Non-Verbal Communication
. Singaporeans are group dependent and rely on facial expression, tone of voice and posture to tell them what someone feels.
. They often trust non-verbal messages more than the spoken word.
. They tend to be subtle, indirect and implicit in their communications.
. They hint at a point rather than making a direct statement, since that might cause the other person to lose face.
. Rather than say 'no', they might say, 'I will try', or 'I'll see what I can do'. This allows the person making the request and the person turning it down to save face and maintain harmony in their relationship.
. Silence is an important element of Singaporean communication.
. Pausing before responding to a question indicates that they have given the question appropriate thought and considered their response carefully.
. They do not understand western cultures ability to respond to a question hastily and think this indicates thoughtlessness and rude behaviour.