When Hands Talk
Communicating Across The Globe: Part 1 Italians aren’t the only ones who talk with their hands. We all do. But one thing is certain – not all gestures share a universal meaning across the globe. Here are a few examples.
The “OK” sign: thumb and forefinger touch to form a circle, the other fingers go straight up.
Familiar and unobjectionable in the US, this sign can be confusing or deeply insulting in some regions.
While the “OK” sign means the same in Canada, the US, and most of Europe, it means “money” to the older generation in Japan. In Australia, it means “zero.” Using it will earn you blank looks in most of China and Russia, where it is seldom seen. Worse yet, it can be an obscene name in parts of Germany.
The V-sign: means “peace” or “victory” in most of the Western world, when the is palm forward. But watch out, it’s obscene in many areas to make this gesture with the back of your hand facing the viewer. To complicate things, doing it the opposite way is obscene in some regions of Germany. Japan has embraced this gesture: the V-sign - facing either way, is a common photo pose.
International body language is tricky. We are invisible in
audio conferences but
video conferences allow us to communicate on multiple levels. There are a number of benefits that come with video conferences – just be aware of what might be conveyed through certain gestures.