Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the cultural difference in body language

between cultures and the reason as to why not many are aware of it.

Central idea: Different cultures have different greetings, interpret various gestures
differently despite basic, inborn body language and American television is the main
reason as to why people are oblivious towards cultural differences.

Introduction

I. I would like to ask you a few difficult questions; answering them right would
make you the most awesome person on earth

II. You are all right.

III. However, doing one of those gestures in other countries would probably get
you into trouble

IV. Did you know this? Probably not. Not many people are aware of the different
meanings of these gestures and the significant difference in body language of
different cultures

V. Today, I stand here to tell all of you that there is a different world out there
with different cultures – not in terms of marriage, food, music and festivities
but in a more subtle and basic sense. Body language.

(Transition: Now that I have planted the seeds of curiosity in your head, let’s look
closer at body language. Is there really that much difference between cultures? Fellow
friends of mine…)

Body

I. Basic body language in different cultures are actually the same almost
everywhere.
a. As all of you most probably already know, body language is involved with
kinesics.
i. It involves gestures, posture and facial expressions.

(Transition: Now, I need you to understand this: different cultures have different
understanding of certain gestures. However, there are cultural basics – body language
based on certain cultures – that are accepted with the same meaning almost
everywhere…)
b. One of those cultural basics is facial expressions
i. Facial expressions depict a person’s emotions –what they are
feeling – and also convey messages like fear, anger, annoyance
and happiness.
ii. Facial expressions and smiling register the same meaning to almost
everyone in the world.
1. A research had been done by a man called Paul Ekman
from the University of California
• He had showed photographs of the emotions of
happiness, anger, fear, sadness, disgust and surprise
to people of twenty-one different cultures.
• In every case, every one of the people from those 21
cultures agreed on the same emotions when shown
the photographs that depict happiness, sadness and
disgust
• On the other photographs, most of the people
agreed on the emotions shown. There were about
one or two difference of opinion.
• However, the only significant cultural difference
that can be seen when involving facial expressions
is the Japanese. When shown the fear photograph,
they interpret it as surprise If you are familiar with
Japanese movies, you would most probably
recognize that when
• This shows that basically cultural differences in
terms of facial expressions are the same almost
everywhere.
2. Another research had been carried out to demonstrate that
facial expressions are inborn in humans (meaning it is not
taught, but comes from instincts instead).
• Dr Linda Camras from DePaul University in
Chicago had measured Japanese and American
infants’ facial responses using the Facial Action
Coding System – s system that allows researches to
record, separate and catalogue infant facial
expressions.
• They had found out that both Japanese and
American infants show the same emotional
expressions.
• Clearly, it can be seen that some parts of body
language, like facial expressions, are inborn and are
not affected by cultural factors thus making it the
same almost everywhere.
II. However there are still major differences in body language that had been
affected by culture
a. One: hand gestures.
i. What I’m talking about is of the insulting variety
ii. There are three common hand-gestures that are used in many
cultures but have different meanings in most of them.
1. The Ring a.k.a. the OK sign
• The sign had been popularized in the USA during
the early nineteenth century
• Symbolises the initial OK which means all-correct
or “oll-korrect”
• It’s obvious that the sign represents the letters O
and K
• In English-speaking countries, it means “all correct”
• In France and Belgium, it means “zero” or
“worthless”
• In Japan, it means “money”. If you make this sign
when doing business, the Japanese would assume
you are asking for a bribe
• In some Mediterranean countries, it is an orifice
sign, often used to imply that a man is homosexual
• In Greece, a Greek man will assume you are saying
he is gay.
• For a Turk, he might think you are saying he is an
“arsehole”.
2. The Thumb-Up
• In places with strong British influence like
Australia, New Zealand, the U.S.A., Singapore , the
thumb-up has three meanings: OK; a sign for hitch-
hiking; or when jerked sharply upwards, means “up-
yours!” or “sit on this!” – an undeniable insult.
• In Greece, the thumb is thrust forward and what it
really means is “get stuffed!” – another insult.

3. The V-Sign
• The sign is common in Australia, New Zealand and
Great Britain and basically means “up yours!”
• It looks nearly similar to Winston Churchill’s
“peace” gesture, except this sign has the palm
facing the person.
• In parts of Europe, it means “Victory”. Germans
might think they’ve won a prize.
 b. There is also a difference in greetings – handshakes and kissing.
i. When people meet, they greet each other, mostly by shaking
hands.
ii. Different cultures shake hands at different frequencies, and the
length of handshakes differ
1. When Germans shake hands, they pump the hand only
once. To Americans, who usually pump a person’s hand
five to seven times, the Germans may seem cold and
distant. Imagine if an American and a German shook
hands. After the 1st pump, the German would be pulling his
hand away – in the process, he would be pulling the startled
American along with him since the American would still be
wanting to pump his hand a few more times. Cue: awkward
moment. Especially for people who are unaware of the
norms of other cultures.

(Transition: So, why are so oblivious towards these differences?)

III. One of the reasons why we are unaware of cultural differences in body
language is the dominance of American television.
a. What shows do you see most frequently on the television? Mostly
American shows – Gossip Girl, Chuck, House, etc. etc.
i. Since American shows are so dominant, the children of our
generation begin mimicking American body language, adopting
their norms instead of being acquainted with our own.
ii. Plus, American television is rather universal, and is aired almost
everywhere. Because of this, cultural difference in body language
have begun to fade and we are all being Americanised. Or
Koreanised or Japanised, for that matter.
iii. The power of television is nearly undeniable, it’s side effects
nearly unstoppable.

Conclusion

I. We need to be more aware of these differences. We should not be as ignorant

as Americans.
a. According to the authors of “The Definitive Book of Body Language”,
Americans should not be issued a passport. Most Americans have the
 mentality that everyone around the world is just the same as them – that all
around the world, it’s the same season, the same time, the same date.
b. Ignorance might be bliss, but not so when you get beat up after showing
an insulting gesture to a stranger, thinking that what you did was actually
good.
c. Hopefully, with this speech, I have shown you that there really is a
different world out there with different understandings of what we think is
common knowledge, and may we never be among the ignorant.

Bibliography

Pease, A. 2006. The Definitive Book of Body Language. New York: Bantam Dell.