week 7- Nonverbal messages in different countries

As we all known communication is one the most important aspects of life today. Living in a global economy it is important to know when and how to communicate with others. Nonverbal communication is a great way to communicate with people of different cultures from our selves. Because this can be a practical tool it is important to know some of the differences in nonverbal communication because it is not the same in all countries. A good example of a discrete nonverbal message difference comes from India. If I were to cross my feet or have my feet resting on an object, that would be a sign of disrespect. This is disrespect in there culture because they signify viewing the bottom of someone’s foot as referring to them as trash. Another example comes from Asian culture. Often older people who are from and Asian culture do not like to have direct eye contact with someone. I also recall a story from my global communication professor of a soldier trying to save a young boy in another country from the line of fire. The soldier was waving to the kid to come towards him, but every time the soldier waved him in the kid would only go farther away. The kid thought when the soldier waved him in that he was telling him to back up. It is a good idea to look up some differences in nonverbal communication before traveling to a different country.