What advice would you have for becoming more effective when communicating non-verbally with people from different cultures?

I have three tips.

1. Try to be pleasant. Most people like pleasant people and a simple smile goes a long way.

2. Be interested. Show interest in other people, languages and cultural artifacts. Ask questions. Then intercultural interaction doesn't become a hassle – it becomes an adventure.

3. Try to learn something important about the language and culture of your interlocutor. For example, learn and try some simple phrases. “Good morning,” “please,” and “thank you” go a long way to greasing many interactions. A lot of people will then feel like they want to help you out, which can help you get over any kind of communication issues. And, you’ll grow as you interact.

Which emotion is easiest to communicate across cultures and which one is most prone to misunderstandings?

Easiest one to communicate is happiness. Being nice and pleasant is easy to communicate, it’s free, and has most impact. All other emotions are prone to misunderstanding. One could be frustrated, disgusted, sad, surprised, afraid or concerned and all of these emotions can be misinterpreted somehow. But positivity is not usually misinterpreted. Importantly, one has to also think about how one regulates their emotions and expressions in various interactions, because what may bring about an emotion in one, may not be what is actually going on in the other. It’s true for interpersonal interactions (ask any newlywed) and intercultural communication.

What are some advantages of being skilled at non-verbal communication?

In the context of intercultural communication, I think the main advantage is that if you are good at non-verbal communication then you can go anywhere without knowing the language and you will get along. It’s easier to have effective intercultural interactions - even without knowing the language - when you are skilled in non-verbal communication.

As a species, we have been relying on our non-verbal channels to send and receive messages for considerably longer than the evolution of our languages. Although our cultures commit us to different ways of expressing ourselves without words, we are much more similar than we might think. As Dr. Matsumoto points out, the scientific data on most all psychological processes, attributes and behaviors shows that the cultural differences among us are much smaller than our individual differences. Despite our tendency to lose sight of our similarities and, instead, to highlight our differences, “the majority of people in the world want to get along,” says Matsumoto. As with all relationships – communication is key. That’s when our non-verbal abilities can help us to better relate to other members of our human family. Even when words fail us.

Many thanks to David Matsumoto for being generous with his time and insights. Dr. Matsumoto is a professor of Psychology at San Francisco State University and the founder and director of SFSU’s Culture and Emotion Research Laboratory. He is the author of countless books and articles on culture, psychology, emotion and non-verbal behavior.

Marianna Pogosyan, Ph.D., is an intercultural consultant specializing in the psychology of cross-cultural transitions.

ARTICLE 11