跨文化商务交际 IBC Chapter 4

Chapter4 Perceiving Nonverbal Communication

I. The Basics of Nonverbal Communication

1. Defining nonverbal communication

Definition of nonverbal communication:"Communication without the use of words."

2. Comparing verbal and nonverbal communication

Important differences between verbal and nonverbal communication:

•Verbal：structured, linguistic and clear

•Nonverbal：unstructured, nonlinguistic and ambiguous.

•Verbal: conscious, discontinuous, acquired and controllable

•Non-verbal: subconscious, continuous, natural and uncontrollable

II. Cultural Impact on Nonverbal Communication

Classifications of nonverbal behaviors:

1. Body Movement

•posture (姿势）—— standing, sitting, squatting，etc. P.130

•gesture （手势，举止）——V, illustrators, regulators, affect display (hand gestures p.132-133)

•facial expressions ——smiling and laughing, showing anger (frowning, shouting, gesturing)

2. Eye Contact (Table 4-1. p.138)

3. Touch —— touch culture and non-touch culture

•When used properly, touch can create feelings of warmth and trust; when used

improperly, touch can betray trust and cause annoyance.

•Touch interpreted as power in many cultures: more powerful people touch less powerful people.

1) hand-shaking (differs in intensity and duration)

2) Hugging and kissing (for old friends, but inappropriate in business situations)

4. Smell

A number of elements affect the meaning we give to a smell, culture influences our reaction to each of these variables:

5. Paralanguage (副语言)

It involves sounds but not words, lying between verbal and nonverbal communication. It is divided into 3 categories:

•V ocal qualifiers （语音修饰特征）

•V ocalization （元音化/浊音化）

•Silence

Vocal qualifiers （语音修饰特征）—— volume, pitch, rhythm, tempo, resonance, tone

Vocalization （元音化/浊音化）

•Non-word noises "un-huh, oooh, mmmh, etc."

•Language fillers "okay, you know".

•"Oops" —used to show recognition of a mistake or minor accident, often as part of an apology.

"Oops! I'm sorry. I just made you miss your bus!"

•Used as connectors of ideas, to indicate that sb. is ready to speak or that more time is needed to think things over.

Silence

•In low-context cultures, people usually view silence as communication gone wrong and generally are uncomfortable with silence

•In high-context cultures, people consider silence an integral part of business and social discourse, rather than a failure of communication

6. Spatial language

Personal space

•People from high-context cultures were observed standing closer when talking to someone. Low-context cultures appeared to dictate a greater amount of interpersonal space.

Office space

Public space

7. Temporal language —— refers to the way in which time is used in a culture. Four basic personality types, each of which experiences time in a unique way that affects their communication with others:

•The thinking types: planning, logically plotting issues out through time

•The feeling types: viewing the present through past experiences

•The sensation types: perceiving time mainly in terms of the present, more action-oriented

•The intuitive types: viewing time primarily in terms of the future