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In Bulgaria, people nod their heads up and down to signify "NO" and shake their heads from side to side to signify "YES." Americans use the opposite actions for yes and no. In Greece, citizens sometimes say "no" with a tilt of their eyebrows upward. If in France, you should use a knife and fork to eat a sandwich. Americans would find that odd. Although I know some Americans think I am odd since I eat fried chicken with a knife and fork instead of picking it up with my fingers. In the case of a large sandwich, I have been known to eat it with a fork.
Roger Axtell, the author of Gestures: Do's and Taboos of Body Language Around the World, hopes to help. You can read a fascinating excerpt from his book at the Web of Culture web site. This web site, produced by a Silicon Valley company which consults with companies with global business objectives, provides interesting references about cross-cultural communications. If you travel extensively, perhaps you can help Axtell revise the next edition of his book about gestures worldwide. You will find his e-mail at the site. Axtell writes "gestures are woven inextricably into our social lives and the 'vocabulary' of gestures can be at once informative and entertaining, but also dangerous." Axtell also covers the full gamut of gestures using the following body parts, full body, eyes, ears, nose, cheeks, arms, legs, in other words, "head to toe." It isn't even safe to smile everywhere. It may be the wrong time and it may be at the wrong occasion. His book is a good guide for anyone with the desire to be a thoughtful guest while visiting outside of his or her home country.
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The copyright of the article Without Words - Body Language, Number 3 in Word Play is owned by Sandra Linville. Permission to republish Without Words - Body Language, Number 3 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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