Other Ways to Speak

Magical Mouse Schoolhouse is currently hosting a series of Guest bloggers. I do hope you're enjoying these posts and are taking time to explore our friends' websites, maybe even give them a nice shout-out!

Today's very special Guest is Kristin from Tips from the Disney Diva. Kristin is a communications professor in Alabama. She escapes "home" to Walt Disney World as often as she possibly can and blogs about it when she can't get there. Kristin also writes frequently for Chip & Company. Welcome!

It is currently estimated that 90% of any given message's meaning comes from non-verbal communication. This means only 10% of what you say is how other people receive and interpret it. Culture has an extreme influence on what are considered acceptable and unacceptable non-verbal cues. So what may seem unimportant to any given native-born American, might be considered extremely rude to people of other cultures.

This becomes quite an issue at Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort, who have a large amount of Guests each year from all over the world. How does Disney adapt? They are specific in their Cast Member training sessions about what is universally acceptable and what is not.

What are some things that Disney has to worry about so that their Cast Members do not offend guests? 

Gestures – (pointing, giving OK sign, thumbs up): Next time you go to Disney watch very closely. The Cast Members NEVER point with just one finger to give directions to someone. They always use TWO. Why? Gestures are highly culturally reflective! Think of some gestures you communally give and discover how other people across the globe might interpret them. (Careful, some of them are very extremely rude! Parents be sure to monitor and work along! This Wikipedia article is safe to view and offers lots of descriptions.)

Proxemics- (How close we stand to one another): In most North American cultures, we normally are most comfortable at distances of two-feet from one another. However many other cultures prefer a much closer distance. Which ones? Look up what are preferred conversation distances for different people group?

Haunted Mansion Cast Member (note costume/clothing)

Clothing- Our clothing choices are also highly culturally reflective. In some areas of the globe, and particularly in some religions, there are acceptable and unacceptable levels of skin women can show. So Disney must pay very close attention to the costuming of women Cast Members. They must both stay true to the animated characters and the theme of the “worlds” and ensure they’re culturally sensitive. Add in the fact that its often blazing hot in Florida & California and it adds an additional consideration. Look up three different cultures and find out what some of their appropriate clothing parameters are.

These are just THREE of the non-verbal things Walt Disney World and Disneyland must take into consideration. Non-verbals mean a lot to the way messages are received, so it’s extremely important that we consider those when interacting with other cultures.

Today's Takeaway:
Begin, as Kristen suggests, by further researching the topics discussed above. Look up descriptions of hand gestures, acceptable proxemics, and clothing restrictions for a variety of international cultures. Consider what is communicated to someone non-verbally if you, say, stand closer to them than they are comfortable being. How will that affect how they receive what you're saying to them? Will they be distracted? Will they back away?

I had a psychology teacher in high school who loved to take psychology out into the real world. This is one experiment he did himself to study people's reactions to non-verbal communication. With your parents' permission and possibly with their accompaniment, visit a busy office building, mall or hotel where there is a crowded elevator. Walk straight into the elevator and, instead of turning around to face the door, continue to face the crowd of people. Observe reactions, take mental note of facial expressions and remember remarks. If anyone speaks to you, respond politely. Ride with them a few floors. Some may be so uncomfortable they get off before they arrive at the floor they want! I'd love to hear back from you how this went, so be sure to stop back by and leave a comment about it!

*DO NOT place yourself in any kind of danger or compromise your safety!*

SCHOOL SUBJECT: Psychology
SKILL LEVEL: High School

Tweet