Question

Part I.

Answer the following three (3) questions. Copy and paste the questions into the Text Submission box (below), then type your answers directly below each question.  

Q1. What is feedback? How can verbal feedback affect customer encounters?

A.

Q2. Give some examples of nonverbal feedback and explain how they complement the verbal message and how they can affect customer interactions.

A.

Q3. What are the four spatial distances observed in Western cultures, and for which people or situations is each typically reserved?

A.

Part II.

Although we live in a global world, nonverbal communication in different cultures show such drastic differences that you might get the feeling we are from different planets. If you ever find yourself working on a multi-cultural project, it's important to understand these differences.

1. Choose a culture and explore the differences in nonverbal communication in the following areas:

Facial expressions

Head movements

Hand and arm gestures

Physical space

Touching

Eye contact

Physical postures

Answer 1

Part 1

• Q1.Feedback is a key element of the two-way communication model and a response to messages that you receive as a listener.It can affect customer encounters by using positive communication techniques and using terms that customers can find clear and effective.For example,Chances are, your customers have less technical knowledge than you do. Be careful, therefore, when explaining things to them. If you use acronyms, be sure you identify what the acronym means and explain the meaning to them correctly.
• Q2.If the messages communicated are positive, understanding and enhanced customer relations can result. Body language and action/inaction. If these messages are perceived negatively, it can break down the relationship.
• Q3.Intimate distance: 0 to 18 inches – reserved for family and intimate relationships
• Personal distance: 18 inches to 4 feet – for when you are with close friends or business colleagues, with whom you have an established a level of comfort and trust.
• Social and work distance: 4 to 12 feet - usually for face-to-face customer service situations.
• Public distance: 12 feet or more – to be maintained at large gatherings, activities, or presentations, or where the interactions are formal in nature.
• Part 2-A smile is one of the most common examples of a facial expression in different cultures. While Americans smile freely at strangers, in Russia this is considered strange and even impolite. In Asian cultures a smile isn't necessarily an expression of joy and friendliness but it can be used to convey pain and embarrassment.
• In many cultures in the Middle East and Bulgaria, the head movement for “Yes" is just the opposite of the head movement for “Yes" in almost any other culture. You can imagine how confusing it can be to see that somebody is all smiles but his or her head movement means “No" to you. In such cases saying “Yes" or “No" with words is enough to avoid confusion.
• Hand and arm gestures as a form of nonverbal communication also vary widely among cultures. While in some cases a particular gesture means nothing to a representative of another culture, in other cases--for instance the “thumbs up" gesture or the “OK sign"--have vulgar meanings in Iran and Latin America, respectively. Yet in other countries the “OK" sign means just “zero", which is not offensive.
• The acceptable physical distance is another major difference in the nonverbal communication between cultures. In Latin America and the Middle East the acceptable distance is much shorter than what most Europeans and Americans feel comfortable with. This is why an American or an European might wonder why the other person is invading his or her personal space by standing so close, while the other person might wonder why the American/European is standing so far from him or her (are they trying to run away or what?).
• Handshakes are usually acceptable almost everywhere, even between strangers; however, kissing on the cheek, patting on the shoulder, embraces, or touching other bodily parts aren't – for many people in Asia and other parts of the world such actions are interpreted as an offense or even a violation of one's private space.
• Eye contact is one of the forms of nonverbal communication where the differences are most striking. In America and Latin America not looking the other person in the eye is a sign of disrespect and it might even look suspicious (“he or she doesn't dare to look me in the eye, so he or she is hiding something"). In other cultures, i.e. Asian cultures, prolonged eye contact is especially offensive, so you should avoid it at all costs.
• Physical postures are also quite of a difference between cultures. The most common example is the habit of many American executives to rest with their feet on their desk, which in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe is considered highly offensive.