论文总字数：37595字

摘 要

随着过去30年中国经济的飞速发展以及对外开放政策的实施，尤其在加入世界经贸组织之后，中国已成为世界经济的决定因素之一。国与国之间的贸易的实现必须通过商务谈判。因此第一要务便是训练本国商务人员的商务谈判技巧与能力。迄今为止，对言语交际的研究已经得到了极大的重视，对国际商务谈判的研究也侧重于语言技巧，却往往忽视了非语言交流。然而，大量的信息是通过非语言方式传递的，因此，非语言在整个面对面的国际商务谈判过程中起到了至关重要的作用。本论文旨在提高读者对国际商务谈判中非语言交际的重视，提供一些有用的非言语交流方式以及建议，以起到减少甚至避免谈判破裂的作用。

关键词：非语言交际；国际商务谈判；文化；语言

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Literature Review 2

3. Theoretical Framework 4

3.1 Nonverbal Communication 4

3.2 International Business Negotiations 5

4. Nonverbal Communication in International Business Negotiations 6

4.1 Body Language 7

4.2 Paralanguage 9

4.3 Environmental Language 11

5. Suggestions 12

6. Conclusion 14

Works Cited 16

1. Introduction

In the 21st century, economy has been developing more rapidly than ever before, in particular toward the direction of globalization. A brand new interdependent world economic system has been under the road of establishment with the efforts contributed by every country in the world. With China’s entrance to WTO as well as the global commercial integration, international business negotiations will be carried on by Chinese companies inevitably in multifarious commercial activities. The international business negotiation is defined as a cross-bordered and cross-cultural commercial communicative activity which relies on the interaction of two forms of communication: verbal and nonverbal. During the process of face-to-face business negotiations, these two channels can availably complement each other. However, it is widely accepted that verbal communication is the most important, powerful and efficient means of communication. Thus, most people neglect the significance of the nonverbal communication. This inaccurate conception of business personnel used to result in the breakdown of negotiations. They habitually take no notice of their opponents’ tiny movements, such as some postures, gestures and even some facial expressions.

Nonverbal communication is so crucial that it determines whether human interaction can be achieved successfully or not. Mehrabian, observing how feeling is transmitted in messages, found that as much as 93 percent of emotional meaning is transmitted nonverbally (Mehrabian 1971: 03). The statistics can reflect the high impact of nonverbal communication obviously. Whereas, the viewpoint most people take is opposite to the fact that nonverbal communication is a sticking point of success in international business negotiations. They haven’t recognized that nonverbal communication is one of the most important strategies that can be taken in these occasions. Actually, it has high value in human communication, because most of human beings’ nonverbal communication can not be easily controlled consciously. This means that they are relatively free of distortions and deception and they are much more authentic and precise. However, in our country, researches on nonverbal communication from the perspective of international business negotiations are still not so mature. Therefore, this thesis will focus on analyzing the nonverbal communication in international business by cases deeply from four aspects: body language, paralanguage, environmental language. Besides, it will also put forward some countermeasures to avoid the breakdown of international business negotiations on account of nonverbal details. Hope this research can help the readers attach importance to nonverbal communication avoid some lapses on account of nonverbal behaviors in international business negotiations.

2. Literature Review

For the moment, the research of nonverbal communication is not a virgin land, but if extending it to the extraordinary circumstance of international business negotiations, the fact is contrary. The importance of nonverbal communication for business negotiations can reflect when we send and receive nonverbal messages in the presence of other people during the business negotiations.

The negotiation is at heart of every transaction, and for the most part, it comes down to the interaction between two sides with a common goal but divergent methods. These methods must be negotiated to the satisfaction of both parties. In fact, business negotiations depend on the delivery of information, so anything interfering with the communication process, the way in which people transmit and control information, can ultimately cripple any transaction. The transmission of business information between different countries is threatened by different behavioral signals as well as by different languages.

In foreign countries, scholars are more involved in the researches of nonverbal communication from the angle of features. Nonverbal communication takes place when a message is interpreted as having meaning, regardless of intent on the part of the sender. This is what Hickson and Stacks said in their book Nonverbal Communication: Studies and Applications (Hickson and Stacks 2009: 10). To further explain their opinion we can get the idea that nonverbal communication happens no matter whether people intend to do or not. Nonverbal communication is intentional, so the information which is conveyed by nonverbal signals in international business negotiations must be faithful and credible.

According to Larry A. Samovar et al, nonverbal communication involves all those nonverbal stimuli in a communication setting that are generated by both the presenter and his or her use of the environment and that have potential messages value for the speaker or listener (Larry et al. 2000: 149). This point has widened the definition of nonverbal communication and has revealed its functions that nonverbal communication can possess. In conclusion, nonverbal signals can convey messages for the sake of both the sender and receiver. So we can speculate how nonverbal signals are of great importance in international business negotiations. Spokesman could express his or her ideas more clearly and vividly with nonverbal signals and listeners could understand better according to speakers’ nonverbal communication.

In fact, not only abroad, the study of nonverbal communication has been flourishing in our country since 1980s. Chinese scholars are more interested in its classifications. In 2002, An Introduction to Nonverbal Communication that edited by Li Jiequn, was published by Peking University Press. In this book, he thinks that nonverbal communication is an auxiliary means of interpersonal communication. Besides, the book offers details on nonverbal communication in terms of all the aspects such as facial expression, gestures, posture, touching, spatial distance, cosmetics, paralanguage, and time, which is very helpful and meaningful for the study of the complicated human communication.

Business negotiation is a voluntary process that parties can quit the process at any time. Thus, it is a voluntary process of give-and-take, in which both parties modify their offers and expectations in order to come closer to each other (Deng Nianli 2008: 233).

So to avail every factor beneficial for finding out what trade partner really wants is the key to win. It has no doubt that nonverbal communication is one of these factors. It is certainly that we could have more certainty of success if applying nonverbal communication in international business negotiations.

3. Theoretical Framework

In this part, the general information about nonverbal communication and international business negotiation will be mainly introduced, so as to lay a foundation for the concrete analysis in this paper.

3.1 Nonverbal Communication

In social life, nonverbal communication can be a supplement to verbal communication. In order to better understand the connotation of nonverbal communication, its definition and classification will be illustrated.

3.1.1 Definition amp; Classification

With a lot of contributions made by different scholars, there are various definitions of nonverbal communication. According to Knapp’s arguments, nonverbal communication refers to communication effect other than words (Knapp 1997: 05). In addition, Burgoon and Saine pointed out that nonverbal communication is the qualities or behaviors known to all in a community without the use of words in 1978, and that such qualities or behaviors are unintentionally or thought to be unintentionally given by the speaker and consciously received by the listener and likely to make a feedback (Burgoon and Saine 1978: 01).

Similarly, various classifications of nonverbal communication emerge at different angles. The earliest classification was put forwarded by Ruesch and Kees that nonverbal communication could be divided into sign language, action language and object language (Knapp 1978: 12). However, this classification is considered to be too narrow. Based on the theory and research associated with nonverbal communication, Knapp classified nonverbal communication as seven categories: body motion and kinesics behavior, physical characteristics, touching behavior, paralanguage, proxemics, artifacts and environmental factors (Knapp 1978: 12-20).

However, all these views about its definition and classification are so diverse. A unified theoretical system hasn’t been established. But we can certainly grasp the general idea with elicitations from these experts’ conclusions. So this thesis will select comparatively important and influential aspects to analyze.

3.1.2 Significance

The significant role played by nonverbal communication in an interlinked society has been discussed from a variety of perspectives. Harrison and Crouch suggested that in the development of each human being, nonverbal communication preceded and perhaps structured all subsequent communication (Harrison and Crouch 1972: 460). While commenting on the significance of nonverbal communication in the evolution of human language, it is noted that nonverbal behavior precedes verbal behavior in the evolution of communication (Nolan 1975: 101). Mehrabian gave a different dimension to the researches involved in the nonverbal communication. With his experiments, he was able to give specific relative values for (each) components of a communication. Mehrabian further put forward that “total impact (from the listener) = [0.07 verbal 0.38 vocal 0.55 non verbal] (of the speaker)” (Mehrabian 1971: 53).

3.2 International Business Negotiations

To make a comprehensive understanding, the features of international business negotiations and the impact of culture on international business negotiations will be illustrated as follows.

3.2.1 Features of International business negotiations

International business negotiations refer to the negotiations which take place in the business settings and deals with business relationship between parties from different countries. They negotiate because they have common business interests and they expect to get a better deal. Some scholars have summarized five features of international business negotiations as follows: First, the nature is the business relationships between enterprises shown in international business activities; Second, the main task is to reach consensus and mutual benefit; Third, the objective is to obtain economic interests; Fourth, the essence is international price negotiation; Fifth, the way is coordinating the purposes of the two sides that are both conflicting and in unity with each other (Li Pingyuan 2004: 27-28).

3.2.2 Impact of Culture on International Business Negotiations

To the letter, international business negotiation is a complicated process of cross-border business communication. It is an essential link between the interested parts that are participating in business activities and operations. To my understanding, it can be split into two parts to analyze, and these two parts happen to show two characteristics of international business negotiations. The first is intercommunication. The other is internationalism. Intercommunication is a communication process among two or three parts which aims at dealing with different ideas. Internationalism indicates the scope of negotiations between businessmen from different countries all over the world. However, there must be so many obstructions between different countries’ business negotiators, such as language, habitual behaviors, occupational habit, taboo and so on. After all is said and done that these influential factors result from different cultures. To my way of thinking, international business negotiations can be comprehended as intercultural business negotiations to some extent.

According to Hendon et al., culture impacts negotiations in four ways: by conditioning one’s perception of reality; by blocking out information in consistent or unfamiliar with culturally grounded assumptions; by projecting meaning onto the other party’s words and actions; and by impelling the ethnocentric observer to an incorrect attribution of motive (Geng Erling 1998: 52).

Moreover, a large part of communication occurs in the form of nonverbal communication in these international business occasions. So a good understanding of people’s nonverbal communication is beneficial to the process of the international business communication, while a good command of nonverbal communication is vital to the success of the negotiators engaging in international communication. Nonverbal communication deserves much more attention.

4. Nonverbal Communication in International Business Negotiations

The nonverbal communication can be made by body language, paralanguage and environmental language, so in this part, the application of nonverbal communication in international business negotiations will be analyzed from these three aspects.

4.1 Body Language

In international business negotiations, apart from using spoken language, people often share thoughts and feelings with each other through the movement of different parts of the body. The physical movements and facial expressions that can transfer information and exchange notes are defined as Kinesics, namely body language. Kinesics covers eyesight language, tactile behavior, olfactive behavior, posture, gesture and facial expression (Bi Jiwan 1991: 159).

4.1.1 Facial Expression

Our faces are complicated communication indicators. The face alone is capable of over 1000 distinct expression that result from variations in title of head and movements of eyebrows, eye and month (Wood 1999: 151). Facial expression is a mirror of our inward world. That is to say, people’s feelings, moods and opinions can be outpoured by their countenance spontaneously. One can indicate doubt with raised eyebrow, dissatisfaction with pout, anger with piercing gazes and disincline with poker face. So in business negotiations, businessmen can get counterpart’s actual thought towards our opinions about the matter in question.

However, facial expression is bound by cultural background, and the message sent by the same one may be totally different. It is commonly a mistake for negotiators to judge opponent’s inward feeling merely by their native customs and then take countermeasure. Set smile as an example, in the circumstance of business negotiations, Americans regard smile as symbol of passion, so they keep smiling to express their sincerity; French are cautious to smile unless in some special occasion; Japanese consider smile as a reflection of very unserious attitude and even hostility jeer, smile is only allowable at signing of contract finally.

4.1.2 Eye Contact

Eye contact is another important source of nonverbal communication. Businesspeople could gain insights into people’s thoughts by it, such as honesty, interest, care, confidence and so on. For instance, Neurolinguistic therapists claim that when we move our eyes up and to the left we are recalling something we have seen before, and when we move our eyes up and to the right, we try to image something non-exist (Lerio 1993: 257). So we can easily judge whether counterpart is fabricating fact while trade negotiating on the basis of this theory evidence.

In some countries, communicating with eye behavior is very necessary. In America and Canada, eye contact is a sign of being honest and sincere in business negotiations. For Arabs, looking others in eyes directly is the pre-condition for communication. But for Japanese, prolonged eye contact shows rude and arrogant. It is clearly that different understandings of eye contact may result in confusion and depression in business negotiations.

Here is a relevant case. A businesswoman flied to London to sign a contract with her English trade partner. Although their telephone conversation before was plain sailing, to her surprise, the meeting was very annoying. In the conversation, nobody had eye contacts with her. Thus, she had an impression that her trade partner might conceal something. Although, they concluded an agreement after repeated consideration and negotiation, the failure of eye communications almost screw up that transaction. As a matter of fact, English business people believe that it is a sign of impertinence to make prolonged eye contact with their communication partners while Americans regard no eye contacting as a symbol of disguise.

4.1.3 Gesture

Gesture refers to the movements of fingers, hands or arms to emphasize a verbal message. Among the nonverbal signals people could give out, hand is the most often used part of our body. It is actually the core of body language. In international business activities, people often use various gestures to express their emotions, attitudes, opinions.

Swaying hands left and right means dissent. Thumbs up is an indication of approval and admiration. Raising palm to the face is an expression of frustration or embarrassment. Implications of these basic gestures are all known to people, but the conditions of meaning variety generated by culture diversity occur frequently. For example, Russians and Americans shake hands with strength at fist meeting to express their confidence in business cooperation while Chinese and Japanese shake hands gently to show polite. Italians clench their fist overhead to express excitement during business negotiations while being reckoned as insolence by Asian people. Moreover, Russians are used to applauding overhead after contracting to show their happiness. But Americans think this is a behavior of demonstrating pride and unspoken words are that you are defeated, we are real heroes.

I have heard a case. A Chinese factory was processing a business negotiation with an Iranian company about electrical machinery exportation. Everything went well until final contract. At the last moment, the Iran delegate refused to sign a contract. Because Chinese factory director’s left handwriting offend Iranian taboo. In Iran, writing, touching in left hand is not permitted, because left hand is thought dirty. The Chinese director’s unintentional behavior was rude and unacceptable in counterparts’ eyes.

4.2 Paralanguage

Paralanguage is a communication that is vocal but does not involve words themselves. It consists of sentence stress, pause, accent, pitch and so on. Dynamic signs such as voice quality, speech disturbance, speech speed or pauses can also allude to the speaker’s personality but more often than that give hints about the emotional situation and possible deception techniques of the negotiators. Silence and turn- taking belong to the most familiar categories of paralanguage applied in business negotiations.

4.2.1 Silence

As Samovar and Porter state that silence affects interpersonal interaction by providing an interval in an ongoing communication during which the participants have time to think, check or suppress an emotion, encode a lengthy response, or inaugurate another line of thought (Samovar and Porter 2000: 197). Silence, as a kind of nonverbal behavior, is used to show different meanings. Silence may convey agreement, lack of interest, or even contempt. Actually, we should analyze the meaning according to corresponding language environment.

The functions of silence are varied in international business communication. First, short period of silence could be used to put our thoughts together. The most often used one is to use silence to emphasize one’s points, whether it is filled pauses or unfilled pauses. Particularly, pauses before or after an utterance during a speech can give significant meaning to the statement.

However, differences exist in the meaning of silence used by different countries’ people. This is a typical case about a business negotiation between an American and Japanese company. During the trade consultation, American company offered a quotation at first. But Japanese businessperson’s half-a-minute silence by instinct made American feel uncomfortable. They considered this silence as the other party’s dissatisfaction with their price quoted. So they cut down the previous price on one"s own initiative immediately. In fact, Japanese felt confused why counterpart changed the mind abruptly. The previous price offered is entirely acceptable. Obviously, the silence is the key to reaping profits for them. Silence is gold. This saying can be identified easily. Sometimes, silence could be a good technique for negotiating.

4.2.2 Turn-taking

Some westerners prefer to using some nonverbal behavior to regulate the back and forth of the interaction than keeping silence between speakers and listeners. They concluded four types of turn-taking behaviors: turn-maintaining, turn-yielding, turn-requesting and turn-denying (Virginia and Jamess 2004: 127).

Cues that speakers use to signal their listeners that they want to keep speaking are called turn-maintaining cues. It is the request to continue one’s speech by the method of enhancing the voice or speeding the address, for example the use of Ah to stop others from interrupting. When we have finished speaking and wish to signal our listening partners that they can now start talking, we generally adopt turn-yielding behavior, such as regulate the speed, use some words like well, you know, etc. You can say B-b-but or Oh, Well to show the hope that the speaker would wrap things up, which is called turn-requesting cues. Turn-denying behavior occurs often when the listener does not want to speak and wants the speaker to continue his speech. Oh, sure; uh huh; oh, I see; okay; yeah; hum; All right; I get it and other similar words are always used to show that you are listening carefully.

Therefore, grasping counterpart’s turn-taking behavior correctly and meanwhile promptly giving relevant response to others may prevail oneself in international business negotiations.

Besides, some westerners consider silence in the process of conversation means that the communication goes wrong. Silence is always a taboo and verbal reaction is really needed. So turn interaction or turn-taking is a best way to handle with this ugly situation.

4.3 Environmental Language

To be specific, the environment language can be divided into two kinds: proxemics and time. Thus, the application of environment language in international business negotiation is in fact the appropriate application of proxemics and time.

4.3.1 Proxemics

Proxemics is the study of using different distance to communicate. It is pointed out that the change of distance can affect communication. Proxemics has function of enhancing communication and it even can exceed that of oral speaking (Hall 1990: 65).

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