Essay About Submissive Posture And Aboriginal Culture

Counselling
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A managers guide
R suggests the need to be relaxed or natural in our non-verbal behavior. It
shows we are comfortable and interested in the other person. Fidgeting or
nervousness shows a lack of interest or desire to be somewhere else.
Aboriginal culture has adopted many of the attitudes of North American
whites. In most situations facing a person squarely, adopting and open
posture, and maintaining eye contact are used. However, in listening to
Elders, to demonstrate respect the younger person would typically
maintain a submissive posture, with eyes averted. Some whites have
interpreted this as a lack of respect, whereas in Native culture the opposite
is true.
Distance is also an important aspect of attending. In North-American
culture, distances closer than 18 inches are considered appropriate only for
people who have an intimate relationship. But, standing too far away
suggests the listener is stand-offish. Somewhere in between is a
comfortable area for conversation.
Another aspect of attending is to assure that all distractions are removed.
The computer, television, the radio, a view from the window, and other
people are examples of distractions that can cause interference and lessen
the effectiveness of a conversation. Sometimes not all distractions can be
removed, like little children, bit every effort should be made to make the
environment as non-distracting as possible.
Following
Whereas attending skills were non-verbal, following skills are verbal. Our
verbal responses and questions show we are interested