about nonverbal communications

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1 ABOUT NONVERBAL COMMUNICATIONS Part 1: GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS* Adam Blatner, M.D. (Revised August 1, 2002) (* In Part 2 I'll talk about how people can learn to become more sensitive to this dimension of human experience.) Psychotherapists, group leaders in management training, patients themselves, and people in personal growth programs all can benefit from learning about the nature and impact of nonverbal communications. This paper will review the major categories of this dimension of interpersonal behavior. The major categories of nonverbal communications include the following (and will be discussed in greater detail further): personal space eye contact position posture paralanguage expression gesture touch locomotion pacing adornment context physiologic responses The Significance of Nonverbal Communications Stated briefly, how something is expressed may carry more significance and weight than what is said, the words themselves. Accompanied by a smile or a frown, said with a loud, scolding voice or a gentle, easy one, the contents of our communications are framed by our holistic perceptions of their context. Those sending the messages may learn to understand themselves better as well as learning to exert some greater consciousness about their manner of speech. Those receiving the messages may learn to better understand their Cross Cultural Undrestanding Kurniawan, SS., M.Pd (0812 7681 7950 / 0815 3733 147)

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Page 1: About Nonverbal Communications

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ABOUT NONVERBAL COMMUNICATIONS

Part 1: GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS* Adam Blatner, M.D.

(Revised August 1, 2002)

(* In Part 2 I'll talk about how people can learn to become more sensitive to this dimension of human experience.)

 Psychotherapists, group leaders in management training, patients themselves, and people in personal growth programs all can benefit from learning about the nature and impact of nonverbal communications. This paper will review the major categories of this dimension of interpersonal behavior.

 The major categories of nonverbal communications include the following (and will be discussed in greater detail further):  

personal space eye contact position

posture paralanguage expression

gesture touch locomotion

pacing adornment  context

  physiologic responses  

The Significance of Nonverbal Communications

Stated briefly, how something is expressed may carry more significance and weight than what is said, the words themselves. Accompanied by a smile or a frown, said with a loud, scolding voice or a gentle, easy one, the contents of our communications are framed by our holistic perceptions of their context. Those sending the messages may learn to understand themselves better as well as learning to exert some greater consciousness about their manner of speech. Those receiving the messages may learn to better understand their own intuitive responses–sometimes in contrast to what it seems "reasonable" to think.

Part of our culture involves an unspoken rule that people should ignore these nonverbal elements– as if the injunction were, "hear what I say, and don't notice the way I say it." These elements are often ignored in school or overridden by parents, so the task of incorporating conscious sensitivity to nonverbal communications is made more difficult.

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Of course the early therapists attended to such cues, but little was written about ways to really bring such elements into sharper awareness until the work of pioneers such as Reich, Moreno, and  Perls. Even today many clinical training programs give short shrift to the task of really acquainting their students with the nuances of this vital dimension. (I speculate that this is because it is a very revealing study, and teachers need to feel remarkably secure in their own persona, that way they come across to others.)

Internal Cues

Nonverbal communication occurs not only between people, but also internally. People grimace, stand in certain postures, and in other ways behave so as to reinforce to themselves certain positions, attitudes, and implicit beliefs. Unconsciously, they suggest to themselves the role they choose to play, submissive or dominant, trusting or wary, controlled or spontaneous. Thus, a therapist can use nonverbal behavior to diagnose intrapsychic as well as interpersonal dynamics, and individuals can be helped to become aware of their own bodily reactions as clues to their developing greater insight.

Learning by Doing

People and especially, people who work with or help other people–managers, teachers, etc.--would do well to read about nonverbal communications. (It will also help to read Part 2, about how to use experiential exercises to actually get the feel of a wide range of behaviors. This adds a deeper level of understanding to mere intellectual knowledge.)

Categories of Nonverbal Communications

Personal Space: This category refers to the distance which people feel comfortable approaching others or having others approach them. People from certain countries, such as parts of Latin America or the Middle East often feel comfortable standing closer to each other, while persons of Northern European descent tend to prefer a relatively greater distance. Different distances are also intuitively assigned for situations involving intimate relations, ordinary personal relationships (e.g., friends), social relations (e.g., co-workers or salespeople), or in public places (e.g., in parks, restaurants, or on the street. (Keltner, 1970).

Eye Contact: This rich dimension speaks volumes. The Spanish woman in the Nineteenth Century combined eye language with the aid of a fan to say what was not permissible to express explicitly. Eye contact modifies the meaning of other nonverbal behaviors. For example, people on

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elevators or crowds can adjust their sense of personal space if they agree to limit eye contact. What happens if this convention isn't followed? (Scheflen, 1972.) This issue of eye contact is another important aspect of nonverbal communication.

Modern American business culture values a fair degree of eye contact in interpersonal relations, and looking away is sensed as avoidance or even deviousness. However, some cultures raise children to minimize eye contact, especially with authority figures, lest one be perceived as arrogant or "uppity." When cultures interact, this inhibition of gaze may be misinterpreted as "passive aggressive" or worse.

Position: The position one takes vis-a-vis the other(s), along with the previous two categories of distance between people and angle of eye contact all are subsumed under a more general category of "proxemics" in the writings on nonverbal communications (Scheflen, 1963).

Posture: A person's bodily stance communicates a rich variety of messages. Consider the following postures and the emotional effect they seem to suggest:  

slouching  stiff  slumped

twisted (wary) cringing towering

crouching angled torso legs spread

pelvis tilt shoulders forward general tightness

kneeling angle of head jaw thrust

  Paralanguage: "Non-lexical" vocal communications may be considered a type of nonverbal communication, in its broadest sense, as it can suggest many emotional nuances. This category includes a number of sub-categories:  Inflection (rising, falling, flat...)  Pacing (rapid, slow, measured, changing...)  Intensity (loud, soft, breathy,... )  Tone (nasal, operatic, growling, wheedling, whining...)  Pitch (high, medium, low, changes...)  Pauses (meaningful, disorganized, shy, hesitant...)]

Facial Expression: The face is more highly developed as an organ of expression in humans than any other animal. Some of these become quite habitual, almost fixed into the chronic muscular structure of the face. For instance, in some parts of the South, the regional pattern of holding the jaw tight creates a slight bulge in the temples due to an

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overgrowth or "hypertrophy" of those jaw muscles that arise in that area. This creates a characteristic appearance. The squint of people who live a lot in the sun is another example. More transient expressions often reveal feelings that a person is not intending to communicate or even aware of. Here are just a few to warm you up:

pensive amused sad barely tolerant

warning pouting anxious sexually attracted

startled confused sleepy intoxicated

  Gesture: There are many kinds of gestures:

clenching fist shaking a finger pointing

biting fingernails tugging at hair squirming

rubbing chin smoothing hair folding arms

raising eyebrows pursing lips narrowing eyes 

scratching head  looking away hands on hips

hands behind head rubbing nose rocking

sticking out tongue tugging earlobe waving

   These, too, have many different meanings in different cultures, and what may be friendly in one country or region can be an insult in another (Morris et al, 1979, Maginnis, 1958).

Touch: How one person touches another communicates a great deal of information: Is a grip gentle or firm, and does one hold the other person on the back of the upper arm, on the shoulder, or in the middle of the back. Is the gesture a push or a tug? Is the touch closer to a pat, a rub, or a grabbing? People have different areas of personal intimacy, and this refers not only to the sexual dimension, but also the dimension of self control. Many adolescents are particularly sensitive to any touching that could be interpreted as patronizing or undue familiarity. Even the angle of one's holding another's hand might suggest a hurrying or coercive implicit attitude, or on the other hand, a respectful, gentle, permission-giving approach (Smith, Clance & Imes, 1998, Jones, 1994).

Locomotion: The style of physical movement in space also communicates a great deal, as well as affecting the feelings of the person doing the moving (Morris, 1977):

slither crawl  totter walk 

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stroll shuffle hurry run

jog spring tiptoe march

jump hop skip climb

swing  acrobatics swim  slink 

  Pacing: This is the way an action is done.

jerky pressured nervous gradual

graceful fatigued tense easy

shaky deliberate furtive clumsy

         A related variable is the time it takes to react to a stimulus, called "latency of response." Some people seem to react to questions, interact in conversations, or are slower or faster "on the uptake" than others.

Adornment: Our communications are also affected by a variety of other variables, such as clothes, makeup, and accessories. These offer signals relating to context (e.g. formal vs. informal), status, and individuality. The ways people carry cigarettes, pipes, canes, or relate to their belts, suspenders, or glasses also suggests different semiotic meanings. (Semiotics is the science of the emotional or psychological impact of signs, appearances–not words–that's "semantics"-- but of how things look.) Context: While this category is not actually a mode of nonverbal communication, the setting up of a room or how one places oneself in that room is a powerfully suggestive action. Where one sits in the group is often useful in diagnosing that person's attitude toward the situation. Group leaders or psychodrama directors need to be especially alert to the way the group room is organized. Consider the following variables and imagine how they might affect the interaction:  - amount and source of light  - color of the lighting  - obvious props, a podium, blackboard  - the size of the room  - colors of the walls, floor, furniture  - seating arrangements  - number of people present  - environmental sounds, smells, and temperature  - the numbers and ratios of high-status and low status people  - the positioning of the various people in the space,      who sits next to whom, who sits apart, who sits close, etc.

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Physiological Responses: This, too, is an exceptional category, because it cannot be practiced voluntarily. Still, it's useful for therapists and group members to become more aware of these subtle signs of emotion. It often helps to comment on these observations, as it implicitly gives permission to the person experiencing the emotion to more fully open to that feeling; or, sometimes, to more actively suppress it. Either way, the existence of that signal is made explicit in the group process. Some of the clues to physiological processes include:  

shaking flaring of nostrils trembling chin

sweating blanching cold clammy skin

blushing moisture in eyes flushing

blinking swallowing breathing heavily

     

While a few of these behaviors can be mimicked, for the most part these reactions happen involuntarily. The only exercise is to watch for these reactions in oneself or others, at least mentally note their occurrence, and consider what the meaning of that emotional reaction might be.

Modifying Communication Patterns

 It's important to realize that these are just habits, culturally and personally learned behaviors that can be un-learned and new ones learned in their stead. Role playing or psychodrama can be an adjunct to this kind of re-education, in a process of personal development for people who are essentially pretty healthy, as well as part of psychotherapy. Assertion training for the timid and anger management for the more explosive are two sets of re-training programs that could make great use of attention given to nonverbal styles of self-expression, internal cueing, and communications.

This role training may be a source of insight as well as merely behavioral re-conditioning. The enactments of nonverbal behaviors may be associated with scenes in which these behaviors occur and where there were first learned. Such enactments can help people connect their behaviors with underlying attitudes, such as expectations of others, fantasies that criticism will be catastrophically destructive, or a forlorn hope of magical rescue. And then re-playing these scenes with various alternative elements may help re-align those underlying attitudes.

Summary

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People react to the unspoken, as much (if not more) to how something is said as to what are the explicit meaning of the words. Misunderstandings can often be clarified if the people involved have the ability to notice and comment on the nonverbal communications in an interaction. People will benefit from learning the range of nonverbal behaviors in order to clarify the often subtle dynamics of the situations they find themselves in. For example, in a marriage, sometimes the other person gets irritated by some mysterious event: Exploring what was the problem may lead to an awareness that the way something was said communicated an unintended meaning!  By making the nonverbal communication more clear, misunderstandings can be resolved.

The field of nonverbal communications has grown rapidly over the last few decades, and it has applications in business, media, international relations, education, and indeed any field which significantly involves interpersonal and group dynamics. Certainly there is a need for more psychological mindedness in all these realms.

In Part 2 of this Topic, on another webpage, I discuss how techniques of experiential education can help to learn about this dimension and how to become more sensitive to these dynamics.

REFERENCES

(Including general books or papers on the subject not mentioned in the paper)

Blatner, A. (1985). Becoming aware of nonverbal communication. In A. Blatner, Role development: A systematic approach to building basic skills. San Marcos, TX: Author. (Now out of print.)

Fast, J. (1971). Body language. New York: Pocket Books.

Hickson III, Mark L. & Stacks, Don W. (1985). Nonverbal communication: Studies and applications. Dubuque, IA: Wm. C. Brown.

Jones, Stanley E. (1994). The right touch: Understanding and using the language of physical contact. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press

Keltner, J.W. (1970). The eloquence of action: Nonverbal communication. In J.W. Keltner, Interpersonal Speech-Communication. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing.

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Knapp, M.L. (1980). Essentials of nonverbal communication. New York: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston. (Excellent review and  contains extensive references.)

Maginnis, M. (1958). Gesture and status. Group Psychotherapy, 11(1), 105-109.

Morris, D. (1977). Manwatching: A field guide to human behavior. New York: Harry N. Abrams.

Morris, D., Collett, P., Marsh, P., & O'Shaughnessy, M. (1979). Gestures: Their origins and distribution. New York: Stein & Kay.

Scheflen, A .E. (1963). Communication and regulation in psychotherapy. Psychiatry, 26(2), 126-136.

Scheflen, A.E. (1972). Body language and the social order. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Smith, E. W. L., Clance, P. R., & Imes, S. (Eds.). (1998). Touch in psychotherapy: Theory, research, and practice. New York: Guilford.

Spiegel, J.P. (Sept. 1967). Classification of body messages. Archives of General Psychiatry, 17, 298-305.

Non-Verbal Commuication Modes What is non-verbal communication?

Definition  “nonverbal communication involves those nonverbal stimuli in a communication setting that are generated by both the source [speaker] and his or her use of the environment and that have potential message value for the source or receiver [listener].   Basically it is sending and receiving messages in a variety of ways without the use of verbal codes (words).  It is both intentional and unintentional.  Most speakers / listeners are not conscious of this.   It includes — but is not limited to:

o toucho glanceo eye contact (gaze)

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o volumeo vocal nuanceo proximityo gestureso facial expression ? pause (silence)o intonationo dresso postureo smello word choice and syntaxo sounds (paralanguage)

Broadly speaking, there are two basic categories of non-verbal language:         nonverbal messages produced by the body;         nonverbal messages produced by the broad setting (time, space, silence)

Why is non-verbal communication important? Basically, it is one of the key aspects of communication (and especially important in a high-context culture).  It has multiple functions:  

o Used to repeat the verbal message (e.g. point in a direction while stating directions.

o Often used to accent a verbal message. (e.g. verbal tone indicates the actual meaning of the specific words).

o Often complement the verbal message but also may contradict.  E.g.: a nod reinforces a positive message (among Americans); a “wink” may contradict a stated positive message.

o Regulate interactions (non-verbal cues covey when the other person should speak or not speak).

o May substitute for the verbal message (especially if it is blocked by noise, interruption, etc) — i.e. gestures (finger to lips to indicate need for quiet), facial expressions (i.e. a nod instead of a yes).

Note the implications of the proverb: “Actions speak louder than words.”  In essence, this underscores the importance of non-verbal

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communication.  Non-verbal communication is especially significant in intercultural situations. Probably non-verbal differences account for typical difficulties in communicating.

Cultural Differences in Non-verbal Communication

1. General Appearance and Dress

All cultures are concerned for how they look and make judgements based on looks and dress.  Americans, for instance, appear almost obsessed with dress and personal attractiveness.  Consider differing cultural standards on what is attractive in dress and on what constitutes modesty. Note ways dress is used as a sign of status?

2. Body Movement

We send information on attitude toward person (facing or leaning towards another), emotional statue (tapping fingers, jiggling coins), and desire to control the environment (moving towards or away from a person).

More than 700,000 possible motions we can make — so impossible to categorize them all!  But just need to be aware the body movement and position is a key ingredient in sending messages.

3. Posture

Consider the following actions and note cultural differences:

o Bowing (not done, criticized, or affected in US; shows rank in Japan)

o Slouching (rude in most Northern European areas)o Hands in pocket (disrespectful in Turkey)o Sitting with legs crossed (offensive in Ghana, Turkey)o Showing soles of feet. (Offensive in Thailand, Saudi Arabia)o Even in US, there is a gender difference on acceptable

posture?

4. Gestures

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Impossible to catalog them all.  But need to recognize: 1) incredible possibility and variety and 2) that an acceptable in one’s own culture may be offensive in another.  In addition, amount of gesturing varies from culture to culture.  Some cultures are animated; other restrained.  Restrained cultures often feel animated cultures lack manners and overall restraint.  Animated cultures often feel restrained cultures lack emotion or interest.

Even simple things like using hands to point and count differ.

Pointing : US with index finger; Germany with little finger; Japanese with entire hand (in fact most Asians consider pointing with index finger to be rude)

Counting:  Thumb = 1 in Germany, 5 in Japan, middle finger for 1 in Indonesia.  

5. Facial Expressions

While some say that facial expressions are identical, meaning attached to them differs.  Majority opinion is that these do have similar meanings world-wide with respect to smiling, crying, or showing anger, sorrow, or disgust.  However, the intensity varies from culture to culture.  Note the following:

o Many Asian cultures suppress facial expression as much as possible.

o Many Mediterranean (Latino / Arabic) cultures exaggerate grief or sadness while most American men hide grief or sorrow.

o Some see “animated” expressions as a sign of a lack of control.o Too much smiling is viewed in as a sign of shallowness.o Women smile more than men.

 

6. Eye Contact and Gaze

In USA, eye contact indicates: degree of attention or interest, influences attitude change or persuasion, regulates interaction, communicates emotion, defines power and status, and has a central role in managing impressions of others.

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o Western cultures — see direct eye to eye contact as positive (advise children to look a person in the eyes).  But within USA, African-Americans use more eye contact when talking and less when listening with reverse true for Anglo Americans.  This is a possible cause for some sense of unease between races in US.  A prolonged gaze is often seen as a sign of sexual interest.

o Arabic cultures make prolonged eye-contact. — believe it shows interest and helps them understand truthfulness of the other person.  (A person who doesn’t reciprocate is seen as untrustworthy)

o Japan, Africa, Latin American, Caribbean — avoid eye contact to show respect.

 

7. Touch

Question: Why do we touch, where do we touch, and what meanings do we assign when someone else touches us?

Illustration: An African-American male goes into a convenience store recently taken over by new Korean immigrants.  He gives a $20 bill for his purchase to Mrs Cho who is cashier and waits for his change.  He is upset when his change is put down on the counter in front of him.

What is the problem?  Traditional Korean (and many other Asian countries) don’t touch strangers., especially between members of the opposite sex.   But the African-American sees this as another example of discrimination (not touching him because he is black).

Basic answer:  Touch is culturally determined!  But each culture has a clear concept of what parts of the body one may not touch.  Basic message of touch is to affect or control  — protect, support, disapprove (i.e. hug, kiss, hit, kick).

o USA — handshake is common (even for strangers), hugs, kisses for those of opposite gender or of family (usually) on an increasingly  more intimate basis. Note differences between African-Americans and Anglos in USA.  Most African

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Americans touch on greeting but are annoyed if touched on the head (good boy, good girl overtones).

o Islamic and Hindu:  typically don’t touch with the left hand.  To do so is a social insult.  Left hand is for toilet functions.  Mannerly in India to break your bread only with your right hand (sometimes difficult for non-Indians)

o  Islamic cultures generally don’t approve of any touching between genders (even hand shakes).  But consider such touching (including hand holding, hugs) between same-sex to be appropriate.

o Many Asians don’t touch the head (Head houses the soul and a touch puts it in jeopardy).

Basic patterns: Cultures (English , German, Scandinavian, Chinese, Japanese) with high emotional restraint concepts have little public touch; those which encourage emotion (Latino, Middle-East, Jewish) accept frequent touches.  

3. Smell

o USA — fear of offensive natural smells (billion dollar industry to mask objectionable odors with what is perceived to be pleasant ) — again connected with “attractiveness” concept.

o Many other cultures consider natural body odors as normal (Arabic).

o Asian cultures (Filipino, Malay, Indonesian, Thai, Indian) stress frequent bathing — and often criticize USA of not bathing often enough!

  Paralanguage

o vocal characterizers (laugh, cry, yell, moan, whine, belch, yawn).  These send different messages in different cultures (Japan — giggling indicates embarrassment; India – belch indicates satisfaction)

o vocal qualifiers (volume, pitch, rhythm, tempo, and tone).  Loudness indicates strength in Arabic cultures and softness indicates weakness; indicates confidence and authority to the Germans,; indicates impoliteness to the Thais; indicates loss of control to the Japanese. (Generally, one learns not to “shout” in Asia for nearly any reason!).  Gender based as well: women tend to speak higher and more softly than men.

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o vocal segregates (un-huh, shh, uh, ooh, mmmh, humm, eh, mah, lah).  Segregates indicate formality, acceptance, assent, uncertainty.

Non-Verbal Communication: The “Silent” Cross-Cultural Contact With Indonesians

Muhammad Handi Gunawan, S.Pd

Lembaga Bahasa LIA BuahBatu Bandung

A. Non-Verbal Communication

This paper reviews key issues in cross-cultural communication; verbal communication and non-verbal communication. Verbal communication is defined as spoken

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communication, including the use of words and intonation to convey meaning. On the other hand, non-verbal communication is “silent” communication, including the use of gestures, postures, position, eye contact, facial expressions, and conversational distance.

The issue of non-verbal communication is related to the teaching of Indonesian to speakers of other languages. The learners studying Indonesian should not only be equipped with the language itself but also the Indonesian culture because “……………to know another’s language and not his culture is a very good way to make a fluent fool of one’s self”(Brembeck, Winston:1977) and “Culture hides much more than it reveals, and strangely enough, what it hides, it hides most effectively from its own participants”(Hall, Edward T:1959).

The paper will limit itself to non-verbal communication or speaking without words, not verbal communication. It will put emphasis on the importance of non-verbal communication concepts, because without them, a real communication can not be conducted smoothly and successfully. Moreover, the paper is also going to explore the similarities and differences of non-verbal communication between Indonesians and non-Indonesian speakers. By doing comparisons, the learners learning Indonesian will avoid themselves from interpreting non-verbal communication that is culturally different from their own.

If we don’t understand the non-verbal communication from different culture, it is possible that we can make a mistake of reading the other person incorrectly. Some forms of non-verbal signals are the same and universal and they have the same meaning or interpretation. But, the other forms are different and the have different meaning too, or no meaning in the other culture. Craig Storti in “Figuring Out” as quoted by Wienchecki (1999) mentions three main categories of non-verbal communication in the cross-cultural context. These are:a. Non-verbal behaviours which exist in your own culture and in the target culture which have the same meaning in both cultures.

b. Non-verbal behaviours which exist in both cultures, but which are assigned different meanings in the two cultures.

c. Non-verbal behaviours which have meaning in one culture but no meaning at all in the target language.

In addition, just as verbal language differs from culture to culture, the non-verbal language may also differ. One gesture may be common in a certain country and have a clear interpretation, it may be meaningless in another culture or even have an opposite meaning. Take, for example, the cultural interpretations and implications of hand gestures, the ring gesture, the thumb-up and V sign (Pease, Allan:1990).r

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The question now is “Which communication is practiced more in our daily life?” Is it verbal communication or non-verbal communication ? Albert Mehrabian as quoted also by Pease found that the total impact of a message is about 7 percent verbal (words only) and 38 percent vocal (including tone of voice, inflection, and other sounds) and 55 percent non-verbal. One study also done in the United States showed that 93 percent of a message was transmitted by the speaker’s tone of voice and facial expressions. Only 7 percent of the person’s attitude was conveyed by words. Apparently, we express our emotions and attitudes more non-verbally than verbally (Adelman and Levine:1993).

B. Non-Verbal Gestures

The following are the examples of non-verbal gestures which have the same and different meaning in the United States and Indonesia (Pease:1990, and Adelman:1993)

a. When we are happy, we usually smile. In other words, smiling is typically an expression of pleasure. It can also show affection, convey politeness or even disguise true feelings. But, it depends on the situations and relationships. A woman’s smile at a police officer does not carry the same meaning when she smiles to a young child. In Asian cultures including Indonesia, smiling is also used to cover emotional pain or embarrassment. When the students are late to come to the class or they can’t answer the questions from the teacher, they are possible to smile to cover their embarrassment.

b. When we are sad or angry, we can frown, scowl, or even cry. In Arab and Iranian cultures, people express grief openly. They mourn out loud, while people from China, Japan, and Indonesia are more subdued.

c. When we indicate “no” or negation, we usually shake our head from side to side. Shaking head from side to side is also used to show disagreement or have negative attitude. If we have a friend who is arrested by the police officer for the third time because of his crime, we may shake our head from side to side to show the disagreement or negative attitude towards his crime.

d. When we do not know or understand what people are talking about, we usually shrug our shoulders.e. The “Ring” or “OK” gesture has different meaning in different countries. In the USA and in English speaking countries, the ring or OK gesture means “Everything is OK”. In France it can

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also mean zero or nothing. In Japan it can mean ‘money, in some Mediterranean countries, it is used to infer that a man is homosexual. In Indonesia, the ring gesture means zero.

f. The thumb-up gesture has three meanings in Britain, Australia, and New Zealand. It is commonly used by hitch-hikers who are thumbing a lift, it is an OK signal, it is probably an insult signal meaning “up yours” or “sit on this” when the thumb is jerked sharply upwards. In Greece, its main meaning is “get stuffed”. In Italy, when people count from one to five, they use the thumb to mean “one” and the index finger becomes “two”. In Australia, America, England and Indonesia, people count “one” on the index finger and two on the middle finger, hence, the thumb will be number five. In Indonesia, the thumb gesture means good job or response to someone who has completed an excellent job. It also means “delicious” when we taste delicious food. In Indonesia, if we want to stop the public transportation to take us to a certain place, we use the index finger to stop it, not the thumb.

g. The V sign has an “up yours” interpretation in Australia, New Zealand, and Great Britain. The palm faces

towards the speaker for the insult version. In USA, the V sign means victory but the two fingers and the palm face out. In Indonesia, whether the palm faces towards the speaker or the palm faces out, the V sign means number two.

h. Scratching the head can mean a number of things-dandruff, fleas, sweating, uncertainty, forgetfulness or lying. It depends on the other gestures or the situations that happen at the same time. If the student scratches his head when he answers the question given by the teacher, scratching the head can mean that he forgets or he is not sure about the answer.

i. Someone is sitting at a bus terminal with arms and legs tightly crossed and chin down and it is raining, it may mean that he feels cold, not defensive. If the person uses the same gesture while we are sitting across a table from him trying to sell him an idea or product, it can mean that he is negative or defensive about the situation.

j. If a boy is introduced to a pretty and charming girl and he winks one of his eyes, it can be interpreted that the boy likes her or the boy is interested in further relationship with her.

k. If we feel disappointed, we usually put our fist under our chin.

l. If we want to get the attention of a pretty or charming girl who passes in front of us (a group of boys), we can whistle.m. In USA, beckoning people to come with the palm up is common or acceptable, however, in the Philiphines, Korea, and parts of Latin America as well as other countries the same gesture is considered rude. In some countries, only an animal which can be beckoned with

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the palm up. In Indonesia, when we want to beckon someone we extend one arm in front of us and, with the palm down, wave to the person to come.

n. Eye contact is important because it shows intimacy, attention, and influence. In general, Indonesian makes less eye contact with strangers in big cities than in small towns. In Indonesian small town, it usual for two strangers walking each other to make eye contact, smile and perhaps say “Hi !”, “Good Morning” or even “Where are you going”.

C. CROSS-CULTURAL ACTIVITIES

The activities below are taken from Adelman and Levine(1993)

# Act out the following situations by using body language:

1.You can not hear your friend’s voice

2.You want a child to come to your side

3.Your friend has just walked into the class to take an important examination. Wish him or her good luck4.Somebody has asked you a question, and you do not know the answer

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5.You want to tell your friend that the lecture is boring

6.You signal to your friend that the person on the phone is talking too much

7.You are ready to enter the restaurant when you notice that a simple dinner costs almost Rp.50.000,00

8.You want to express “Oh, not again!”

9.You want to tell your friend that you have forgotten to bring something.

10.You want to tell your friend to wait a second or slow down.

11.You want to tell your friend that everything is OK.

# Multiple-Choice Questionnaire

1. Signaling a waiter is done by:

In Indonesia:……………………….

In the United States:

a.Signaling the fingers

b.Whistling

c.Raising one hand briefly

d.Saying,”Waiter,” and gesturing to him

2.How do people end conversations nonverbally?

In Indonesia:……………………..

In the United States:

a.They look at their watches

b.They look away from the speaker

c.They back up slowly

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d.They stop talking abruptly

3.The best way to get a teacher’s attention is to:In Indonesia:………………………..In the United States:a.Snap your fingersb.Raise your hand until the teacher calls on youc.Raise your hand and lower it when the teacher notices that you have a question.d.Call out the teacher’s name

4.When you are being introduced, what do you do in addition to speaking (e.g., what do you do with your hands)?In Indonesia:……………………….In the United States:a.Shake hands lightlyb.Shake hands firmly for a few secondsc.Shake hands until the introduction is completely finishedd.Shake hands and then bow

5.When you are introduced, what kind of eye contact do you use?In Indonesia:………………………In the United States:a.Make direct eye contactb.Avoid eye contactc.Make eye contact and then quickly look awayd.Make eye contact and then look at the floor

6.Nonverbally, how would you get the attention of a busy secretary in an office?In Indonesia:……………………………….In the United States:a.Stand by the door and wait until the secretary looks at youb.Stand close to the secretary until you are noticedc.Sit down near the secretary and remain silent until you are noticedd.Tap the secretary on the shoulder

7.If a student does not understand a point a teacher makes in class, it is best to:In Indonesia:……………………..

In the United States:

a.Raise a hand and ask for clarification

b.Look confused

c.Remain silent and ask the teacher after the class

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d.Leave the class

8.How do you motion to a person to come to you?

In Indonesia:………………………

In the United States:

a.Extend both arms in front of you and, with your palms up, wave to the person to come

b.Roll your eyes in the direction you want the person to come

c.Extend one arm in front of you and, with your palm up, wave to the person to come

d.Extend one arm in front of you and, with your palm down, wave to the person to come

Bibliography

Adelman, Mara B and Levine Deena R.1993.Beyond Language:Cross-Cultural Communication.New Jersey:Prentice Hall Regents.

Brembeck, Winston.1997.The Development and Teaching of a College Course in Intercultural Communication.Readings in Intercultural Communication.Pittburgh:SIETAR Publications, University of Pittsburgh.

Edward T.Hall.1959.The Silent language. A Fawcett Premier Book.

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Pease, Allan.1990.Body Language:How to Read Other’s Thoughts by Their Gestures. Sheldon Press London.

Wiechecki, Barbara.1999.Non-Verbal Communication:Classroom Activities For Raising Cross-Cultural Awareness.TEFLIN Paper.

Cross Cultural UndrestandingKurniawan, SS., M.Pd (0812 7681 7950 / 0815 3733 147)