Chapter 58: Verbal and Non-verbal Communication
Rebecca Heibert
Learning Objectives
After reading this chapter, you will be able to:
- understand the cultural impact of different styles of verbal communication, including direct and indirect styles;
- recognize the importance of non-verbal communication.
Why Is This Important?
Communication is culturally dependent. The way that a person uses verbal and non-verbal communication impacts the message they deliver to others as well as how they perceive messages that they receive from others. It is important to be aware of how your verbal and non-verbal communication differs from those around you so that you can adapt your messages to reduce miscommunications and misunderstandings.
Verbal Communication
Verbal communication is the words and language a person uses to communicate. Words and language are culturally dependent and they send a message about where a person is from. When a person uses the same words and language as those in their group they feel part of a bigger whole; however, when that person is around people from a different group, who are speaking differently from themselves, they feel like an outsider.
What would your life be like if you had been raised in a country other than the one where you grew up? You would have learned another set of customs, values, traditions, and different language patterns and ways of communicating. You would be a different person who communicated in different ways.
Cultural rules about when and how certain speech acts can be performed may differ greatly. In some cultures, speech is highly valued, and it is important to be articulate and well-spoken in personal as well as public settings. People in cultures like Canada tend to use language as a powerful tool to discover and express truth, as well as to extend themselves and have an impact on others. In Canada, people tend to take silence as a sign of indifference, indignation, objection, and even hostility. The silence confuses and confounds Canadians since it is so different from expected behaviour. Many are even embarrassed by silence and feel compelled to fill the silence with words so they are no longer uncomfortable. Or, if a question is not answered immediately, people are concerned that the speaker may think that they do not know the answer.
Direct vs. Indirect
Whether a person communicates directly or indirectly is dependent on their culture. Cultures with direct styles ask for more information, whereas cultures with indirect styles may not feel comfortable either giving or asking for information. If an instructor from a verbally direct culture receives a poorly written assignment, they might say, “You have made many errors in this report. Go back and proofread this report to check for errors.” A verbally indirect instructor who receives a poorly written report, might say, “Readers may have questions about this report. Can you check this over one more time?” Good intercultural communication involves slowi