Nonverbal Communication in International Business

Nonverbal Communication in International Business
Good communication is the foundation of successful relationships, both personally and professionally. But we communicate with much more than words. In fact, research shows that the majority of the messages we send are nonverbal. Nonverbal communication, or body language, includes our facial expressions, gestures, eye contact, posture, and even the tone of our voice.
With the development of the international business,there are more and more conflicts and misunderstandings in the communication. In order to have a good corporation, we should know the differences of nonverbal communication of different cultures in international business.
Communications in international business are considered more often at the verbal level than in terms of body language and the signs and symbols that cultures use to convey messages and attitudes. Yet some claim that more than 90% of the social content of a message is contained in non-verbal cues. Clearly, if this is so, we neglect this aspect of communication at our peril.
Non-verbal communication is also a feature of the way we present information using multiple modalities: the colors and shapes chosen for a logo, the meaning inherent in certain types of gifts, such as flowers, the soundscape we use to reinforce advertising messages. These signs and symbols have culture-specific significance, so in localizing materials for the international marketplace we have to be sure not make cultural errors. The color orange, has overtones in northern Ireland; green is considered unlucky in some cultures; lilies, carnations, chrysanthemums may be inappropriate gifts in certain places.
The sending and receipt of non-verbal messages takes place on a subliminal level and
this makes it a much more difficult aspect of international communications to master. It is very easy, for example, to misinterpret a message because we do not understand its meaning outside our culture. Eye contact in western cultures is associated with openness, engagement, sincerity. But in some cultures it is considered disrespectful. Or we might assume that a behavior from our own culture has the same meaning elsewhere. People from more tactile cultures who use a lot of touch could inadvertently appear inappropriately friendly in more reserved cultures. For example, two person, one is a Chinese woman, the other is a French man, are going to have business corporation. Every time they meet with each other to have a conference, the French man will kiss the Chinese woman on her cheek astically, because it is accustomed to greeting people with at least two kisses on the cheek in France. But the woman feels uncomfortable,because she thinks they are not familiar with each other, and the kisses make her feel embarrassed. Finally,their corporation ended up as a failure.
So how can we deal with the non-verbal aspects of communication? The first stage is simply to become aware of the issue. Remember that we send powerful messages non-verbally but those messages will be interpreted differently in different cultures. Next we have to become aware of our own behavior patterns. How do we feel if a long silence opens up in a conversation? How do we greet colleagues, family and friends? What do we consider appropriate dress for work? Do we sit in a stiff and formal position with our arms crossed? What facial expressions do we use? To become fully aware of our non-verbal behavior we may have to video ourselves in a group interaction. Then we have to become observant of others. Note especially if people have similar traits. Note if there are gender differences. We must try also to notice how others react to us. From there we can go on to imitate the non-verbal behavior of those we are dealing with. This might be by small steps,
such as accepting silences, adjusting our personal space, dressing in a similar way. It seems that our intercultural effectiveness is likely to be enhanced if can at least go some way towards acting like our counterparts.
Reference:
1. FFast, J. (2006). Body Language- The Essential Secrets of Non-verbal Communication. New Y ork,NY: MJF Book.
2.Ekman, P.(2003). Emotions revealed: Recognizing faces and feelings to improve communication and emotional life. New Y ork: Times Books.。