BBC World Service | Learning English | Working Abroad - Body Language: Introduction page 1 of 1

Body language or, as it is also known, non-verbal communication, is about all the things that people say and do without using words. Research suggests that more than 70% of communication occurs without people having to say a single word.

Like language, the way we communicate non-verbally varies across cultures. But, unlike language, it can be very difficult to find out what the non-verbal rules are.

ACTIVITY
In Europe, for example, there is great confusion over one way of greeting other people. Listen to our working abroad interviewees. What is the difficulty they all have?