Oral Communication: Submitted By: Maria Nicole F. Decena 11 - Airbus

ORAL COMMUNICATION
Submitted by:
Maria Nicole F. Decena
11 – Airbus
Submitted to:
Mr. Albert Bayoneta
Non-Verbal Communication Customs
Vietnamese
As in most cultures, non-verbal communication plays an important role in
Vietnamese society, sometimes to accompany and reinforce linguistic symbols,
sometimes as a substitute for words.
A smile or a blush in the face is the proper response to a compliment. If a verbal

response is necessary, one would deny the compliment, saying that one does not
deserve it. Because of difference in the mediums used to express the feelings of
appreciation or apology in the two cultures, misunderstandings have occurred.
The Meaning of Some Patterns of Vietnamese Non-verbal Communication
Nonverbal Patterns Meaning in Vietnamese Culture
Nodding Greeting; affirmative reply; agreement.
Shaking one’s head Negative reply; disagreement.
Bowing Greeting; great respect.
Touching child’s head Not appreciated, but not offensive.
Showing respect to people senior in age or status

Avoiding eye contact.
or of the opposite sex.
Not decent, especially when directed at people of

Winking.
the opposite sex.
Frowning Showing frustration. anger. or worry.
Pouting. Disdain.
Agreement; embarrassment; disbelief; mild

Smiling.
disagreement; appreciation; apology.
Friendly greeting between men (but not the

elderly); not customary between women or
Shaking hands. between a man and a woman; acceptable
between a Vietnamese woman and non-
Vietnamese man.
Palm of right hand out, fingers “Come here.” Not used to people senior in age or
moving up and down several status.
times.
Middle finger crossing over

forefinger or forefinger crossing
Obscene gesture.
over middle finger with the other
fingers closed over the palm.
Middle finger pointing, other

No meaning.
fingers closed.
Thumb down, other fingers

No meaning.
closed.
Thumb upright, other fingers

No meaning.
closed.
Forefinger and top of thumb

meet to form circle, other fingers “Zero.” Poor quality.
upright.
Palm of right hand facing

oneself, forefinger crooked and Offensive to adults; threatening to children.
moving back and forth.
Holding hands with or putting an

arm over the shoulder of a Friendly gesture, no sexual connotation
person of the same sex.
Holding hands with or putting an

arm over the shoulder of a Not usually done in public.
person of the opposite sex.
Crossing arms. Sign of respect.
Placing one or both hands in the

pockets or on the hips while Arrogance, lack of respect.
talking.
Patting a person’s back,

especially those senior in age or Disrespect.
status.
Pointing to other people while

Disrespect, threatening.
talking.
Whistling at performers. Displeasure.

Putting one’s feet on a table or Rude.
sitting on a desk while talking.
Chinese
Nonverbal communication includes facial expression, tones of voice , gestures,
and eye contact. It plays an important role in our daily life, sometimes it is even more
powerful than the verbal interaction. Different gestures have different meanings.
Different nationalities have specific gestures and emotions. However, due to the
different background and culture, even the same gesture and emotion has different
meaning for different people in certain contexts. Thus, it is very useful for us to
understand people by understanding their basic nonverbal communicative skills.
Nonverbal language includes not only gestures, which are part of the body
language but also mimics, which are facial expressions.
In a sense mimics are also body language expressions since the face is a part of
the body but they have a special name because they are especially important for, so
called, face-to-face communication (in fact there is no expression like "body-to-body
communication", and if there is it will mean something specific, such as making love or
fighting). However basic this distinction is, here we are not going to observe facial
expressions especially, but they will be illustrated and discussed in relation to each
gesture.
1. greetings - When you meet your professor you should lower your head and bend
slightly to show respect. The same posture is used when a young man is greeting an
old man.
2. shaking hands is not used between people of radically different status, as the
previous two cases, but between socially equal people, friends or businessman.
3. Agreement - This gesture is used in informal situations, when you reach an
agreement with somebody else. In China, it is not only a gesture, but also a good
wish. Each of you hopes the agreement will be long.
Italian
Personal Space: Italians generally keep a close proximity to one another, sometimes standing
less than a metre away from the person they are talking to. While this distinction is not always
noticeable, they may think you are avoiding them if you move farther away from what they
consider to be normal.
Physical Contact: Italians are generally tactile people and quite affectionate. It is common to
see hugging, kissing, back slapping and hand holding in public. People may touch their
conversation partner to show their engagement in the discussion – for example, nudging them
or touching their arm when pointing something out. Friends may also walk arm-in-arm in public.
Eye Contact: Direct eye contact is expected and held during conversations. In some places in
Italy, people may inadvertently stare out of curiosity. However, be aware that staring is generally
considered rude and can also represent an act of defiance if a person of low social status stares
at someone higher than them.
Expression: Italians are naturally more expressive in their tone of voice, facial expressions and
body language, often motioning with their hands to emphasise their point. This can sometimes
seem theatrical. Expect many gestures to be used during communication and consider how
much you use your own in comparison. Newly migrated Italians can often interpret Australian
body language to be stiff and reserved.
Gestures: To rub one’s thumb against the fingers indicates money. People may acknowledge
the cleverness of another person by pulling down the bottom eyelid with a finger. People can
gesture “no” by jerking their head upwards –- be aware this can look similar to a nod.
Counting: Italians start counting with their thumb instead of their index finger. The thumb
represents 1, and so on.
Japan
Japanese culture is considered “high context,” meaning that people rely far less
on words to communicate meaning than they do on nonverbal cues. The Japanese,
who illustrate cultural differences in nonverbal communication, value group needs
above the individual and place a strong emphasis on social harmony. Because of this,
most interactions are defined by a certain degree of vagueness and ambiguity.
 It is common for the Japanese to maintain a passive expression while speaking.
 Outwardly exhibiting negative emotions is considered a burden to others. Therefore,
smiles may have a wide range of meanings including to express happiness or
agreement or to mask feelings of anger, displeasure or grief.
 When negative emotions are expressed, they are done so subtly. Negative expressions
may include inhaling through clenched teeth, the tilt of a head or the scratching of an
eyebrow.
 Eye contact, particularly for prolonged periods of time, is considered disrespectful. It is
also often specifically avoided in crowded situations to preserve personal privacy.
 The Japanese sometimes look away or sit silently with their eyes closed when they are
part of an audience. This demonstrates attention and sometimes agreement with the
speaker.
 Silence is common in conversations. Holding back from speaking is considered to
preserve harmony and demonstrate trustworthiness and reliability.
 Personal space requirements also differ depending on context. While in uncrowded
situations, the Japanese may require a great deal of personal space; when in crowded
situations (such as on public transportation), it is common for them to accept a fair deal
less.

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ORAL COMMUNICATION

A smile or a blush in the face is the proper response to a compliment. If a verbal

The Meaning of Some Patterns of Vietnamese Non-verbal Communication

Nonverbal Patterns Meaning in Vietnamese Culture

Nodding Greeting; affirmative reply; agreement.

Shaking one’s head Negative reply; disagreement.

Bowing Greeting; great respect.

Touching child’s head Not appreciated, but not offensive.

Showing respect to people senior in age or status

Not decent, especially when directed at people of

Frowning Showing frustration. anger. or worry.

Agreement; embarrassment; disbelief; mild

Friendly greeting between men (but not the

Middle finger crossing over

Middle finger pointing, other

Thumb down, other fingers

Thumb upright, other fingers

Forefinger and top of thumb

Palm of right hand facing

Holding hands with or putting an

Holding hands with or putting an

Crossing arms. Sign of respect.

Placing one or both hands in the

Patting a person’s back,

Pointing to other people while

Whistling at performers. Displeasure.

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