Nonverbal

Communication Patterns
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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
 Vocalics (voice)

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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
 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
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Polychronic People
 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
4
 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.
 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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rences
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
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; we’ve got a real weirdo here.”
Axtell, Gestures 9
 The Office Environment and
Nonverbal 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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 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.
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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“Touch” of Different Cultures

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“Don't Touch” Cultures
 Japan
 U.S.and Canada
 England
 Scandinavia
 Other N. European
countries

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

Fast, Body Language in the Workplace 20

 Body Language (Kinesics)
 Body language includes facial expressions,
gestures, and 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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 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.

Axtell, Gestures 26
 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
Axtell, Gestures 27
 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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 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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An American engineer, sent to Germany by his U.S.
company who had purchased a German firm, was
working side by side with a German engineer on a
piece of equipment. When the American engineer
made a suggestion for improving the new machine, the
German engineer followed the suggestion and asked
his American counterpart whether or not he had done
it correctly. The American replied by giving the U.S.
American “OK” gesture, making a circle with the thumb
and forefinger. The German engineer put down his
tools and walked away, refusing further
communication with the American engineer. The U.S.
American later learned from one of the supervisors the
significance of this gesture to a German: “You
asshole.”

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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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 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).
 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).

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 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.
 Follow the lead of the person of the other
culture; assume the posture they assume.

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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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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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s
 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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