Chapter 5: Nonverbal Communication Reflects and Expresses Cultural Values

I have chosen to focus on the section of Nonverbal Communication Reflects and Expresses Cultural Values. Wood (2012) explains that “like verbal communication, nonverbal patterns reflect specific cultures.” Culture is composed of a specific people group and the customs or traditions that they will observe, this can be displayed racially, religiously, socially, or all of the above. Each culture will have its own set of normal behaviors, which usually go unnoticed until a newcomer tries to join in.

            This idea of norms being culture based was very prevalent for me last summer. I spent five weeks in Athens, Greece and they have a very different set of unspoken rules than the US. People and relationships are very important to them. A major way this is shown is by a kiss on both cheeks when greeting friends. We were taught to always go to your right first to avoid awkward scenarios. In America we can feel awkward doing a handshake or hug when seeing someone we met once, reinforcing how individualistic America is. Another way that the relational aspect of the Greeks is shown is by the reaction to someone being late to a meeting. 

In Greece if you want to meet with someone they can arrive anytime from when they told you till 2 hours late. Once they do arrive they will just begin the conversation without an apology; quite different than the cultural response of Americans, who are upset if someone is two minutes late. When adjusting to that it reminds you that time drives life in America, everything is time based. Whereas they relationally based so if they see someone on the street they will stop and talk to them for however long, the person they were expecting to meet will understand. Another way that culture differences really stuck out for me was the head nodding of the Greeks. If someone moves their head up, our American yes, that means no. If raised eyebrows are added then that means “Definitely no way!” Although, if you move your head down in the direction of your left shoulder, an American no, that is the Greek equivalent of “yes.” This rule was hard to remember, usually in the context of asking people if they wanted to talk or sit down and have coffee.

They would shake their head and you would feel as if you were just turned down but really they would want you to sit with them. Another aspect really stuck out to me, America has so many drive thrus and to-go meals. In Greece there are no drive thrus, people to not take their coffee to-go. They enjoy sitting down and having conversation with people. It is super rare to see anyone with a to-go cup of coffee. Usually when they sit down to talk it will be for about two or three hours to talk with people over one cup of coffee. The same goes with lunch, midday they have a two hour lunch break and go to sit down restaurant or go home to their family. All of these aspects help compose the culture of Greece and what is considered normal. America is the same way, as I sporadically mentioned throughout, we have our own cultural norms, and just because they does not align with Greek culture does not make one more right than the other. With time and a willing mind, one can become accustomed to a different set of cultural norms.

           This concept is very useful for Americans especially as other cultures become more prominent in the US. As I begin to live on my own I believe that having the awareness of cultural norms will help to better understand others. Knowing some nonverbal cues for another culture is a great way of respecting their way of life and really get to know them. If you can understand why a person is behaving in such a way, especially nonverbally, you can have a better interaction with them and understand their thought process.  This will give you greater patience in different scenarios instead of being immediately mad and frustrated that they are not either listening to you or are making you uncomfortable. 

Communication will become essential in those instances so that the cultural norms can be understood then respected by the other party involved. For example, you are meeting a Greek international student at 3:00pm at the Union for coffee. It is now 3:30pm and they still have not shown. They arrive at 3:45pm, they sit and begin talking to you like everything is fine. Instead of being silently angry with the student’s late arrival, it would be helpful to kindly communicate to him the cultural norm that America has with punctuality. America is a monochronic culture, “people do one thing at a time, and they value punctuality and efficiency.”(Wood, p. 125). This will be helpful to both parties in that he will begin to grasp America’s culture while he is here and you will be able to avoid future issues. Culture awareness plays a major role in appropriate communication. Pair it with cultural sensitivity, to not assume certain ideals of a culture, and the conversation will be very successful.

Reference

Wood, J. T. (2010). Interpersonal communication: Everyday encounters. (7th ed., p. 124-126). Boston, MA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.