What Is Said Without Words? Take the following quiz to test your knowledge of nonverbal communication. Click the link below for the correct answers.

1. According to psychologist Albert Mehrabian, of the total meaning of a spoken message

7 percent comes from the actual meaning of the words.

38 percent comes from the way you say the words (tone, emphasis, etc.

55 percent comes from facial expressions and other nonverbal communication.

2. True or False: A smile is one of the few forms of nonverbal expression that has the same meaning all over the world.False. In Asia a smile can cover up embarrassment or disappointment.

3. The number of different communicative expressions Americans make with their face is...

b. 33

4. Try to guess what percentage of time two negotiators from the following countries maintain eye contact during a typical negotiating session.

Two Japanese:13 percent

Two Americans:33 percent

Two Brazilians:56 percent

5. True or False: Counting on the fingers, from 1 to 10, is a universal nonverbal gesture.False. In India, for example, people count the tips of the fingers plus all the joints of the fingers, getting a total of twelve for each hand (the thumb, which does the enumerating, is not counted).

6. Which groups have the firmest handshakes?

a. Vietnamese and Filipinos

b. Germans and Americans

c. Egyptians and Moroccans

7. In the following cities, try to guess how many times in one hour a typical couple in a cafe touches each other:

San Juan:180

Paris:110

London:0

8. Worldwide, researchers have found approximately how many distinct units of nonverbal communication?

d. 1,000

Reprinted with Permission from Figuring Foreigners Out, Craig Storti, Intercultural Press, 1999, www.interculturalpress.com