Week 7

       There are many cultural and verbal/nonverbal communication differences in Germany compared to the United States. The first I've noticed is that Germans have a very direct style of speaking. I've  noticed it while I'm in grocery stores, having conversations with German students in class, or when we're out having dinner or downtown. This makes Germany a low context culture. They rely heavily on what the speaker says and hold them accountable for communicating and not so much the listener. They are very direct and to the point because individualistic culture expect them to take on the responsibility of creating a well thought out and poignant message.
       The nonverbal communication here as well is very nonexistent. They use their words to portray everything they mean. In the United States we have a low context culture and an indirect style of communicating. This makes it seem like Germans are rude or cold because they don't pay attention to other elements of communication. These  elements include facial expressions, haptics, proxemics, and occulesis. All of these nonverbal tendencies and the history of a relationship with the person their speaking to aren't taken into much account. Their power distance is very low context as well. I see this in the classroom ass well.
      Overall, I've had a hard time acclimating to the way Germans communicate verbally and nonverbally.

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