounter one another. This paper explores the uses of nonverbal communication across cultures, and the impact that they may have in different situations. The application of such knowledge has potential to guide individuals to an understanding of one another, no matter where they may come from or how they were socialized. The following pages take a comparative look at cultural influences on the nonverbal side of interaction, and try to find ways to decodeand interpret the cross-cultural signals. Different aspects of nonverbal communication are discussed and exemplified. Ways and procedures to improve our nonverbal communication in a cross-cultural context are also suggested.