Significant, real-life instances of cross-cultural miscommunication or conflict are presented and categorized into verbal and non-verbal parts. each case is discussed and analyzed for the possible causes and feasible solutions. (Author/VWL)

Investigated the role of gesture in and of itself and in conjunction with speech in creating zones of proximal development (ZPD) for second language learning and teaching. A university student of English, newly arrived in the United States was videorecorded once a week in conversational interaction with an American graduate student, an English-as…

Thematic interviews of teachers and students in web-based courses described social interaction in terms of stage analysis and dramaturgy: role, stage, audience, script, and episode. Lack of nonverbal communication affects these elements. Even in the web medium, participants tend to continue roles from the face-to-face classroom. (Contains 20…

Discusses the importance of impression management, an individual's conscious attempt to exercise control over selected communicative behaviors and cues for purposes of making a desired impression. Provides a comprehensive conceptualization of the impression-management process, and demonstrates how this process can facilitate effective training of…

Suggests ways in which attribution theories can explain the interpretation processes involved in understanding nonverbal behavior. Examines attribution choices for nonverbal messages between romantic partners and finds that level of relational satisfaction correlates with perceptions of cause for nonverbal messages. (MG)

In a replication of Mills's study of sex differences in self-posing behavior (1984), 1,659 female and 1,760 male undergraduate students from art schools and science schools at the University of Sussex were photographed. Arts students of both sexes displayed stereotypically female nonverbal behavior, suggesting field of study as a more reliable…

Compared to age-matched and language-matched controls, 15 autistic children (mean age of 45 months) who were administered the Early Social-Communication Scales displayed deficits in gestural joint attention skills in 2 testing sessions 13 months apart. The measure of gestural nonverbal joint attention predicted language development in subjects.…

The investigation examined the transparency and recall of symbols representing three parts of speech (nouns, verbs, and descriptors) from three different graphic symbol systems (Blissymbols, Picture Communication System, and Picsyms) among adults with intellectual handicaps. Results suggested that Blissymbols were the least transparent and hardest…

Six language-impaired children, aged 4-7, were studied in two routinized contexts (a lesson without music and a singing session) and child-teacher talk was analyzed. Results showed that the addition of music to a routinized context has the potential to increase the language-impaired child's ability to interact non-verbally. (Author/JDD)

Discusses social gaffes that North Americans can make when using inappropriate gestures and body language in other cultures, focusing on the meaning of common gestures in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Includes a whimsical 10-question gesture and body language quiz. (MDM)

This book excerpt presents several learning activity ideas related to negotiating. Students review principles of negotiation, write about their experiences negotiating, learn about body language, find historical examples of good negotiators, practice mathematics skills in negotiating spending money for a trip, and examine the impact of humanity's…

State endorsements of site-based management frequently overlook the development of skills necessary for collegial teamwork and strategies for demonstrating administrators' sincere commitment to the process. This article describes symbolic actions that some administrators have taken to develop new skills and build the necessary trust for assuming…

Examined relationship between physiognomic cues to age and activation of positive versus negative stereotypes of elderly individuals in interaction. Findings from undergraduate students who sorted and categorized photographs of older adults indicated that subjects associated positive stereotypes of elderly individuals with young-old physiognomic…

The impact of church affiliation on language use, identity, and change among Kwara'ae speakers in the Solomon Islands is examined. It was found that members of different sects signal their separate identities not only through linguistic code but also through discourse patterns and nonverbal aspects of communication. (26 references) (JL)

To empower teachers, school administrators must be effective communicators adept at matching style to purpose, recognizing the content and relational aspects of verbal messages, and realizing the importance of perceptions, positive reinforcement, active listening, flexible speaking styles, and nonverbal messages. Creating a positive communication…