Cultural Differences

Communicating across different cultures can also be quite a challenge. Having lived and traveled in many different countries, the tone and the non-verbal communications become very important and a major part of various cultures. There are certain facial and body expressions that are culturally universal in their behavior and provide feedback, for example, facial expressions; however, there are others that mean completely different things, for example, hand gestures. Cultures provide people with ways of thinking--ways of seeing, hearing, and interpreting the world. A friendly hand gesture may signify different meaning from one culture to another (Dutta, 2008). While they may speak your language, what appears to be a friendly gesture from them may mean something totally different than what we interpret. When you get a chance, pick a country of interest and do a search in the UOP Library (Business Source Complete) using name of country and cultural advice. These guides are extremely informative when doing business in a different country as well as working with the various cultures in our own US 'melting pot'.

Describe three principles of nonverbal communication that you believe are most important. Why are these important for you to keep in mind when communicating?

Dutta, B. (2008). Communication in Cross-Cultural Context. Journal of Soft Skills, 2(2), 7-12. Retrieved from EBSCOhost database.