跨文化商务交际导论 课件Unit 6 Nonverbal intercultural business communication

NonverbalCommunicationNonverbalcommunicationreferstocommunicationwithouttheuseofwords.Nonverbalbehavioraccountsformuchofthemeaningwegetfromconversations.Itisindicatedinafamousstudythat,intheU.S.,93%ofthemeaninginaconversationisconveyednonverbally—38%throughvocalelementsand55%throughfacialcues.Evenconservativefiguressuggestthat70%ofthemeaningcomesfromnonverbalcomponents.

CharacteristicsofnonverbalcommunicationConsciousvs.subconsciousToamuchgreaterdegreethanverballanguage,nonverbalbehaviorissubconscious.Thismakesitquitedifficulttoseekclarificationofamisunderstoodnonverbalcue.Peoplecanasksomeonetorepeatasentence,buttheyareunlikelytoasksomeonetoexplainthemeaningbehindahalf-smile,aparticularposture,orasuddenmovementofthehead.Discontinuousvs.continuousInverbalcommunication,peopletypicallytaketurnsspeaking.Therefore,verbalcommunicationisoftendiscontinuous.Nonverbalcommunicationiscontinuousinthesensethatitisalwaysoccurring.Becauseitissofluid,itcanbehardtodeterminewhereonenonverbalmessagestartsandanotheronestops.Ifonetriestosingleoutaspeaker’sgestures,smiles,orstanceswithoutconsideringhowtheyallcometogetherincontext,heorshemaymissthepointanddrawthewrongconclusion.Acquiredvs.naturalVerbalcommunicationisacquiredandlearned,whilenonverbalcommunicationismostlynatural.Welearntherulesandmeaningsoflanguageathomeandschool.Butwesubconsciouslyabsorbnonverbalmeaningsandbehaviorthroughsocialization.ReplacingFunctionsofnonverbalcommunicationReplacingNonverbalcommunicationcanreplaceverbal

communication.

Overall,nonverbalbehaviorfunctionsasaculturallyrule-governedcommunicationsystem.Therulesareshapedbyculture,andtherulesaswellasthenonverbalbehaviordifferacrosscultures.ReplacingRegulatingPeopleoftenregulateandmanagecommunicationbyusingcertainformsofnonverbalbehavior.Nonverbalbehaviorcaninfluenceverbalinteractionsbyregulatingthem,suchasturn-takingsignalsinconversations(e.g.raisingone’shand).ConveyingNonverbalbehaviorconveysanindividual’semotionsandattitudestowardthepeoplewithwhomheorsheiscommunicating.Laughingusuallyconveysthemeaningofhappiness,whilefrowningusuallyconveysthemeaningofimpatienceoranger.ReplacingModifyingNonverbalcommunicationcanmodifyverbalcommunication.Forexample,someoneexpressesnervousnessbyspeakinginavoicethatismuchlouderthanthatheorsheusesinnormalconversations.RepeatingPeopleoftenusenonverbalmessagestorepeatapointthattheyaretryingtomake.

ComplementingComplementingiscloselyrelatedtorepeating.Ifonesays“Hi!Howareyou?”andsmiles,thefacialexpressionandthewordscomplementeachother.Ifonesays“Imustgohomenow”andwaveshisorherhand,thegestureofwavingthehandaddstothemeaningofgoodbye.ReplacingContradictingOnsomeoccasions,people’snonverbalactionssendsignalsthatareoppositetotheliteralmeaningcontainedintheirverbalmessages.ChronemicsChronemicsisthestudyofhowpeopleperceiveandusetime.Attitudestowardtimevaryfromculturetoculture.AccordingtoAmericananthropologistEdwardT.Hall,therearetwowaysofunderstandingtime:monochronictimeandpolychronictime.1.Monochronictime（单维度时间取向）Monochronictimemeanspayingattentiontoanddoingonlyonethingatatime.AmonochronicviewoftimecanbeseenthroughtheWesterncultures.Typicalexamplesoftime-drivencountriesincludeGermany,Austria,Switzerland,andtheUnitedStates.Theseculturesarecontrolledbytimetosomeextentandtendtoviewtimeasbeinginescapable,linear,andfixedinnature.2.Polychronictime（多维度时间取向）Polychronictimemeansbeinginvolvedwithmanythingsatonce.

TypicalexamplesincludeIndians,Arabs,LatinAmericans,andpeopleinMediterraneancountries.Theytendtohaveamoreflexibleperceptionoftime.AnumberofAsianculturesviewtimecyclicallyratherthanlinearly,andthustheyattachlessimportancetotimeconsciousness.Peoplefrompolychronicculturesdonotpaymuchattentiontopunctuality.ProxemicsProxemicsreferstothestudyofspatialrelations.Itisthestudyofthewaythatpeopleusephysicalspacetoconveymessages.Thestudyofproxemicsincludesthreetypesofspace:fixed-featurespace,semifixed-featurespace,andpersonalspace.1.Fixed-featurespaceFixed-featurespacesuchasarchitectureandthespacingofbuildingsdiffersfromcountrytocountry.Theoriginoffixed-featurespaceisrelatedtotheculturalneedsforterritoriality.2.Semifixed-featurespaceSemifixed-featurespacereferstospatialarrangementsofmovableobjectswithinaroom,suchasfilecabinetsandothertypesoffurniture.Semifixed-featurespacediffersacrosscultures.Thearrangementofofficespaceusuallyconveyssomeinformation.Inadditiontotheofficesizeandlocation,thefurnishingalsomeansalot.3.PersonalspacePersonalspacereferstothespacethatapersonunconsciouslyconstructsaroundhimselforherself.Howclosecanwegettopeople?Whatisasafedistanceweshouldkeepfromothers?PsychologistshaveidentifiedfourzonesofinteractionfortheAmericans:theintimatezone,thepersonalzone,thesocialzone,andthepubliczone.Theintimatezoneisusuallyreservedforparents,children,andspouses.Thepersonalzoneisforclosefriends.Itisalsothebestdistancetocreaterapportandbuildrelationships.Thesocialzoneisoftenusedinbusinesssituations,inwhichpeopleinteractinamoreformalandimpersonalway.Thepubliczoneisusedinsuchsituationsascallingacrossaroom,teachinginaclassroom,orgivingatalktoagroup.IntimatezonePersonalzoneSocialzonePubliczoneParalanguageisanimportantnonverbalcommunicationsignal.Thesoundsthataccompanyorallanguagecanalsotransmitcertainmeaningswhenpeoplecommunicatewithothers.Paralanguageliesbetweenverbalcommunicationandnonverbalcommunication.Itinvolvessoundsbutnotwords.Itincludesmanyvocalelementssuchasspeechrate,pitch,stress,intonation,volume,andsoon,whichcanaffectthemeaningofamessage.1.StressandintonationOnegoodwaytoillustratethepowerofparalanguageistoreadthesamesentencewithdifferentstressesandintonations.Forexample,thesentence“John,youloveMary”canbereadverydifferentlyandcanconveyvariousmeanings.Couldyougetthedifferentmeaningsofthesentences?John,youloveMary.(declarativestatementoffact)John,youloveMary?(question;Ithoughtyoulove

someoneelse.)John,youloveMary!(excitement)John,youloveMary?(IthoughtBilllovesher.)John,youloveMary.(Ithoughtitisjustfriendship.)Intonationsindicatethemoodandattitudeofaspeaker.Forexample,“That’sgreat”isasentencewithpositivemeaningliterally.However,whenitisutteredwithaparticularintonationundercertaincircumstances(e.g.“That’sgreat.Imissthetrainagain.”),itsmeaningcanbenegative.2.SpeechrateTalkingatafastpacemakesitdifficultforpeopletokeepupwiththemessageandfollowthetrainofthought.Itmayalsoleaveanimpressionthatthespeakerisbad-tempered,impatient,orunreliable.Ontheotherhand,peoplewhospeakrelativelyslowlyusuallygiveotherstheimpressionofbeingconfident,careful,andprudent.Theyappearrelaxedandmayleaveagoodimpressiononthepeopletheytalkto.However,speakingataveryslowpacerendersthecommunicationboringandthelistenersmaysoonbecomeabsent-minded.Therefore,itisnecessarytouseaproperspeechrate.SpeechrateSpeechrate

nevous

excitedinterested

bad-tempered,impatient,orunreliableconfident,careful,andprudent3.VolumeVolumereferstothepowerofone’svoice,i.e.thedegreeofloudnessorsoftnessofone’svoice.ToohighavoiceToolowavoiceBodylanguageisnotconfinedtohandorarmgestures.Ithasamuchlargerscope,coveringanylittlemovementofanypartofthebody.Bodylanguageisalsoanimportantkindofnonverbalcommunication.1.PosturePosture,thewaypeoplepositiontheirbodieswhentheysit,stand,orwalk,cansendpositiveornegativenonverbalmessages.Differentposturesconveydifferentinformation.Whenpeopleareinteractingininterculturalenvironments,sharpdifferencescanbeseenintermsofwhatposturesareusedandwhatmeaningstheyconvey.2.GestureGestureisanotheraspectofbodylanguage.Thesamegesturemayconveydifferentmeaningsindifferentcultures.Wordsareoftenaccompaniedbydistinctfacialexpressions.Inmanycultures,whenpeoplearesurprised,theymayopentheireyeswidelyandalsoopentheirmouths.Whentheylikesomething,theymaybeam.1.SmilesPeopleinallculturessmileattimes.However,themeaningofasmilemayvary.Itcanindicatejoyandamusement.Itcanalsoindicateembarrassment.2.AngerAngerisalsoimportantinnonverbalcommunication.Whenpeopleareangry,theymighthavedifferentreactions.

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DCaseAnalysisHowtoanalyzeacase?Caseanalysisisaveryimportantteachingmethodininterculturalbusiness

communication.Therearefivemoves:ŸSummary:Summarizethecasewithin100words.ŸTheory:Choosetheinterculturaltheoryyoumayuse.ŸExplanationtotheory:Explainthetheory.ŸRelatingtheorytocase:Applythetheorytothecaseanalysis.ŸSolutionorevaluation:Providesolutionstotheproblemsorevaluatethecase.

ŸSummaryJohnAndersonwasaprogrammanagerfromNewYorkwhowasinchargeofamulticulturalteaminIndonesia.HecouldnotunderstandtheIndonesiannormsintreatingthetimeandthespace.ThelackofknowledgeinIndonesianculturemadehimintrouble.TheoryChronemicsandproxemics.ŸExplanationtotheoryChronemicsisthestudyofhowpeopleperceiveandusetime.Attitudestowardtimevaryfromculturetoculture.AccordingtoAmericananthropologistHall,therearetwowaysofunderstandingtime:monochronicandpolychronic.Monochronictimemeanspayingattentiontoanddoingonlyonethingatatime.Polychronictimemeansbeinginvolvedwithmanythingsatonce.ŸRelatingtheorytocaseIn