體態(tài)語和跨文化交際-體態(tài)語在國際商務(wù)中的重要作用-文學(xué)學(xué)士畢業(yè)論文

AbstractBodylanguageplaysanimportantroleininterculturalcommunication.Eachmovementofapersoncanexpressone’semotionsandattitudes.Bodylanguageisdifferentindifferentcountrieswithinterculturalview,however,ithasthesamepurposethatithelpspeoplecommunicateinaneffectiveway.Peoplefromdifferentculturesalwaysusedifferentnonverbalmeansofcommunication,conveyingnon-verbalinformationwhichplaysanecessaryroleininternationalbusiness.Ininterculturalcommunication,ifbothpartscan’tbedeeplyinthesameculturalbackground,itwillbemorelikelytocreatemisunderstandingswhichcausefailureincommunication.Therefore,thenegotiatorsshouldhavestrongculturalconsciousnessandgetfamiliarwithmanydifferentformsofnon-verbalcommunicationsoastounderstandeachotherwell,observenegotiationopponent,andusenonverbalexpressionmoreeffectively.Thispaperdiscussesthetypesofbodylanguage,itsimportantfunctions,andtheimportantrolebodylanguageplaysininternationalbusinessnegotiations.Differentcountrieshavedifferenceinposture,facialexpressions,gesturesandbodyspace(distance).Thispaperalsoexpoundstheimportanceofnon-verbalcommunication.Thediscussiononbodylanguageininterculturalcommunicationhelpspeoplereduceoravoidmisunderstandingincross-culturalcommunicationbecauseofthedifferencesofbodylanguageunderdifferentculturebackground.Keywords:bodylanguage;interculturalcommunication;internationalbusiness;negotiation中文摘要體態(tài)語在跨文化交際中起著不可或缺的作用。一個(gè)人不同的行為動(dòng)作表達(dá)著不同的情感和觀點(diǎn)。在不同的文化背景下以及在不同的國家里，體態(tài)語不盡相同。然而，體態(tài)語都有一個(gè)共同的目標(biāo)，那就是幫助人們有效地交際。不同文化的人會(huì)用不同的非語言交際，非語言交際傳遞著不同的信息，這些信息在國際商務(wù)中起著非常重要的作用。在跨文化交際中，交際雙方若不能進(jìn)入同一文化背景之中，就容易產(chǎn)生不解或誤解，從而是交際失敗。因此，談判人員應(yīng)該要有較強(qiáng)的文化意識(shí)以及熟悉多學(xué)不同的非語言交際形式，以便盡可能地觀察對手，領(lǐng)會(huì)對方的非語言信息，同時(shí)更好地運(yùn)用自己的非語言表達(dá)。本文重點(diǎn)論述了體態(tài)語的類型和重要功能，并且論述了體態(tài)語在國際商務(wù)談判中的重要作用。不同國家在手勢，姿態(tài)，面部表情，眼神與體距等方面的文化差異，論述了非語言交際的重要性。對跨文化交際中的體態(tài)語進(jìn)行探討，有助于人們減少或避免在跨文化交際中因體態(tài)語的文化差異而引起的誤解。關(guān)鍵詞：體態(tài)語,跨文化交際,國際商務(wù),談判1.IntroductionBodylanguageisanimportantpartofnon-verbalcommunication.Interculturalcommunicationistheprocessofcommunicationbetweenpeoplefromdifferentculturalbackgrounds.Bodylanguage(non-verbalcommunication)whichisnotcarriedoutinwords,butthroughone’svoicequalities,facialexpressions,gestures,bodymovement,orattitudestowardsspaceandtimeandsoon.Peoplecancommunicatewithoneanothernotonlythroughverbalcommunicationbutalsothroughnon-verbalcommunication;moreover,thelatterplaysmoreessentialroleandmainlyexpressesrealemotionandattitudethroughgesture,posture,facialexpression,eyebehavior,andbodycontact.Thispaperintendstopresentdifferentformsofbodylanguageunderdifferentcultureanditsfunctionssothatwecanimproveourcommunicationskillsandabilitiesbyunderstandingitwellandputitintoeffectiveuse.“Researchshowsthatwhenpeoplemeetsomeoneforthefirsttime,only6%oftheirinitialimpactonothersisdeterminedbythecontentofwhattheysay;theother94%oftheirmessageismadeupofbodylanguage(55%)andthetoneoftheirvoice（39%）.”（ZhangJianqing，2004:105）.Bodylanguageusedtobeneglectedbymanypeople,simplybecauseofitsnon-verbalnature.Butthingsaredifferentnow:businesspeoplearepayingmoreandmoreattentiontonon-verbalwaysintheircommunications.Asthetrendofglobalizationisstrengthenedstepbystep,internationalcommunicationisfrequentandimportantdaybyday.Thus,thesignificanceofbodylanguageininterculturalcommunicationhasbeengreatlyrealized.Bodylanguageisalsointerlinkedwithspokenlanguageandawholepatternofbehaviorfromaperson.Inadditiontothat,variousbodylanguagesignscancomplementeachothertomakeaparticularmeaningclearandstrengthenthemeaningofwhatwecommunicate.Owingtoculturaldifferences,thesamebodylanguagehasdifferentmeaningsandcommunicativefunctions,becauseeachculturehassomesocialnormsthatgoverntheconductofpeople’ssocialbehaviors,whichcausesalotoftroubleininterculturalcommunication.Therefore,ininterculturalcommunication,itisofgreatimportanceforustounderstandthebodylanguage.Thispaperfocusesontheculturalcomparisonofthebodylanguage,sothatbusinesspersoncanputitintopracticeappropriatelyespeciallyinbusinessnegotiation.Asabusinessperson,ifyouwanttocommunicatewithyourpartnersucessfully,youshouldgetfamiliarwithdifferentbodylanguageindifferentcountrysoastomakethetrademuchcloserandfurther.Atthesametime,youhadbettermakefullpreparationsforbodylanguagecommunicationbeforegoingtomakedealwithpeoplefromdifferentculture.Inthisway,peoplearelikelytoavoidmisunderstandingbodylanguage.2.DifferentFormsofBodyLanguageunderDifferentCulture2.1Gesture2.1.1Samegesture,differentmeaningsunderdifferentcultureOwingtotheexistanceofculturaldifferencesintheworld,thesamegesturemayconveydifferentmeaningstoothers.Oneperson’spositivegesturemaybeanotherperson’sinsult.HandsonhipssignalshostilityinMexico,angerinMalaysia,impatienceintheUnitedStates,andinArgentinaitindicatesachallenge.InChina,itisasignthatthereisaneedforrelaxingorapauseasonehasbeentiredorasignofreliefafterhardwork;itissometimesadoptedtodisplayone’sstrengthinquarrelingwithotherpeople.Makingacirclewithone’sindexfingeratthetempleisnormallyusedwhentalkingprivatelyaboutathirdperson,whichmeansthatpersoniscrazy,ofteninajokingway.ButinChina,itmeansthinking.InRussia,receivingaveryslowapplauseindicatesgreatappreciation,butinmanycountriesthiswouldshowlackofappreciation.Chinesepeoplemayexpresstheiragreement,approvalandpraisebynoddingthehead,smiling,whileItaliansshowtheirsatisfactioninthisway.The“V”forvictorysignisacceptedinbothChinaandEnglishspeakingcountries.However,thissignpreviouslymeansthenumber2inChina.PeopleofEnglishspeakingcountrieskeeptheirmiddlefingercrossedindexfingertomeanthatthepersonishopingforgoodluck.WhileinChina,itmeansthenumberDifferentgestures,samemeaningsunderdifferentcultureDifferentcultureshavedifferentnon-verbalsignalstoconveysomesubtleinformation.Whenitcomestocounting1,3,6,7,8,9,10,EnlishspeakingcountriesaredifferentfromChinese.Theypointindexfingerorcrookmiddlefinger,ringfingerandpinkietoindicate1;theyuseindexfinger,crookingmiddlefingerandringfingerwiththethumbpressingthepinkietoindicate3;theystretchouttheclosingfivefingersplustheindexfingeroftheotherhandtoindicate6;theyprimarilystretchoutthehand,thensuccessivelyaddthemiddle,ringfinger,pinkieandthumboftheotherhandtoindicate7,8,9,10.InChina,ifonewantstoexpress“shameonyou”,heorshewillextendtheforefingerandtouchhisorherownfacewiththetipofthefingerseveraltimes.WhileEnglish-speakingpeopleextendbothforefingerswithpalmsdowninfrontofhisorherbody,andthenonefingermakesseveralburshingmovementsoverthebackoftheother.InChina,peopleputthethumborforefingeronthenosetoconfirmifheorsheismentionedorcalled.WhilemanypeopleofEnlishspeakingcountriesalwaysgetthismeaningbypointingathimselforherselfwiththepalminside.2.2PosturePostureisafunctionalsourceofculturalunderstanding.Thesameposturemaycauseseriousconflictswhenindifferentculturalregion.Greeting,noddingandshakingheads,sittingandstanding,whichmovementsofthehead,arms,hands,legscommunicateone’semotionandfeelings,aswellasone’sself-imageandenergylevel.Posture,whatevertypeitbelongsto,sendsdifferentmessagestootherpeople.Whenyoustandinanuprightposition,youimpressothersasbeingenergetic;whenyouaresittingwithahandsupportingyourchin,yougiveotherstheimpressionthatyouareeitherdeepinthinkingorintheblues;whenyouleanforwardwhilelistening,itwillstrikethespeakerthatyouareattentiveandinterestedinwhatheissaying;butifyoulookawayfromtimetotimewhilelistening,itwillbeinterpretedasbeingeitherabsent-mindedorlackinginterestandsoforth.Surelythesignalfor“No!”,shakingone’sheadfromsidetoside,issharedamongpeopleallaroundtheworld?False!InCreece,TurkeyandIran,swayingheadfromsidetosidemeans,“yes”.Takinggreetingforexample,insomecountries,peoplewouldliketoshakehandswithotherswhenmeeting,whileinsomeeasterncountries,suchasJapan,peoplebendtoshowtheirgreetings.Insomecountries,peopleembraceandkisseachother.InEnglishspeakingcountries,likeAmericaandBritain,femalesoftenhugmalesandkisstheirfacestosaygoodbye.AndinEastAsiancountriesandwesterncountries,malesseldomhugbutoftenshakehandstoshowwelcome.Japaneseoftenshowwelcomebybowing.InthecountrieslikeArab,Russia,France,EastEuropeandsomecountriesatthebankoftheMediterranean,malesoftenhugtightlyandkisseachother’scheekstoshowwelcome.PeoplelivinginLatinAmericaalsodothesamething.ItiscommontoseeyouthofthesamesexholdhandsandhuginChina.ButinEnglishspeakingcountries,itwillberegardedhomosexuality.Whiletakingnoddingandshakingheadsforexample,onmostoccasions,peoplenodtheirheadstoshowtheemotionofagreement,whileshakingheadsconveysdisagreement.Nevertheless,Celongeseusestwodifferentformstomeans“yes”.Whenfacingthefact,theywillnodtoagree.However,whentheyagreewiththeopinionofothers,theywillshakeheadstoshowtheiragreement.AccordingtoChinesetradition,peoplewhoaresittinghaverighttotakechargeofothers:Monarchsitsandofficerstands;fathersitsandsonstands;leadersitsandemployeestandsandsoon.Sotheyounggivetheoldaseattoshowrespect.ButinAmericaandBritain,peoplewhoareinchargeofothershavetendencytostand.Theywillmakeuseoftheheightofspacetoindicatethehighstatus.Peoplewhohavehighstatuschoosetositwhentheyareconversingwithyou,whichmeantheywanttocreateharmoniousandequalatmosphereandlessenspace.Soadultswillbenddownwhentheyaretalkingtochildren.“Froydoncesaid:‘Noonecanreallykeepsecret.’Ifhedoesnottalkandkeepsilent,hewilltalkwithhisfingers.Inawhole,partofhisbodywillsellhimout.”(ShiDingle,PengChunping,2004:104)2.3FacialExpressionTherapidfacialsignalsaretheprimarysystemforexpressionofemotion.Itisthefacethatyousearchtoknowwhethersomeoneisangry,disgusted,afraid,sad,etc.Wordscannotalwaysdescribeourfeelings.Wordsarenotadequatetoexpresswhatweseeinthebookonsomeone’sfaceatanemotionalmoment.Themovementofeyebrowscarriesmessageslikegreeting,surprise,fearandsoon.Generallyspeaking,westernersusemoreeyebrowmovementstoconveymessagesthanEasternersdo.Itisreportedthatwesternerscansendupto28differentmessagesthrougheyebrowmovements.However,someeyebrowmovementsareregardedassharedones,likealockedeyebrow,whichindicatesanxiety;oraraisedone,whichoftenindicatesone’ssurprise.Themeaningofsmilevariesfrompersontopersonwhoisindifferentculture.Forinstance,whenaforeignerpoursallhisdrinkoutattheseatofabusandfeelsveryembarrassed.TheChineseconductorsmiledathim,whichwouldmakehimangry.Asamatteroffact,thesmilemeans“Nevermind”.However,thesmileexpressesanemotionofavoidingansweringaquestion.Smileisaverycommonandeffectivewayofnonverbalcommunication.Quiteanumberofbusinesseshavestartedtrainingtheiremployeestolearntosmile,especiallyintheserviceindustry.2.4EyeContactAsthesayinggoes,eyesarethewindowofsoul.Eyecontactisaveryimportantwaytojudgetheintimacyofthecommunicators.Butwhatisconsideredappropriateeyecontactvariesfromsituationtosituationandfromoneculturetoanother.Howcanwedistinguishsomeoneissadorhappywhenheissmiling?Eyecontactisoneoftheessentialnon-verbalabilitiestocommunicate.Actually,weareleastawareofournon-verbalcommunicationskillslikebodylanguageandespeciallyeyecontact,yetthesenon-verbalskillsoftenspeaklouderthanourwords.Whenyoumaintaineyecontact,youwillpresentconfidenceinyourselfandwhatyouarecommunicating.Listenerswilltakeyoumoreseriously,andwilltakewhatyousayintoconsideration.Ifyouloseeyecontactorfocusoneverythingelsebutthepersonyouarespeakingto,thetruthinyourpointsmaybelost.Arabshavewarnedtheircountrymennevertodobusinesswiththosewhodonotlookyoustraightintheeye.IntheUnitedStates,onecannotexpecttofindagoodjobifheforgetstolookdirectlyattheinterviewer’seyes.Canadians,Australiansandmanyotherwesternersholdthatdirecteyecontactincommunicationcarriesthemessageofhonesty,sincerityandfrankness.InBritain,youmustavoidstaringatthestrangersbutatthesametimeavoidignoringthem.Whencommunicatingwithoneanother,ifyouarenotlookingatthepersonyouaretalkingto,yourbehaviorcouldimplyfear,contempt,uneasiness,guiltorindifference.Inmakingaspeech,thelecturershouldexchangeeyecontactwiththeaudiencefromtimetotime,butnotburyhisorhernoseinthemanuscript.2.5SpaceSpaceherereferstothephysicaldistancebetweentwocommunicators.Differentarrangementinthespacecarriesdifferentmessagesofdistanceindifferentcountry.Spaceisgenerallydividedintofourkindswithreferencetospatialdifferences:Spacewithin50cmisconsideredan“intimatedistance”,assuchaspacepermitsnotonlyintimateconversationsbutalsophysicalcontacts.Besides,suchadistanceisbestfitforexchangingimportantinformation.Spacerangingfrom50cmtoabout1.2misregardedas“personaldistance”,aswithinsuchadistancepeoplemayhavecasualconversationswithfriendsoracquaintances.Spacefrom1.2mto3.7misconsidered“socialdistance”,whichisthedistanceforaninterview,abusinesstalkandsoon.Suchadistanceisnotfitforsharinganythingpersonal.Spacerangingfrom3.7mtothelimitationofoursightandhearingiscalled“publicdistance”,whichisoftenusedforpublicspeechesandformeetingstrangers.(Thesignificanceofstudyingthedifferenceinspaceisthatspacespeaks.Ifyouincreasetheintimatedistancetopersonaldistance,theperson(whoistalkingwithyou)wouldgettheimmediatefeelingthatheorsheisdistancedorrejectedbyyou.Andifyoureducethepersonaldistancetointimatedistance,youaremostlikelytomaketheotheroneuncomfortableorcreateamisunderstanding,asthereisnomessagesuggestingsuchachange.3.BodyLanguagePlaysVeryImportantRoleinInterculturalCommunicationBodylanguageservesavarietyoffunctionsinintercuturalcommunication.Firstly,itcanreplaceverbalcommunication.Sometimeswewaveourhandsinsteadofsayinggoodbyeorhellotoourfriends.Secondly,itcanmodifyverbalcommunication.Loudnessandtoneofvoiceisanexample.Thirdly,itregulatessocialinteraction.Eyemovementsplayanimportantroleinturntaking.Whenoneisabouttostopspeakingheorshelooksattheotherpeson’seyestoconveytheintentionofchangingroles.Fourthly,itconveysouremotionsandourattitudestowardsthepeoplewearecommunicatingwith.Mostpeoplearoundtheworldsmilewhentheyfeelhappyorfunnyandfrownuponsomethingiftheyfeeldisgusted.3.1Feelingexpression=6%words+39%sounds+55%actionBodylanguageisessentialininterculturalcommunication.Accordingtoasurvey,morethan90%ofaexpressionisconveyedbysound,toneandappearance.Itissaidthatfeelingexpressionis6%ofwords,39%ofsoundsand55%ofaction,explainingasfollows:Action:Kinesic,gestures,eyecontact,andotherbehaviorallhelpproduceclearimpressionimmediately.Youractionsandfacialexpressionsyouusediseighttimesstrongerandclearerthanwhatwordsyouuesedtoexpressyourfeelings.Therefore,weshouldbeawareofthefunctionofbodylanguage,andattachimportancetoit.Sounds:Whatyousaidmayleadtomisunderstanding,becauseone-thirdoftheexpressionfromsoundwillproduceinfluenceonyourcommunication.Whenwecommunicatewithothers,wemustensureourvoicessoastoexpressourideabetter.Words:Doremember,whenvisiondisappearsandsoundiscutdown,wecandonothingbutspeakoutourwordstoinformthemessage.Therefore,whenwetransmitinformationorcommunicatewithothers,inordertopassonourmessagetoothersandmakeitfullyunderstood,wehadbetterputproperbodylanguageintobetteruse,accompaniedbypronunciationandvoice.3.2UnderstandingbodylanguageisveryhelpfulinlearningforeigncultureAsamatteroffact,understandingonecountry’sbodylanguageistoknowmoreaboutthecountry'sculture,becauseitisthedifferentculturethatmakesbodylanguagedifferent.Byunderstandingbodylanguageunderdifferentculturalbackgrounds,wecanknowmoreaboutthecountry'scustoms,ethnicandreligiousbeliefs.Somethingcouldberangedinprivacyinacertainculturewhilenotatallinothercultures,forinstance,income,age,marriageandsofortharetakenasprivacyinmostWesterncultures.Whenweunderstandit,wewillavoidtalkingaboutthesebecauseweknowitistheirculturethatisdifferentfromus.Notallcultureswouldtakeakissasasignofpassion:itisagreetingbehaviorbetweenmenandwomeninmanyLatincultures.InBrazil,theexchangeofthreekissesonthecheeksisacommonsignoffriendship,notlove.InIran,menareexpectedtoshowtheiremotionsopenly.Iftheyappeartoocoolandlogical,theyareseenanbeeingundependableandinhuman.Agestureof“ok”youshowtoanAmerican,butbusinesspeopleareoftenadvisedthattheybecautioustodothatwhenwithFrenchpeople,becauseitmeanszeroorworthlessinFrenchculture,andtoaJapanese,thesignalstandsformoney.IfyoustandwithtwoarmsfoldedinfrontofthechestintheUnitedStates,youareunderstoodasfeelingboredandimplyingyourdisapprovingtosomebody.ThispostureisalsoasignofarroganceinFinland.Ifthecomplicatingofallthesebodylanguagemakesyoufrustratedandthen,justkeepsilent,youareabsolutelywrongwhenyoudobusinesswithpeoplecomingfromAmerican,Germany,FranceandArabiccountries,silencereactionistakenasanegativereactioninthesecountries,notasasignalofagreementinChina.Bylearningmorebodylanguageanddistinguishingthedifferenceandsimilarity,wecanlearnmoreaboutthedifferentculturesindifferentplacessothatwecancommunicatewithforeignerseffectively.3.3UnderstandingthebodylanguageofcounterpartwhencommunicationisusefultoknowwellaboutthepersonsoastocommunicateeffectivelyUnderstandingthebodylanguageofcounterpartwhencommunicationwillmakeyouimproveyourbodylanguageandacteffectivelyandappropriately.Youhadbetternotonlymakeyouselfconcerntrateontheothersbutalsobeawreofother’smeaningwhenyouarecommunicating.Itisnotwhatyousaybuthowyousaythatreallymatters.Asuitableandoutstandingbodylanguagewillmakeyoumoreattractive.Whenwearequarrellingwithothers,ourfeetwillbenervousandtremblingunconsciously.Andfemaleswillmakesometeasingpostureswiththeirlegs.Andposturescanalsoreflectpeople’sattitudetowardstheircommunicators.Theresearchindicatesthatwhenmalesarecommunicatingwiththepersontheydon’tlike,theirmoodswhicharerelaxedornervousaredeterminedbytheircommunicatorswhoarethreateningornot.Inthisexperiment,femaleswillexpressdislikewithveryrelaxingpostures.Postureswillbetheclueoftheinternalrelationshipofagroup.Understandingthebodylanguageofcounterpartwhencommunicatewillmakeyoubetterknowtheemotionandfeelingthecouterparthas,sothatyoucandealwiththematterswhichwillhappen.Becausebodylanguagecanpromoteemotionandshowthefeelingsoutintooureyes.Instead,themoodwillbeshowoutbytheexpressionofbodylanguage.Understandingthebodylanguageofcounterpartwhencommunicatewillconveycorrectinformation.Imagingyouparticipateinainterview,youaretheinterviewer.Itisthefirsttimetheforeignintervieweecomeshere.Heorshemaysaytheyhaveconfidenceinthemselves,butfromtheiruneasyandcarelessbodylanguage,wecantellthattheyarenervous.Therefore,ifwebetterunderstanddifferentbodylanguageunderdifferentculturalbackgroundwewillspaculatetheinformationthecounterpartshows.Takecareofyourbodylanguagewhenyouarecommunicatingwithothers,oryouwillmakesometroubleincommunicatingeffectively.Infact,thisstatementrefersthatpeople’spostures,attitudeandotherbodylanguagecandelivermorehiddeninformation.Peoplemaycontroltheirfacialexpressionssuccessfullyandappearcalm.Buttheydonotrealizethathisnervousnessandeagernesshaveletoutfromhisbodylanguage.Theirfeetmaybestampingonthefloor.Madnessistheemotionthatmayletoutfromourfeetandlegs.Understandingthebodylanguageofcounterpartwhencommunicatewillimproveyourcommunicationskills.Improvingyourbodylanguagecanimproveyourcommunicationskills.Theabilityofcommunicatingeffectivelywillatthesametimebeimproved.Itisclearthatimprovingyourknowledgeofdifferentbodylanguageisonehelpfulwaytobecapableofeffectivecommunicationskills,soastocontactwithothersbetter.Ininterpersonalcommunication,goodmannersshowgreatrespecttotheotherpeople.Andwecanconcludesomethingfrompeople’sposture.Whenwelistentopeople,webelievetheyaremoreenergetic,confidentandcompetentiftheystanderect.Ontheotherhand,whenweseeapersonslouchingoveralecternorstandinglazily,wemakeanegativeinterpretation.Wesaythepersonisnotveryinterestedinwhattheyarediscussing.Understandingthebodylanguageofcounterpartwhencommunicationwillmakeyouleaveagoodfirstimpressiononsomeone'sminds.Yourfirstimpressionwillaffectthefurthercommunicationandevaluation.Ifyouwanttocommunicateeffectivelyandsuccessfully,youhadbetterwellunderstandthedifferentbodylanguagesoastoactappropriately.Ifyouwanttomakeafurtherdiscussionandbuildupafurtheranddeeperrelationshipinbusinessyouhadbettertotakethefirstimpressionintoconsideration.Itisofgreatimportantancetounderstandothers’bodylanguagesothatyouwillleaveabetterimpressiononothersandcommunicatesuccessfullyinbusiness.Tosumup,understandingthebodylanguageofcounterpartwhencommunicateisusefultoknowwellaboutthepersonsoastocommunicateeffectively.Itismorelikelytoachieveyourbusinessifyouknowmoreaboutthedifferentbodylanguageunderdifferentculturalbackgrounds,avoidingculturalconflict.4.BodyLanguagePlaysVeryImportantRoleinBusinessNon-verbalsignalsuchasbodylanguagetakespartinbusinesscommunication.Therearecertainso-called“rightbusinessmanners”forbusinesspeopletofollowinmakingdealswithothers.Therightmannersaresignsofyourseriousnessandsincerity.Toleaveanimpressionofprofessionaltoyourbusinesspartner,arumpledlook,anunshavenfaceandsoonshouldbeavoided.Appropriateuseofbodylanguagehelptoachievesuccessfulcommunication.Yet,sometimesthecasualbodylanguagewouldmakepeoplecomeacrossunexpectedtrouble.4.1Appropriateuseofbodylanguageinbusiness4.1.1HandshakeHandshakeisaspopularasthedollar.Inbusinessencounters,handshakeisalwaysacceptablenomatterhowdifferentculturespeoplearefrom.Traditionalhandshakehasbeenasignoftrustasprimitivepeopleextendedtheirrighthandstoshowtheywereunarmed.Handshakeisasymbolofrespectandaproperbusinessgreeting.Whendoyouneedtoshakehands?Whenavisitorfromoutsideentersyouroffice(thevisitormaybeaclient,avendororapartner).Whenyourunintosomeoneyouhaven’tseenforalongtime,suchasaco-stafffromanotherdivision.Whenameetingends,youdosoastoformalizeanagreementthathasbeenreached.Wheneveryoufeelthatitwillbeappropriateoryouwilldevelopasenseforthat.However,don’tforgettomakesurethatyourhandiscleananddrybeforeextendingitout.4.1.2AvoidimpolitebodylanguageBusinesspersonshouldatleastbeawareoftheimpolitebodylanguage,avoidingusingitsoastocommunicatewithpeopleofotherculturesmoresuccessfully.Abruptmovements,shiftingseatingposition,crossedarmsorlegsmaysignaldefiance,disinterestoranunwillingnesstolisten.Leaningforwardshowsopennessandinterest,whileleaningbackwardorawayfromthespeakerindicatesadefensivepostureordisinterest.Crossedarmsorcrossedlegssignalsadefensivepositionanduncrossedarmsshowsawillingnesstolisten.Pointingatsomeonewiththeindexfingerwaggingistakenasasignofimpoliteandrudeinmostculture.Theshowingofthesoleofone’sfootorshoeishighlyoffensiveinTailand;thesamethingwouldhappenifyoudothisinMyanmar,MiddleEastcountriesandIslamicStates.InMyanmarthefeetareconsidereduncleaningeneralanditisrudetoshowthesolesofyourfeetorevenraisethembyplacingthemonadeskorachair.NostaringattheforeignbusinesspartnersPeoplefromEnglishspeakingcountriespreferkneelingorsittingonthegroundtobendingdown.Theythinkitisthepostureofuncultivatedpeoplewhentheyaresurroundingthefire,andtheyarewillingtokneelorsitontheground.ButpeoplefromthecountrysideofNorthernChinagetusedtothisposture.InIndonesia,peopleoftenbowandputtheotherpeople’shandontheirforeheadtoexpressmodesty.ButAmericanswillnotdoit.American’sinformalnessisfamous.Teacherscansitontheplatformordeskwhentheyareteaching.Andthestudentsneedn’ttositstraight.ButinChina,peoplearerequiredtohaveagoodmanner.4.2ThenecessityofgettingfamiliarwithdifferentbodylanguageinbusinessnegotiationInbusinessnegotiation,wehadbettertakeseveralaspectintoaccountinordertomakeournegotiationprocesssucces