Nonverbal Messages

Nonverbal communication is a huge part about how we communicate as people. What may be considered normal behavior in one culture can be seen as inappropriate or strange in another. As such, it is a good idea to have some idea about nonverbal norms before you travel somewhere, or at the very least, observe before you act. 

It can be hard to understand nonverbal communication that different compared to what we grew up with. For example, when I visited Colombia for the first time one gesture that always caught me off guard was the way people beckoned others to come closer. In my family and in the areas I have grown up, you would beckon others over by holding your hand out with the palm up and repeatedly move your whole hand towards yourself by bending it at the wrist or fingers or both. In most of Colombia, the gesture is very similar but done with the palm facing down. This change to the gesture combined with moving your hand away from you often meant you were telling the other person to go farther away in my family. So, when I went to Colombia, it took a while to get used to the difference in meaning. I often think back to this example when communicating with others from different cultures because it reminds me both how important it is to learn what is normal in another culture, but also the challenges we can face while we try to learn. 

Another example of how Colombians use different gestures is the way they may point at various objects or people. It is common for them to simply move their head in the direction of whatever they are pointing at, using their chin or mouth as the main indicator of direction. 

Eye contact is also very important in Colombian nonverbal communication. Strong eye contact is encouraged for both the speaker and listener. It can easily be taken negatively if you do not make eye contact with the person you are communicating with, and they can assume you dislike them or something else negative. 

Colombians do not normally have large areas of personal space. It is very common for a speaker to get closer to the person they are speaking with than is generally considered comfortable in U.S. culture, especially when they are passionate about what they are saying. I personally have not had any issues with this, but I am also more used to communicating in this way. 

In U.S. culture, physically touching others when talking is not common unless you know the other people well. However, in Colombian culture, it is very common to grab or touch the other person’s arm while talking to emphasis a point. It is also common to greet others, even people you may not know well, with a hug and/or “air kisses.” Of which both actions are not considered normal in the U.S., especially when greeting people you have not met before.

Lastly, time is an important part of Colombian culture. Colombians view time in a polychronic way. It is common for events to begin 20 or 30 minutes after the set time because people don’t normally show up until then. Being punctual isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but don’t expect most people to show up until a while after the set time. 

As stated at the beginning of this post, it is a good idea to know at least a little about nonverbal communication when visiting different cultures. And when looking at some small parts of Colombian nonverbal communication, I think it becomes pretty clear. Understanding what we do that can be seen as impolite, and on the flip side understanding what Colombians do that would be strange for us, is important for more effective and respectful communication.