ABSTRACT
Use of space and touch are forms of nonverbal communication. Gestures that help to accent spoken language are another form of nonverbal communication. This chapter discusses source of intercultural misunderstanding, even when all involved have goodwill and desire to interact in positive ways: nonverbal communication. It reviews six roles nonverbal communication has in relation to verbal communication: repetition, contradiction, substitution, accentuation, complementary and regulation. Each of the different types of nonverbal messages in the chapter discusses kinesics, proxemics, paralanguage, environment, dress, food, touch, smell, eye behaviors, and time, all send messages that trainer often assume that they understand without ever really thinking about them actively. The chapter addresses another important source for possible intercultural misunderstandings—silence. In addition, as with verbal communication, the meanings associated with nonverbal communication are interdependent with the context in which they occur.
