1. Understanding Intercultural Communication Second Edition
Chapter 7
What are the Different Ways to Communicate Nonverbally Across Cultures?
Stella Ting-Toomey & Leeva C. Chung
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
PowerPoint Slides Designed by Alex Flecky and Noorie Baig

2. TODAY’S MENU
I. The Impact of Nonverbal Communication II. Forms of Nonverbal Communication III. Boundary Regulations: Four Broad Themes IV. Intercultural Reality Check: Do-Ables

3. I. The Impact of Nonverbal Communication
A. Nonverbal Communication:
Message exchange process involving the use of nonlinguistic and paralinguistic cues which are expressed through multiple communication channels in a particular sociocultural setting.
Nonlinguistic cues e.g., eye contact, smiles, touch etc.
Paralinguistic cues e.g., tone, pitch, volume, pace etc.
Multiple channels e.g., facial expressions, gestures etc.
Sociocultural setting e.g., cultural norms, etc.

4. I. The Impact of Nonverbal Communication
B. One Code, Countless Interpretations
C. Verbal and Nonverbal Comparisons
Nonverbal cues relate to verbal messages
in five different ways:
Repeat
Contradict
Substitute
Complement
Accent

5. I. The Impact of Nonverbal Communication
Application Exercise: Intercultural Nonverbal Communication: Fun Nonverbal Quiz. How many answers did you get right?
Access “Chapter 7 Intercultural Nonverbal Communication: A Fun Quiz” from the Interactive Student Study Guide website,.

6. II. Forms of Nonverbal Communication:
A. Physical Appearance: Artifacts and clothing
B. Paralanguage: Sounds and tones
C. Facial expressions: Kinesics, SADFISH, and cultural display rules
D. Gestures: four categories of hand gestures
1. Emblems
2. Illustrators
3. Regulators
4. Adaptors
E. Haptics—touch behavior, high-, low-, moderate-contact cultures

7. II. Forms of Nonverbal Communication:
Can you identify
the emotions?

8. III. Boundary Regulations: Four broad themes
Regulating Interpersonal Boundaries
Proxemics: study of space.
Intimate zone: 0–18 inches. Reserved for those closest to us.
Personal zone: 18–48 inches. Closer friends, some acquaintances.
Social zone: 48 inches to 12 feet.
Public zone: 12 feet or more.

9. III. Boundary Regulations
President Bush meets Saudi Arabian royalty, Prince Abdullah
What can you gather about their spatial zones?

10. III. Boundary Regulations
A. Regulating Interpersonal Boundaries:
Marking Boundaries + Expressing Respect or Deference
Cultural Norms & Rules
Meanings
Appropriateness
President Obama Bows and Shakes Hands In Japan To Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko

11. III. Boundary Regulations: Four broad themes
B. Environmental Boundaries:
claimed sense of space and emotional
attachment we share with others in our
community.
C. Psychological Boundaries
1. Intrapersonal space: need for information privacy or psychological silence between the self and others.
2. Privacy regulation is important in individualistic cultures, not perceived as critical in collectivistic cultures.

12. III. Boundary Regulations: Four broad themes
D. Regulating Time: attitudes we
have about time.
Chronemics: how people in different cultures structure, interpret, and understand the time dimension.
Two patterns of time govern different cultures:
Monochronic-time schedule
Polychronic-time schedule

13. III. Boundary Regulations
Media Analysis: Gran Torino film clip
DISCUSSION:
What is your initial reaction to this clip?
Can you identify all of the nonverbal violations experienced by both Walt and the Hmong’s family?
Have you experienced any international nonverbal faux pas?

14. IV. Intercultural Reality Check: Do-Ables
Nonverbal points to consider in communicating across cultures:
A. Be flexible when you observe and identify nonverbal display rules.
B. Attempt a deeper-than-surface explanation for the behavior.
C. Monitor your own nonverbal behavior.
D. Be adaptive and sensitive to appropriate nonverbal display rules for emotions in a particular culture.
E. Be less judgmental and more tentative in interpreting others’ nonverbal signals.

15. Parting Thoughts… ~ Malcolm Gladwell Our first impressions are
generated by our experiences
and our environment,
which means that we
can change our
first impressions . . .
by changing the experiences
that comprise
those impressions.
~ Malcolm Gladwell
*Photo permission granted by Alisha J. Flecky