Deck 9: Nonverbal Communication :the Messages of Action, Space, Time,and Silence

Question 1

Go to YouTube and view video 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.

Answer 1

Non-verbal communication is also known as wordless communication. The expressions using gestures, postures, facial expressions, and paralanguage are used while making non-verbal communication. take place.
The use of paralanguage, space and touch mean different in different religion. The use of paralanguage according to Catholic, Buddhist and Jewish religion is as discussed below:
• Catholic: A non-verbal element of catholic people symbolizes their attitude as calm and peace. They are self-centered and hardly interfere in others work. They maintain a good space while communicating with others and they hardly touch other without their permission.
• Buddhist: A non-verbal element shows that they entirely focus on God and believe piously in god and deeds. They use their space in making others focus on God and his praying. They hardly touch others and a touch to them mean to give their blessings and love.
• Jewish: A non-verbal elements show their umpteen loves to worldly pleasures and beliefs on hard work. They use their space in earning money and leading a good and prosperous life. Touch to them is a mean to show their love and bond for each other.

Question 2

Why is it useful to understand the nonverbal language of a culture?

Answer 2

Culture refers to a set of values, belief, norms and standards followed by individuals. Culture binds, shape and control to act in a certain manner.
An individual either inherit a culture by birth or developed with a continuous interaction and observation of the society. Therefore, persons belonging to the same culture exhibit the same non-verbal communication.
It is very useful to understand the non-verbal language of a culture because every culture comes with its do's and don'ts. When an individual communicates with individuals of another culture, it is obviously important for them to understand the non-verbal cues of that particular culture.
For example, in Asian culture, people greet each other by folding both the hands whereas in western culture people greet each other with a smile, a handshake and with a hug. Therefore, if an individual from western culture does the same in Asian culture; it is seen as an unpleasant behavior.
Therefore, one should know about the other what is acceptable and unacceptable according to the different culture. A person can create a negative image, even if they behave or harm others cultural beliefs and value unintentionally.

Question 3

Attend an event-social, religious, etc.-populated by people from a culture different from your own. Make note of any differences between your culture and the culture you are visiting as they apply to greeting behavior, eye contact, voice volume levels, seating arrangements, dress, and the like.

Answer 3

Culture refers to a set of values, belief, norms and standards followed by individuals. Culture binds, shape and control to act in a certain manner.
For example, two individual from different culture (Islamic and Christianity) can observe the following differences between their respective cultures:
• Greeting behavior: In Christianity, people greet each other with a smile, a handshake and with a hug. While in Islamic, people greet by pronouncing "As-Salam Alaykum".
• Eye contact: In Christianity, people maintain a very comfortable and firm eye contact with each other. While in Islam, eye contact with elders is not permissible.
• Voice volume level: In Christianity, voice and volume of a conversation are very normal and soothing for the ears and the environment as compared to Islamic.
• Dressing sense: In Christianity, people wear simple, modern and trendy clothes. While in Islam, people wear hijab.

Question 4

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

Question 5

Locate pictures from magazines and newspapers 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.

Question 6

What is meant by the following: "Most nonverbal communication is learned on the subconscious level."

Question 7

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.

Question 8

Give your culture's interpretation of the following nonverbal actions:
• Two people are speaking loudly, waving their arms, and using many gestures.
• A customer in a restaurant waves his hand over his head and 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.
• Two men kiss in public.

Question 9

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.

Question 10

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

Question 11

Explain the phrase: "Our nonverbal actions usually reflect our culture."

Question 12

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.

Question 13

What is meant by "Nonverbal communication is rule-governed"?