Maria Zolotsev

COMM Online
Chapter 4 Prompt #2
September 18, 2015

One of the most effective ways to communicate with people from other
cultures is actually non-verbally. Non verbal communication can actually tell
you a lot about a person without them having said as much as a sentence. I
think by now we all know that people communicate differently from different
areas around the United States, so for this prompt I ask the three greatest
travelers I know for some help in answering these questions (my mom 45, my
dad 45, my sister 14). I chose this group particularly because they are from a
Russian culture and pick up greatly on American habits when it comes to
communicating. Here are some of their responses to what they've noticed
with American non verbal communication and my additional input on what it
means to communicate that way around the United States.
In the United States, myself and the interviewees all agreed that
people here are what we consider a "cold" culture. My parents described this
"cold" culture as less affectionate and done less "from the heart and soul."
One of the examples they used is the way old friends see one another or
when people get together. My parents always give a hearty handshake, HUGE
hug, and an even bigger smile whenever meeting with someone most of the
time. My mother even kisses people on the cheek. Over time, I notice even
at parties or get togethers, I say my own name and give stranger a huge hug
because we are at a place of good energy and mutual friendships. A lot of the
time, people are surprised by our "warm" nature with non verbal
communication because they're so used to the "I'm Bill" and "Oh nice, I'm
John" kind of communication. There's not a lot of soul to it. In the book
simularily, this is what is described as a "non contact" culture. People keep
their distance, seem more so serious, and give a handshake as a sign of
approval while making eye contact.
One of the cool things about having a family that travels a lot is that
they have experienced so many different ways of non verbally
communicating throughout the United States. My dad told me that one of the
many things people do in the south (from his trip to Texas) is knod there head
as a sign of hello or an odd approval. The kinesic (page 93), or body gesture,
is more prominately used there and when my dad had come back from his
trip, he used that gesture to say "yeah" or "pleasure to meet you" when
meeting new people back in Salt Lake. He still does actually.

On the same note, my mom and my sister both have had friends from
the east coast. My mom's friend Valentina is Russian but definitely picked up
on the east coast bandwagon. Both those Russian and (Bostonian) American
cultures are super expressive (for a lack of a better word) and can't tell a
story without using a particular kinesic, like talking with their hands. My
sister's friend from junior high is also from that part of the US, but is half
Japanese. I've met Karen a couple of times and she just seemed super quite
and shy even though I expected someone from that part of the country to be
a bit louder. She could have just been a shy kid or maybe her Japanese
background was influencing her to not smile, not want to knod, and not want
to make any contact with me. Either way, her non verbal communication was
very dry and I don't think she liked me because of how closed off she was.
Either way, I'm sure there are tons of other experiences people have
had across this country with non verbal communication. I, myself, feel like I
am just so open to following into the "contact" culture, using a lot of warm
kinesics, and I feel as if I use proxemics at a very intimate distance. I like
people and I'm just so used to wanting to be around them so I don't feel
uncomfortable. I understand that different cultures have different standards,
but I noticed a lot of the non verbal communication forms I use are very much
so in common with spanish speaking cultures. I love when people kiss my
cheeks when saying hello and I adore hugs because it lets me know that the
person is welcoming/nice. Either way, there's so many ways of
communicating among one another without saying a word.