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Nonverbal Communication (continued)
Space and Touching
All cultures maintain a “comfortable” distance between people. In some cultures this distance may be very close, almost touching. In others it is much more distant. In some cultures, such as Spain and parts of Latin America, your colleagues will often touch your arm or shoulder when making a point; it is not a sign of intimacy, only of communication. For example, a collectivist culture may interpret the preferred space of an individualist culture as cold and unfriendly. |
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Gestures
What one person means by a gesture may not be what a person from another culture understands by that gesture. It is important to learn the different meanings of gestures in order to correctly interpret what people are “saying” to you. If you have ongoing communication with someone who is from a different country than you, it is a good idea to ask him or her what certain gestures mean in their country.
To illustrate this idea, we have provided a few gestures for which the meaning differs between countries and cultures.
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North America & Europe = "Everything’s O.K"; "Good going!"
Nigeria = Insult
Australia = "Up yours!" (insult)
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North America = "Good luck" or "white lie"
Paraguay = Offensive gesture
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Brazil = "Good luck"
Greece & Turkey = Insult
Tunisia & Holland = Sexual connotation
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U.S. = "O.K."
Latin America = "Screw you!" (insult)
France = "zero" or "worthless"
Japan = money
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