Body language is the quiet,secret and most powerful language of all!It speaks louder than words.According to specialists ,our bodies send out more messages than we realize.In fact,non-verbal communication takes up about 50% of what we really mean .And body language is particularly important when we attempt to communicate across cultures.Indeed,what is called body language is so much a part of us that it's actually often unnoticed.And misunderstandings occur as a result of it.For example,different societies treat the distance between people differently . Northern Europeans usually do not like having bodily contact even with friends,and certainly not with strangers.People from Latin American countries,on the other hand,touch each other quite a lot.Therefore,it's possible that in conversation,it may look like a Latino is following a Norwegian all over the room.The Latino,trying to express friendship,will keep moving closer. The Norwegian,very probably seeing this as pushiness,will keep backing away ----which the Latino will in return regard as coldness.
Clearly,a great deal is going on when people talk.And only a part of it is in the words themselves.And when parties are from different cultures,there's a strong possibility of misunderstanding.But whatever the situation,the best advice is to obey the Golden Rule:treat others as you would like to be treated.