Intercultural Communication

WEEK 6: COMMUNICATE NONVERBALLY ACROSS

CULTURES
Lecture lesson
 READING MATERIALS (TEXTBOOKS)

• Understanding Intercultural Communication by Stella Ting-Toomey and Leeva C.

Chung. Chapter 7, pp156-179.

• Intercultural Communication, A Contextual Approach by James W. Neuliep.

Chapter 8, pp423-480.

• Intercultural Communication: A Reader (14th Edison) by

Samovar L, Porter, R., McDaniel, E., & Roy. Chapter 5,
pp307-326.
 LESSON OBJECTIVES

1 2 3
The students should be able to The students should be able to The students should be able to
define different channels of show an understanding of develop a deep insight into how
nonverbal communication. nonverbal and dimensions of to develop intercultural
cultural variability. communication competence.
 COMMUNICATION PATTERNS

1 2 3

VERBAL NONVERBAL SILENCE

COMMUNICATION COMMUNICATION
WHAT IS NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION?

• Nonverbal communication = Communication without words.

• It is a process of communication through sending and receiving wordless messages.

• The difference between verbal and nonverbal communication is that we use our voice in

verbal communication, and we use body signs in nonverbal communication (Neuliep,

2015).
70%
Experts believe that approximately 70% of all human
communication is nonverbal, meaning we only deliver
about 30% of our messages with words.
The most important
thing in
communication is
hearing what isn’t
said.
said by Austrian-American author and educator
Peter Drucker
 Why is nonverbal communication so important?

Builds trust Bridges Encourages Leads to

and clarity language gaps inclusivity success

While communicating, When two people Everybody has different Effective communication
someone may be able to don’t speak the same communication abilities. requires nonverbal
feign interest with their language, body Learning nonverbal messaging. Understanding
words, but their body language can help communication skills can the types of nonverbal
language will often foster knowledge and help create a more diverse communication will help
reveal if they’re paying understanding. and inclusive workplace. you connect with people in
attention. every area of your life.
NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION BETWEEN ANIMALS

• Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1FY5kL_zXU

• All animals interact nonlinguistically—that is, nonverbally—through sight, sound, smell, or

touch.
NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION BETWEEN HUMAN BEINGS

• Most scholars also recognize that a significant portion of our nonverbal behavior, such as the

facial expressions accompanying certain emotions, is innate and varies little across cultures.

• Like verbal language, however, much of our nonverbal communication is learned and varies

across cultures.
SMILING ACROSS CULTURES

• A smile is often seen as a sign of friendliness, kindness, and respect.

Americans tend to use smiles as a way to establish connections, ease social
interactions, and convey positive intentions.
• Smiling is encouraged and is considered a natural part of everyday
communication.

• Japanese people tend to show less emotion, preferring to maintain a

composed and neutral facial expression in many social settings, and as a
consequence fewer emotions are communicated using the mouth.
• The Japanese smile to disguise embarrassment, anger, and other negative
emotions.
SMILING ACROSS CULTURES

Germans are very conservative when it comes to outwardly showing expressions of happiness,
especially via smiling.
 FUNCTIONS OF

01 INTERCULTURAL
NONVERBAL
COMMUNICATION
 1 Repeat a verbal message

2 Contradict a verbal message

6 MAIN 3 Substitute for a verbal message

FUNCTIONS
4 Complement a verbal message

5 Accentuate a verbal message

56 Regulate verbal communication

Take for example, what do you make of the nonverbal messages that accompany the

following verbal messages?

• The little boy who hides under his mother as he says, “I’m not afraid of the dog.”

• The woman who says, “I love you,” to her spouse while hugging him and smothering him

with kisses.

• The teacher who asks, “Any questions?” and fails to wait for a response before moving on to

the next point.

• The child whose eyes are downcast and shoulders are rounded as she says, “I’m sorry for

breaking the vase.”

• The supervisor who, when asked a question by an employee, leans forward with a hand

cupped behind one ear.

 CHANNELS OF
02 NONVERBAL
COMMUNICATION
1.1 PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

• Our choice of clothing, hairstyle, and other appearance factors are also considered a
means of nonverbal communication.

• Artifacts and adornment features, such as clothing, jewelry, cosmetics, and accessories, in
different cultures:
- serve as markers of our unique or subcultural identity
- reflect complex cultural and personal identities
- provide clues for us to determine the specific time in history
- impression management
 QUEEN ELIZABETH II
A TIMELESS FASHION ICON
HENNA PAINTING CULTURE
1.2 PARALANGUAGE

Paralanguage is the sounds and tones we use in conversation and the speech behavior that
accompanies the message.

Pitch range/ intensity

Voice qualities Volume/ Rate

Articulation
PARALANGUAGE
Vocal segregates uh, ah, um, uh-huh

Vocalizations Vocal qualifiers loud/soft, high/low

Vocal characterizers laughter and sobs

1.2 PARALANGUAGE

Example 1: The sounds of "psst" and of whistling are examples of vocal characterizers. “Psst” is

an acceptable way of calling a waiter in Spain. In India, whistling is considered offensive.

Example 2: Thais speak in a very soft and gentle voice and manner as a way of showing good

manners and an educated character. Voices are raised only to show the emotion of anger or in an

argument or confrontation. When first hearing persons in the United States speak, some Thais

believe the speakers are rude or angry or even don't like Thais because people from the United

States speak so loudly.

1.2 PARALANGUAGE

Example 3: some African Americans tend to have emotionally expressive voices and are

passionate about their conversation points. This is commonly mistaken for anger.

Example 4: by raising the volume of your voice, you can give a sense of urgency to a sentence

that it may be lacking without the volume increase.

"We need to get out of here." doesn't sound that urgent, but if you shout it, "WE NEED TO GET
OUT OF HERE!" it becomes apparent that there is an element of emergency.
1.3 FACIAL EXPRESSIONS

• Facial expressions, gestures, and eye gaze are often identified as the three major types of body

language.

• There is consistency across cultures in our ability to recognize at least seven emotions in an

individual’s facial expressions: Sadness, Anger, Disgust, Fear, Interest, Surprise, and Happiness.

• Through facial expressions, we can communicate our personality, open and close channels of

communication, complement or qualify other nonverbal behavior, and, perhaps more than

anything, communicate emotional states

Cultural display rules = the procedures we
learn for managing the way we express our
emotions.
For example, in individualistic cultures, it is
acceptable to express anger or disgust alone or
in the presence of others.
• in Indonesia, people will be quiet and hide
their feelings if they are angry with their
boss.
• those in Australia (an individualistic
culture) will openly express their anger
toward their boss.
Cultural differences in the use of emoticons?

US/ Americans: the direction of the South Koreans and Japanese:

mouth expressive eyes and a neutral mouth
1.4 KINESICS: THE USE OF BODY MOVEMENTS

• Kinesic behavior is communication of the body in motion and includes aspects of people’s
facial expressions, body movements, gestures, and conversational regulators (Samovar et
al., 2015).

• Ekman and Friesen (1969) developed a system that organized kinesic behaviour into five broad
categories: emblems, illustrators, affect displays, regulators, and adaptors.

• Kinesic conversational behaviors differ across culture.

1.4 KINESICS: THE USE OF BODY MOVEMENTS

V-Victory Thumbs up Thumbs up

 ACTIVE LEARNING 1

Watch this video to have an understanding about body language (kinesics) as a mean of
nonverbal communication.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cIo0PkBs2c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiaSe3Nc4ck
1.5 HAPTICS: THE USE OF TOUCH

• As usual, when, where, and whom we touch and what meanings we assign to touch differ
widely across cultures. The amount of touch also varies with age, sex, situation, and the
relationship between the people involved.

• Hall (1966) distinguishes between high- and low-contact cultures:

- High-contact cultures: Southern and Eastern Europe --> encourage touching.
- Low-contact cultures: China, Japan, and Indian.
- Moderate-contact cultures: The United States, Canada, and Australia.
 ACTIVE LEARNING 2

Do you agree that individuals from high-contact cultures can also bother those from a
low-contact culture to a great extent?

List 3 examples supporting for your answer.

1.6. CHRONEMICS = THE NONVERBAL CHANNEL OF TIME

Hall (1977) categorizes time orientations into monochronic and polychronic:

• People with monochronic time orientation, a characteristic of many Western cultures, view time

as linear, much like a progressive path, having a beginning and an end -> a strict adherence to

schedules.

• In contrast, polychronic cultures view time as cyclical and people attempt to perform multiple

tasks simultaneously -> plans can be changed up to the last minute.

1.7 PROXEMICS

Proxemics refers to the use of space, including

territory, which stands for the space that an individual
claims permanently or temporarily.

It is also important to note that the level of personal

distance that individuals need to feel comfortable can
vary from culture to culture.
 PERSONAL SPACE

• People in Argentina and other South American countries

do, require less personal space than people from Asia.
They treat strangers like lovers.

• In Britain, people stand as close to their halves as

Romanians do recent acquaintance.

• In Hungary, people value their personal space among

strangers even more highly than Saudi Arabians.
 1.8 SILIENCE

• Silent communication happens when you don’t use words or sounds during a conversation.

• It can mean different things across different cultures. In some cultures, silence can signify
respect. Other cultures may perceive it as a lack of interest or unwillingness to communicate.

• Silence is not just the absence of communication but instead can be a

productive communication strategy.
 NONVERBAL

03 COMMUNICATION AND
DIMENSIONS OF
CULTURAL VARIABILITY
3.1. HIGH CONTEXT- LOW CONTEXT

• High-context cultures rely more on nonverbal communication than low-context

cultures. They use personal relationships, social hierarchies and cultural knowledge to
convey meaning.
Examples: Japan, China, Korea, and Arab countries.

• In low-context cultures, words are more important. Communication is direct,

relationships begin and end quickly, and hierarchies are relaxed.
Examples: Germany
 HIGH CONTEXT LOW CONTEXT

• sensitive to the nonverbal context • focus less on the social or physical context
and more on the explicit verbal code.

• quiet, shy, and perhaps even sneaky • direct and talkative

• pay attention to nonverbal behavior during • might miss subtle body movements
interaction
 3.2. INDIVIDUALISM COLLECTIVISM

• tend to be distant proximally • tend to work, play, live, and sleep in close
proximity

• smile more • more quite and shy

• enlisting nonverbal behaviors that bring • suppress the emotional displays as

people closer together physically and maintaining group harmony is primary
psychologically
3.3. LOW POWER DISTANCE HIGH POWER DISTANCE

• display less power by lowering one’s body, • encourage emotional expressions that reveal
employing inconvenience displays, and not status differences
asserting authority.

• unaware that their vocal volume may be • the voice box and singing voices are tighter
offensive to others and more closed

• subordinates are taught to avert eye contact, • direct eye gaze can be interpreted as a threat
often as a sign of respect for those in superior or a challenge to the person of higher power
role
 NONVERBAL
03 COMMUNICATION GAME
SPEAK WITH YOUR BODY!

• The class will be divided into 2 groups.

• First six rounds: each player from each group gets a turn giving SILENT CLUES to

their teammates.

• Last four rounds: both teams get the same clue, at the same time.

• The winner is the team with more correct answers.

REFERENCES

Berger, C. R., & Calabrese, R. J. (1975). Some Explorations in Initial Interaction and Beyond:
Toward a Developmental Theory of Interpersonal Communication. Human Communication
Theory, 1, 99-112.

Hofstede, G., Hofstede, G. J., Minkov, M. (2010). Cultures and Organizations: Software of
the Mind. 3 rd Edition. USA: McGraw-Hill

Jandt, F.E. (2018). An introduction to intercultural communication: Identities in a global

community (9th Edition). LosAngeles, London, New Dehlhi, Singapore, WDC, Melbourne:
SAGE.
REFERENCES
Liu, S., VolCic, Z. and Gallois, C. (2015). Introducing intercultural communication: Global
cultures and context. Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore and Washington DC:
SAGE.

Neuliep, J.W. (2018). Intercultural Communication: a contextual approach (7th Edition). Los
Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore, Washington DC and Melbourne: SAGE

Samovar, L., Porter, R., McDaniel, E., & Roy, C. (2015). Intercultural communication: A
reader (14th edition). Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Ting-Toomey, S. & Chung, L. C. (2012). Understanding intercultural communication. Los

Angeles, CA: Oxford University Press.
THANK YOU