Nonverbal Communications in Cross-Cultural

Negotiations

Nonverbal behavior may be defined as any behavior, intentional or unintentional, beyond the words
themselves that can be interpreted by a receiver as having meaning. Most of the time we send and receive
nonverbal cues without being conscious of them. Between sixty and seventy percent of the meaning in
social interactions is derived from nonverbal cues. Nonverbal behaviors could include facial expressions,
eye contact, gestures, body movements, posture, physical appearance, space, touch, and time usage. They
are all different from culture to culture and they may affirm and emphasize or negate and even contradict
spoken messages.[]
In negotiation, what is not said is in many cases more important than what is openly expressed by the
parties involved. Effective negotiators are particularly good at controlling their body language and at the
same time adjusting to the many nonverbal signals they will receive from the opposite negotiator(s).
During a negotiation, emotional messages at the negotiating table are expressed nonverbally by gestures,
tone of voice, or facial expressions [....] Nonverbal communications is significant. What cannot be
conveyed through words is sent through gestures and body movements. The meaning of any nonverbal
communication act depends upon the individual involved, the context in which the act is performed, and
the cultural backgrounds of the interacting people: the tremendous impact of the "silent language" on the
negotiation process. Everything counts during the negotiation: the time of the negotiation (morning, lunch
time, late in the evening), the table (round, square), the lights (white, in the middle of the room), the use of
microphones, the breaks, the phone calls, the space between the chairs, the way the negotiators dress, and
so on. Everything is important. Effective negotiators are fully aware of the existence of all these factors
and of the fact that they are able to use them to their advantage.[]
Only ten to fifteen percent of a region's culture is visible. Nonverbal communication can be telling as it
can help one determine the exact meaning of what the other side is saying and also can help the negotiator
get his own message across. Also it is hugely important in any interaction with others because people tend
to look for nonverbal cues when verbal messages are unclear or ambiguous (especially when are used
different languages).[]
As trust is an essential component in effective negotiation, negotiators are required to familiarize
themselves with the culture with which they are interacting. People often deliberately manipulate clues.
The idea that the sender has about himself is converted into body signals that others have to decode. By
creating a favorable impression on others, a negotiator can gain material advantages and sustain at the
same time a positive and satisfying self-image. []

Book Title: Cross-Cultural Business Negotiations.

Author: Donald W. Hendon, Rebecca Angeles Hendon, Paul Herbig
Place of Publication: Westport, CT. Publication Year: 1996.
Available at: http://www.home.no/subtitling/MA-Communication/Hendon-Nonverbal.pdf

As Hendon and Herbig said in their book, intercultural communication and nonverbal communication
became two important areas of communication study. In their work, the authors highlighted the
importance of understanding and using nonverbal behaviour when negotiating or when doing business in a
foreign country. According to them, nonverbal communication is an important part of how people
communicate and there are differences from culture to culture, it is not universal. Because more and more
businesses go global or international, and people from different cultures are interacting with each other in
order to make deals, I think that is very important to learn appropriate gestures and nonverbal
communication to avoid conflicts or international business negotiation failures. To me, nonverbal
communication is largely about the facial expressions, the eye contact, body language and the voice pitch.
These factors can easily affect the real meaning that the speaker trying to convey.
Also when entering into negotiations, we should always take into account cultural factors such as the
educational or religious background, race culture, gender culture of the person sitting across the table. All
of these influence the way people behave. In today's global business environment, a negotiator must have
the skills and knowledge to negotiate a deal and must be aware of all those factors because these cultural
factors will help him to understand how the other person thinks and communicates, and therefore he will
be able to negotiate and persuade that person better. As the authors said everything counts during the
negotiation, not only those factors but the time of the negotiation, the table, the lights, the use of
microphones, the breaks, the phone calls, the space between the chairs, the way the negotiators dress,
count too and a negotiator should be able to use them to his advantage.
Nonverbal communication is very important especially when we interact with people from different
countries which speak a foreign language. I think that it helps us to understand the exact meaning of what
the other side is saying and also can help the negotiator get his own message across. Also people use
nonverbal cues when verbal messages are unclear. Regarding to this affirmation sustained by the author I
want to specify that before using nonverbal cues in international business, but in general interactions too,
we must get familiar with the other sides culture because inappropriate nonverbal behaviour may cause
potential breakdowns in intercultural communication. Failure or misunderstandings in intercultural
communication are largely caused by the misinterpretation or misuse of nonverbal behaviour. One
important thing regarding nonverbal behaviour is that it doesnt translate across cultures easily and can
leads to serious misunderstanding. Human behaviour is driven by values, beliefs, and attitudes, and it is
helpful to get familiar with those aspects. Also as an international negotiator, you have to understand how
your partners from another culture view negotiation, and how they think it should be handled. You need to
know what their bargaining range could be, what tactics they might use, and also you must know aspect
like greetings, use of space, and so on in order to reach the best deal.
Also Im agree with the authors idea regarding to trust - trust is an essential component in effective
negotiation. Before doing any kind of business in a foreign country we must get familiar with the culture
of that country if we want to be trustworthy partners and succeed. Researchers have pointed out that when
given the choice of believing their ears or their eyes, people will almost always believe their eyes. And
this is the reason for why we should be aware of our nonverbal body language because while its easy to
use words in order to lie, its comparatively difficult to be dishonest in nonverbal messages. If we are selfconfident and well prepared before trying to negotiate something, than we send positive body signals
which create a favorable impression on others.