This episode of The Weekly Flickr, profiles photographer Mimo Khair. From the streets of Shanghai to remote villages in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mimo has traveled the world capturing moments of emotion on the road. Her stunning profiles of those she meets help illustrate the connectedness of the human race.
Gestures & The Fist Bump
NPR reports on the Fist Bump as the new High-Five! The fist bump became a big issue when President Obama used it in his 2008 campaign as a greeting to a restaurant employee. As most of us know the fist bump has gained popular standings to signal a job well done, “I agree with you”, or “what’s up”.
Howie Mandel, a well known comedian, has also contributed to the popularity of this gesture as he uses it quite often in his role as a judge on America’s Got Talent. The question is, where did the fist bump come from and how did it become so popular that the President of the United States has come to use it as well? Did this gesture originate in the U.S. and do other cultures have similar versions of this nonverbal gesture?
According to the article, the fist bump came about from America’s sports world, noted David Givens, an anthropologist with the Center for Nonverbal Studies. The first bump was a way that friends greeted each other on and off the field.
“The fist bump is one of the few gestures that is equal,” Givens told Goats and Sodas (NPR’s new blog, covering health and all sorts of development around the world), “You could do it with President Obama, and you’d both be equals at that time.“
Usually when two people shake hands its a nonverbal communicator of who wants to be or who is in control of the meeting. Usually the person who’s hand is on top is in control, but with a fist bump neither person has the “upper hand”.
Humintell’s Director Dr. David Matsumoto also commented on the Japanese greeting of the bow, which is similar to the American greeting of a hand shake. “The bow is a form of respect,” Matsumoto, psychologist at San Francisco State University noted, “But the varying degrees of angle of the bow, when bows are performed, and to whom, all show something about hierarchy.“
The fist bump is spreading widely across the nation, and according to Givens, is due in large part to the fact that it is NOT just a greeting but also a sign of approval and triumph.
Other cultures have varying degrees of the high five or greeting gesture. Many nonverbal gestures have multiple meanings depending on the culture they belong to.
To learn more about gestures and what they mean…Check out Humintell’s newest webinar recording: “World of Gestures”
Succeeding Globally
As many of us know, the business world is a predominately male dominated world. In America, women have been working their way up the corporate ladder (they still do not receive equal pay for equal work), but find at times it’s very difficult to compete in a global workforce when there are so many cultural differences that exclude women from forming close relationships with their male counterparts.
Huff Post Business reports on the cultural complexities that affect women in the workforce. The article notes that in today’s world, although women have come a long way, they still need to be more agile, resourceful and resilient than their male co-workers.
The article notes that every country has its own set of cultural norms and traditions as well as the expected roles for males and females. Many cultures have their own views on social hierarchy and work outside of the home. But in many traditional societies, for example, women have near-dictatorial powers inside the home while the man serves the family outside of it.
It’s important for women to also note that many cultures place a high value on age and executives that are (or at least are perceived) as young, might not receive as much attention and be seen as less experienced as their older counter-parts.
Businesswomen need to consider all of the signals they are sending out, from age to body language. Are they standing with dominance and confidence or with meekness? Are they making as much or as little eye contact as necessary for that culture?
With the growing role of women (form all countries) in a global workforce it is important to be as culturally versed as possible.
Humintell understands the needs of a growing global workforce and has compiled years of emotion, gesture and cross-cultural research to create INTELLICULTURE our Cross-Cultural Adaptation Tool. This tool will help not only women but any international business person who would like to be able to delineate from a cultural norm and discrimination due to age or gender.
The Huff Post is clear to point out that women need to keep in mind that the dominate power sets the rules in business and in most societies around the world, including America, that power is male. Savy businesswomen work to get the results they want from their male counter-parts not to offend them.
What are your thoughts on cultural communication?
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