Psychological Peculiarities of Understanding Communicative Behavior of People from English-Speaking Countries

Taking into account the importance of the conventional methods of scientific research while dealing with the object of our article, the most substantial part of the methodological base for this research has been developed by us. As for general scientific methods, the method of induction, deduction, analysis and synthesis, comparative and descriptive methods and explanatory ones were also used quite successfully.

Results and their discussion

Analyzing Predominantly Christian countries, the primary correlation between religion and the Geert Hofstede Dimensions is a High Individualism Ranking. This indicates that predominantly Christian countries have a strong belief for the person's individuality, with individual rights being paramount within the society. People in these countries may tend to form a larger number of looser relationships.

So, we have to distinguish the United Kingdom - Great Britain - England Appearance, which in a great degree influences the communicative behavior of English-speaking people:

1. Business attire rules are somewhat relaxed in England, but conservative dress is still very important for both men and women, whether you're interviewing for a professional Tesco jobs or a restaurant position.

2. Dark suits, usually black, blue or gray are quite acceptable.

3. Men's shirts should not have pockets; if they do, the pockets should always be kept empty. Additionally, men should wear solid or patterned ties, while avoiding striped ties.

4. Men wear laced shoes, not loafers.

5. Business women are not as limited to colors and styles as men are, though it is still important to maintain a conservative image.

Let's describe the United Kingdom - Great Britain - England Communicative Behavior:

1. Always be punctual in England. Arriving a few minutes early for safety is acceptable.

2. Decision-making is slower in England than in the United States; therefore it is unwise to rush the English into making a decision.

3. A simple handshake is the standard greeting (for both men and women) for business occasions and for visiting home.

4. Privacy is very important to the English. Therefore asking personal questions or intensely staring at another person should be avoided.

5. Eye contact is seldom kept during British conversations.

6. To signal that something is to be kept confidential or secret, tap your nose.

7. Personal space is important in England, and one should maintain a wide physical space when conversing. Furthermore, it is considered inappropriate to touch others in public.

8. Gifts are generally not a part of doing business in England.

9. A business lunch will often be conducted in a pub and will consist of a light meal and perhaps a pint of ale.

10. When socializing after work hours, do not bring up the subject of the activity.

11. When dining out, it is not considered polite to toast those who are older than this person.

Now it is correct to determine United Kingdom - Great Britain - England Patterns of Communications:

1. America, Britain, Canada, Australia and other countries have included nations divided by a common language.

2. In England English is the official language, but it should be noted that Queen's English and American English are very different.

3. Ordinary vocabulary can differ between two countries.

4. Loud talking and disruptive behavior should be avoided.

5. One gesture to avoid is the V for Victory sign, done with the palm facing the person. This is a very offensive gesture.

6. If a man has been knighted, he is addressed, as: "Sir and his first name", for example: "Sir John. If writing a letter, the envelope is addressed - "Sir First name and Last name", in such a way: "Sir John Roberts".

So, let us describe the communicative behavior of people in England nowadays. Four countries make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Residents of any of these countries may be called "British". Use "English", "Scot" or "Scotsman", "Welsh" and "Irish" or "Northern Irish" only when it is certain of a person's heritage. While four countries share many customs, each has its own set of cultural nuances.

In England politeness, reserve and restraint are admired. The English are courteous, unassuming and they are very proud of their long and rich history.

Scots are passionate about their country, guarding its uniqueness and refusing to go along with English ideas. While cool and aloof externally, they are extremely sentimental about their family and their country. Overall Scots are free of class consciousness and social elitism, except in religion.

Generally, Protestants mix only with Protestants and Catholics, and they mix only with Catholics. Scots have a keen, subtle sense of humor and value generosity, respectability. Wales has been a part of the United Kingdom for more than 400 years, but has kept its own language, literature and traditions. The most residents of Wales are of Welsh or English heritage. Many immigrants from former British colonies and other parts of U.K., for example Welsh take a great pride for their country and their heritage. The Welsh love to sing and talk and spend much of their free time with their families (Batel, 2020).

Two-thirds of the Northern Irish have Scottish or English roots. The others are of Irish descent. Irish value friendliness, sincerity and nature. They dislike pretentious behavior and possess a strong ethic activity. Family ties are very important in Northern Ireland.

Let us describe meeting and greeting in England:

1. The British are reserved, which may cause them to appear cool and indifferent or overly formal. In fact, they are very friendly and helpful to foreigners.

2. Shake hands with everyone present - men, women, and children - at business and social meetings. Shake hands again when leaving.

3. Handshakes are light - not firm.

4. Women should extend their hand to men first.

5. Use the last names and the appropriate titles until specifically invited by your British hosts or colleagues to use their first names.

Let's characterize body language in England:

1. The British are not back slappers or touches and generally do not display affection in public.

2. Hugging, kissing and touching are usually reserved for family members and very close friends.

3. The British like a certain amount of personal space. Do not stand too close to another person or put your arm around someone's shoulder.

4. Staring is considered rude.

Communicative behavior in a large degree depends on a corporate culture in England:

1. In Great Britain punctuality is important for business meetings. Be on time.

2. Brits prefer a congenial business relationship, but tend to get right down to business after a few moments of polite conversation.

3. Business is well initiated through a well-connected third party.

4. The Board of Directors is the source of power and the principal decision making unit in a company. Formal approval of the board is required for most decisions. Decisions may be slow in their modeling.

5. Expect formalities and protocol to be observed for business, especially in London.

6. Business organization traditionally is multi-layered with a vertical chain of a command. A network of committees, formal and informal, is existed in larger companies. Group consensus is preferred to individual initiative.

7. In older companies, business still centers around the "old boy network" with prep schools, universities and family ties being of great importance. Newer companies are more progressive.

8. Meetings should be scheduled well in advance.

9. Meetings generally have a concrete objective, such as: making a decision, developing a plan or arriving for any agreement.

10. Presentations should be detailed and subdued.

11. Scots are known for being skilled business persons, priding themselves for being internationalists. They also are suspicious of "go-getters" and have gained respect success only when it is achieved over time.

Let's show dining and entertainment in England:

1. Summon a waiter by raising your hand. Don't wave or shout.

2. The most business entertaining is done restaurants or pubs over lunch. The host, the one who extends the invitation, pays the bill.

3. British business may invite you to watch cricket or to the regatta. Both are prestigious events. Wear your tweed sport coat or blue blazer.

4. The invitation to someone's home is more common in England than in the rest of Europe.

5. Do not discuss business at dinner in someone's home unless the host initiates the conversation.

6. In England, when invited to someone's home, arrive at least 10--20 minutes after the stated time. Never arrive early. In Scotland and Wales, arrive on time.

7. A male guest of honor is seated at the head of the table or to the right of the hostess. A female guest of honor is seated to the right of the host.

8. Wait for your host to begin eating before you eat.

9. Host or hostess always initiates the first toast, which is usually only given at a formal dinner.

10. At a formal dinner, do not smoke until after the toast to the Queen or until otherwise indicated by the host.

11. Keep your hands on the table at all times during the meal - not on your lap. However, take care to keep your elbows off the table.

12. When finished eating, place knife and fork side by side on the plate at the 5:25 position.

13. You should leave a very small amount of food on your plate when finished eating.

14. The guest of honor should initiate leaving a party.

15. When the host folds his / her napkin, this signals that the meal is over.

16. Leave a dinner party shortly after dinner ends.

17. Write a thank you note to the hostess.

18. It is considered impolite to ask for a tour of your host's home.

19. Entertain anyone who has entertained you, but don't try to impress British guests with an extravagant dinner. The Brits prefer understatement.

Dress in England is also unique, it also influences communicative behavior of English people:

1. People in the larger cities dress more formally, especially in London.

2. Men and women wear wools and tweeds for casual occasions. Slacks, sweaters and jackets are appropriate for men and women.

3. Avoid striped ties that are copies of British regimentals.

4. Men's clothing often expresses affiliation rather than style. Ties are the most important symbols. School, army, university or club ties are worn.

5. For business meetings, men should wear dark suits and ties. Women should wear suits, dresses or skirts and blouses.

6. Do not wear a blazer to work. A blazer is country or weekend wear.

7. For formal events men may wear black ties, business suits, morning coats or tails. Inquire which something or somebody is required. Women generally wear cocktail suits or dresses.

Very specific are gifts in England, and communicative behavior also depends on them:

1. Gifts are normally not exchanged in business settings.

2. When invited to someone's home, always bring a small gift for the hostess. Give flowers, chocolates, wine, champagne or books. Present the gift upon arrival.

3. Gifts are opened upon receiving.

4. It is polite to send flowers in advance of a dinner party. Do not send white lilies, which denote death.

Let us describe helpful hints in England:

1. Men should open doors for women and stand when a woman enters a room.

2. Always hold the door for a person following behind you.

3. Honor rank when entering a room. Allow higher rank to enter first.

4. Don't insult a royal family or show a great interest in their private lives.

5. Respect the British desire for privacy. Don't ask personal questions, such as where a person lives or what a person does for his / her profession or job. Don't talk about money.

6. Do not violate a queue. It is considered very rude to push ahead in a line.

7. Do not shout or be loud in public places and don't use excessive, demonstrative hand gestures when speaking.

8. Staring is considered quite impolite.

9. Do not be too casual, especially with the English language.

10. The English avoid speaking in superlatives. "I am quite pleased", means, that people are extremely happy.

11. Never try to sound British or mimic their accent.

12. Humor is ever-present in English life. It is often self- deprecating, ribbing, sarcastic, sexist or racist. Try not to take offense.

13. In Scotland, kilts are worn by men at formal occasions (for ex. a black tie, weddings, etc.). Don't make jokes about or ask a Scot what he wears under his kilt.

14. In Northern Ireland, religion and politics have created conflict for many years. Avoid these discussing topics if it is possible.

There are some details which are useful and for distinguishing the communicative behavior of English people. Especially for women for distinguishing their communicative behavior:

1. The "Old Boy Network" is alive and well in the United Kingdom. However, women are becoming more common in managerial positions in the United Kingdom than in most EC countries, especially in service industries and public sector jobs.

2. Foreign women will have little difficulty conducting business in Great Britain.

3. Don't be insulted if someone calls you love, dearie, or darling. These are commonly used and not considered rude.

4. It is acceptable, but may be misconstrued, for a foreign woman to invite an English man to dinner. It is best to stick with lunch.

5. If a woman would like to pay for a meal, she should state this at the outset.

6. Crossing your legs at the ankles, not at the knees, if it is proper.

So, we propose some basic types of nonverbal communication and body language of English people. There are many different types of nonverbal communication. If taking together, the following nonverbal signals and cues for productive communication depend on the person's interest and investment from the side of others.

Facial expressions. The human face is extremely expressive, it is able to express countless emotions without saying a word. And unlike some forms of nonverbal communication, facial expressions are universal. The facial expressions for happiness, sadness, anger, surprise, fear, and disgust are the same among different cultures.

Body movements and posture. Consider how your perceptions of people are affected by the way they sit, walk, stand up or hold their head. The way you move and carry yourself, communicate in a paradigm of wealth of information around the world. This type of nonverbal communication includes your posture, bearing, stance, and subtle movements.

Gestures. Gestures are woven into the fabric of our daily lives. We wave, point, beckon and use our hands when we're arguing or speaking animatedly --expressing ourselves with gestures often without thinking. However, the meaning of gestures can be very different across cultures and regions, so it's important to be careful to avoid misinterpretation.

Eye contact. Since the visual sense is dominant for the most people, eye contact is the especially important type of nonverbal communication. The way you look at someone can communicate many things, including interest, affection, hostility or attraction. Eye contact is also important in maintaining the flow of conversation and for gauging the other person's response.

Facial Expression. The face is more highly developed as an organ of expression of people. Some of these become quite habitual, almost fixed into the chronic muscular structure of the face. For instance, in some parts of the South the regional pattern of holding the jaw tight creates a slight bulge in the temples due to an overgrowth or "hypertrophy" of those jaw muscles that arise in this or that area. This creates a characteristic appearance. The squint of people who live a lot in the sun is another example.

In such a way there are many different meanings in different cultures, and what may be friendly in one country or region can be insult for partners of communication.

Touch. How one person touches another partner of communication with a great deal of information: "Is a grip gentle or firm, and does one hold the other person on the back of the upper arm, on the shoulder or in the middle of the back. Is the gesture a push or a tug? Is the touch closer to a pat, a rub or a grabbing? People have different areas of personal intimacy, and this refers not only to the sexual dimension, but also the dimension of self-control. Many schoolchildren are particularly sensitive to any touching that could be interpreted as patronizing or undue familiarity. Even the angle of one's holding another's hand might suggest a hurrying or coercive implicit attitude, or on the other hand, a respectful, gentle, permission-giving approach.

Locomotion: The style of physical movement in space also communicates a great deal, as well as affecting the feelings of the person doing the moving:

Facing: This is the way an action is done.

A related variable is the time it takes to react to a stimulus, called "latency of response". Some people seem to react to different questions, interact in conversations or are slower or faster "on the uptake" than others.

Nonverbal communication can be divided into several categories: facial expressions, head movements, hand and arm gestures, physical space, touching, eye contact and physical postures.

Facial expressions are also different:

• Although smiling is the expression of happiness in the most cultures, it can also signify other emotions. Some Chinese, for example, may smile when they are discussing something sad or uncomfortable.

• Winking has very different connotations in different cultures. In some Latin American cultures winking is a romantic or sexual invitation. In Nigeria, Yorubas may wink at their children if they want them to leave the room. Many Chinese consider winking to be rude.

• In Hong Kong, it is important not to blink one's eyes conspicuously, as this may be seen as a sign of disrespect and boredom.

• Some Filipinos will point to an object by shifting their eyes toward it or pursing their lips, and point with their mouth, rather than using their hands.

• Some Venezuelans may use their lips to point at something, because pointing with a finger is impolite.

• Expressions of pain or discomfort such as crying are also specific to various cultures; some cultures may value a stoic affect while others may encourage a more emotive state.

Expressions of pain or discomfort are also learned from one's family illness experiences, expressions and idioms of distress.

Conclusions