Non-Verbal Communication Across Cultures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Non-Verbal Communication Across Cultures - Essay Example In this paper, the proponent tries to define the concept and relevance of non-verbal communication in business settings. In particular the differences are compared and contrasted as observed using specific cultures of Japan, and the UK. Furthermore, the proponent also discussed the business etiquette and the possible consequences of not being familiar with the correct etiquette. Other variables such as power, status, or gender are also included especially on their impacts on non-verbal communication. Silence The absence of words or specific level of reaction does not mean there is something totally void or emptiness about it. Not with the Japanese culture because silence or chinmoku says more than a word. In Japan silence does not mean to be a specific level of insult or something else because it is a communicative skill (Davies & Ikeno, 2002). In this country, silence is derived from the Japanese values and it is the main reason how it is significantly viewed important today in ever y walk of life and in different circumstances. It is considered as a virtue. Compared in the western culture, silence in the midst of communication in Japan on a daily basis stands in a longer duration and this is due to two most important factors: historical and dominance of group consciousness (Davies & Ikeno, 2002). ... UK on the other hand has strong individualistic culture which emphasizes strong level that is contained within individual competition (Brown & MacBean, 2005). Thus, it would appear that people in the UK are more dynamic in their response especially in the context of achieving competitive advantage. Eye contact In the UK, eye contact signifies respect, honesty and listening (Moore & Woodrow, 2009). This means how important it is to have eye contact when one is in the midst of a conversation in the UK. However, a bit of contrast happens in Japan. Eye contact may mean an insult because Japanese show politeness by not having direct eye contact for it is associated with aggression, insensitiveness, negative boldness, and other related emotional manifestation (Plotnik & Kouyoumdjian, 2010). Gestures There are deep vocabularies associated with gestures (Samovar, Porter, & McDaniel, 2009). In Japan, pointing to objects and at people require the entire hand which at some certain reasons would mean an insult to use a finger in doing so. In the UK, this would bring out different meaning knowing the fact that hand gestures for instance are associated with culture and thus they would convey contradictory meaning across different culture (Thakur & Srivastava, 1997). In other words, specific bodily movements have varying meaning across different cultures, which at some point if not properly used will result to different level of conflicts. Business etiquette The above non-verbal communications are applicable within the business etiquette in the cultural context of Japan and UK. As stated earlier, silence is associated with Japan’s highly collectivist culture while being proactive is in line with UK’s individualist culture. Thus, in the UK an