For all activities reiterate the ideas that:

  • Culture is not just what we wear, eat and how we act but the interpretation of these actions.
  • Culture is not stagnant; different perspectives exist within a culture. Consider the differences between interpretations of an event dependent upon age, gender and socio-economic background.
5 minutes gaphic of an overhead projector 10 minutes

Culture and Communication

What is Culture?

Show overhead, Culture and define culture.

What is Communication?

  • Define "non-verbal communication" and highlight a few of the examples of how body language can be interpreted in different ways (refer to the tutor training manual).
  • Casually hand a book over to a trainee (who is older than you) using both hands. Have the trainee hand it to another trainee (preferably older than himself) with other trainees watching. More likely than not, the trainee will hand it over using one hand.
  • Explain that this would be considered very rude behavior in Korea (especially when the person is older than you).
  • Try the following exercise with the trainees. Have the trainees guess what these gestures mean in France.

    In France 3____________________________________
    • Put your right forefinger on your cheek and make a circular motion there. (You are trying to fool me.)
    • Hold your hand up (like you are making a shadow puppet) and snap your fingers down against your thumb. (Shut up.)
    • Form a circle with your thumb and forefinger; place it over your nose and twist. (Someone is drunk.)
    • Make an "okay" sign. (Worthless)
    • Make a "V" sign with your index and middle finger. (Victory)
    • Play an imaginary flute. (Someone is talking too much and you are tired of it.)
    • Flick your fingers across your cheek. (How dull.)
    • Use your index and middle fingers to push your nose upwards. (This is easy; I could do it with my fingers in my nose.)

3 Desmond Morris, BODYTALK: The Meaning of Human Gestures (Crown Trade Paperbacks, New York, 1994.)
Roger E. Axtell, Gestures: The Do’s and TABOOs of Body language around the world (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1991.)