Nonverbal cues are as important as verbal communication when having a conversation with another person. One of the embarrassing situations I experienced was with the traditional OK sign. I have a friend who is Brazilian, and his parents are immigrants who do not speak much English. Once, I was picking up my friend to go to a festival, and his mother said something to me, but I could not understand it since she was at the doorstep, and I was in the car listening to music. I did not want to be impolite, so I decided to agree with what she was saying, and I showed an OK sign. The next day my friend told me that his mother said I was a disrespectful and rude person. I learned that the OK sign in their culture could be perceived as offensive. I additionally found that among other nonverbal cues that are accepted in my country but are perceived as offensive are thumbs-ups, devil’s horns, and peace signs.
As for the job interview, I would pay attention to eye contact, vocalics, and facial expression, such as smiling. When considering eye contact, it can be useful because it can show that I am not hiding anything from them, yet if it is too long, it can be disrespectful and intimidating in other cultures. Vocalics is an integral part since being overly loud can ruin the first expression (Goodman 436). Finally, facial expressions are important since while in some countries it is accepted and encouraged, in other countries, it is necessary to be restrained in emotions (Goodman 437). If I were being interviewed in another culture, such as from the East, I might be required to maintain minimal eye contact, facial expression, and quieter vocalics as opposed to Western countries.
Finally, an ineffective nonverbal cue that I once used in a conversation was crossed arms. When I am around people I do not know, I tend to have closed body language, such as putting my hand in my pockets or crossing my arms. As a result, the conversation I had with the person was short since they probably assumed I was uninterested. It could affect future conversations with the person since they would find my attitude hostile and not approach me. What I could do differently was to use open body language, such as using hand gestures.
Work Cited
Goodman, Layne. Exploring Relationship Dynamics. Maricopa Open Digital Press, 2021.