What differences in gestures, eye contact, and body space have you noticed between your own culture and what you have seen in the United States? Why do you think this is? What similarities in nonverbal communication have you seen between the two cultures?
There is a story that happened when I had just came to United States from Korea. I met a dean of my school and I bowed deeply with "Hi, sir" and I found out later that I don't have to bow in United States. That was the starting point to figure out the differences in gestures, eye contact, and body space between my country and United States - contradiction and similarity like colors pink and red.
Have you ever felt what is 'Culture Shock'? As a person who experienced it, I think it starts from gesture difference in one culture and another culture. In Korea, people should act with gesture that shows your respect about the other. In Korea, there are several kinds of bow. Like in United States, you can greet friends with waived hands. However, you have to drop and raise your neck slowly when you meet older person. If you meet older person for the first time in a long time, it's respectful to bow down upon knees. It's also courtesy to dead person but this case, you have to do twice. There is one difference about crossing legs and arms. In United States, people usually don't feel awkard when they do cross their legs or arms. However, if you do that in Korea in front of older people, they will look down you becuase they think it is rude to do in front of elders.
Lots of Korean students who are just came from Korea have a difficulty when they talk to American due to eye-contact. In United States, people think if you do not look eyes each other, they think you have dubious and untruthful mind. In contrary, in Korea, when a person did something wrong and if the person look the other's eyes (staring), we think that's really impolite. From the difference, there is a story of my friend in America.. He actually lied to teacher before, and when the teacher found out that he did lie, she asked, "Did you do somthing wrong?" He couldn't look her eyes that shows shame and sorriness that actually what Koreans think people should do. However, as an American, his teacher got really mad after that.
For body space, there is one thing that I hope Koreans learn from Americans - hug.
Even though Koreans do hug, it is limited as an expression for a lover. What I like about hug is, in United States, lots of people do hug for a lots of reasons. They do hug as expressions of love, celebration,and consolation, etc. with anybody. If I do hug friend of mine in case it's boy, he probably think I like him as a boy or I am drunk. There is one more funny thing as difference, lots of girls do link arms each other as showing thier friendship. If you do that in United States? People probably think the girls are in a relationship.
Although there are lots difference between two conturies, like the saying, 'if you can't talk in its language, you can communicate with body-language', lots of gestures are similar.
For example, if you put your finger in front of your mouth, that means 'be quiet' or 'hold on'.
If you roll thumb and index finger together, that means 'ok' or 'money'. If you put hands behind your head, and move, that shows uncertainty. You also can show affection by wink your eyes or put your finger and blow.
In this world, there are lots of language that you can't understand. However, nonverbal cmomunication is a key to communicate with others but you should know the difference each other becuase even though it seems similar, sometimes the meaning is totally different - like colors, pink and red that stand as 'color' but have different feelings.