A Study on Non-verbal Communication in Cross-cultural Business Communication

【Abstract】In international business negotiations， how to master the relationship between language， non-verbal communication and culture？Achieving optimum communication is a compulsory subject for business people. Language is the tool of communication and the carrier of culture; non-verbal is the supplement of language communication.

【Key words】Non-verbal; Cross-cultural; Communication

【作者簡介】姜欢（1997.09-），女，汉族，黑龙江齐齐哈尔人，大连财经学院英语协会，本科，英语协会会长，研究方向：英语学习与研究。

【基金项目】大连财经学院校级课题：互联网+时代我校商务英语类选修课课程建设研究——基于学习动机与策略  课题编号：2018dlcjjg06。

With the deepening of reform and opening up， in contemporary society， international trade has achieved unprecedented development.It has also entered a stage of rapid development. In cross-cultural business activities， how to conduct effective business communication determines the success of all business activities，Non-verbal communication plays a very important role in business communication.

1. The Importance Of Nonverbal Communication

International business activities often involve cross-border business communication， which is done through the perfect cooperation of language communication and non-verbal communication. However， language communication has many limitations， and “non-verbal” communication is sometimes more effective than language communication. According to statistics， 65% of the information obtained by a person is obtained through non-verbal means. Therefore， successful cross-cultural business contacts need to pay attention to the use of non-verbal communication.

2. The Differences Of Nonverbal Communication Cross-culture

International business negotiation is a cross-border business communication， which is accomplished through the perfect cooperation of both language and non-verbal forms. For example， people from different countries have different opinions on how far they can maintain the distance between the two parties. The way in which the two parties contact each other varies from culture to culture; the way of eye contact is also Conventional and so on. Therefore， in order to carry out effective communication，While using a certain language，it is necessary to understand the meaning of the speaker’s gestures， actions， manners and so on.

2.1 Body language

Body language plays an significance role in business communication. The same movements， body language， expressions， and eyes have different understandings in different cultural contexts. The same gestures have different meanings in different countries.It just reflects the different cultural backgrounds that give gestures different communication functions. For example， two thumbs up and a small thumb. In Chinese people’s view point， Thumbs up means “amazing” or “good”， it is to express praise and admiration to another one. Americans will only give thumbs up when they ask for a free ride .Chinese people stick out the little finger to mean “poor” or “bad”; and the Japanese sticking out the little finger means “lover.”

2.2 Greetings and handshakes

In business communication， the form of greetings and handshakes is not only different in Eastern and Western cultures， but also in countries with similar cultures. The handshake of North Americans in Western culture is tight and powerful.The want to showing both sides’ confidence in themselves. However， the French handshake is just light and fast， compared with North American culture. In Eastern culture， there are differences between China and Japan. Nowadays， Chinese people often use form of handshakes to greet them. The length and intensity of the handshake time reflects the importance of each other. In Japan， making a bow is still a common form of greeting， indicating respect for each other.

3. Countermeasures for solving non-verbal communication barriers

The differences between Chinese and Western cultures are not only the differences between living customs and language behaviors， but also the differences in individual ideas. Therefore， in the context of intercultural communication， it is advisable to follow the principle of cultural communication and strive to find a cross-cultural communication path that conforms to their respective cultural traditions and values.

3.1 Strengthen the Cultivation and Guidance of Education in Cultural Identity

Education has the function of selecting， inheriting and spreading culture.It can improve cross-cultural communication skills and develop cross-cultural language teaching. Cultural communication teaching guides students to use multimedia， such as internet and television， to extensively learn international and domestic and national cultures， customs and other knowledge， broaden their understanding and mastery of Western culture， and improve the level of intercultural communication.

3.2 Improve social and communication skills

There are some things in common between Chinese and Western social etiquette， as well as many differences. In the intercultural communication， the two sides should understand each other’s national characteristics. In addition， we should conscientiously abide by and maintain the proper politeness and communication strategies， We must handle various problems in nonverbal communication and correctly understand the actual meaning of nonverbal communication.

4. Conclusion

In international business communication， language is not the only form， and our expressions， gestures， and movements in other parts of the body will convey information to each other. Therefore， in international business activities， we must correctly understand cultural differences and understand non-verbal behaviors in the countries of communication to promote the smooth development of business activities.

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