BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO

HỌC VIỆN QUẢN LÝ GIÁO DỤC

************************

CROSS-CULTURE COMMUNICATION

TOPIC:
THE IMPORTANCE OF BODY LANGUAGE IN CROSS-CULTURE
COMMUNICATION

Full name : Vu Thu Uyen

Date of Birth: 07/11/2003
ID : 210172202010157
Major : English Language

Ha Noi – 2022
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. Introduction.................................................................................................................. 3
II. Contents....................................................................................................................3
1. Definition....................................................................................................................3
1.1 What is Body Language........................................................................................3
1.2. The significance of Body Language.....................................................................4
2. The Differences and Application of Body Language..................................................4
2.1 Gesture..................................................................................................................4
2.2 Eye contact............................................................................................................5
2.3 Touch....................................................................................................................5
3. Principles to Avoid Intercultural Communication Barriers.........................................6
3.1 Try to learn Body Language.................................................................................6
3.2 Try to Participate more actively in intercultural communication..........................6
3.3 Be Sensitive about the Situation of the communication........................................7
III. Conclusion and recommendations............................................................................7
IV. References................................................................................................................7
 I. Introduction
Language is a crucial component of communication, through language people
understand more about each other especially if we know how to observe and use
body language. According to Albert Mehrabian, a pioneer researcher of body
language in the 1950’s, found that the total impact of a message is about 7 percent
verbal (words only) and 38 percent vocal, and 55 percent nonverbal 1. Thus I can
say that nonverbal communication is one of the tool in communication. To be more
specific, body language is one of the most effective ways to convey important
information to listeners. As William Shakespeare said in Troilus and Cressida:
“There language in her eye, her cheek, her lip”.

However, there are substantial cultural differences in how people use body
language to communicate which leads to unnecessary misunderstandings in
communication. So in this essay, I will present body language to be aware of
communication between different cultures.

II. Contents
1. Definition
1.1 What is Body Language

"Body language represents a separate communication beyond words," says

Ross Buck, PhD, professor of communication science and psychology at the
University of Connecticut. "Body language exists alongside language, but it also
includes emotions and largely happens on a subconscious level"2. Therefore, body
language is a form of nonverbal communication, it refers to facial expressions,

1
The Definitive Book of Body Language, Barbare Pease, 2006.
2
Body Language Basics, Heather Hatfield, 2007. https://www.webmd.com/sexrelationships/features/body-
language-basics
3
 position, movement, and gestures and so on of the human body to convey
information. However, they differ greatly from culture to culture, and there is no
dictionary to translate them . Therefore break down all barriers to
international communication, we must first learn about and understand the body
language symbols that are specific to many different cultures across the world.

1.2. The significance of Body Language

Language is not the only tool. It is difficult to communicate without vocal

conduct, yet nonverbal communication goes hand in hand with verbal
communication. . For example, we can't simply communicate how we feel about
one other or how a message's wording is perceived. We employ body language to
make such message more evident.
Body language differs from person to person since it may be utilized across
cultures. To put it another way, everyone use body language. Body language allows
people from one culture to communicate with those from different cultures.
However, each culture interprets body language differently, and some of them are
not the same. Incorrect use of body language can cause uncertainty or even
misunderstanding between speakers.

2. The Differences and Application of Body Language

Body language in communication has been highly impacted by culture. Every

culture has its own body language; therefore, understanding distinct cultural body
language is especially vital in today's world.

2.1 Gesture

The gesture means to use one's hands or fingers to express meanings. But
what is acceptable in the US may be considered rude, or even obscene in other
cultures.

4
 For instance, "OK" conveys the same meaning for
Vietnam, Americans, and most western cultures. It
means that everything is okay, fine, good, great or
perfect. However, this gesture has different meanings in
given cultures. In France and Belgium it also means
"zero" or "nothing"; in Japan, it means "money"; and in some Mediterranean
countries, it is often used to express one male is homosexual. Even now, many
Vietnamese accept this gesture as a sign of "yes", sometimes we use it to express
"three" or "zero".
In conversation, Vietnamese often bow to their partners especially young
people usually make their bow to older people when greeting expressing respect to
old people. In contrast, England people do not make their bow to who talks to them
because in American culture bowing is a sign of submission.
What ís more, I was surprised when I saw Americans who are talking their
palm across their neck at a dinner party and thought that this kind of gesture was a
signal of suicide. However, that American gesture is just referring to “I’ve had
enough food.”

2.2 Eye contact

Eyes are the windows of the soul that

reflect one’s inner emotion. It can’t be denied
that eye contact is an important aspect of body
language; however, the difference between the
understanding of eye codes varies quite
obviously from culture to culture.

In America, staring at others or holding a

lance too long is considered to be rude because it causes embarrassment and

5
uncomfortable. People in Arab expect the person to look at the in the eyes during a
conversation. Similarly, Vietnamese and Asian countries also feel uneasy about
direct eye contact. Conversely, during a conversation people in Arab expect the
person to look at the in the eyes.

2.3 Touch

The style of contact may represent the attitudes and ideals of that society.
People in civilizations such as Germany, England, and Scandinavia believe in
emotional moderation. As a result, they will conduct relatively little touching in
comparison to Latin American, Middle Eastern, Jewish, Greek, and Eastern
European cultures that emphasize collectivism and outward compassion.
Furthermore, Southeast Asians rarely touch during a discussion, especially with
people of the opposing gender.
There is evidence that there is a communication between the same gender in
Vietnam than in heterosexual dialogue. Because students in classrooms are
frequently divided into female or male groups, close interaction with the opposing
sex sometimes leads to discomfort and hesitation.

3. Principles to Avoid Intercultural Communication Barriers

3.1 Try to learn Body Language
In daily life, we have various ways to learn Body Language as: reading books,
attending a lecture, and watching foreign movies,…It gives you a multidimensional
view of body language in communication.
Although much research on body language has been studied, but no consistent
pattern has been established between various cultures. As a result, we need
knowledge of body language.

6
3.2 Try to Participate more actively in intercultural communication
The best way to get a thorough understanding of the body language of other
cultures is to communicate with the native people.
I began a chat with an Indian and noticed that when they agreed to anything,
they would shake their heads rather than nod. Even though I had heard about it
before, I couldn't help but feel embarrassed when I started interacting with people
from various cultures. That is the distinction between theory and practice. Thus, be
ready for this intercultural communication.

3.3 Be Sensitive about the Situation of the communication

We know that the use of body language is impacted by the communication
setting. Body language is simpler to learn at home than at the workplace. If we are
not aware of the circumstances, we will be unable to comprehend the information
appropriately, which may lead to misunderstanding. As a consequence, we can
understand some unusual body language easily, to be sensitive about the situation.

III. Conclusion and recommendations

To sum up, body language which will increase our performance in
intercultural communication is . Understanding body language helps in everyday
communication and engagement with people from diverse cultures. Thus we need
to learn body language in other cultures, which will help us comprehend other
cultures accurately, develop equal communication, and liberate us from the
emotion of cultural superiority, cultural bias, and probable cultural hurdles.

IV. References
The Definitive Book of Body Language, Barbare Pease, 2006.
2
Body Language Basics, Heather Hatfield, 2007.
https://www.webmd.com/sexrelationships/features/body-language-basics
7
8