Read the text and answer the questions.
1. What gesture shows that a person is honest?
2. How can people show that they are sure of what
they are speaking about?
3. Why should people avoid intense eye contact when
they speak?
4. What helps to interpret physical contact?
5. What does the volume of your voice indicate?
6. How do people treat someone who cares about
their clothes?
7. What is the most distinct indication of emotion?
8. How far apart do the Japanese people stand when
they talk to each other?
9. Why do the British and American people often see
other cultures as too aggressive?
Text :
a) Physical gestures that involve your hands can signify everything. A shrug
of the shoulders shows one isn’t sure, open hands communicate that you are
honest and open. Crossed arms, touching your face, hair, or neck indicate
irritation.
Hands open with palms down communicates that you are certain about
what you are talking about. Some gestures are part of a person’s personality
trait: such as bitng the fingernails.
c) Touch contributes to non-verbal communication in a similar way. Some
people touch to clarify a point. Contact is considered a very personal form
of communication and is interpreted differently by the duration, pressure or
position of the touch.
b) Eye behaviour is related to facial expression. When someone wants to
avoid conversation, they turn away their eyes. When people lie, they avert
their eyes. But when they speak, intense eye contact can be frightening.
d) Voice and smell are other signals of meaning. The voice rises or falls with
emotions. Volume is a good indication of emotion or urgency. Finally, as with
animals, people also can smell fear, attractiveness or other emotions.
e) Appearance is an important element in nonverbal communication, as
well. Someone who cares little about his/ her appearance will not be taken
as seriously as someone who is careful about his/ her clothes.
f) One of the most distinct indications of emotion in interpersonal conversa-
tion is facial expression. We can see anger, boredom and happiness in the
movement of the mouth, eyebrows and forehead.
g) The space near our body is our territory. But what is “too close”?
All over the world, people in big cities stand closer to one another than people in small towns, and people in small towns stand closer to one another than
people from the country. The idea of personal space changes in different countries. In some parts of India people stay 60 cm apart. In Britain, Australia and
North America personal space for most people is about 45 cm from the body. Researchers say it is 25 cm in Japan but only 20 cm in both Denmark and Brazil.
This difference can cause communication problems. Latin Americans and Asians often say that the British and Americans are cold and unfriendly. On the
other hand, the British and Americans often see other cultures as too aggressive. In both examples, the problems are different ideas of personal space.