There are many ways in which the sorts of elements that
you mention can have an impact on the effectiveness of communications between people of
different cultures.
For example, the culture in which I
grew up frowns on eye contact. This is especially true when dealing with a person
"superior" to you. It is deemed disrespectful to look a "superior" in the eyes. In
America, people think you are untrustworthy if you do not look them in the eyes. This
makes for ineffective communication between Americans and those from cultures like the
one where I grew up. One person is trying to be respectful, the other thinks they are
being evasive.
The concept of personal space does this as
well. I have Japanese friends who are very much more conscious of personal space than
most Americans tend to be. If a person tries to get to what an American would see as a
normal distance, my friends get nervous and uncomfortable. Once again, this would
diminish the effectiveness of communication as a Japanse would be wondering why the
American is so pushy while the American wonders why the Japanese is so aloof and cold.
Neither would be able to concentrate on their communication.
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