Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
Define and explain the term nonverbal communication and how it differs in each of the
three cultural levels: technical, informal, and formal.
List and discuss the major types of nonverbal communication in the workplace and the
cultural differences found for each type.
Describe the role that nonverbal symbols and culture shock play in international business
transactions and what can be done to minimize any negative effects.
Identify how to improve your nonverbal skills through immediacy behaviors, expectancy
violations theory, and effective habits.
I. Opening
A. The success of communication in an organization depends on how well managers,
employees, and teams read nonverbal messages.
B. Organizations in the global economy represent a variety of cultures with different views
of individualism and context.
C. Nonverbal code accounts for more than half of message meaning (Chapter 1), and if
messages conflict, people tend to pay more attention to nonverbal code.
D. The impact of nonverbal communication on your success in business cannot be
overemphasized.
E. Improving the capability to effectively understand, detect, and send nonverbal
messages is an important skill.
II. Nonverbal : Definition, Culture, and Principles
A. Nonverbal communication is defined as all intentional and unintentional messages that
are not written, spoken, or sounded.
1. Some texts include paralanguage as nonverbal communication.
2. This definition omits it because the three codes (language, paralanguage, nonverbal)
1. Some nonverbal messages are universal (e.g., facial shows of happiness, surprise,
sadness, disgust, anger, fear).
2. Most nonverbal messages depend on the culture in which they occur (e.g., A-OK).
Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
3. Nonverbal behaviors can be viewed through three important dimensions of culture
1. At the technical level, the rules for cultural and nonverbal behaviors are openly
known and easily stated by most citizens of a particular culture.
2. At the formal level, the rules are clearly stated and known, but the reasons for the
rules are not.
3. At the informal level, neither rules for behavior nor reasons for the rules are taught.
4. Different cultures and subcultures in the United States make assumptions about
nonverbal meanings dangerous.
5. The majority of business-related nonverbal behaviors are at the informal level.
III. Types of Communication and Their Effects on Business Communication
A. The types of nonverbal communication are almost limitless, but a number of nonverbal
cues are most applicable to business communication.
B. Facial expressions and eye contact are key in nonverbal communication.
1. The face is responsible for most meaning in nonverbal messages (kinesics).
a. Subtle and spontaneous facial expressions are difficult to interpret and vary
2. Eyes are the most expressive part of the face and have considerable effect on
communication.
3. Eye contact by a U.S. speaker or listener shows interest and attentiveness.
a. Informal rules do not call for constant or prolonged eye contact.
b. Listeners tend to maintain more consistent eye contact.
Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
F. Informal distance and personal space rules (proxemics) vary from culture to culture,
family to family, and person to person.
1.
2. In general, members of collectivistic cultures need less space while members of
individualistic cultures want more space.
3. Hall divides personal reactions to distance into four categories.
a. Intimate distance (touching to 18 inches) is usually reserved by Americans for
private use.
4. Distance and personal space are important in seating arrangements, affecting level
1. For each person, the environment produces an emotional response, either approach
(positive) or avoidance (negative).
2. Color affects emotional response and performance.
3. Lighting and room size affect how people react and communicate.
4. Odor communicates nonverbally, especially in a dental or medical office.
3. Reactions to time behaviors vary depending on where people were raised and their
cultural backgrounds.
IV. Status
A. Clothes are a nonverbal status symbol (e.g., color; ties for men).
1. Dressing for the job you want is important.
Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
C. The handling of time is a nonverbal indicator of status (e.g., bosses can be late or drop
by unannounced to talk).
D.
shoulders or always opening the door for subordinates.
E. High-status people might have a preferred parking space, demand eye contact from
F. Strong and weak nonverbal behaviors affect perceived status.
1. Signs of power include confident movements, tall standing posture, relaxed
beh
2. Signs of weakness include controlled movements, bowed posture, tenseness,
hesitant standing or sitting forward, playing with an object, nervous shaking.
3. Practice more powerful behaviors to be taken more seriously and achieve higher
status or power.
G. Many companies tried to downplay status differences, but the message that counts is
the one received, and nonverbal messages are sent and received with or without intent.
V. Nonverbal Messages and International Business Transactions
A. People in other countries and cultures have different nonverbal symbols and meanings
for each level of culture.
1. It is difficult for businesspeople from other countries to accurately interpret
nonverbal communication used in the United States.
2. An informal U.S. rule might be a formal or technical rule in another nation.
1. The company making the assignment fails to provide sufficient training in language
and customs.
2. Visiting employees assume that people in a foreign country will behave basically
the same as Americans.
C. To be culturally sensitive, Americans need to be aware of the effects of culture shock in
the workplace and to realize how people from other countries view us.
D. Culture shock can be minimized.
1. Learn the language and culture.
2. Have a sense of humor.
Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
VI. Improving Skills
A. Expectancy violations theory deals with how people respond when their nonverbal
expectations are not met, which is more likely with people from different cultures.
4. Observe your nonverbal behavior on videotape, ask for feedback, or use
roleplaying.
VII. Sum ary
A. The relationship between culture and nonverbal communication can be understood in
5.1 Instruct students to visit a fast-food business during the noon rush with two
classmates.
a. For 15 minutes they should carefully observe three employees and make note of their
nonverbal communication body movement, facial expressions, eye movement, and
5.2 Ask students to visit the offices of three business executives and make note of
5.3 Invite one or several business people from the community who are citizens of
5.4 Assign each Internet student a country to research. Next, instruct each student to
discuss a gift that could be given properly in his or her researched country along
with an explanation of the etiquette discussed on the webpage. Their reports can
be posted on the class Discussion Board with some kind of incentive for the
.
MindTap support materials for Chapter 5 include the following:
learned in the chapter
Flashcards to practice defining key terms
Quiz questions that reinforce student learning and understanding
Case study 2 of a real-life situation and associated questions for Chapter 5 (captured in
http://www.cyborlink.com/besite/international_gift_giving.htm
Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
Instruct students to read these two pages and then email you a message using some of the
paralanguage and nonverbal examples that Ms. Sherwood describes. Ask students to
respond to questions such as: (1) In what ways has this class so far been what you
and gestures are elementary for the experienced Internet people, but even *they* may not
have realized the theoretical relationship of using paralanguage and nonverbal symbols in
their emails.
Send students to the following University of California Santa Cruz webpage and have
them take this online nonverbal communication gestures test and email you their results:
cultural issues in nonverbal communication. It differentiates between conscious and
unconscious gestures; considers facial expressions, discusses the cultural differences in
voice, paralanguage and body distance. This program features expert commentary,
illustrative vignettes, and student discussions. Insight Media.
Nonverbal Communication in a Global Marketplace, 2004, 24 minutes. This program
explains how to develop eccentric characters through body movement, demonstrates
situational exercises, and describes how to define attitudes through body language.
Insight Media.
The following website gives descriptions and ordering information for nonverbal videos
by Dane Archer, a nonverbal communication researcher at University of California at
http://www.getcustoms.com
Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
1. To keep discussions to a minimum, arrange the chairs in a circle.
2. The face is responsible for most meaning in nonverbal messages.
3. Use of touch to communicate is referred to as haptics.
4. .
5. In general, members of collectivistic cultures need more space while members of
individualistic cultures need less space.
1. The intentional body movements and gestures that communicate an exact meaning are
called:
a. Emblems c. Illustrators
b. Adaptors d. Regulators
2. As far as nonverbal communication goes, the most expressive part is:
a. Lips c. Eyes
b. Mouth d. Brow
3. Unlike the formal level, in the informal level:
a. Rules are openly known and easily
stated.
c. Rules are unconsciously learned by
imitation and taken for granted.
b. Rules and their rationales are
deliberately taught.
d. Rules are unimportant.
4. When a person is trying to control the flow of a conversation, that is done through the use
of:
a. Emblems c. Illustrators
b. Adaptors d. Regulators
15. Intentional movements that add or clarify verbal meaning are:
a. Emblems c. Illustrators
b. Adaptors d. Regulators
1. Compare the relationship between culture and nonverbal communication in terms of
technical, formal, and informal culture. What are the major differences of each, how is
each level learned or taught in the culture, and how flexible are the rules?
ANS:
At the technical level, the rules for cultural and nonverbal behaviors are openly known and easily
5. Why is nonverbal communication relevant to business communication?
ANS:
The nonverbal communication that is most relevant to business includes facial expressions and
eye contact, posture and gestures, touch, clothing and appearance, distance and personal space,