Understand Cultures is Important for Body Language
When I was watching the lesson, one thing that stood out to me on the tips for hierarchy was cultural differences.
I work in very diverse region and knowing what cultural or religious expectations from different nationalities is very important. The handshake and the eye contact recommendations are fine for Americans, but can be offensive for other countries. Never assume your actions or the actions of your student are being received as planned.
It will help in the final bonding stage if the student feels you understand their culture better.
I agree with Janet. I believe understanding Culture is important for body language as well as every stages of the hierarchy. Especially when the very first stage of the hierarchy is Ritual (greeting/ smile/ handshake, etc.) This can be quite tricky sometimes if we don't understand our students' culture background. Not to mention going forward with small talks, mutual interests, opinions, feelings and leading to the bonding stage if we are unaware of each individual's culture background, we may hit the ceiling and have to repeat the hierarchy all over again and trying to understand why. Culture can play an important role before stage 1 - Ritual. Therefore, by understanding culture can be beneficial to us in order to climb up this Communication hierarchy and to close the deals when we reach that bonding stage in the most comfortable way to both our students and ourselves.
I agree with you we have to be very careful with the ways we express ourselves in a situation like this we have to be respectful of the traditions and beliefs of every person
Yeah, keeping it simple sometimes is the best way. That way, if you see that they understand, you can do deeper if need be without overwhelming them with information.
Janet,excellent point. I went to a very diverse high school and with some cultures, too much eye contact could be offensive. In some cultures I have found that some don't like to shake hands, smile and say, it is a pleasure to meet you! In addition to culture, the person's environment that they grew up in could affect their perception of us as well. If we talk to much, that could be offensive to some. I try to talk less and encourage people to talk and ask questions and I try to answer them directly without a drawn out explanation.
