Reading chapter five, I learned that most of the concepts were related to diversity in groups. However, when I got the section of nonverbal communication I was very interested. The reason why I was so interested in this is because, although nonverbal communication is important and very prevalent in our everyday communication, this topic is not often discussed. Nonverbal communication “is often subtle and multidimensional and may take the form of body or facial gestures, tone of voice, turn taking, use of time, or habits of dress or hairstyle.” (Harris/Sherblom 92)
I liked how they emphasized the fact that we need to keep in mind that each culture attaches different standards of appropriateness to nonverbal expressions. This concept did not become to clear to me until about a few years ago. I had a Nigerian friend that did a good job on his speech in class. He told me that my thumbs up, was the equivalent of the middle finger to the Nigerian culture. I felt bad but he told me not to because he knew that was not what I was referring to. So in short, I believe we should all learn nonverbals, be aware of them, and use them effectively in our communication experiences.