6.7 Body Language- Gestures数字时代的商务英语写作.pdf

Nonverbal Communication 6.7BodyLanguage:Gestures Hi,everyone.Welcomebacktoour course. Now, let’s look at different gestures. Gesture refers to the way we use our handsto convey messages.It isa convenient and effectiveway of communication. But if you’re unaware of cultural differences, your gesturesmay alsocausemisunderstandingor even getyou intotrouble. For example, we Chinese often rub or pat our stomach to show we havehadenough food,but ifyou dothistotheAmericanhost andhostess, they may be confused, forAmericans usually put a hand on the throat to show they are good, while this gesture may indicate a threat like “I will killyou”in Chineseculture. Another exampleis countingnumberson fingers.People in different parts of the world use different ways to count on their fingers. We Chinesecount inthisway:onetwothreefour five six seven eightnineten. We can easily count from one to ten on only one hand. TheAmerican andtheBritish count onetofivethe same way as we Chinese, while other Europeans like the French and the Germans start counting on their thumb and end with five on their pinky finger like this: one two three four and five.And then they repeat this with theotherhandtogettoten. So the same gesture may mean differently in different cultures. The “OK” gesture for an American means zero to the French, money to the Japanese.And it is insulting to make this gesture in Turkey, Brazil, and Greece. Besides meaning “one” in mainland Europe, the “thumbs up” gesture may also be a signal for hitchhiking in Britain, or used to show “good,” “good job” in many other cultures. However, it is an insult gesturein countriessuch asGreeceandIran. Similarly, the “two” or “victory” gesture, and the “ten” or “I surrender” gesture in many countries can also have different meanings in other countries and some meanings can be very offensive. So,we should bevery carefulwhenusingthesefamiliar gesturesin aforeign country.