Vary the firmness

Body language makes up the largest part of our non-verbal communication - eye contact, gestures, and facial expressions can convey powerful messages. As William Shakespeare said in Troilus and Cressida - ‘There’s language in her eye, her cheek, her lip’However, there are substantial cultural differences in how people use body language to communicate. Sometimes it is very obvious, many times very subtle.Whether in a culturally diverse company or visiting emerging markets, understanding what people mean through their body language can be a challenge.Even the simple handshake can vary from culture to culture. A handshake is widely accepted as the norm, however you’ll need to vary the firmness depending on the location. Western culture typically perceives a strong handshake as authoritative and confidence, where as many parts of the Far East perceive a strong handshake as aggressive, and usually bow instead.In parts of Northern Europe, a quick firm handshake is the norm. In parts of Southern Europe, Central and South America, a handshake is longer and warmer, with the left hand usually touching the clasped hands or elbow. Beware that in Turkey, a firm handshake is considered rude and aggressive. In certain African countries, a limp handshake is the standard (Guide to African handshakes). Men in Islamic countries never shake the hands of women outside the family.

Many facial expressions appear to be universal and recognised all over the globe.

Research carried out by the Paul Ekman Group, an American Psychologist, showed that over 90% of common facial expressions were identified by people in very different cultures. Over 10,000 facial expressions were created for the study and shown to different western cultures and isolated, pre-literate African groups.

In general, there are seven different facial expressions which correspond to distinct universal facial emotions:

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