Actions Speak Louder

You've heard it said many times that "actions speak louder than words." Most people have the ability to easily pick up on subtle body language and social gestures used in their home cultures. They understand the deeper meanings and implications behind the action itself. But what happens when you enter into a different culture? Sometimes our actions are misinterpreted, and we totally miss important cues from others simply because we're speaking different body languages.

This is a video I found about common gestures used to communicate in Haiti. While I've never been to Haiti, I've heard that it's very similar to Uganda in some ways. The majority of these gestures used in Haiti (apart from #1 and #2) also communicate the same things in Uganda.

For example, if someone offers out their fisted arm to you, they don't want you to "pound it." Watch this video to find out what it really means:



Some other common non-verbal communications in Uganda include:

• raising your eyebrows once in response to a question or statement... signifies "yes" or "okay"
• pointing to something with your lips and chin... serves the same purpose as pointing with your finger
• overhand, cupped hand wave, palm facing away from you (like the way you normally wave to babies)... means "come here"