Hot post title, no? Has it got you all up in arms?
Good. Hang on, keep reading (there’s a contest with a cool prize to come)…
A couple of my recent posts have been on cultural issues to consider when doing training and development. You can see them at the bottom of this post.
I left the biggest cultural issue for this post and I’ve thrown in a bit of contest to boot. Are you with me?
I’m talking about communication. Nothing is more culturally laden than how we communicate.
Communication is a huge topic within intercultural work, and for today’s post let’s look at one small example and that’s the indirect <——-> direct communication continuum.
Some cultures communicate very directly – eye to eye, specifically with the person they intend to relay or receive a message from. Other cultures communicate indirectly, perhaps with less eye contact and/or through a third party. And lots of cultures are somewhere along that continuum.
More than once I’ve had clients say to me ‘First Nations people don’t look you in the eye,’ assuming all First Nations people are indirect communicators. What’s wrong with that statement?
Many things, including it generalizes all First Nations people into one cultural category.
While not directly First Nations, I love to relay the following story as an example of another way of looking at communication issues.
When I was working up north (in -72 degree Celsius weather) I didn’t think some Inuit elders were answering my questions. I tried several tactics, including having less eye contact. Didn’t work. Turns out I was asking yes or no questions (questions that can only be answered by yes or no).
See if you can tell how you say ‘yes’ and how you say ‘no’ in the Inuit community I was in.
In which photo am I saying yes?
Which one says no?
And how do you know?
Enter your answer in the reply section below. I’ll make a random draw & announce the winner June 15th. One person will win a free Life Lenses® assessment – an assessment designed to illuminate your perspective or how you view the world.
The deadline for entering your answer is Tuesday, June 14th, 2011.
Good luck and have fun!
a: yes (high eyebrows, face more open, engaging, feels closer to smiling/approval)
b: no (looks like you smelled bad milk, which would be a no in my world)
Bad milk huh?! Love it. Stay tuned to see if you’re right. Game is on!
Ha!
I say photo B = yes!
Lee-Anne is tricky that way, in not doing what seems obvious in our culture… So I say B.
And the eyebrows up remind me of my grandma, who’d say, “Really, you think I’m buying that story??? No way, kid.”
xoxo Jodi
Hi Jodi- love your comment. Hmmmm she says, rubbing her hands together, we’ll see!
I am guessing that A = yes, for the same reasons as the first poster – high eyebrows suggest delight/interest/engagement.
it is a guess though – based on my own cultural lens.
Hi- love that you commented. Stay tuned – all will be revealed June 15th. In the meantime, because you entered a comment you’re automatically entered into the contest to win a free Life Lenses™ assessment. Good luck!
This is unfair, I can never say no to that face!
🙂
I think photo B you are saying yes and photo A you are saying no. I love to be the devil’s advocate.
I notice in photo B you seem to be leaning towards the camera or person more which would indicate that you are trying to be more open and positive indicating a yes response.
In photo A I notice that you are leaning back more, your forehead is wrinkled and your eyebrows are raised. This would indicate to me that you are being more closed off and negative. This would be more indicative of a no response.
Hi Heather- delighted to have your insightful comments. Love your details & thoughtfulness. Stay tuned for the answer June 15th and in the meantime know you’re automatically entered into the contest to win a free Life Lenses™ assessment. Thanks for playing.
A yes B no… it’s facial i think like a look of yes or a look of no.
hmmmm interesting!
Errrggghhh! Photo A your face seems more relaxed, serene. Is this a “Yes” face because you’re happy to be in agreement or a “No” face trying to show we can disagree and still be friends?
Biting the bullet I say Photo A is YES and Photo B is NO (but it could be the other way around!) 🙂
Hi Theo- thanks for playing! I like your description plus your ability to be flexible (super important in intercultural work). We’ll see…. stay tuned!
Hi, in my perception: a = yes (more expresive, reflects a positive face) and b=no (kind of serious, little tense)
It’s fun! Regards
Hi Rebeca- thanks for playing. I appreciate your comment. Thoughtful! Stay tuned to see what the answer is.
Hello,
I think photo b is no and a is yes.. Difficult to distinguish between the two as it is only the eyebrows that are different.
Tend to agree with Jodi where high eyebrows indicate surprise and could be negative, but thinking about when I do that same gesture with mine it is normally to say yes you got it.
Keeping my fingers crossed as I missed a previous offer for free session!!
regards
Carien
Hi Carien- thanks for playing. I’m really enjoying the comments and analysis. I hope you are too. Great stuff. HINT: I will say that there is another difference between a & b that no one has picked up on yet.
I’m going with photo “A” yes and photo “B” no.
I’m looking at the eyebrows. Slightly more raised in A than B.
I’ve had some experience with facial expressions indicating positive or negative, however, it’s a toss-up.
In Turkey – a raise of the eyebrows means “No” (usually accompanied by a “tkk” sound)
In the Phillipines – a raise of the eyebrows means “Yes”.
So.. could go either way….
Hi Colette- love your input. I’ve traveled to both Turkey & the Philippines and didn’t know that. Hmmmm.
It goes to show how the old way of doing intercultural work (eg a grocery list of simply do this, don’t do that) isn’t nearly sophisticated enough. One size definitely doens’t fit all (says the 5’10” woman remembering with pain wearing the so called one size fits all nylons!).
Stay tuned. All will be revealed on the 15th. Thanks for playing.
I have no idea! I love this post though and thinking about this is so very cool and box exploding, for which I love you.
I would say b is yes because for me it’s a more relaxed face which says to me “I’m good with that” and A seems more surprised, like “wow!” But that’s sort of pushing it… really I have no idea.
You are super smart and wise and I’m very glad to call you my new friend.
Hi Jen Wow- what a post to wake up to! Love your box exploding metaphor (or simile, I always get those two mixed up). It’s so interesting to read people’s interpretations- I sense you are doing what you’re so gifted at – shooting from the hip and the heart.
Ditto you my smart, wise new friend. Thanks for playing. I’m tickled. Really. Stay tuned for the unveiling on the 15th.
a- yes
b-no
The look in your eyes in the first looks more assenting and welcoming.
Hi Marcela- ahhh I think you’re one of the first to mention my eyes. Nice observation. Stay tuned for the ‘answer’ on the 15th and know you’ve automatically been entered in the contest to win a free Life Lenses® assessment™. Thanks for playing!
I think that picture B is yes, because her chin is tucked a bit, perhaps to indicate an affirmative answer?
Hi Bridget- I love your ‘detective thinking’. So interesting to read! Thanks for playing- so appreciate your comment.
Photo A – Yes
Phote B – No
The eyebrows say it all. Very suble yet makes a point
Hi Debbie- it’s funny you say subtle as when I was taking the pictures, I wasn’t feeling so subtle. The Inuit people I worked with could do this oh so much better than me and waaaaaay more subtly. Thanks for your comment. Stay tuned til Wednesday- I’ll reveal the answer then (plus who won the draw).
I am sure in the first picture you are saying yes and the second one no. your nose bridge says it all.
And I do not know how but I could easily imagine the next frame of each of the pictures and in the next frame the answers is clear.
May be its my intuitiveness!
interestingly the expressions of yes and no are not just dependent on language, I think I use the same expression hence my intuition works!
Ahhh you’re one of the first to mention my nose! Way to go. You may be onto something. Thanks for commenting Vaibhav. I think you’re onto something as well with people not always relying solely on language- it gets mighty interesting though when one gesture means something in one culture and something different in another. People + culture = fascination!
A is yes
Hi Ivan- why do you think that?
I will have to go with a=yes
Those raised eyebrows are like a thumbs up:)
And Doug, I could never say “no” to that face either…lol
Hey you international, intercultural force to be reckoned with you- love your comments! Thanks for playing. Stay tuned- I’ll reveal the answer Wed. And know that, for taking the time to comment, you and the others that have commented, are all automatically entered in a draw to win a free Life Lenses® assessment.
Having grown up in the town of Aklavik NWT, I believe the picture A on the left signifies “Yes”. It’s the raised eyebrows.
Hmmmm- and then why would the other be no (if indeed you’re right, I’m not giving it up just yet)? Thanks for your comments Geoff. Would love to hear more about any cultural stories you care to share about growing up there.
I would say photo A=yes and B=No.
Any idea why Kim?
I think:
A: yes – eyes are more open, excited… which one would be if they were to agree…
B: no – as one of them has to be “no”…
All in all, not too sure… tricky…
Hi David- it’s interesting to me how lots of folks have an opinion (yourself included) AND are open to other ways of thinking. Being comfortable with fluid thinking, checking for assumptions and what I call ‘gray thinking’ (as opposed to dichotomous, yes/no, black/white thinking) is really helpful with intercultural work. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
At first glance I thought A – yes, B – no
Then I read all the posts … and I see the validity of all the posts …arrgh! So now I’m totally confused …
Looking again I see lots of ‘up’ energy in A – but is it ‘yay, what a great idea!’ or is it ‘you’ve got to be kidding if you think I’ll go for that’?
B has more grounded, calm energy – for yes or no though?
In the end I’m sticking with my North Shore chicky sensibilities and going with A – yes, B – no … and am waiting with bated breath for you to further my cultural development on the 15th. (~.~)
Kind of like culture no? The more you think about it the more you can end up multiple possibilities! Such an interesting field. Your “you’ve got to be kidding if you think I’ll go for that?” had me laughing out loud.
I’m appreciating your ‘North Shore chicky sensibilities” – stay tuned. All will be revealed Wed. Thanks for playing Jan!
I think Photo A = yes; Photo B = no.
For me it’s all about the eyebrows.
You’re onto something with the eyebrows, I’ll say that! Thanks for commenting Paula. I appreciate you taking the time to do that.
Yes – a
No – b
Photo ‘a’ expression is warmth/sight smile, whereas the expression in photo ‘b’ is somewhat unapproachable/cooler.
Hi Janet- thanks for your comments. It’s so interesting how people are ‘reading’ my face. Love it!
I am of Filipino heritage, and in the Filipino culture, raised eyebrows mean YES…although it might be in an entirely different context in the First Nations culture…
Nevertheless, I choose A as the YES and B as the NO.
Marie 🙂
Hi Marie Jocelyn- I love your blending of cultural references. Eyebrows are certainly at play one way or the other. Why do you think B is no?
I think a – yes and b- no.
Typically squinting eyes indicates lying. Your eyes are more scrunched up in the b photo — therefore, I would tend to think this means dissagreement/no.
Intuitively, I would be more likely to approach you in photo a.
Look forward to seeing the results!
Hi Kerrie- interesting observations! You’re onto something with ‘squinching’. Thanks for your comment. Stay tuned for the results on Wednesday!
Both pictures look like you have no answere at all. You look like you saying “well, I don’t know, I’ll have to think about it.”
Hi Audrey- I LOVE your comment. It’s totally unique. You took a dichotomous question (answering yes/no) and made it more like gray thinking. Very creative. Very cool. Love the way your mind works.
Lee-Anne,
This is a good one!
By comparing the eyebrows, nose, and mouth, my answer is:
A – No
B – Yes
Thanks Selina! I appreciate you playing.
Interesting to read how earlier answers influence the next ones. I should know the eyebrow answer, because you mentioned it in Rio, Lee-Anne. But I may not remember it correctly. I think that high eyebrows are the equivalent of thumb up. Warm regards, Gerd
Hello Gerd- delighted to read your comment. Thanks for taking the time to make it. Stay tuned- the answer will be revealed tomorrow! And for those reading, know that Gerd is a goldmine of intercultural resources and knowledge. We met at a conference in Rio, Brazil where we were both presenting at a UN conference.
I say a = yes facial expressions more open and welcoming.
b = no facial expression more closed, unwelcoming
Hi Laura- thanks for your comment. I really appreciate it. Stay tuned- I’ll let you know what the answer is and who won the free Life Lenses™ assessment in tomorrow’s post.
Great comments! I would have to say…(drum roll please)
A = Yes
B = No
The nose appears scrunched (if that is a word) in B as well as the lips appear slightly pursed indicating a negative.
My thoughts are… that in each picture there is likely something that we don’t see that makes the correct answer more obvious (currently cropped out of the picture). This is really what reading/understanding people is about…seeing what we don’t see in our immediate frame of reference 🙂
Thanks for the though provoking post Lee-Anne!
Hi Betty-Ann- very observant! You’re the only person to mention my nose. I think so much comes across our frame of reference that it’s tough to know what to pay attention to, what not and/or what’s important, what’s not. Stay tuned- tomorrow’s post (June 15th) will reveal the answer.
Thanks for taking the time to offer us your thoughtful comments. Cheers to you.
It’s sort of like those find the differences puzzles. Eyebrows yes, nose well kinda, forward and back in incriments. I would say A because you look a little friendlier, maybe encouraging? yes, yes tell me more. But really, I have no idea.
Hi Carol- so glad you took the time to comment. Check out today’s post (June 15, 2011) to see the answer!