Theses
1. The assumption of the hypothesis that effectiveness of business relationships can be increased by awareness and appropriate use of nonverbal means was approved during the research.
2. Knowledge of main principles of nonverbal communication is especially essential for intercultural relations, because of considerable cultural differences in the use and meaning of nonverbals.
3. Nonverbal communication can be described as messages that do not consist of words and are provided by the use of body movements, positions and voice such as gestures, posture, facial expression, eye contact, personal space and paralinguistic means.
4. There are many divisions and types of nonverbal communication; however, the most important one for interpersonal interaction is physical type (according to G.W. Porter’s classification).
5. By serving specific communicative functions nonverbal cues can be very helpful for increasing the effect of the spoken words.
6. When using and interpreting nonverbal actions it is important to remember that every nonverbal sign is contextual and may be dependent on the situation, culture and status of the person.
7. Kinesics is the largest and the most important category of nonverbal communication where intercultural misunderstandings are more common, as kinesics includes all body movements and positions such as gestures, posture, facial expressions and eye behaviour.
8. Facial expression can provide up to half of the information of the message, indicating both person’s attitude and emotional state.
9. Appropriate eye contact and distance are necessary aspects of business communication; however, it is important to take into consideration the culture of both the sender and the receiver of the message in order to avoid misunderstandings.
10. It is advisable to have a strong and upright body posture that expresses authority, confidence, trust and power, thus providing a significant impression in business environment.
11. Gestures should be used very carefully in intercultural environment, because even such commonly known ones as nodding the head as sign of agreement can have the opposite meaning in other culture.
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