Communication and culture

Edward T Hall (The Silent Language)

Proxemics (the study of the use of space) and communication - proxemics is the study of "perception and use of space".
There are important cultural rules and boundaries between sexes etc which mean we cannot move about as we would wish, We have to observe their 'hidden' norms and rules or risk the consequences. Different cultures have differing norms and attitudes towards personal space and how closely people stand to each other when communicating. There are norms for people to observe when in formal communication situations. More intimate communications have different norms. If someone breaks the norm in any given situation then this will be interpreted as threatening or unfriendly etc.
Hall also found that different cultures have different norms to do with time, friendship, business, written / oral agreements etc. e.g. Many cultures do not regard meeting someone at 10.00 am as meaning exactly 10.00 am on the dot. Exact time can be seen as a Western obsession.
Keep his ideas in mind when considering issues between women and men. Spatial zones are different for women and men. Women initially approach more closely, prefer side-by-side conversations, allow other women to be closer than men, men have more face-to-face conversations, tend to stand closer to women than women feel comfortable etc This can help account for some of the lack of assertiveness by women and feelings of being dominated, unable to move, crowded etc.

Hall's distance model.
Intimate: 0-18"
Personal: 18"-4'
Social: 4'-10'
Public Distance: 10' and more

Albert Mehrabian
Found that only about 7 percent of the meaning of a message is communicated through verbal exchange. About 38 percent is communicated by the use of the voice / tone. About 55 percent (others say even higher) comes through nonverbal - gesture, posture, facial expression, etc. Mehrabian identified three dimensions which provide the cues for interpreting behaviour.

Immediacy cues communicate liking and pleasure. We move toward people and things we like and avoid / move away from those we dislike.
Arousal cues - when we are interested in communicating with someone else, we tend to be more animated.
Dominance cues - communicate information about relative or perceived status, position, and importance and power relations. LINKS
Center for Non Verbal Studies with it's Online Dictionary of Nonverbal Terms - an excellent source, also cites research related to the key aspects of non verbal behaviour / cues
Biographical details
NonVerbal Communication - an outline
Communicating Effectively - lots of information based on a textbook support, material and links