Gestures and Body Positioning

Culture Learning Questions

1 What gestures and facial expressions do people use while communicating in your culture? Do they differ in other cultures?

2 Do people shake hands in your country? If so, are handshakes similar to (or different from) handshakes in the United States?

3 In your country, do men and women shake hands in the same way or differently?

Cultural Note

Gestures are specific body movement that carry meaning. Hand motions alone can convey many meanings: “Come here”, “Go away”, “It’s OK” and “That’s expensive” are just a few examples. For example, beckoning people to come with the palm up is common in the United States. This same gesture in the Philippines, Korea, and parts of Latin America as well as other countries is considered rude. In some countries, only an animal would be beckoned with the palm up.

As children, we imitate and learn to use these nonverbal movements to accompany or replace words. When travelling to another country, foreign visitors soon learn that not all gestures are universal. For example, the “O.K.” gesture in the American culture is a symbol for money in Japan. This same gesture is obscene in some Latin American countries. (This is why the editors of a Brazilian newspaper enjoyed publishing a picture of a former American president giving the “O.K.” symbol with both hands!)

Many American business executives enjoy relaxing with their feet up on their desks. But to show a person from Saudi Arabia or Thailand the sole of one’s foot is extremely insulting, because the foot is considered the dirtiest part of the body.

It’s also important in the United States to have a handshake that is firm (strong). This is especially important in the business world. A handshake shouldn’t be so strong that it hurts the other person, but it should be firm. Many Americans believe that a weak (gentle, soft) handshake means that the person also has a weak character and is not honest. Americans believe that a firm and brief handshake is a sign of confidence, whereas a loose handshake signifies a lack of character or strength.

Different gestures are distinguished. Gestures of open-heartedness are an evidence of sincerity and wish to speak frankly.

The gesture “opened arms” consists of stretching out one’s hands with their palms up. This gesture demonstrates the wish to meet the needs and to establish communication with the interlocutor.

The gesture “unfasten the coat” is also a sign of sincerity. Sincere and friendly people often unbutton their jacket and even take it off in your presence. The experience shows that it is easier to reach the agreement when the interlocutors are in unbutton jackets. A person who changes his opinion usually unclenches his hands and unbuttons his jacket.

Gestures of suspiciousness or latency are an evidence of distrust, doubt of your rightness and wish to conceal something and keep something from you. In such cases the interlocutor mechanically rubs hid forehead, temples, chin; tries to cover the mouth with the hand. But more often he tries not to see you in the face (the person looks aside).

The other sign of secretiveness is non-coordination of gestures. For example, if a person rubs his forehead or temples and at the same time smiles it means that he tries to hide his secretiveness with the help of an artificial smile. Body language comprises different gestures of business communication:

1) Gestures of establishing the contact between the interlocutor and the audience:

a) The arms are bent and stretched forward. The quick up and down movements are made. It is used for introduction and fixing the spoken information in the memory of the listeners.

b) The right arm is bent and pulled ahead. The fingers are moved apart. This gesture is showing the contact with each interlocutor in the room.

2) Gesture of subdivision. The right arm is bent and turned up, the hand is opened and turned ahead. The arm makes rhythmical up and down movements.

3) Gesture of attracting attention. The fingers are crooked. It is used to make the words more earnest.

4) Expressing the request of support. Both arms are bent and pulled ahead with the palms up.

5) Gesture of calming the audience. Both arms are bent and pulled ahead with palms down. The up and down rhythmical actions are made. It’s used in order to relieve the tension of the audience.

6) Gesture of expressing one’s own point of view. Both arms are bent and pulled ahead on the breast level with the palms inside (the imitation of embracing of somebody).

7) Gesture of agreement (O.K!) The right arm is bent and risen on the breast level. The tips of the thumb and forefinger adjoin. As a result the ring is formed. The rest fingers are pulled apart.

Date: 2016-04-22; view: 1249