Communication Between Cultures

(Sean Pound) #1

Activities



  1. Go to YouTube and view videos of services of
    three different religions: Catholic, Buddhist, and
    Jewish. Observe the nonverbal elements, noting
    particularly the differences in how members of
    each group use paralanguage, space, and touch.

  2. Locate pictures from magazines, newspapers, and
    the Internet that you believe are showing the
    following emotions through facial expressions:
    (a) anger, (b) joy, (c) sadness, (d) fear, and
    (e) revulsion. Show these pictures to people


from various cultures and see what interpretations
they give to the facial expressions.


  1. Go to YouTube and type in“culture and body
    language.”View some of the videos for examples of
    how cultures differ in their use of body language.

  2. Watch a foreign film and look for examples of
    proxemics, touch, and facial expressions. Compare
    these to those of the dominant culture of the
    United States.


Concepts and Questions



  1. Why is it useful to understand the nonverbal lan-
    guage of a culture?

  2. What are some potential obstacles to accurately
    reading the nonverbal messages of other people?

  3. What is meant by the following:“Most nonverbal
    communication is learned on the subconscious
    level”?

  4. Give your culture’s interpretation of the following
    nonverbal actions:



  • Two people are speaking loudly, waving their
    arms, andusing many gestures.

  • A customer in a restaurant waves his hand over
    his headand snaps his fingers loudly.

  • An elderly woman dresses entirely in black.

  • A young man dresses entirely in black.

  • An adult pats a child’s head.

    • Twomen kiss in public.



    1. How can studying the intercultural aspects of
      nonverbal behavior assist you in discovering your
      own ethnocentrism? Give personal examples.

    2. How late can you be for the following: (a) a class,
      (b) work, (c) a job interview, (d) a dinner party,
      or (e) a date with a friend? Ask this same question
      of members of two or three cultures other than
      your own.

    3. What is meant by“Nonverbal communication is
      rule governed”?

    4. Do you believe that in the United States a person
      who knows how to effectively employ nonverbal
      communication has an advantage over other peo-
      ple? How would the use of these same skills be
      received in Japan, China, Mexico, and India?




338 CHAPTER9•Nonverbal Communication: The Messages of Action, Space, Time, and Silence


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