(Published in the Manila Standard Today under the Greenlight column, September 6, 2010)
I recently attended a business meeting in Thailand where colleagues from Asia Pacific countries gathered to present and discuss business priorities. A favorite dinner staple topic among my colleagues was the hostage crisis in Manila. But more interestingly was the observation of many on the speech delivered by President Aquino to the local and international press where he smiled instead of showing grief.
Having read the explanation of President Aquino, I quickly defended him. I told everyone that the president’s smile has been misunderstood – he was smiling because of the absurdity of the situation with the police using a sledge hammer and the difficulty of breaching the bus. I also told everyone that the President apologized for having offended certain people.
This makes us realize the importance of understanding nonverbal communication in diplomacy and international business. According to studies, more than 90 percent of the content of a message is contained in non-verbal cues. Fifty five percent of the content of a message may be transmitted by facial expression alone, such as smiling and frowning. Thirty five percent of the message content is derived from inflection and tone of the voice. Only 7 percent of the message content is due to the words in the message.
This lends nonverbal cues great importance in interpersonal and public communication. But because nonverbal messages take place on a subliminal level, it makes it more difficult to understand and master when differences in cultures are involved. Nonverbal cues are open to misinterpretation when one does not understand its meaning outside our own culture.
For instance, eye contact in Western cultures is associated with openness and sincerity. But in some other cultures, it is considered rude and discourteous. People from cultures who use a lot of touch could unintentionally appear inappropriately friendly in more reserved cultures. An Italian friend would greet my other friends with at least two kisses on the cheek. Some understood the expression, others looked at my friend with amazement.
Non-verbal communication and behavior can be governed by situation. Professionals and executives in formal meetings are conscious of the expressions and words they say. Similarly, in informal settings like dinners and drinks, the same executives can loosen up and convey less restrained nonverbal cues. But in both situations, one danger area is the use of humor and subtle meanings which may be conveyed by the tone of the voice, but may be misinterpreted and missed among other cultures.
So how do we deal with nonverbal communication? First is to become aware of the cultural nuances of verbal and nonverbal communication. Sensitivity and cross-cultural training can reduce nonverbal errors when working with individuals from other cultures. Awareness of the situation at hand is also important to understand the underlying perceptions and behaviors of other participants.
Second, we have to be more aware of our perceptions and behavioral patterns. Do we have biases and stereotypes that limit our understanding of other cultures? How do we feel when a Westerner colleague speaks to us in a more powerful tone and aggressive facial expressions?
We also have to be more observant of others so we learn their nonverbal cues. Take note of similarities and differences in traits and expressions.
We can also try to get feedback from colleagues and friends on how they react to nonverbal cues. The key is building cultural sensitivity by better understanding how others feel and react, and from there we ourselves adjust to the situation.
-------------------------------
Reynaldo C. Lugtu Jr. teaches management and marketing courses in the MBA Program of De La Salle University College of Business. He may be e-mailed at rlugtu2002@yahoo.com, or visit his blog at http://rlugtu.blogspot.com.
I recently attended a business meeting in Thailand where colleagues from Asia Pacific countries gathered to present and discuss business priorities. A favorite dinner staple topic among my colleagues was the hostage crisis in Manila. But more interestingly was the observation of many on the speech delivered by President Aquino to the local and international press where he smiled instead of showing grief.
Having read the explanation of President Aquino, I quickly defended him. I told everyone that the president’s smile has been misunderstood – he was smiling because of the absurdity of the situation with the police using a sledge hammer and the difficulty of breaching the bus. I also told everyone that the President apologized for having offended certain people.
This makes us realize the importance of understanding nonverbal communication in diplomacy and international business. According to studies, more than 90 percent of the content of a message is contained in non-verbal cues. Fifty five percent of the content of a message may be transmitted by facial expression alone, such as smiling and frowning. Thirty five percent of the message content is derived from inflection and tone of the voice. Only 7 percent of the message content is due to the words in the message.
This lends nonverbal cues great importance in interpersonal and public communication. But because nonverbal messages take place on a subliminal level, it makes it more difficult to understand and master when differences in cultures are involved. Nonverbal cues are open to misinterpretation when one does not understand its meaning outside our own culture.
For instance, eye contact in Western cultures is associated with openness and sincerity. But in some other cultures, it is considered rude and discourteous. People from cultures who use a lot of touch could unintentionally appear inappropriately friendly in more reserved cultures. An Italian friend would greet my other friends with at least two kisses on the cheek. Some understood the expression, others looked at my friend with amazement.
Non-verbal communication and behavior can be governed by situation. Professionals and executives in formal meetings are conscious of the expressions and words they say. Similarly, in informal settings like dinners and drinks, the same executives can loosen up and convey less restrained nonverbal cues. But in both situations, one danger area is the use of humor and subtle meanings which may be conveyed by the tone of the voice, but may be misinterpreted and missed among other cultures.
So how do we deal with nonverbal communication? First is to become aware of the cultural nuances of verbal and nonverbal communication. Sensitivity and cross-cultural training can reduce nonverbal errors when working with individuals from other cultures. Awareness of the situation at hand is also important to understand the underlying perceptions and behaviors of other participants.
Second, we have to be more aware of our perceptions and behavioral patterns. Do we have biases and stereotypes that limit our understanding of other cultures? How do we feel when a Westerner colleague speaks to us in a more powerful tone and aggressive facial expressions?
We also have to be more observant of others so we learn their nonverbal cues. Take note of similarities and differences in traits and expressions.
We can also try to get feedback from colleagues and friends on how they react to nonverbal cues. The key is building cultural sensitivity by better understanding how others feel and react, and from there we ourselves adjust to the situation.
-------------------------------
Reynaldo C. Lugtu Jr. teaches management and marketing courses in the MBA Program of De La Salle University College of Business. He may be e-mailed at rlugtu2002@yahoo.com, or visit his blog at http://rlugtu.blogspot.com.
Comments