ABSTRACT
We cannot count on uniformity even within a single speech community, for even here there are likely to be internal variations in nonverbal communication patterns, depending on such variables as class, gender, education, occupation, and religion. Communication takes place in two ways: through nonverbal communication, or what anthropologist Edward Hall refers to as the "silent language", and through language in which using words and other vocalizations are combined to produce mutually understood meanings. Two broad categories of differences emerge in nonverbal expression: the same nonverbal cue that carries with it very different meanings in different cultures, and different nonverbal cues that carry the same meaning in different cultures. Nonverbal behaviors are associated with business introductions. The chapter focuses on interactions among business people once the introductions have taken place. It also discusses body posture, gaze, facial expressions, hand gestures, dress, proxemics, and new technologies and visual media.
