Nonverbal Communication

 Nonverbal communication is extremely important in everyday communications. For example, a person might say a nice thing to another person and then roll their eyes. While the words are nice the nonverbal communication tells another story. In different cultures body language and facial expressions can have different meanings and often times they can tell a different story then they actual words being spoken.

Before traveling to another country or communicating with someone form another culture it is important to research nonverbal etiquette. This is so that you don’t show signs of disrespect on accident but also, so you know how to properly communicate. This can be very difficult because often times we subconsciously send nonverbal cues to people we are talking to in our own culture. In my personal culture holding eye contact is a polite thing to do in a conversation and it shows that you are interested and focused on the conversation. In Samoan etiquette holding eye contact can be a sign of challenging authority and disrespect for elders and people in higher power. It is important to be very conscious of the nonverbal communications you are sending when communicating with a different culture.

Samoans use a lot of body movements and facial expressions when they are communicating. Physical contact is usually kept to a minimum. This really depends on the relationship between the parties communicating. Arm touching between friends and family is common but kissing and hugging are viewed as inappropriate. Eye contact is usually fleeting and never prolonged. Prolonged direct eye contact especially with someone of higher status is seen as a challenge to authority and is considered disrespectful. Hand gestures are used quite often in any Samoan conversation. They are often dramatic and used to emphasize major points in the conversation. However, pointing a finger is rude. Samoans will use their chin to point in the direction they are referring to. Eyebrows are often raised and moved depending on the context of the conversation.

https://www.gonomad.com/2047-living-faa-samoa-hospitality-and-family-rule

Personal space and body positioning is a huge part of Samoan communications. It is considered very rude to enter the personal space of a Samoan, and they tend to stay about an arm’s length way from each other when communicating. It is also very rude to walk in front of one’s personal space. Samoans also talk to each other at eye level. If a person you want to talk to is seated then you are expected to sit before talking to them. This is especially true with elders. Standing when others is seated is also considered rude, the only time it is acceptable to stand when others are seated is if you are leaving the group.  It is also expected that if one’s body movements obstruct others’ views that they say tolou to excuse themselves.

Samoans have a relaxed view of time and most Polynesian cultures are polychronic. Samoans often joke about running on “Samoan time” in most social situations. This is not true for official business or appointments made, then punctuality is expected and highly valued. It is not uncommon for friends and family to visit each other unexpectedly and unannounced. These unannounced visits are often very long and usually involved refreshments or dinner.

Samoan nonverbal communications are highly valued by the culture. These nonverbal communications often set the social hierarchy and remind people of their rankings.