What Is Paralanguage? How Is an International Manager's Ability to Interpret

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The Answer is Paralanguage refers to how something is said rather than the content of what is said.It includes dimensions such as the rate of speech, the tone and inflection of voice, other noises, laughing, or yawning.The culturally aware manager learns how to interpret subtle differences in paralanguage, including silence.Silence is a powerful communicator.It may be a way of saying no, of being offended, or of waiting for more information to make a decision.There is considerable variation in the use of silence in meetings.While Americans get uncomfortable after 10 or 15 seconds of silence, Chinese prefer to think the situation over for 30 seconds before speaking.The typical scenario between Americans and Chinese, then, is that the American gets impatient, says something to break the silence, and offends the Chinese by interrupting his or her train of thought and comfort level with the subject.

What Is Paralanguage? How Is an International Manager's Ability to Interpret

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