Different Types of Communication

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This is an excellent video that basically summarizes the different gestures used by different cultures. It helps us to understand how important how intercultural communication is, and that we should make an effort to understand a particular culture before we can immerse in it.

People should always learn to understand that the world is so diverse; even in one's country, every individual is diverse. By learning how to understand and accept others, miscommunication and misunderstandings will surely decrease.

The style of communication in a high-context culture and low-context culture (developed by Edward T. Hall) is also different. Someone from a low-context culture is more direct in expressing oneself and might be intepreted by another individual in a high-context culture as being plain rude.

We have to come to a realization that if only everyone could learn a bit from one another and swallow our pride, the world would be a better place to live in.

Please take some time to analyze this interesting video, and leave comments providing your personal thoughts and evaluations.

Use of non-verbals, verbals and interpersonal relationships

For a change, I shall use a Thai commercial! And this is an excellent commercial as it applies the verbal, non-verbal and interpersonal relationship components of communication theories!

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This is a toothpaste commercial. It is a very typical Thai commercial, meaning that the viewer usually would not know what message the commercial is trying to convey till the end.

At the beginning of this commercal, the couple communicates with each other using hand movements, facial expressions and eye contact which are the utilization of kinesics and oculesics to communicate their intentions. However, we can see the limitations of non-verbal communication when the male starts to speak, expressing his unhappiness.

Verbal communication is more direct and one can express more effectively and quickly using verbal communication. It is good that non-verbals complement verbal communications so that the receiver is sure of what is being communicated across, such as when the guy is unhappy, he frowns while speaking at the same time.

Non-Verbals

If you have noticed, the two commercials here are very similar to the advertisements by BMW and Audi in my third posting.

BlackBerry and Apple Inc. are known to be rivals, competing very fiercely to gain a greater share of the mobile phone market mainly in the United States and United Kingdom. Below is a commercial produced by BlackBerry when their touchscreen smart-phone, the BlackBerry Storm, was launched. In the commercial, Apple Inc. was not named at all, but it was very obvious that BlackBerry was portraying their main competitor, Apple Inc., in the video. It shows a blackberry fruit being shot through an apple fruit, causing it to explode, and at the end, there were captions that read "nothing can touch it", implying that Apple Inc's touchscreen iPhone cannot compare with it.


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The video below is Apple's response to BlackBerry's commercial. It is short and simple, giving us the impression that Apple could not care less or be bothered by BlackBerry's commercial, simply brushing it away with a "reply" like that. In the commercial, there was no mention of BlackBerry or Apple. It just showed a blackberry fruit being shot towards an apple, and on impact, it smashed itself, with ending captions saying "simple facts".


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The two commercials are good examples of application of ethos as they did not have to mention the name of their competitor, banking on the two brands' fame and recognition.

Around the world in 80 seconds

For this posting, I will just describe the various ads. These are for YOU to enjoy and to comment on!

NEW YORK CITY, New York, USA:

STEAM coming out of a manhole on a cold day in New York City.

Folgers placed a sticker over the manhole to make it look like a

hot cup of coffee!

MUMBAI, India: Life size stickers of people were placed on a glass sliding door.

When the door opens, an individual is greeted by this ad: "People move away

when you have body odor."

TOKYO, Japan: The brand "Indivi" places stickers of their

clothing range for people to see how they look like in their apparel.

BERLIN, Germany: Stickers depicting people working in an

ATM and a vending machine. Done by a recruiting agency.

MALAYSIA: Stickers with burn-effects are placed on walls

of parking lots. Done by M-Tech Plasma HID Lights, claiming

that their lights are 300% brighter than regular headlamps.

ZURICH, Switzerland: All about perception! Mini places an ad

at the entrance/exit of a subway station!

courtesy of