Reading the Body Language in International Negotiations

The article that we read was about the fact that in "...international negotiations, what you say is sometimes less important than your body language or facial expressions..." (Azad et al, 2011)

The article was centered around looking at the non-verbal cues of East Asian students from Mainland China and Canadian born students. The article covered the various non-verbal cues that can seem positive; however, in actuality they are negitive. The conclusion of the study was that in Eastern Asia when they sit up straight, like the way Canadians would to assert dominance, this was a sign of submissiveness. However, in a situation where negative views are being conveyed non-verbally, in the case of the Chinese participants they leaned back; which in Canada is a sign of relaxation. In a situation of discontent the East Asian participants also maintained eye contact; a non-verbal cue which in Canada is linked with positive emotions and affectionate engagement. The article outlined that in a business situations these non-verbal cues can be misinterpretated and it could hinder business negotiations, which stigmatizes the success of international business negotiations.

We agree with the point that the article is making, as we stated in our first blog it is important to understand non-verbal cues for the purposes of maintining diversity. If we are going to do business internationally, it would make sense for businessmen and women to do research on foreign mannerisms, so they are able to convey their point effectively and are able to understand the non-verbal cues during an international business meeting. We also think that the research on body language that are postive or negative needs to be expanded, because the article mentioned that reasearch on this topic is limited to what western societies view as positive or negative non- verbal communication. As we stated in our firts bog diversity in a company is very important, made even more so by the fact that comanies wish to globalize and if research helps with process, then we believe that it is in the best interest of Canadian companies to embrace internationally different verbal and non-verbal communication, which would make their companies more diverse.

Citation
Zhaleh, S. A. and Wendi, L. A (June 2011) Nonverbal Cues Associated with Negotiation “Styles” Across Cultures.  Presented at the 2011 International Association for Conflict Management Conference, Istanbul, organized by the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. Referenced February 13th, 2013 at http://www.strategy-business.com/article/re00159?pg=all.

Picture provided by:  www.skillsconverged.com titled Reading Body Language Non- Verbal Communication.

Interaction
Please think about the following questions.

What do you think does body language make a difference? Why or why not?