国际商务谈判中的非语言交际-文学学士毕业论文

AbstractBesidesverbalcommunication,nonverbalcommunicationalsoplaysanindispensableroleininternationalbusinessnegotiationinwhichthenegotiatorscangetlotsoffavorableinformationabouttheiropponents.Therefore,itisofgreatimportanceforthenegotiatorstohaveagoodcommandofnonverbalcommunication.However,manypeoplefailtorecognizethesignificanceanddiversityofnonverbalbehaviorininternationalbusinessnegotiation.Althoughthereisnolackofresearchesabouttheclassificationandimportanceofnonverbalcommunication,theresearchesaboutnonverbalininternationalbusinesscommunicationisrare.Thispaperanalyzestheimportantimpactsofnonverbalcommunicationanditsclassificationsininternationalbusinessnegotiationwiththehelpoftheexistingtheories.Finally,itarrivesatsomesolutionsaboutavoidingmisunderstandingforthemisuseofnonverbalbehaviorduringthenegotiation.Keywords:internationalbusinessnegotiation;nonverbalcommunication;importance;diversity

中文摘要在国际商务谈判中，非语言交际起着举足轻重的作用，通过非语言信息可以判断对方的真正意图，体会不可言传的交际内容，帮助谈判者及时做出正确的判断和反应。正确的非语言交际行为能起到加强信息交流的作用，而错误的非语言行为则可能因文化风俗不同引起冲突和误解。关于非语言交际的类型和意义,国内外不乏其研究成果，但其研究方向主要在跨文化交际的大范围上，鲜有专门研究其在商务谈判中的实际作用。本选题在结合已有理论的基础上，探讨了非语言交际在国际商务活动中的作用、类型，在分析了相关例子后总结出防止和消除非语言交际的冲突与障碍的方法。由于在国际商务谈判中人们对非语言交际的了解程度较浅而影响谈判效益的现象屡见不鲜，因此，结合语言交流，观察谈判对方的非语言表现，准确地把握其非语言行为的变化，对掌握谈判大局十分关键。关键词：国际商务谈判；非语言交际；重要性；差异性；

1.IntroductionWiththerapiddevelopmentofscienceandtechnology,theworldisbecomingaglobalvillage.Thecommunicationamonginternationalbusinessnegotiatorsisalsobecomingmoreandmorefrequent.Thecommunicationininternationalbusinessnegotiationcanbedividedintotwokinds,verbalcommunicationandnonverbalcommunication.Ononehand,nonverbalcommunicationisuniversalasitisusedaccompanywithverbalmessagesorindependently.Ontheotherhand,nonverbalcommunicationisimportantininternationalbusinessnegotiation,becauseitcanexertinfluencesonpeople’scommunication,reflectthepeople’sthoughtsandsupplementtheverbalcommunication.Whatismore,onedistinctfeatureofnonverbalcommunicationisitsdiversityindifferentcountries.Thus,ifpeopleignoreitorcan’thandleitappropriately,itwillinevitablycauseconflictsormisunderstandingwhentwoormoreculturesencountereachother.Thispapermainlyexploresthesignificance,classificationanddiversityofnonverbalcommunicationininternationalbusinessnegotiation.Finally,itputforwardsomesuggestionsonhowtoavoidtheconflictsormisunderstandingininternationalbusinessnegotiation.

2.LiteratureReviewTheemploymentofnonverbalcommunicationhasalonghistory,whichwasthemainwayoftransferringmessagesbyourancestorsinhumansocietybeforetheinventionoflanguages.Alongwiththeincreasinglyfrequencyofcross-culturalcommunicationinbusinessworld,nonverbalcommunicationarousesthegreatattentionofscholars.In1959,HallEdwardT.andHallMild.Reed’sTheSoundsofsilenceputforwardtheimpactofcultureonnonverbalcommunicationthroughobservingandanalyzingthedifferentnonverbalcommunicativebehaviorsamongdifferentracessystematically,whichprovidedfundamentalbasisfornonverbalcommunication.What’smore,Wolfson’sRulesofSpeakin1983,BolingerDwight’sAspectofEnglishin1994andFredE.Jandt’sInterculturalCommunicationin2000allhaveprofoundresearchonthisspecialcommunicationskill.InChina,therearealsoplentyofworksinthisfield,suchasLiuRunqing’sLanguageandSocietyin1989,HuWenzhong’sCultureandCommunicationandCross-culturalNonverbalCommunicationin1995and1999.However,mostoftheseresearchesarenotspecificenough.Althoughtheresearchesonnonverbalcommunicationdevelopedsofastandachieveddelightfulresults,thecommonpeople,especiallytheinternationalbusinessnegotiatorsstillattachinadequateimportancetotheinfluenceandemploymentofnonverbalcommunicationontheentireprocessofcommunication.Thispaperfocusontheimportanceofnonverbalcommunicationininternationalbusinessnegotiation.

3.TheDefinitionandClassificationsofNonverbalCommunication3.1DefinitionofnonverbalcommunicationNonverbalcommunicationreferstothesendingofamessagewithoutusingwordsliterally.（LiQingming,2007:95）Generally,nonverbalcommunicationcanbedividedintoseveralcategories,suchaskinesics,paralanguage,objectlanguageandenvironmentallanguage.3.2Mainclassificationsofnonverbalcommunication3.2.1KinesicsKinesicsisthenonverbalbehaviorrelatedtomovement,eitherofanypartofthebody,orthebodyasawhole(LiQingming,2007:94).Inshort,allcommunicativebodymovementsaregenerallyclassifiedaskinesics.Kinesicscommunicationisproperlyoneofthemostimportantandobviousnonverbalcommunicationform,includingeyecontact,facialexpression,postureandgesture.Eyes,almostinallcultures,areregardedasthe“thewindowsofthesoul”,whichcanpromptlyandpreciselydisplaythesubtleemotionalactivitiesinthebrain.Asthemostsensitiveorganintheface,eyesexpressunlimitedmessagesconsciouslyorunconsciously.Thoughpeoplecancontroltheirlowerpartofface,inaccordancetocultureconvention,theupperpartoftheface,especiallytheireyes,alwaysreactsspontaneouslyandrapidly.Therefore,eyesalwaysspeaklouderthanwords.Theyhaveoverwhelmingpowertohelppeopleexpressthemselvesandalsogetinsightintoothers.Whenmessagesconveyedbylanguagecontradictthatconveyedbyeyes,thelatteronesismorereliable.Eyecontactcanconveyavarietyofemotionorattitude:agreement,appreciation,disgusting,objectionandsoon.Duringtheinternationalbusinessnegotiation,peoplecanusetheexpressionsoftheireyestoencourageorpreventthespeakers.Ifthelistenerkeepslookingaroundorhasblankeyes,itmeansthathe/sheisnotinterestedinthetopicorsuggestingthespeakertochangethetopicorjustclosethetalk.What’smore,thedegreeofthedirecteyecontact,thelengthoftheeyecontactandthewayofpeoplelookateachothermattersalotduringtheconversation.Facialexpression,likeamirror,reflectstheinsideworldofpeople.Peopleareemotionalanimalswhosefeelingscanbeseenontheirfaces.Appropriateexpressionattherighttimecanmaketheconversationgosmoother.Darwin(1872)pointedoutthatallhumanbeingsinbornwiththecommonwaystoexpresstheiremotionsontheface.Afrownshowsdispleasure;thewinklingofone’snoseisasignofdislike,disgustordisapproval;smilemeansfriendliness,approval,satisfaction,pleasure,etc.Therefore,peopleshouldkeepaneyeontheoppositeside’sfacialexpressionforthedeepfavorablemessageduringthebusinessnegotiation.Aperson’sposturecanspeaknumerousabouthis/herfeelings,selfimageandattitude.Themovementofhead,arms,legsandfeetcanbeveryrevealing.Therecognizingofsomeposturesisalsosimilaramongmostcultures.Straight,headheldhighisgenerallyconsideredconfident,energeticandself-assured.Abruptmovement,shiftingseatingposition,crossedarmsorlegsmaysignaldefiance,disinterestoranunwillingnesstolisten.Abusinesspersonshouldatleastbeawareoftheinclinationofthefollowingpostures:firstly,leaningforwardshowsopennessandinterest,whileleaningbackwardorawayfromthespeakerindicatesadefensivepostureordisinterest;secondly,crossedarmsorcrossedlegssignalsadefensivepositionanduncrossedarmsshowsawillingnesstolisten.Gesturesmainlyrefertoamatterofhowtousethehandstoconveyamessage.Theyarefrequentlyusedtostrengthentheideaofthespeakeroractastheroleofsupplementalspecificationtothemainpoints.Forexample,handchopsareusedbyaspeakertocutthroughanargument.Itisusuallyusedwithcadenceofthespeaker’svoiceandtheconcepthe/sheistryingtomake.Whereas,asecondthoughtshouldbegivenbeforeemployingthegestures,foraslightdifferenceinmakingthegestureitselfcanmeansomethingquitedifferentfromthatintended.Awronginterpretationofagesturemayarousequiteunexpectedreaction.OnceaBritishbusinessmangoteverythingdonenearlyperfectlybecausehewasverycarefulwithallheshoulddoanddemandedwhenhedidbusinessinIran.UntilonedayhesignedthepapersandturnedtogivehisPersiancolleaguesabigthumbs-upgesture,oneIranianexecutivelefttheroomsuddenly.TheBritishexecutivedidn’thaveanyclueastowhatwasgoingonandtheIranianhostsweretooembarrassedtotellhim.Finally,theIrancolleaguesoftheBritishbusinessacceptedhisapology,buttheirrelationshipwasdamaged.(HuMengrong,2008,300)Actually,InBritain,thethumbs-upgesturemeans“good,great,well-played”,butinPersiancultureitisasignofdiscontentandhighlyoffensive.ThisgesturealsosignalsapprovalinChina,theUnitedStatesandRussiaasinBritain.

3.2.2ProxemicsProxemicsisthestudyofwhatgovernshowcloseonepersonstandstoanother.Inotherwords,itisaboutthephysicaldistancebetweentwocommunicators(LiQingming,2007:96).Ininternationalbusinessnegotiation,differentarrangementinspacecarriesdifferentmessagesofthedistance.Therefore,itisvitalthathowfarshouldpeoplekeepawayfromeachotherwhiletheyaretalking,namelyhowlargeanofficeshouldbe,whatkindoftableshouldbeputinthemeetingroom,suchasaroundtable,anovalone,oranyothershapesininternationalbusinessnegotiation.Distancefromanotherperson,orpersonalspace,isapowerfulconcept,andresearchessuggestitdirectlyrelatestoourinterpretationofthemeaningofmessageconveyedbytheotherperson.Itisgenerallyrecognizedthatthespaceclosetopeople’sbodyleftfortherelativesorintimatefriends,whereasspacefurtherawayfromthatisopentopersonsoneislessintimatewith.Peopleexpresstheirdegreeofintimacyandtrusttowardsthatpersonthroughchoosingthedistancewhencommunicatingtoothers.However,ifapersonfromaculturewherethepersonaldistanceisgenerallyclose,personfromaculturewherepersonaldistanceisgenerallygreatermayappearasevadingandpossiblymistrusting.Andthepersonfromtheculturewherepersonaldistanceisgenerallygreatermayfeelthreatenedforthe“intrusion”intohispersonalspace.InthecountiesofArab,Latin,Mediterraneanareas,peopletendtoshowtheirwelcomeorfriendlinessbystandingclosetoeachother,usually20cmto30cm.However,themostpartsofAsianarea,EuropeancountriesandNorthAmericansgetaccustomedtolargedistancecommunication,normally40cmto60cm,ortheywillfeeltheirprivacybeinginvadedanduncomfortable.(XuXianguang,2001,93)3.2.3ParalanguageParalanguagedealswithhowthingsaresaidbeyondtheactualmeaningofthespokenwords,whichmainlyincludethepitch,volume,speedofthesoundandtheuseofsilence.(LiQingming,2007:100).Pitchreferstotheraiseandfallofone’stone.Peoplegenerallywillnotfeelcomfortablewhentheyhearahigh-pitchvoice,nomatterhowimportantitmaybe.Ahigh-pitchvoiceoftenmakespeoplenervous.Besides,itsoundsmorelikescoldingthantalking.Therefore,peopleshouldtrynottoraisethevoiceunlesssomespecialoccasion,suchascalmingdownanoisycrowdoranexcitedgroup.However,everythinghastwosides,soisthecaseofpitchhandling.Pitchcanbecharmingandeffectivewhenusedproperly.Forexample,wheninvitingateammembertogivehis/heropinion,alittlebitpitch-raiseandfallinone’svoicewillgivethepersonanencouragementtospeakup.Volumereferstotheloudnessofone’svoice.Peopledoneedaloudvoice,butitshouldbeusedprudently.Instead,themediumorlowvoicewhencommunicatingwitheachotherismorepreferred.Volumecanaddcolortowhatpeoplesay,anditcanalsotellotherswhatkindofpersonhe/sheis.Besides,althoughbusinesspeopleareoftentakenasworkingagainsttime,itdoesnotmeanthattheyshouldspeakinahurriedorveryfastwayallthetime.Actually,unlessthereissomethingreallyurgent,theyshouldtrytospeakatanormalspeed,about110-150wordsperminute(ShiDingle,2004:97).Whatismore,variouswaysoftalkingamongdifferentcountriesmaketheconversationmorecomplicated,whichgreatlyinfluencetheatmosphere.Forexample,thenotionthatAmericansaretalkingtooloudisofteninterpretedinEuropeasaggressivebehaviorormaybeasignofuncultivatedbehavior.Likewise,theBritishwayofspeakingquietlymaybeunderstoodassecretivebyAmericans.Furtherimportanceshouldbealsogiventotheamountofsilenceduringtheconversation,whichalwaysmakesthecommunicationmoreunpredictable.LiketheJapaneseproverbgoes,“Thosewhoknowdonotspeak;thosewhospeakdonotknow”,wouldbeopposedbytheAmericansgreatly，becauseevenaslightsilenceisregardedasembarrassinginAmerica.(Richard,2004:60)

4.ThePopularityandSignificanceofNonverbalCommunicationinInternationalBusinessNegotiation4.1TheporpularityofnonverbalcommunicationininternationalbusinessnegotiationCommunicationininternationalbusinessnegotiationisconsideredmoreoftenattheverballevelthanintermsofbodylanguageandthesignsandsymbolsthatpeopleuseinstinctivelytoconveymessagesandattitudes.Yetasurveyshowsthatthe65%ofthemessageiscontainedinnonverbalmessageswhenpeopleinface-to-facecommunication(Samovaretal,1981).Thereisalsoanotherrelevantresearchclaimingthatthecontentofwhatwesaidcountsonly7%oftheinitialimpressionweleftoneachother,therestarebasedonthenonverbalbehaviorwhenwemeetsomebodyatthefirsttime,suchasthebodylanguage,accentandtoneofthevoice(Levineatal,1982).Theseresearchesintensifyourbeliefthathumancommunicationismakeupofbothverbalcommunicationandnonverbalcommunication.Duringthenegotiation,interpersonalnonverbalmessagesarepresentedinourpostures,ourdress,ourfacialexpression,ourgestures,thetoneandloudnessofourvoice,thewayweusepersonalspace,evenourbodyodor.AsthephoneticianDavidAbercrombiepointedoutthatwhilewespeakwithourvocalorgans,weareconversingwithourwholebodies(PengDingle,2004:93).Therefore,peopleneverstopsendinginformationduringthewholeprocessofcommunication,intentionallyorunintentionally,throughwhattheysayandwhattheybehave.SinceChinaadoptedtheopening-upandreformpolicyandjointedtheWTO,Chinesebusinessnegotiationaregettinginvolvedinmoreandmoreinternationalbusinesswithpeoplefromallovertheworldwhohavedifferentculturebackgroundsandworkinghabits.Duetothelanguageobstacle,peoplegetusedtonegotiatingwithforeignersforbettercommunicationwithbodylanguageunconsciously.4.2ThesignificanceofnonverbalcommunicationininternationalbusinessnegotiationSincenonverbalbehaviorwaswildlyadoptedbybothsidesduringtheinternationalbusinessnegotiation,theindispensibleroleofnonverbalcommunicationisbecomingmoreandmoredistinctive.Also,effectivecommunicationdependsonnonverbalmessagesgreatly.Havingadisregardofnonverbalmessageswillresultinincompletecommunication.Nonverbalbehaviorissignificantalsobecauseitreflectsthesubconsciousnessoftheothersides.Peoplenormallyattempttocontroloverthewordsthattheysay.Occasionallypeoplemayhavetoapologizeforlosingcontrolovertheirwords,butusuallysomedegreeofcontrolisthere.However,peoplemayleaktheirtruefeelinginothersubtlebehaviorwithnonverbalbehavior.Infact,evenaccomplishedliarscanbedetectedbysubtlenonverbalmessagestheyemitunknowingly.Hence,experiencednegotiatorswillbealerttothesedetailsandfetchfavorableinformationtotakecontroloftheoverallsituation.Forexample,silenceforamomentsendsthemessagethatspeakersarereadytobegintheirspeech;directeyecontactwithsomeonemakeshimorherknowthechannelsofcommunicationareopen;noddingtheheadinagreementindicatesthatthespeakershouldormaycontinuetalking.Someshrewdnegotiatorsmayeventakeadvantageofthiskindofspecialcommunicationskilltoprotecttheirinterestintentionallybecausesomepeopleassumethatnonverbalbehaviorisspontaneousandnoteasilymanipulated,sotheytendtobelieveit,eventhoughitcontradictstheverbalones.Duringthebusinessnegotiation,bothpartiesareactuallymeasuringthewisdomandstrategywitheachother.Thus,itisveryimportantforthebusinessnegotiatorstofigureoutthepsychologicalchangebyobservingtheotherside’snonverbalbehaviorwiththeverbalcommunication.Effectivenonverbalbehaviorhelpstopushthebusinessnegotiationgoessmoothlyandsuccessfully.

5.DifferencesandAspectsofNonverbalCommunicationinInternationalBusinessNegotiation5.1CausesofthedifferencesinnonverbalcommunicationofinternationalbusinessnegotiationTheabove-mentionedsamplesindicatesthatnonverbalcommunicationofinternationalbusinessnegotiationvaryfromcountrytocountry.Itmainlyresultsfromtheinfluenceofculturedifferences,thegenderofthenegotiators,andtheirthepersonalfeatures.Cultureplaysaveryimportantroleinnonverbalcommunication,justlikeinverbalcommunicationininternationalbusinessnegotiation.Culturedifferencesinhistory,convention,individualvalues,religiousbeliefsandthinkingmodelmakesthesamebehaviorhavetotallydifferentmeaningsindifferentcountries.Thoughtherearesomegeneralwaysofnonverbalcommunication,suchas,smilemeanshappy,frownmeansworry,theextenttowhichfeelingsandmotionareexpressedthroughfacialexpressionisculturebond.Inotherwords,althoughpeoplefromdifferentculturesarelikelytoagreeontheemotionsorfeelingsthatacertainfacialexpressionsignals,theyareunlikelytoattributethesameimportancetothisininternationalbusinessnegotiation.Forexample,AsiannegotiatorsareoftenconsideredaslessexpressiveintheirfacialexpressionthanLatinnegotiatorsininternationalbusinessnegotiators.Ontheotherhand,therecognitionandinterpretationofthefacialexpressionsalsoseemstobedifferentininternationalbusinessnegotiation.Forexample,itmaybeeasierforaPortuguesebusinessnegotiatortointerpretfacialexpressionofaSpaniardthanthatofthebusinessnegotiatorsfromAsiaininternationalbusinessnegotiation.Theleastaccuratejudgmentsaremadebybusinessnegotiatorsfromdissimilarcultures.Contrarily,themostaccuratejudgmentismadebybusinessnegotiatorsfromsimilarcultures.Insomecultures,individualization,equality,strongcompetitivespiritisprevail,whereaspeoplehaveregardforteamwork,harmoniousworkingenvironment,rules-orientationinothercultures.Allofthesemayleadtototallydifferentnonverbalbehaviorsindifferentcountries.Therefore,thewaysofexpressingandinterpretingnonverbalcommunicationaredeeplyaffectedbyculturedifferencesprofoundlyandimmanently.Asnonverbalcommunicationisakindofsubconsciouslybehaviorgeneratedwiththeinfluenceofculture,itismeaninglesstostudynonverbalcommunicationsolely,whichmayeasilygiverisetomisunderstanding,evenculturalconflict.Apartfromculturaldifferences,genderisanotherkeypointininfluencingtheinterpretationaswellasusageofnonverbalcommunicationsymbolsandbehaviors.Itissuggestedthatwomensmilemorefrequentlythanmendo.Andmenwilluseadifferentnonverbalcommunicationstylewhentheyarespeakingtowomen.ItisevenunacceptableandunrespectablefortheJapanesetonegotiatewithafemaleopponent,whichwillarousegreatoppositioninwesterncountrieswhereequalityofmenandwomenisstronglyadvocated.Lastbutnotleast,thepersonaldimensiontononverbalbehaviorisalsoaveryimportantfactoronmakingthedifference.Itisakindofspecialsituationforwhichnoteverybodyabsolutelyadherestotheconventionofhisownnation.He/shemayhavelivedabroadformanyyearsandmixedthedifferentwaysofnonverbalcommunicationinbusinessnegotiationindifferentcountriestogethertobuilduphis/herownsetofstyle.Actually,itisalsorelatedtotheinfluenceofsurroundingsonpeople.Peoplearevulnerabletochangeinaparticularsociety.Thesepersonalfeaturesgenerallyfollownorealpatternsandarespecifictotheindividual.Hence,particularsituationsneedaptandspecificsolutionsforthenegotiators.5.2Aspectsofthedifferencesinnonverbalcommunicationofinternationalbusinessnegotiation5.2.1DifferentwaysofindicatingthesameinformationindifferentculturesTherecognizingofsomebasicnonverbalbehaviorsissimilaramongmostcultures,especiallyinfacialexpression.Happiness,sadness,hatred,angry,fearandsurprisecanbeshownbythefaceclearlyandsimilarly.Thus,themaindifferenceofindicatingthesameinformationliesingesturesandpostures.Differentcultureshavedifferentnonverbalsignalstoconveysomesubtleinformation.InChina,peopleputthethumbofforefingersonthenosetoconfirmifhe/sheismentionedorcalled.MostEnglishspeakingpeopleoftengetthismeaningbypointingtohimself/herselfwiththepalminside.Whengesturingsomeonetocomenear,Chinesepeopleextendhis/herhandtowardtheperson,palmopendownwards,withallfingerscrookedinabeckoningmotion.InAmerica,peoplejustdooppositegestureorjustpointtothepersonwiththesecondfinger,palmupwards.However,peopleinYugoslaviaandMalaysia,willtakethelatteronebyAmericansasasignaltocallanimalsortobeckonsomeonewhowaslookeddownupon.InIndonesiaandAustralia,itisevenusedforbeckoningthe“ladiesofthenight”(ShiDingle,2004:100).Usually,pointingatsomeonewiththeindexfingerwaggingistakenassignofimpoliteandrudeinmostcultures.InChina,ifonewantstoshow“shameonyou”,he/shewillextendtheforefingerandtouchhis/herownfacewiththetipofthefingerseveraltimes.WhileEnglish-speakingpeopleextendbothforefingerswithpalmsdowninfrontofhis/herbody,thenonefingermakesseveralbrushingmovementsoverthebackoftheother.5.2.2DifferentinformationshowedbydifferentnonverbalbehaviorsindifferentculturesOneperson’spositivegesturemaybeanotherperson’sinsult.Theworldisfullofnon-verbalgesturesthatcanmeantheexactoppositeindifferentcultures.Notallcultureswouldtakeakissasasignofpassion:itisagreetingbehaviorbetweenmenandwomeninmanyLatincultures.InBrazil,theexchangeofthreekissesonthechecksisacommonsignoffriendship,notlove.InIran,menareexpectedtoshowtheiremotionsopenly.Iftheyappeartoocoolandlogical,theyareseenasbeingundependableandinhuman.InRussia,receivingaveryslowapplauseindicatesgreatappreciation,butinmanycountriesthiswouldshowlackofappreciation.(XuXianguang,2001:90)Whatismore,thesignalfor“No”,shakingone’sheadfromsidetoside,donotdefinitelycarrythesamemeaningallaroundtheworld.InBulgaria,Greece,Yugoslavia,TurkeyandIran,swayingheadfromsidetosidemeans“Yes”.(LiQingming,2004:So,ifabusinesspersonwantstocommunicatewithpeopleofotherculturesmoresuccessfully,he/sheneedstosharpenhis/herawarenessofsuchdifferences.Herearemoreexamplesaboutthedifferentinterpretationofthesamesignalinbusinessnegotiation:(1)Inorientalcultures,theonlyseatinfrontorinthemiddleofthesettingisasymbolofpowerorseniority,andtheonewhowinsrespectfromalltheotherpeoplearoundcouldbeprivilegedtobeseatedthere.Whereas,itseemsthatstandingisoneoftheWesterners’habitsinsocialinteractions:theystandtohavemeetings,standtohavereceptionsandstandtotalktoothersingathering.Theyoungareneverblamedfornotofferinghisseattotheaged.InGermany,thereisnosinglechaireveninpresident’sgardenontheoccasionofthecelebrationofnationalday.Thus,ifhereisapicture,onemanstandamongtwoseatedmeninameeting,wecantelltherelationshipofthethembytheirpositionsthatthemanstoodwillbeaheadandtheseatedmenwillbethesubordinatesinorientalcultures,whileitisoppositeinwesterncultures.(2)HandsonhipssignalshostilityinMexico,angerinMalaysiaandimpatienceinUnitedStatesanditevenindicatesachallengeinArgentina(LiQingming,2004:106).InChina,itisasignthatthereisaneedforrelaxingorapauseasonehasbeentiredorasignofrelieveafterhardwork;itissometimesadopted(especiallybywomen)todisplayone’sstrengthinquarrelingwithother.(3)Theshowingofthesoleofone’sfootorshoeinhighlyoffensiveinThailand,Myanmar,MiddleEastcountries.BecauseInMyanmarthefeetareconsidereduncleaningeneralanditisrudetoshowthesolesofyourfeetorevenraisethembyplacingthemonadeskorachair.(XuXianguang,2001:90)(4)Tappingthetemplewiththefingermeans“Workwithyourbrain!”inChina.InNorthAmericaandmostoftheEuropeancountriesitmeanssomeoneiscrazy.InmostoftheAfrica,ArgentinaandPeruitisaslightdelayingtacticandmeans“Iamthinkingaboutit.”InGermany,ifyoucanbesuedformakingsuchagesturebecauseitisconsideredaformofslander(ShiDingle,2004:106).(5)Touchingtherightearlobewiththerighthandmeans“I’mlistening”whenthepersonjustwantstolistentoothers’opinioninEnglishspeakingcountries.However,itmeansfourdifferentthingsintheMediterraneancountries.InSpainitaccusessomeoneofbeingasponger,inGreeceitisawarning,inMaltaitsayssomeoneisasneak,andinItalyitinsultssomeoneforbeingahomosexual(ZhaoXia,2005).(6)ToweringhandsbetweenlegswhenoneissittingmeansheisthinkingadecisionorasolutioninEnglishspeakingcountriesduringthebusinessnegotiation.Peopletowertheirhandsunderthejawwhentheyareassigningjobsorgivingorderstothesubordinatessignalsaconfidentpersonpresentinghisidea.

6.WaysofAvoidingMisunderstandinginInternationalBusinessCommunication6.1BeingawarenessoftheimportanceanddiversityofnonverbalcommunicationInternationalbusinessnegotiationisakindofbusinessactivityaboutdiscussing