6.8 Body Language- Eye Contact数字时代的商务英语写作.pdf

Nonverbal Communication 6.8 Body Language: Eye Contact Hi, everyone. Welcome back to our course. We ’ll talk about other forms of body language: eye contact and touch. For eye contact, we will focus on whether to have eye contact or avoid eye contact in different settings. First of all, why do you think eye-contact is important? We Chinese often say: 眼 睛 是 心 灵 的 窗 户 . The eyes are the windows of the mind. Bob Dylan said “Your eyes said more to me that night than your lips would ever say”. Dean Martin sings in the song: “Your lips tell me no, no, but there’s yes, yes in your eyes.” You see, our eyes tell a lot of information, for example, about our state of mind, whether we are interested or attentive, our emotions, attitudes and even our status. Making eye contact is especially important in a job interview or in a business setting. Again, there are cultural differences as to whether to look at your partner in the eye in a conversation and how long you maintain your eye contact. People in the west often expect the person they are talking with to look at them in the eye. Even, they will suspect the person’s honesty if he fails to do so. However, people from Latin American and Caribbean cultures are taught to avoid eye contact with elders, teachers, and other people with status as a sign of respect. “Japanese children are taught in school to direct their gaze at the region of their teachers Adams apple or necktie. As adults, Japanese lower their eyes when speaking to a superior as a gesture of respect.” (/wiki/eye_contact/#page=wiki ) And when a Japanese is listening to a lecture, he may even close his eyes instead of looking at the speaker to show attentiveness.