The Differences of Non-verbal Communication in Different Cultures It‟s often said that if we want to be understood by others, we need to speak out. As a matter of fact, words are not always effective to express our feeling, especially when dealing with people from different cultures. Then, as Socrates agreed, our body can convey some information. Therefore, when communicating with people from other cultures, the differences of non-verbal communication, such as gestures, facial expressions, eye contact and body distance, may have great impact on communication, which makes a better understanding of the differences of non-verbal communication in different cultures quite necessary. In the following, gestures and eye contact will be mainly discussed.Gestures are an important component of non-verbal communication. As with any other language, the language of gestures also differs from culture to culture, and the same gesture may convey quite different messages. The U.S. former President, Richard Nixon once got a frosty reception when he landed on a visit to one South American country and came out of the aircraft with both hands held high showing the ring gesture---form an …O‟ by holding the tip of the forefinger to the tip of the thumb. In American culture, the ring gesture means that you think something is good, but in the country President visited, it means …go to hell‟. Similar problems occur in other countries, too. For instance, in France, you may be misunderstood if you use the ring gesture to show your opinion to their new house, because it means zero and worthless. In Tunisia, it may cause a greater problem for it means …I‟ll kill you‟ in its culture. In Japan, it means money. Beckoning can also lead to misunderstanding. For example, in America, people use the index finger to beckon someone to come to you, while it would be considered impolite in Malaysia where it is only use to beckon animals. In Australia it means to beckon …ladies of the night‟. So, when confronting with people from other cultures, we need to be very careful in order not to be misunderstood.“Eye is the window of soul.”Eye contact is also very important when communicating with others. For public speakers, they should always make a lot of eye contact to audience to see their responds---whether they are interested in the speech, whether they can understand, etc. But when to look and how long to look are not easy job for an international person. For British, not looking at the person could imply many things, such as fear, uneasiness, guilt or indifference. However, it doesn‟t mean that the more eye contact, the better. When walking along the street, you mustn‟t stare at the approaching strangers when they are about 8 feet away, because it‟s rude behavior. But in China, people tend to be very curious about new things and looked at them intensely, which may make British and American embarrassed when they first come to China.In short, body language, like our verbal language, is of great significance in sending messages. It may make the communication easier and more effective, and also may cause misunderstandings. No matter under what circumstance, a better way to avoid problems is to “do as the Romans do.”。
