Nonverbal Communication: A Comparitive Analysis
Austria and Italy are similar in the sense that they are both masculine according to Hofstede so they are both driven by success and achievement. Although Austrians tend to live in order to work, and Italians work so that they can appreciate the finer things in life like fancy cars and extravagant vacations. Masculine countries tend to produce individualistic societies as well which is prominent in both countries. This is apparent in the ways in which both cultures tend to look out for themselves and their immediate family only. Italians especially are focused on their personal benefits they can receive from their “friends” which can be used loosely especially in the business world. They are all about making connections with other people in order to expand their networking.
In regards to their way of communicating with one another they tend to have very different approaches. Austrians tend to be very direct in their verbal communication, but more often than not they will be more passive in their nonverbals. This isn’t an intentional act of trying to come across passive to outsiders and their surroundings, but they tend to use more subtle expressions and nonverbals. Their appearance tends to be cold and abrasive, espcially in public places or around unfamiliar individuals. Italians are quite the opposite as they are much more warm in their body language and their verbals as well. Physical touch is often very common among Italians as it’s their way of letting you know that they feel comfortable around you. When in a social environment they tend to disregard proxemics because they enjoy being close with friends and family.
The Austrian culture is very direct and participative when it comes to communication. Outsiders might have a hard time reading their cues and nonverbals because many of these expressions could be considered harsh and witnessing them might create a sense of unwanted attention from the doer. Common actions may include a slight furrow of the brow, intense eye contact, and straight lips across or pinched. To most this would mean that someone was irritated or upset but for many Austrians this is just their natural state of being. Granted they could have had a particularly hard day but the majority of the time you can find them in this manner. Their culture typically keeps to themselves which makes sense because they are an individualistic culture, and they certainly don’t go out of their way to introduce themselves to the people around them, however if one approaches them with a question or comment they will most likely respond in an appropriate and polite way.
It is very obvious that Italians use many nonverbals and gestures when communicating with other people and often times their signs may replace actual words so this is a convenient way for them to send messages to those around them without using words. Italians tend to disregard proxemics as they like to be physically close to friends and family when engaging with them. This is an easy way to gauge how comfortable they are with the people they are with. First impressions are lasting impressions according to Italians as they are very important. The Italian culture usually dresses very well to convey a good image to the other individual with whom they are interacting with. They also use a lot of big hand motions as it’s their way of emphasizing what they are saying. It is fairly common to receive some sort of physical touch when interacting with an Italian such as a handshake, a light touch on the arm or the back, and a gentle kiss on the cheek. These are completely normal within their culture and it comes across as very warm and engaging. Eye contact is typically very focused and concentrated as they give their time and attention to someone who is wanting to communicate with them and this is true for interacting with other locals and outsiders as well. Receiving whistles and winks from Italian men are very common for woman of all ages. This is a way to compliment the opposite sex and it isn’t meant to be uncomfortable or creepy, but if the female is interested in interacting with the man then she will generally look back and make direct eye contact with him and if she isn’t interested she will simply ignore them.
These two cultures are quite opposite in regards to communication styles and preferences which actually made the study much more interesting. Over time I began to realize that the way in which a culture communicates both verbally and non verbally is such a small part of the culture itself which I hadn‘t realized before. Overall these were two very extreme cultures to study but I enjoyed the process of researching the communication styles and then following up with locals and creating my own theories based on my observations.
Country Comparison. (n.d.). Retrieved December 02, 2017, from https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country-comparison/austria,italy/
Non Verbal Communication in Italy. (2013, February 05). Retrieved December 04, 2017, from https://breckwiener.wordpress.com/2013/02/05/non-verbal-communication-in-italy/
http://acad.depauw.edu/mkfinney_web/teaching/com227/culturalportfolios/italy/Italy%20Nonverbal.html
https://www.commisceo-global.com/country-guides/austria-guide