Introduction:
Whether the professional world likes it or not, nonverbal communication in the form of our gestures and greetings makes up most of how intentions are communicated.
From the moment a customer sees a customer service professional, they are immediately absorbing enormous amounts of information and responding, from how they perceive the customer service agent’s hair, to how the employee is pointing or standing. It’s ever necessary to tune into these nonverbal cues and become familiar with how you present yourself. It becomes even more crucial in a global economy to be aware of the differing interpretations of nonverbal communication gestures and greetings.
A particular gesture in one country may have a positive meaning, while in another, it may hold a negative connotation.
Information:
As humans, we use hand gestures in a major way to communicate. Three familiar hang gestures used often are the two-finger peace sign, thumbs up, and the OK sign, but all three have different positive or negative meanings depending on what country you find yourself in. It’s important to be aware of the various meanings of different hand gestures so employees and organizations can be trained on appropriate usage when doing business in other countries so as not to offend.
The table below illustrates the differences of meanings of gestures depending on country, including the two-finger peace sign, thumbs up sign, and OK sign as gathered from multiple sources (Cipolla, 2018; Bright Side, n.d.; Gadd, 2015; Söylemez, 2017):
| Country | Two-Finger Peace Sign (Meaning) | Thumbs Up Sign (Meaning) | OK Sign (Meaning) |
| China | Cutesy/Pop Culture Pose | ||
| Russia | Offensive/Rude | Offensive/Rude | |
| Japan | Cutesy/Pop Culture Pose | Money | |
| Mexico | |||
| United Kingdom | Insult in reverse | Offensive/Rude | |
| Kuwait | Offensive/Rude | Offensive/Rude | |
| Greece | Offensive/Rude | Offensive/Rude | |
| Turkey | Offensive/Rude | Offensive/Rude | Offensive/Rude |
| India | Offensive/Rude | Offensive/Rude | |
| South America | Offensive/Rude |
The figure above helps to illustrate the severity of using gestures in other countries without understanding their meaning, as simple gestures like the thumbs-up sign is seen as offensive in many countries in the world. Gestures vary majorly in their meanings so it may be appropriate to hold off on displaying gestures like the OK sign when visiting other countries to ensure no action is interpreted inappropriately.
When it comes to business greeting customs and their differences among men and women, there are many, depending on the country. For example, in Japan both men and women will greet one another with a bow, and British individuals often shake hands when first meeting (DiversityResources, n.d.) – although a handshake with an opposite gender in many Middle Eastern countries is considered forbidden. India is another country where a handshake is considered appropriate by both locals and those visiting (Business in Asia, 2007).
When it comes to business greetings, even something as simple as the handshake can come with many differences and nuances across different countries. For example, when giving someone a handshake in China it would be most appropriate to give a gentler handshake, while other countries only shake either the left or right hand (Ciolli, 2020).
Those who are visiting Mexico professionally should shake hands with others, while other countries in Latin America can be more open to air kissing and other more unreserved greetings among friends of different genders.
References
Bright Side (n.d.). 15 Hand Gestures That Have Different Meanings Overseas. BrightSide.me. Retrieved July 5, 2020 from the Bright Side website:
https://brightside.me/wonder-places/15-hand-gestures-that-have-different-meanings-overseas-769110/
Bryant, Sue (April 3, 2019). The do’s and don’ts of greetings around the world. CountryNavigator.com. Retrieved July 5, 2020 from the Country Navigator website:
https://countrynavigator.com/blog/global-talent/greetings/
Business in Asia (2007). Proper Etiquette for Your Trip to India. Business-in-Asia.com. Retrieved July 5, 2020 from the Business in Asia website:
http://www.business-in-asia.com/countries/india_etiquette.html
Ciolli, Chris (April 8, 2020). Beyond the Handshake: How People Greet Each Other Around the World. Afar.com. Retrieved July 5, 2020 from the Afar.com website:
https://www.afar.com/magazine/beyond-the-handshake-how-people-greet-each-other-around-the-world
Cipolla, Luciano (September 6, 2018). 6 hand gestures in different cultures (& what they mean). Blog.BUSUU.com. Retrieved July 5, 2020 from the Busuu Blog website:
https://blog.busuu.com/what-hand-gestures-mean-in-different-countries/
Cultural Atlas (n.d.). Italian Culture. Culturalatlas.sbs.com.au. Retrieved July 5, 2020 from the Cultural Atlas website:
https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/italian-culture/italian-culture-greetings
DiversityResources (n.d.). Greetings and Customs Around the World. DiversityResources.com. Retrieved July 5, 2020 from the DiversityResources website:
https://www.diversityresources.com/greeting-customs-around-the-world/
Gadd, Sophie (May 13, 2015). 5 innocent gestures that are unbelievably rude in other countries. Mirror.co.uk. Retrieved July 5, 2020 from the Mirror website:
https://www.mirror.co.uk/travel/news/rude-gestures-abroad-countries-list-5689955
Söylemez, Ayça (November 15, 2017). Turkey Condemned by ECtHR for Sentencing Işıkırık to Prison Over Victory Sign. M.Bianet.org. Retrieved July 5, 2020 from the Bianet website:
https://m.bianet.org/bianet/law/191529-turkey-condemned-by-ecthr-for-sentencing-isikirik-to-prison-over-victory-sign
