Facial Expressions and Eye Contact

If we, for example, compare African, Arabian or Asian women with American women, we shall quickly establish that there are many cultural variations, and that the only behaviour that has the same universal meaning seems to be the smile!

Many Asians, Africans and Orientals will look down and avoid direct eye contact as a sign of respect, while for Europeans and North Americans lack of eye contact is often an indication of lack of attention, and could be regarded as impolite (table 1.1).

Table 1.1

Cultural Similarities

	Smile	Eye Contact
Arabian	+
Asian	+
European	+	+
American	+	+
Japanese	+
South African	+	+

Personal Space

An individual's need for personal space varies from culture to culture. In the Middle East, people of the same sex stand much closer to each other than North Americans and Europeans, while people of the opposite sex stand much further apart.

Japanese men stand four or five feet apart when having a discussion; Europeans and North Americans would probably regard having a conversation at this distance rather odd.

Touch

Touching is significantly influenced by someone’s background and culture. Some cultures, such as Arabs, may touch once or not at all, while North Americans could touch each other between two and four times an hour, according to some researchers. People from the United Kingdom, certain parts of Northern Europe and Asia touch far less, while in France and Italy people tend to touch far more frequently.

It is obvious that touch is a sensitive issue; and, to be on the safe side, avoid touching during negotiation as far as possible.