Culture and Non-Verbal Communication - Free Essay Example

Introduction

Non-verbal communication is one of the dynamics that influence how students communicate in the classroom. However, while students embrace the lucrative benefits escorted by non-verbal communication, they forget to advocate for the non-verbal communication mirrors embedded in different cultures (Samovar et al. 2017). Each culture globally has its socialization rules, where they differently interpret non-verbal communication skills. If students cannot understand the forms of non-verbal communication, misinterpretations, and conflicts will likely occur in classrooms. It is useful for students to understand the cultural differences between them to limit the misinterpretations of different non-verbal communication movements.

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Greetings

In many Western cultures, a handshake is a sign of a greeting. Some people might kiss or kiss regardless of gender. When this form of greeting is demonstrated in a class containing different cultures from the world, students might interpret it differently. For example, kissing between two different genders might have a wrong interpretation because one might perceive the parties involved are in a romantic relationship (Samovar et al. 2017). Similarly, it might cause conflicts because a student from this culture where a kiss is a form of greeting might kiss another where a kiss is prohibited between males and females. The other student may misinterpret it and end up in a conflict. Such an incident can occur between an Asian student and a student from a Western culture. In Asian countries, body contact is eschewed for greetings. Asian Indians from India and Sri Lanka have a unique way of showing greetings because they hold their hands in a prayer-like position and shake their heads slightly (Samovar et al. 2017). Sometimes, in this community, the younger generation might touch the feet of the elderly as a sign of respect. In Indian culture, it is disrespectful for a young man to shake the hands of a mother or a grandmother. The culture allows the use of verbal communication or nods to old mothers.

In Mediterranean countries, such as France, Portugal, Italy, and Spain kisses can be on both cheeks, but in Middle Eastern countries, it is on one cheek, but embracing a kiss as a form of greeting is allowed only on people of the same gender. In Orthodox Jews, body contact as a form of greeting is prohibited (Samovar et al. 2017). In these explanations, it comes out that embracing a particular form of greeting has a different meaning to other cultures. A student can misinterpret a form of greeting from another culture, and it may lead to conflicts. Therefore, for students to embrace different forms of greetings to avoid conflicts, they need a proper understanding of diverse cultures.

Gestures

In this form of non-verbal communication, one must consider different messages sent by waving, placing hands on hips, pointing, and biting fingernails. Gestures can be used both in intentional and unintentional sharing of internal rates. However, there exist different uncertainties involved in the use of gestures between different cultures. In the USA, the “thumbs-up” gesture has a positive connotation because it indicates that everything is okay or is doing well (Samovar et al. 2017). However, one from Nigeria, Iran, Bangladesh, and Australia can misinterpret it differently because, in their culture, it is a rude gesture. In Turkey, the gesture is a sign of a political party. In the USA, pointing at someone has a positive connotation, and in most instances, the gesture is used to give directions using the index finger. However, in China, using the same gesture is a show of rudeness. In Germany, pointing is allowed only by using the little finger; in Japan, it is done with the entire hand (Samovar et al. 2017). Using different fingers in Germany and Japan will display a different meaning of the intended message. In Asia, pointing someone using the index figure is considered as being rude. In a classroom, misinterpretation of this gesture can lead to conflicts among students and teachers.

Scholars categorize gestures into three groups that have different interpretations across the world. These groups include idiosyncratic gestures, beckoning gestures, and frequency and intensity gestures. Idiosyncratic gestures are distinctive gestures whose meanings translate to property or features of a particular culture (Samovar et al. 2017). This type of gesture means that gesturing a specific part of the body might have a different interpretation in a different culture. For example, in the Nepal culture, pulling both earlobes asks for an apology. The same culture in China means that someone has touched something very hot. In Chinese, an individual can point both index fingers above the head and the ears to form a horn-like figure. This gesture means that a man’s wife is angry (Samovar et al. 2017). However, in Western cultures, the gesture is a joke-like activity that most athletes use to win. The use of the middle figure in America is a sexual insult, but in sign language in other countries, it means the letter “T.” In these explanations, one can see that one part of the body can have different interpretations in different global cultures. Such misinterpretations can lead to conflicts in a classroom. For example, the middle finger in an American can make one party feel insulted, leading to conflicts.

Beckoning gestures involve the use of one’s hand or palm for signaling. In the US, when an individual intends to signal their friend to come, they raise their hand with fingers together and move them towards the body (Samovar et al. 2017). However, this gesture means differently in Latin America, where it takes more of a romantic connotation. In the Philippines, the gesture is used to call one’s dog. When this interpretation is used in a classroom where students come from these three ethnic groups, the interpretation will be different, and in severe cases, it might lead to conflicts. A US student using the same gesture on a Philippine will spike a conflict because the Philippine student will interpret that he is being related to a dog. Therefore, beckoning gestures have a significant role in misinterpreting non-verbal communication.

The frequency and intensity of gestures involve describing the frequency and intensity of using a particular gesture. Some global cultures have different interpretations when a specific gesture is used frequently. Italians, Africans, and Middle Eastern people have a habit of utilizing gestures with more intensity and frequency than Japanese, Scandinavians, and Chinese (Samovar et al. 2017). For example, Africans shaking hands for a long time signify that the involved parties have not been in contact for long. However, in Germany, such long-time gestures are prohibited because they stress hands should be used with calculated dignity. They should never be used as lively instruments for emphasis on specific conversations.

Similarly, Canadians do not employ extensive gesturing (Samovar et al., 2017). If such intense gesturing happens between an African student and a German or Canadian student, their interpretation will be different because the African will believe he is doing the right thing but violating the Canadian and German culture. This misinterpretation might, therefore, lead to a conflict.

Facial Expressions

In a classroom, different facial expressions might have different interpretations of diverse cultures. The face tells an individual’s mood; in other words, it tells a person’s secrets. When one is angry, happy, or bored, the face can tell it all. However, different cultures have different rules for interpreting facial expressions. A smile is a universal act, but it is influenced by culture. It means that the message the smile is sending shifts from culture to culture (Samovar et al. 2017). In North America, smiling depicts a positive message, and in most cases, it is used as a greeting. However, the smile depends on the current circumstances. For example, a smile can be interpreted as sarcastic in a sad environment in some cultures. A more detailed example is the interpretation of a smile in Thailand.

Thailand is regarded as the land of smiles because people in this region know how to use different smiles to depict different moods. “Thai” smile can be used to display sadness, joy, embarrassment, anxiety, fright, and other emotions. People from outside cultures can find it difficult to interpret their smiles; for example, they might smile in a painful moment, but outsiders misinterpret it and think they are happy about the situation. Russians restrict the people and time to smile because their culture states that a smile to unknown circumstances depicts rudeness and impoliteness (Samovar et al. 2017). In this context, a misinterpretation of the gesture can cause conflicts in class because one might feel disrespected, or it might be a sign of being sarcastic. Students should learn and understand different interpretations of a smile in different cultures to prevent potential conflicts.

Eye Contact

Eyes communicate different forms of messages in different cultures. Apart from touch, when a child is born, eye contact is depicted at an early age. Eye contact is the most dominant gesture in the USA (Singh et al., 1998). In America, when one does not maintain eye contact, it shows no interest or a sign of deceit. However, it is different in Japan because prolonged eye contact is a sign of disrespect. In Japanese culture, it is not uncommon for people to turn away their eyes during a conversation. In a classroom with students from these two cultures, it might lead to misinterpretation, which might cause conflicts. Japanese students may feel offended or disrespected in case an American student maintains eye contact during a conversation.

On the other hand, Koreans emphasize the eye because they believe that the most asked questions have answers in an individual’s eyes. In Africa, it is more of a similar case than in Japan because African culture extends to regulating eye contact with the elderly. The African culture states that maintaining eye contact with the elderly is a sign of disrespect. In India, direct and prolonged contact is embraced to a greater extent. Outsiders may label direct and prolonged eye contact as staring, but in India, it verifies the authenticity of the delivered message (Matsumoto & Hwang, 2013). When a person turns away his eyes in a conversation, then it means the statements of the message lack authentic value. A careful analysis of the diverse interpretations of eye contact in diverse cultures across the world means that a class with different cultures will misinterpret eye contact, and it might lead to conflicts. Conflicts will arise in case a student may feel offended due to the culture.

Silence

Silence is a common act, but few people recognize it as a gesture that displays different information depending on the culture. In an interpersonal setting, silence provides an interval in a conversation where an individual has to think or suppress an emotion. In western culture, silence is interpreted as agreement, anger, lack of respect, shyness, or sign of showing respect. However, one can distinguish the display based on contextual settings. In eastern culture, as opposed to western culture, Buddhists view silence as the best option as it depicts wisdom, and they perceive noise as an aspect that contaminates experience (Singh et al. 1998). This difference can create a conflict in a class with students from these two cultures (Western and Eastern). If they discuss a concept and a Buddhist student remains silent to listen to the other, the student from the western culture may take advantage and insult the other (Singh et al. 1998).