VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

ĐỖ THANH UYÊN

A CROSS CULTURAL STUDY ON AMERICAN AND

VIETNAMESE STUDENTS’ BODY LANGUAGE
IN ORAL PRESENTATION

SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE

DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF ARTS (TEFL)

SUPERVISOR: NGUYỄN BÁCH THẢO, MA.

Hanoi, May – 2010

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 ACCEPTANCE PAGE
I hereby state that I: Đỗ Thanh Uyên, from group 06.1.E13, English
Department, HULIS, being a candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Arts
(TEFL) accept the requirements of the College relating to the retention and
use of Bachelor’s Graduation Paper deposited in the library.

In terms of these conditions, I agree that the origin of my paper deposited

in the library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in
accordance with the normal conditions established by the librarian for the
care, loan or reproduction of the paper.

Signature

Đỗ Thanh Uyên

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This paper would not have been completed without the support of
many people, to all of whom I am profoundly indebted.
First and foremost, my deepest gratitude goes to Ms. Nguyen Bach
Thao, my supervisor, for her willingness to help me with the early phases
and revisions of this thesis. Without her expertise, selflessness and
encouragement, I would not have been able to finish this paper.
My particular thank goes to Heather Lewis, who studies at Coe
College and visited our HULIS last year, for her enthusiasm in delivering
my survey questionnaires to her American friends at Coe College and
helping me with the observation of presentation to collect data for my
research.
Special thanks also go to my friends who have nonstop helped me
distribute and collect the research surveys.
Last but not least, I am truly grateful to my family and friends for
their continual encouragement during the time I conducted the research.

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 ABSTRACT
This research is aimed at investigating the preferable types of body
language used by American and Vietnamese students when they deliver
oral presentations at school – an academic environment. By identifying the
cultural similarities and differences, the study makes suggestions on how to
employ body language to have a successful oral presentation when the
audiences are American.
This research involved the participation of 32 American students at
COE and 95 Vietnamese students at HULIS. Both qualitative and
quantitative methods were employed by using two kinds of data collection
instrument: survey questionnaire and observation.
It was found that the frequency of using body language in oral
presentation of American students is different from that of Vietnamese
students, though they do share some similarities. Both Vietnamese and
American students were aware of using body language in oral presentation,
however, American employed types of body language more naturally and
effectively than Vietnamese students.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ......................................................... 8
Rationale.................................................................................................... 8
Aims and objectives of the study .............................................................. 9
Scopes of the study.................................................................................... 9
Research methodology ............................................................................ 10
Research design .................................................................................... 10
Data collection instruments .................................................................. 10
Data analysis methods .......................................................................... 10
Significance of the study ......................................................................... 10
An overview of the rest of the paper ....................................................... 11
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................. 12
Key concepts ........................................................................................... 12
Communication ..................................................................................... 12
Definition ........................................................................................ 12
Classification ................................................................................... 14
Verbal communication ................................................................ 15
Nonverbal communication .......................................................... 15
Definition of nonverbal communication ................................. 15
Difference between verbal and nonverbal communication .... 16
The importance of nonverbal communication ........................ 18
Functions of nonverbal communication.................................. 20
Types of nonverbal communication........................................ 21
Body language – an element of nonverbal communication.... 23
Cultural differences in body language .................................... 24
Oral presentation as a form of communication .................................... 25
Definition of oral presentation ........................................................ 25
Modes of oral presentation .............................................................. 25
Oral presentation in school setting .................................................. 27
Characteristics of an effective presentation .................................... 27
Body language used in oral presentation at school ......................... 28
An overview of previous studies ............................................................. 35
How the present study fits into the research area .................................... 37
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY
Participants .............................................................................................. 38
Data collection instruments ..................................................................... 39
Procedures of data collection .................................................................. 41
Procedures of data analysis ..................................................................... 42
CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION .................................... 43
Research’s findings ................................................................................. 43
From the survey questionnaires ............................................................ 43
From observations................................................................................. 50

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 Discussion ............................................................................................... 52
Implications: How to use body to communicate effectively in oral
presentations at schools ........................................................................... 57
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION ........................................................... 62
Major findings of the research ................................................................ 62
Limitations of the research ...................................................................... 63
Suggestions for further research ............................................................. 63
REFERENCES ................................................................................ 65
APPENDICES ................................................................................. 68

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 LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS
TABLES:
Table 3.1: A classification of the surveyed American and Vietnamese
students
Table 4.1: Assessment of the importance of body language in the success of
an oral presentation
Table 4.2: Types of emphasizing gestures used in oral presentation
Table 4.3: The most commonly used posture in oral presentation
CHARTS:
Chart 4.1: Frequency of using body language in oral presentation
Chart 4.2: The most paid attention type of body language
Chart 4.3: Frequency of direct eye contact maintenance
Chart 4.4: Ways to get the audience's attention
DIAGRAM:
Diagram of Nonverbal Communication
FIGURES:
Figure 2.1: Three components of communication
Figure 2.2: Types of communication
Figure 2.3: Three elements of Communication
Figure 2.4: Eye contact
Figure 2.5: Basic facial expressions
Figure 2.6: Types of common gestures
Figure 2.7: Common standing posture

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 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
This initial chapter states the problem and the rationale of the study,
together with the aims, objectives, the scope of the study, and the overview
of the rest of the paper. Above all, it is in this chapter that the research
questions are identified to work as clear guidelines for the whole research.
1.1. Rationale
There are two types of communication: verbal communication and
nonverbal communication. Language studies had traditionally focused on
verbal communication, however, since 1960s researchers has begun to pay
more attention to nonverbal communication and explored that more
nonverbal than verbal communication occurs. One study done in the US
showed that 93 percent of message was transmitted by the speaker’s body
language and only 7 percent of the person’s attitude was conveyed by
words (cited in Nguyen Quang, 1998:62). Some psychologists also believe
that we communicate 65 percent of our ideas and feelings without words
(Nguyen Quang, 1998:68). These factual numbers can show that nonverbal
communication is more important than verbal one. So in order to have
successful communication it is necessary to understand the meanings of
nonverbal acts which include body language.
So far, some studies have been carried out on using body language in
presentation in business setting or in interview. However, there is little
information about body language in oral presentation in school. Nowadays,
there are many student exchange programs between colleges and
universities in Vietnam and America. These programs have given
Vietnamese students more opportunities to study and work in international
situations, however, differences in terms of culture also present them
challenges in communication. When students study at universities, one of
the most popular activities they have to take part in is oral presentation,
thus the way to apply body language in this kind of activity is very

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important. Understanding the meanings of each type of body language in
each culture will help both Vietnamese and American students not only
avoid cultural shock but have successful communication when they study
or work with each other.
1.2. Aims and objectives of the study
This research was aimed to investigate the preferable types of body
language used by Vietnamese and American students when they deliver
oral presentations at school. Thanks to that, the similarities and differences
in body language used by Vietnamese and American students in oral
presentation could be found out and analyzed. Then the study was expected
to raise several implications for American and Vietnamese students in order
to enhance their awareness of using body language to have a successful oral
presentation.
In brief, these objectives could be summarized into two
research questions as follows:
1. What are similarities and differences between American and
Vietnamese students in using body language when they deliver
oral presentation?
2. What are the implications for Vietnamese and American
students in using body language to have successful oral
presentation?
1.3. Scopes of the study
The study only highlights American and Vietnamese students’ body
language in oral presentation at school. It is carried on with the participants
who are the third and the forth year students at HULIS in Vietnam and the
American students in COE College in Iowa in the US. It is convenient for
the researcher to choose them as participants because there has been a
student exchange program between HULIS and COE and thanks to this, the
researcher could collect data with these exchange students’ cooperation.
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1.4. Research methodology
1.4.1. Research design
In order to assure the reliability and validity of the research, both
quantitative and qualitative methods are utilized. This research will use
survey questionnaire and observation to collect data and information. Due
to the great geographic distance, using survey – questionnaires is more
convenient and more feasible. The analysis of the collected data from the
observation and the survey-questionnaire will answer the two research
questions.
1.4.2. Data collection instruments
To address the research questions, both questionnaires and
observation were employed in order to get the most reliable and valid data.
The survey questionnaires were delivered in person or via emails.
Specifically, questionnaires were distributed to 95 junior and senior
students in ED, HULIS in Vietnam and 32 students at COE College in the
US.
The three observations could be done directly at HULIS, Vietnam;
the other three presentations which were done by American students at
COE College were observed by Heather Lewis, a student at COE, based on
the observation checklist.
1.4.3. Data analysis methods
All the answers for close-ended questions were statistically analyzed,
synthesized and presented in forms of charts and tables using Microsoft
Word. The results of observations were presented based on the observation
checklists.
1.5. Significance of the study
Once having been completed, the research would provide an analysis
of the similarities and differences in body language used by Vietnamese
and American students so that this paper might be useful for them to
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understand the meanings of these types of body language and avoid cultural
shocks. Specially, as mentioned above, one of these aims of this paper is
proposing some suggestions to American and Vietnamese students in order
to have a successful oral presentation. Therefore, the students would benefit
from the analysis of the effective ways perceived by the experienced
students in giving presentation.
1.6. An overview of the rest of the paper
The rest of the paper includes five chapters as follows:
Chapter 2 (Literature Review) provides the background of the study,
including definitions of key concepts.
Chapter 3 (Methodology) describes the participants and instruments
of the study, as well as the procedure employed to carry out the research.
Chapter 4 (Data analysis: results and discussion) presents, analyzes
and discusses the findings that the researcher found out from the data
collected according to the two research questions.
Chapter 5 (Conclusion) summarizes the main issues discussed in the
paper, the limitation of the research and offers some suggestions for further
study. Following this chapter are the References and Appendices.
Summary
In this chapter, the researcher has presented the following points:
1. Statement of the problem and the rationale for the study
2. Aims and objectives of the study
3 Significance of the study
4. Scope of the study
5. Methods of the study
6. An overview of the rest of the paper
Generally speaking, this summary has not only justified the main contents
and the structures of this study but also works as the guideline for the rest
of the paper.
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 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
In this chapter, an examination of the literature in the area is given by
presenting the general background for the research. To begin with, a
sketchy picture of the research background will be provided with an
overview of the three key concepts, namely “communication”, “nonverbal
communication” and “oral presentation”. Secondly, the way of using body
language in oral presentation at school is given based on the researcher’s
knowledge and observation. Next, a brief review of the related studies will
disclose the research gap and hence, justify how the present study fits into
the research area.
2.1. Key concepts
2.1.1. Communication
2.1.1.1. Definition
Everyone communicates everyday, in diverse ways and in various
settings and it’s undeniable that many people can communicate
successfully by observing and learning from others. However, most of them
find it difficult to definite and analyze communication specifically.
Though there exist a number of definitions of communication, they
are necessary for any research to go into the right direction.
Communication is generally perceived as the process of sharing or
exchanging ideas, information, etc. between two or more persons.
Schramm defines communication as "a tool that makes societies
possible and distinguishes human from other societies”. This definition
maybe tends to focus on the social meaning of communication which can
be seen as the signal of human society.
Meanwhile, Albert Scheflen (cited in B. Haslett, 1987:4) the noted
psychiatrist and nonverbal communication scholar, views communication
as an organized, standardized, culturally patterned system of behavior that
sustains, regulates, and makes possible human relationship. When giving
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this definition, Albert also mentions the social meaning of communication,
moreover, he discusses the cultural characteristics of this concept.
Berelson and Steiner (1964) define communication as the
transmission of information, ideas, emotions and skills through the use of
symbols, words, pictures, figures, and graph. These researchers have
concentrated on the functions of communication and means of pursuing
these functions to give their definition.
Nguyen Quang (1998) gives the definition of communication briefly
and concisely “Communication is the process of sharing meaning through
verbal and nonverbal behavior.” Obviously, he claims that communication
is performed and perceived by both senders and receivers through their
verbal and nonverbal codes. In other words, it is possible to say that
communication consists of transmitting information verbally and
nonverbally. This definition is clearer than these above ones because it
presents not only the functions of communication but also the important
channels through which communication can be transmitted: verbal and
nonverbal communication.
One very useful definition of communication is that proposed by
Rogers “Communication is the process of transmitting ideas, information,
and attitudes from the source to a receiver for the purpose of influencing
with intent”. This definition sees communication as a process through
which senders and receivers of messages interact. Besides, by this way of
defining, Rogers also mentions the purpose of communication. The most
important underlying assumption presupposed by this definition of
communication refers to the components of communication which are
sender, receiver and message as illustrated in the following figure:

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 Figure 2.1: Three components of communication
All of these above definitions have their own meaning and are useful
for different research fields; however, within the scope of this research
paper, the researcher suggests adopting the definition of Rogers which
helps people achieve the basic knowledge of communication.
2.1.1.2. Classification
There are various forms of communication. By reviewing the
definition of communication proposed by Albert Scheflen (1963), it is clear
to realize an important assumption that communication occurs verbally and
nonverbally.
Kreckel (1981) also views communicative acts as socially
meaningful units of verbal/ nonverbal behavior that transmit a particular
message (cited in B. Haslett, 1987: 4).
In terms of classification of communication, Nguyen Quang gives
the most specific one. According to him, communication can be divided
into two main types: verbal and nonverbal communication. Specifically,
verbal communication and nonverbal communication are also divided into
subtypes. According to Nguyen Quang, body language – the research
problem of this research paper is only a small but crucial part of nonverbal
communication.

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2.1.1.2.1. Verbal communication
Generally speaking, verbal communication is communication using
language and speech to share or exchange information.
Verbal communication, as defined by Alder (1998:158) is “spoken
communication including the use of words and intonation to convey
meaning.” This definition gives the point that verbal communication, in the
initial place, is the spoken language, and people can convey their ideas,
messages by using words, sentences.
According to another research paper about communication, along
with the development in linguistics and advancement in technological
verbal communication includes four subtypes which are shown in the figure:
oral communication, visual communication, written communication and
electronic communication.

Figure 2.2: Types of communication

2.1.1.2.2. Nonverbal communication
2.1.1.2.2.1. Definition of nonverbal communication
Although the verbal message plays a crucial part in face – to – face
communication, we must recognize that we are constantly sending and
receiving many messages that are not expressed in words. In other words,
we can exchange information without saying out anything. These messages
are nonverbal and the way they are exchanged is known as nonverbal
communication. Thus, nonverbal communication can be simply defined as
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the process of exchanging and sharing information, attitudes, feelings etc
nonverbally.
Knapp (1972) views nonverbal communication as a term that
describes “all communication events which transcend spoken or written
words.” This definition gives a general idea about nonverbal
communication; however, it can’t tell the readers anything related to its
components.
Meanwhile, there is a definition proposed by Levine and Aldeman
(1993) which seems to solve this problem when seeing “nonverbal
communication” as “silent” communication, including the use of gestures,
facial expression, eye contact and conversational distance.” To some extent,
this definition offers readers a primary and clear concept of nonverbal
communication. This definition seems to focus on body language (gestures,
facial expression, and eye contact) and a part of environmental language
(conversational distances) and maybe it could not give a clear picture of the
whole non verbal communication. Moreover, paralanguage, a factor of
nonverbal communication is not “silent” language.
In the researcher’s opinion, the definition given by Nguyen Quang is
the idealist one. Nguyen Quang (Journal of Science – VNU, 2007:77)
defines nonverbal communication as all communicative elements that are
not of verbal code but belong to both vocal channel and non-vocal channel.
Nonverbal communication includes paralanguage (vocal characteristics,
types of vocal flow) and extralanguage (body language, object language
and environmental language). By this way, Nguyen Quang gives a
comprehensive view of nonverbal communication with all of its
components.
2.1.1.2.2.2. Difference between verbal and nonverbal communication
As being dealt with in the previous part, communication, basically,
contains two main types: verbal and nonverbal communication, with
approximately 93% of the impact of a message depends on its nonverbal
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cues. Verbal and nonverbal communication, therefore, often reinforce each
other; however, they have clear differences. Judith. N. Martin and Thomas
K. Nakayama (2004:136) analyze that although both verbal and nonverbal
communication are symbolic, communicative meaning and governed by
contextually determined rules, nonverbal behavior normally operates at a
subconscious level whereas verbal behavior, in most cases, operates at a
conscious level.
Saundra Hybels and Richard L. Weaver II (1992:105), in a more
specific way have distinguished these two types of communication in seven
important aspects:
Aspects Verbal communication Nonverbal communication
Environment Can not tell much about Things like the closet, the
a person photos, the room... can tell a
lot about a person
Feedback Reacting verbally in a Much of our emotional
restricted way responses expressed by our
facial expressions, gestures, ...
Continuity Begins and ends with Continuous
words
Channel A single channel: words Multi-channeled
Control Under our control Under control sometimes
because we can choose
the words to use
Structure Structured because it No plan sequence because of
follows the grammar unconsciously occurs
rules
Acquisition Formally taught in Much of it learned informally
school
(Communicating effectively, 1992:105)
(Cited in Trang, Vu.T.T, Graduation Paper - HULIS)
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 This way of distinguishing is not the best one but it is sufficient to
highlight the differences between two kinds of communication. There is
another way to distinguish verbal and nonverbal communication which
the researcher adopts, that differentiates two types of communication
basing on six aspects. According to this point of view, nonverbal
communication is more ambiguous, continuous, multi-channeled, and
more trustful. Nonverbal communication gives more insight into
emotional states and many types of nonverbal communication are
recognized across cultures. It is the nature of human condition that even
we try as we may, we cannot enter into the reality of another individual’s
feelings or thoughts, but basing on their nonverbal cues in communication,
we can know more about them.
2.1.1.2.2.3. The importance of nonverbal communication
As the researcher mentioned above, nonverbal communication is a
vital form of communication. Whenever human emotion is concerned,
nonverbal communication is involved. When we interact with others, we
continuously give and receive countless wordless signals. All of our
nonverbal behaviors - the gestures we make, the way we sit, how fast or
how loud we talk, how close we stand, how much eye contact we make -
send strong messages.
As cited by Nguyen Quang (1998:62) language studies traditionally
emphasized oral and written communication. However, since 1960s,
researchers seriously began to consider the power of nonverbal
communications and what takes place without words in conversations. It is
undeniable that the way people listen, look, move, and react tell whether or
not they care and how well they understand. The nonverbal signals we send
either produce a sense of interest, trust, and desire for connection—or they
generate disinterest, distrust, and confusion.

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 In the 1960s Professor Albert Mehrabian and colleagues at the
University of California, Los Angles (UCLA), conducted studies into
human communication patterns. Their result showed that 93% of message
was transmitted by the speaker’s tone of voice and body language, and only
7% of the person’s attitude was conveyed by words (cited in Pease, 1984:6).
Basically, this result can be understood that we express our emotions and
attitudes more nonverbally than verbally. It is clearly shown by the
following figure:

Figure 2.3: Three elements of Communication

The pie chart above reveals that nonverbal communication makes up
more than 90% of the whole communicating process, which means that
nonverbal communication is much more important in understanding human
behaviors than words alone. In other words, nonverbal communication
plays such an important role in the exchanging information, messages,
attitudes, emotions, etc among humans in society.
In terms of the importance of nonverbal communication, some
psychologists also believe that we communicate 65% of our ideas and
feelings without words (Nguyen Quang, 1998:68). Apparently, Harrison
gave his view that “in face – to – face communication, no more than 35%
of the social meaning is carried in the verbal message” (cited in Nguyen
Quang, 2007). The shapes of our bodies and faces, the movements and

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gestures we make, how near we stand to each other, etc all take part in
communication and all of them can transmit some messages which we
sometimes send without even knowing them.
By giving these above statistic examples, it is hoped that the readers
can understand thoroughly that non-verbal communication, undeniably,
plays really a vital role in communication and it is really essential to have a
deep knowledge of non-verbal behaviors.
2.1.1.2.2.4. Functions of nonverbal communication
Argyle (1970) put forward the hypothesis that whereas spoken
language is normally used for communicating information about events
external to the speakers, non-verbal codes are used to establish and
maintain interpersonal relationships. It is considered more polite or nicer to
communicate attitudes non-verbally rather than verbally, and nonverbally
communication is also used in order to avoid embarrassing situations. In
1988, Argyle showed the result of his research which concluded that there
are five primary functions of nonverbal communication. They are:
expressing emotions, expressing interpersonal attitudes, accompanying
speech in managing the cues of interaction between speakers and listeners,
presenting one’s personality and greeting. It is undeniable that without
using nonverbal bodily behavior, human communication cannot be
effective. People can send and exchange messages by words, but they often
express their emotions through their facial expression, their gestures, etc
because most of these types of body language are naturally done. Moreover,
the way a person moves, the way he looks at the listener, the way he
expresses his emotions can also tell others his personality, because action
speaks louder than words.
There is another four function system of nonverbal communication
which is described by Saundra Hybels and Richard L. Weaver II (1992:27).
It can be inevitably overlapped the above one, but it should be paid
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attention to because of its own value. First and foremost, nonverbal
behavior may supplement words. In other words, nonverbal behavior gives
additional support to the meaning of the words. Secondly, nonverbal
behavior may emphasize the words. For example, it can be easily realized
that when speakers want to consider something important, they often use
stress with the gesture of sawing the air. Thirdly, nonverbal behavior may
regulate the flow of verbal interaction. Eye-contact, gestures and other
nonverbal cues may tell people when they should continue their speech and
when to be quiet. Last but not least, nonverbal behavior may take place of
words. We agree that we can’t be silent all day, but sometimes, we don’t
need to speak out but we can keep communication through our nonverbal
cues. It is the most useful way to maintain communicating when people
must keep their message in secret.
2.1.1.2.2.5. Types of nonverbal communication
There are several types of nonverbal communication however each
type inevitably overlaps one or more of the others. Scholars have many
ways to conceptualize types of nonverbal communication. Generally, most
of them agree that nonverbal communication normally includes facial
expression, tone of voice, postures, gestures, eye-contact, patterns of
touch etc.
Nonverbal communication was broken into seven categories by
Brooks & Heath (1989:79). They are paralanguage, action language,
object language, tactile communication, space, time and silence
communication
Based on the area of communication, Dwyer (2000) suggested
dividing nonverbal communication into:

Kinesics: body motions/ posture

Physical characteristics

Touch/ Haptics/Tactile
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Vocal quality

Space

Artifacts

Environment
Burgoon, Buller & Woodall (1996) categorize nonverbal
communication according to the transmission medium and channel used:

Kinesics (body language): body movement, facial activity
and gaze

Paralanguage (Vocalics): vocal activity such as pitch,
loudness, silences, pauses, laughs, sighs, coughs, sneezes,
and so on.

Haptics: touch

Proxemics: space

Chronemics: time

Physical appearance

Artifacts (Objectics)

Olfactics: olfactory-related cues
Alternatively, Professor Nguyen Quang proposes another way of
categorizing nonverbal communication which the researcher is in favor of.

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 Diagram of Nonverbal Communication
Nonverbal communication

Extralanguage
Paralanguage

Environmental
Body language Object language
language

-Vocal -Eye contact -Clothing -Setting

characteristics: -Facial -Jewellery -
+ Pitch expressions -Make – up Conversational
+ Volume -Gestures -Artificial scents distance/
+Rate -Postures -Gift Proxemics
-Types of -Touch/ -Flowers -Time
vocal flow Haptics/ -.... -Lighting
-Vocal Tactile system
interferences -Color
-Silent -Heat
-... -....
(Nguyen Quang, 2001, p.19)

As being described in the above diagram, nonverbal communication

can be divided into two subtypes: paralanguage and extralanguage.
Extralanguage includes three elements, they are: body language, object
language and environment language. In this way of categorizing, body
language – the research problem, is an element of nonverbal
communication and it includes eye-contact, facial expressions, gestures,
postures and touch/haptics/tactile. The categorize of Nguyen Quang seems
to be clearer and more useful for the aims of this research paper. Basing
on this categorize and the researcher’s background knowledge, body
language, within the scope of this study, will be discussed in terms of four
components: eye-contact, facial expressions, gestures and postures.
2.1.1.2.2.6. Body language – an element of nonverbal communication

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 According to experts, a substantial portion of our communication is
nonverbal. Everyday, we respond to thousands of nonverbal cues and
behaviors including postures, facial expression, gestures, etc. From our
handshakes to our hairstyles, nonverbal details reveal who we are and
impact how we relate to other people.
As mentioned above, gestures, postures, facial expressions and eye-
contact are together called body language which is the source of the
difference between the words people speak and our understanding of what
they are saying. Body language is the most significant when it appears in
clusters, at the same time as a significant event and when it is unlikely that
the person is trying to control their nonverbal behavior. All in all, body
language is the most significant component of nonverbal communication.
It is the reason why sometimes body language is used to imply nonverbal
communication.
2.1.1.2.2.7. Cultural differences in body language
The first principle of nonverbal communication, according to
Saundra Hybels and Richard L. Weave II (1992:108), is “nonverbal
communication is culturally determined” and as an element of nonverbal
communication, the use of body language also varies culturally.
Although universal emotions such as happiness, sadness, fear, etc
are expressed in the same nonverbal way through out the world, there may
be differences among cultures in interpreting body language. It is
important to realize that body language subtlety is often culturally specific.
For example, in some cultures like Japanese, strong eye-contact is read as
rude, but in others like American or European it is important to use direct
eye contact if you are to be trusted. So, the generally accepted meanings
of many nonverbal cues including body language are determined by a
culture. Differences between cultures can cause communication problems.

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 Edward T. Hall (1959) once indicated “Culture hides much more
than it reveals, and strangely enough, what it hides, it hides most
effectively from its own.” As for the use of body language, it is deeply
different from one culture to another. Thus, it is worth noticing these
differences when mentioning communication events.
2.1.2. Oral presentation as a form of communication
2.1.2.1. Definition of oral presentation
In the 7th edition of Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary
(2005:1190), a presentation is defined as “an act of showing something or
of giving something to somebody” or “a meeting at which something,
especially a new product or idea, or piece of work is shown to a group of
people.”
As defined by Wikipedia, a presentation “is the process of showing
and explaining the content of a topic to an audience.” This succinct
definition seems to grasp the nature of the term focusing on the two main
activities: delivering and clarifying knowledge.
Another definition proposed by T. Khadeejah Al-Harbi, in which
presentation is seen as a formal talk to one or more people that “presents”
ideas or information in a clear, structured way. In other words, oral
presentation is done orally and the speaker presents in front of a group of
listeners his ideas, his point of view on a specific issue.
In fact, although the word “presentation” often denotes a formal
setting, it can also be thought of any time someone gives his own ideas in
front of a group of people. However, in the scope of this research,
“presentation” in school setting will be dealt with formal talk to one
person or a group of people, which presents ideas or delivers information
in a clear and structured way.
2.1.2.2. Modes of oral presentation

25
 In preparing for a speech which is considered as scholar argue,
there are several basic means of channeling a message. According to
Mayer (1992), there are four basic modes of presentation with modes “are
the methods of delivering a speech”: the impromptu, the manuscript, the
memorized and the extemporaneous mode.
a. The impromptu: is the speaking in which the speaker uses
information acquired from past experiences, speaking with
little or no preparation and organize ideas while delivering.
Thus, the structure of the presentation may be disordered,
lack of unity and coherence.
b. The manuscript: in this mode, the material is written out and
the presenter delivers by reading word for word.
c. The memorized: a speech is written out word for word and
then committed to memory. In this case, delivering the
speech simply becomes recitation.
d. The extemporaneous: the speaker has more time to prepare
for the presentation. They are allowed to use a set of aids
such as notes or outlines to assist them in presenting their
ideas. In this situation, the speaker knows in advance that a
speech will be given and they can do research to prepare
carefully. Comparing with other modes, the extemporaneous
presentation has most advantages. It has logic and unity
because of in advance preparation. Besides, it is delivered
quite naturally and conversationally. Lastly, the presenter has
the knowledge of the topic, so he can confidently respond to
the audiences’ feedback.
It is easily to recognize that among these above four modes, the
impromptu and extemporaneous presentation produce a more relaxed,
conversational and interactive delivery style. Above all, extemporaneous
26
speaking is regarded as the most flexible, soundest and safest speech
mode.
2.1.2.3. Oral presentation in school setting
Oral presentations have long been used as an instructional strategy
in American schools, and nowadays it is undoubtedly a popular activity in
many universities. Obviously, educational setting is a formal one, so
giving oral presentation in school requires highly formal style. In other
settings, such as in business setting, the relationship between presenter
and audiences is different from the relationship in this situation. Oral
presentation at school is the one in which the presenter is student and the
audiences are teacher and other students at the same level of the presenter.
They are the people who can question the presenter afterwards about the
unclear points in their presentation. Moreover, basing on the presentation,
teacher can evaluate the work of his/ her students.
After a short survey which is done in ED, HULIS, the researcher
realized that extemporaneous presentation is the most primary mode
which is applied in teaching and studying. It means that most of the
students’ presentations are carefully prepared in advance and the
presenters give information which is the result of their own research. After
delivering presentation, they must answer questions from teacher and their
classmates which are related to the topic they gave previously. Therefore,
it is undeniable to consider oral presentation in school informational and
extemporaneous presentation.
2.1.2.4. Characteristics of an effective presentation
Generally speaking, there are three main components of one
presentation which will determine its success or not. They are: the
speaker, the content of the presentation and the audiences. Logically, if
the normal communication process involves the sender, the receiver, and

27
the message, the oral presentation also has the similar components, so it
can be considered as a form of communication.
Lucas (1995:107) claims that although there are some similarities
between presentation and conversation, there are some differences
between them. First and foremost, presentation is more highly structured
than conversation. Secondly, presentation requires more formal language.
Obviously, it can’t be accepted to use slang or bad grammar in front of
public. Last but not least, presentation requires a different method of
delivery. It requires speakers to adjust their voice to be heard clearly by
the audiences and to assume more effective gestures or posture to have
more attention of listeners.
To have a well-done presentation, each of the components of a
presentation should have some specific requirements as follows:
The speaker:
- The manner must be active, precise and confident
- The used language should be accurate, simple and clear
- The body language must not be pompous; however, it
must be expressive enough to attract the audience.
- Should look at the audience as much as possible
- Should project and inflect his/her voice in order to engage
the audience and emphasize the important ideas.
The content:
- Should focus on the topic
- Should be clear, concise and precise
- Should be logical
The audience: have positive attitude to the presentation.
2.1.2.5. Body language used in oral presentation at school
Basically, many experts confirm the importance of body language in
oral presentation. Brooks and Heath (1989) indicate that “the body is used
28
as a communication transmitter in at least four ways: eye contact, facial
expression, gesture and movement.” In fact, it is clear to see that these four
elements influence the speaker’s credibility as much as verbal cues the
speaker gives. As a matter of fact, if the speaker uses inappropriate body
language, misunderstanding may occur and it can lead to the disappointing
score of the presentation.
2.1.2.5.1. Eye contact
Based on the above classification of Nguyen Quang (page 29), eye
contact is a form of nonverbal communication. Normally, eye contact
occurs when people look directly at each other’s eyes while talking.
As defined in Wikipedia, “Eye contact is a meeting of the eyes
between two individuals. In human beings, eye contact is a form of
nonverbal communication and is thought to have a large influence on social
behavior.” This definition clearly offers a basic understanding of eye
contact.

Figure 2.4: Eye contact

(http://deangarfield13.wordpress.com/2009/08/19/eye-contact/)
Since the visual sense is dominant for most people, eye contact is an
especially important type of nonverbal communication. The way we look at
someone can communicate many things, including interest, affection,
hostility or attraction. It is one of the most important nonverbal channels

29
we have for communication and connecting with other people. The eyes are
said to be the window to the soul, so “the cheapest, most effective way to
connect with people is to look them into the eye” (Nicholas Boothman).
Maintaining eye contact when talking to someone gives an impression that
we are confident and honest and we are paying attention to what they are
saying or not.
However, there are differences among different cultures in the way
they evaluate the importance of eye contact in communication. In some
countries such as America, Hungary and southern Europe, looking people
in the eyes is assumed to indicate honesty and straightforwardness. If we
communicate without eye contact, people can understand that you are not
interested in them, even you are not truthful. On the other hand, in most
Asian countries such as China, Japan and Vietnam, looking at others’ eyes
can be considered as impoliteness or disrespect. In these countries, eye
contact should be avoided as much as possible when talking to the older.
In the same culture, the amount of eye contact used differs from
person to person and from situation to situation. Some studies showed that
people are likely to look at each other’s eyes from 50% to 60% while
communicating. For speakers, the average amount of eye contact is about
40% and for listeners, it is up to 70%. This numerical example shows that
eye contact has a crucial role in communication and in any case it shouldn’t
be omitted. However, we should be careful when we maintaining eye
contact in international communication to avoid misunderstanding.
In the scope of this study, the researcher focuses on eye contact in
oral presentation at school. As mentioned in the previous part, when people
deliver an oral presentation, they also communicate with the audiences.
Thus, as in other kinds of communication, eye contact should be
maintained during oral presentation. If presenters look at the audiences’
eyes a lot when they talk, the audiences will think that the presenters are
30
open, friendly, confident, and natural and it also means that the presenters
can involve them in your presentation easily. If presenters avoid eye
contact, their audiences can think that they are not interested in the topic, or
they are defensive, even they are not confident and they don’t care about
the audiences, so it is too difficult for the presenters to have a successful
presentation.
2.1.2.5.2. Facial expression
In terms of biology, a facial expression results from one or more
motions of the muscles of the face. Till now, it has not been confirmed the
exact relation between human emotions and facial expressions, but one
thing is sure that they are deeply connected. It can be the reason why facial
expressions are a form of nonverbal communication.

Figure 2.5: Basic facial expressions

(http://www.tpub.com/content/draftsman/14263/css/14263_203.htm)
The human face is extremely expressive, able to express countless
emotions without saying a word. It can’t be denied that facial expression is
hard to hide. According to Sproule (1997) “the face is an inlet to our

31
feelings and thought”. This can be understood that the human face can
reveal speakers’ emotions and feelings.
Unlike some other forms of nonverbal communication, facial
expressions are universal. The facial expressions for happiness, sadness,
anger and disgust are the same across cultures. However, whereas the same
emotion from a specific facial expression may be recognized by a culture,
but the same intensity of emotion may not be perceived. It means that
different cultures construct their own rules for what are appropriate facial
expressions. This idea is as the same as one mentioned by Nguyen Quang
(1998, p.64) “the degree of facial expressiveness one exhibits varies among
individuals and cultures.” Some studies have shown that Asian cultures
tend to rate images of facial emotions as less intense than non-Asian
cultures. Another example (cited in Larry A.S, eds) is that in many
Mediterranean cultures, people exaggerate signs of grief or sadness. It is
not uncommon to see men crying in public in this region. Yet among
Chinese or Japanese cultures, it’s hardly to see something like that.
According to Harrison (1973), “facial expression is a kind of
nonverbal communication, dynamic features which communicate the
speaker’s information, attitude, emotions, inattentions and even his/ her
personality.” Obviously, in oral presentation, if the presenter feels anxious,
his facial expression will be outside shown clearly and it can lead him to
appear disinterested. At that time, he can have a smile which will help him
to be more confident and friendly. The smile is always a strong tool to
warm the atmosphere and bring confidence to its owner.
2.1.2.5.3. Gesture

32
 Figure 2.6: Types of common gestures
(http://siblings.adoptionblogs.com/weblogs/top-10-tools-for-easing-
language-barrier-2)
Generally, gesture is a hand movement that is much a part of
language as speech. According to Sproule (1997), “gestures are the
movements of the hands, the arms, and the trunk of the body, the shoulders
or the head, often in combination.” Gesture also plays an important role in
communication. When the speakers are presenting at the front of the room
with their hands resting limp at your sides, they are diminishing their
listeners' ability to appreciate their ideas. There is a study carried on in
Chicago claimed that speaking without gesturing could cause an audience
to miss large chunks of your presentation.
In daily speech, gestures are often used to express or emphasize ideas
or emotions. People point, beckon, wave and use their hands when they are
arguing or speaking animatedly – expressing themselves with gestures
often without thinking. However, the meaning of gestures can be very
different across cultures, so it is necessary to be careful to avoid
misinterpretation. For example, in most countries, shaking head side to side

33
means disagree, but in India it has opposite meaning. In English-speaking
countries, beckoning people to come with palm up is very common,
however, the same gesture in Vietnam as well as other Asian countries is
considered rude, because it is used to beckon an animal.
When delivering presentation, presenters need to be aware that their
gestures can support or detract from their message. Gestures also help
speakers to emphasize important points during their presentation. Arms and
hands are considered as the strongest tools to express speakers’ ideas, so
they should be used animatedly and intensively. Animated gestures will
make presentation more attractive and the presenters will have more
attention of audiences with moving arms than crossed arms or paralleled
ones. Correctly used, gestures can help speakers say more in less time,
show what they mean without having to resort to visuals, signal their
conviction and confidence and add texture and dimension to their material
and ideas.
2.1.2.5.4. Posture
According to Sproule (1997), posture refers to how we carry our
body, whether we are standing in an erect or in slouched manner. It can be
understood that posture includes the way we sit, walk or stand up.
Posture plays a significant role in exchanging meanings because
people tend to remember better what they see than what they hear. The
images always make a deep impression on human brains; especially it is the
image of the person who is giving information to a group of people. A body
posture can be closed or open. Closed posture means the crossed arms,
crossed legs and it is used when people feel uncomfortable. In contrary,
open posture is described with uncrossed arms and legs. They should be
animated and moving and obviously, they are signals of comfort and relax.

34
 Figure 2.7: Common standing postures
(http://hannes.emotisys.net/page/2/)
The way we carry ourselves communicates a wealth of information
to the world, so in oral presentation, it should be remembered that the way
speaker sits and walks can leave much impression on the audiences.
Especially, in an oral presentation in school, when the audiences are
teacher and classmates, the speaker should choose the appropriate posture
which shows his/ her respects to the listeners.
The way the speaker hold himself also makes a big contribution to
his body language and conveys his level of confidence. By orienting his
body to the listeners, he shows that he is attentive and ready to reply any of
their feedbacks. A relaxed posture will make the speaker feel more relaxed
and confident, so it makes his presentation better.
2.2. An overview of previous studies
A considerable number of researchers have investigated into how to
understand body language and how to use body language in some specific
settings such as business oral presentation and cultural differences in
interpreting body language.
In order to guide businessmen how to use body language correctly,
Geoff Ribbons and Richard Thompson (2000) published their book
“Understanding Body Language” that showed the real meanings of body

35
language types, the ways to recognize how people often say one thing while
their body language is saying something and the influence of body language
on business agreement.
Afterwards, in 2007, Tonya Reiman conducted a research on the
power of body language. Tonya Reiman analyzed all of the components of
body language - the languages of the face, the body, space and touch, and
sound. Moreover, she showed how to become a master communicator with
these types of body language.
Kevin Hogan, an expert on body language for many years, has many
researches on a great number of body language’s aspects which were
analyzed and synthesized on his personal website. In his researches, Hogan
considered body language as nonverbal communication. His major findings
were about the science behind silent communication and the impact of
cultural differences on reading body language.
Firstly, according to his researches, one of the most highly-
predictable traits can be found in the eyes. He said that wider eyes almost
always equal a greater interest on behalf of the listener. In terms of posture,
Hogan stated that during a conversation, a change in a listener's body
position could be either good or bad. If the change occurs during a change
of direction in the conversation, the listener is telling the speaker that they
are changing along with them. If the listener's body position changes in the
middle of the speaker's point, they are changing against them. This either
means that the listener is bored, or they are uncomfortable with whatever
the speaker is saying.
Secondly, in terms of the impact of cultural differences on
interpreting body language, Hogan focused on the two typical cultures:
American and Japanese. Research has uncovered that culture is a
determining factor when interpreting facial emotions but reveals that in
cultures where emotional control is the standard, such as Japan, focus is
36
placed on the eyes to interpret emotions, whereas in cultures where emotion
is openly expressed, such as the United States, the focus is placed on the
mouth to interpret emotion.
Furthermore, J. Douglas Jefferys with the aim at guiding people how
to enhance presentation skills also carried out the research of using body
language in presentation or public speech. In his research, he mentioned
body language as an important factor which plays a crucial role in the
success of the presentation. Douglas stated clearly the ways of using each
types of body language: eye contact, gesture and posture.
2.3. How the present study fits into the research area
Having examined the literature on non-verbal communication in
general and body language in particular, as well as on findings of previous
related studies, this section discusses how the present study fits into the
research area.
As mentioned above, there have been many related studies on body
language. However, these studies were implemented on a general level
without much reference to the cultural features of specific countries. To the
present knowledge of the researcher, there have been little cross-cultural
studies on using body language in Vietnamese and American culture.
Additionally, despite there is literature on body language in presentation,
there have been no official studies on differences regarding using body
language in oral presentation in school setting between Vietnamese and
American students. Thus, it could be said that the conduct of the present
study meets the practicality of the issue.

37
 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY
In the previous chapter, the literature related to the topic has been reviewed
as a theoretical basis for the study. In this chapter, the method employed to
answer the research questions would be described in details. The
participants, the instruments, the procedures of data collection and analysis
would be justified.
3.1. Participants
As Vietnamese and American student’s body language in oral
presentation at school was the subject of the study, HULIS/VNUH in
Vietnam and COE College in the US were chosen to be the research sites of
this research paper. Specifically, the junior and senior students in English
Department at HULIS/VNUH and the students at COE College were
chosen to be the participants for the following reasons. Firstly, most of the
junior and senior students in ED, HULIS are familiar with delivering
presentations and they have more chance to study and work with native
speakers than the students from other universities. Moreover, the researcher
is a senior student at HULIS, so it’s convenient for the researcher to carry
out this study, especially in data collection. Besides, COE College’s
students were chosen because over the last two years, HULIS and COE
College have an exchange program in which annually some students of
COE go on a study tour in Vietnam and spend three weeks attending some
classes at HULIS. This allows the researcher to approach them for
delivering questionnaire and asking them to pass on the questionnaire to
their friends via emails at home.
Due to the time limit, the research was just carried out with the
participation of 95 students in ED, HULIS. In terms of American
participants, in spite of the geographic distance, with the enthusiastic help
of five exchange students from COE, 27 copies of survey questionnaires

38
were sent to the US via emails and returned. Thus, the research was also
carried out with the participation of 32 American students.
Nationality Gender Level Total
Male Female Freshman Sophomore Junior Senior
American 4 28 0 21 7 4 32
Vietnamese 4 91 0 0 16 79 95
Total 8 119 0 21 23 83 127

Table 3.1: A classification of the surveyed American and Vietnamese

students
3.2. Data collection instruments
To achieve the research objectives, a combined data collection
process using both survey questionnaires and class observations was
employed.
3.2.1. Questionnaires
Survey questionnaire was used as the main instrument in order to
obtain sufficient reliable and valid data.
The reason for this choice was that “questionnaires can provide data
economically and in a form that lends itself perfectly to the purposes of the
study if well-structured” (Mallick, 1999:24). By administrating a
questionnaire, a huge amount of information can be collected from a large
number of people within a short period of time.
Furthermore, the questionnaire can be applied suitably with
participants in a different country as the scope of this study. It was more
convenient to send survey questionnaire via email than making face – to –
face interviews.
In this study, the questionnaires were written in both English and
Vietnamese (see Appendix 1 and 2) to avoid any misunderstanding or
misinterpretation caused by limited linguistic ability. The senior students in
39
ED, HULIS and the American students are highly competent in English and
thus they were expected to understand the questionnaires easily. It doesn’t
mean that the junior students in ED’s linguistic ability is not good enough
to understand all the survey questions, however, they haven’t taken the
course “Cross-Cultural Communication” which provides a lot of terms
related to this study, so a Vietnamese version of survey questionnaires were
actually necessary.
The structuring of questions was intentional with the introductory
and the main part. The main part of survey questionnaire consisted of seven
questions with two aims. Firstly, based on surveyed students’ answers, the
researcher will analyzed to find out the similarities and differences between
Vietnamese and American students in using body language. From that
analysis, the second aim will be also achieved, which is find out the
implications to help these students who come from two different cultures
apply body language correctly to have a successful oral presentation when
they study with each other.
3.2.2. Class observation
Together with the survey questionnaires, class observation which is
“a tool for collecting information without directly questioning on the part
of the researcher” (Vajendra and Mallick, 1999:129) was exploited as a
valuable research instrument to examine the targeted population.
According to Mackey and Gass (2005:176), observations are useful
to collect large amounts of rich data on the participants’ behavior and
actions within a particular context. Moreover, observation with carefully
designed checklist was a great assistance to ensure the validity of
information gathered from the survey questionnaires. Added to this, in this
study, observing was a chance for the researcher to observe the way
students used their body language during their presentation thoroughly.
Thanks to this, the information gathered from survey questionnaires could
40
be checked, thus the collected data was more detailed and reliable. For the
above reasons, observations were exploited as the second tool of this study.
The observation checklist was designed based on most of the
questions in the survey questionnaires. They were used to mark the
frequency of using any kinds of body language of students during their 10-
minute presentations. In the observation checklist (see Appendix 3), each
kind of body language was listed and added to this was a ruler of frequency
of using body language, from always to never.
Structured observations were made on three Vietnamese students in
group 06.1.E12 and 06.1.E13, ED, HULIS and three American students at
COE College. The three observations in Vietnam were carried out directly
by the researcher, however, as the geographic distance; three observations
in America were taken by the researcher’s friend. She observed her
classmates’ presentations, took notes and coded them based on the
observation checklist.
3.3. Procedures of data collection
The procedure of data collection consisted of three main phases as
follows:
 Phase 1: During this period, survey questionnaires and observation
checklist were designed. In any of these instruments, personal information
of participants was kept confidential and anonymous for the ethical reasons.
These forms were then sent to the supervisor for feedback. Besides, the
survey forms were piloted on three voluntary students. Thanks to this step,
some mistakes and the layout of the whole survey questionnaires were
considerably improved to avoid possible ambiguity and misunderstandings
of respondents.
 Phase 2: The second phase was to conduct the survey questionnaires.
In Vietnam, most of them were directly delivered to the junior and senior
students in ED, HULIS. 95 out of 105 delivered questionnaires were
41
returned. In terms of American participants, survey questionnaires were
delivered directly and via emails. 5 copies of questionnaires were delivered
directly to 5 American students from Coe College when they attended an
exchange program in March, 2010. 27 copies of questionnaires were
delivered via emails with the enthusiastic help of these exchange students
and all of them were returned.
 Phase 3: In the third stage three observations were carried out in the
class of English for Economics. Each of the observations last only 10
minutes. All of them were recorded on video recorder. In this stage, three
observations were also taken in American with the help from Heather
Lewis, who is a student at COE College and she visited HULIS last year in
the exchange program which was held by the cooperation of HULIS and
COE.
3.4. Procedures of data analysis
After the data collection process, the information obtained from both
survey questionnaires and observations was analyzed. The data collected
from survey questionnaires were reconstructed and presented in forms of
charts/ tables. Moreover, the qualitative data obtained from observations
were synthesized and summarized to pursue the aims of the research which
were specified through the research questions.
Summary
In brief, the researcher approached the research questions in light of
both qualitative and quantitative methods. Data were obtained from the
students in ED, HULIS and American students at COE College with the
use of two instruments: survey questionnaires and observations. These data
were then analyzed carefully and systematically, which ensures the validity
and reliability of the research.

42
 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
In this chapter, all collected data from the survey questionnaires and
observations will be analyzed and discussed to yield the answer to the two
research question respectively. Furthermore, the findings of this study will
be thoroughly discussed and related to the relevant literature so that not
only the detected patterns themselves but also the causes behind will be
brought to light. The 2 research questions being answered here are:
1. What are similarities and differences in body language used by
Vietnamese and American students when they deliver oral
presentation?
2. What are the implications for Vietnamese and American
students in using body language to have successful oral
presentation?
4.1. Research’s findings
4.1.1. From the survey questionnaires
4.1.1.1. The importance of body language in the success of an oral
presentation (question 1)
Table 4.1: Assessment of the importance of body language in the success of
an oral presentation
Chosen option A B C D
Vietnamese Students 21% 79% 0% 0%
American Students 58.5% 41.5% 0% 0%
Note on options
A. indispensable
B. important
C. not important but a little useful
D. not important at all
As can be seen from table 4.1, the assessment of the importance of
body language in oral presentation was considerably different across
43
Vietnamese and American culture. More than half of surveyed American
students (58.5%) suggested that body language is indispensible while only
21% of surveyed Vietnamese students chose that option. In great contrast,
whereas 41.5% of surveyed American students thought body language is
important, the rest of Vietnamese participants (79%) chose that point. No
surveyed American and Vietnamese students chose C (not important but a
little useful) and D (not important at all).
4.1.1.2. Frequency of using body language to illustrate in oral
presentation (question 2)

Chart 4.1: Frequency of using body language in oral

presentation
60
52
48.4
50

38 Always
40
32.6
Often
% 30
Sometimes
20
12.7 Rarely
10
10 6.3
Never
0 0 0
0
Vietnamese Sts American Sts

It can be seen from chart 4.1 that almost no American and

Vietnamese students avoided using body language in oral presentation.
52% of surveyed American students stated that they always used body
language to illustrate in their presentation while a much smaller number of
surveyed Vietnamese students chose “always” option, only 6.3%. Using
body language to illustrate in oral presentation is often practiced by 32.6%
and 38% of surveyed Vietnamese and American students respectively.
There’s not small difference when 48.4% of surveyed Vietnamese students

44
stated that they sometimes used body language as illustration and the
proportion of surveyed American ones is only 10%. For the rarely option,
12.7% of surveyed Vietnamese students belonged to this group while none
of American students does.
Summary: Given on the above numerical data, both Vietnamese and
American students often exploit body language to illustrate for their point
during presentation.
4.1.1.3. The most paid attention type of body language when students
deliver oral presentation (question 3)

Chart 4.2. The most paid attention type of body language

60
53
50 facial expression

40 35.8 35.8 postures

31.5
% 30
gestures
20 15.8
12.6 12.5 eye contact
10
3
0
Vietnamese Sts American Sts

The data for the above chart is collected by question 3 in presenter

survey questionnaire. It can be seen clearly from chart 2 that there are the
same number, 35.8% of the surveyed Vietnamese students paid attention to
their facial expression and their gestures most when they delivered oral
presentation. 15% of them paid attention to their eye contact and the rest,
12.6% paid attention to postures. These numerical data are very different
from the results given by the surveyed American students. More than half
of them, 53% paid most attention to their gestures. Eye contact was
considered as the most important type of body language by 31.5% of the
45
surveyed American students and after that, the number of people who cared
facial expression most accounts for 12.5% of them. Only 3% of the
surveyed American students paid attention to their postures most.
4.1.1.4. Frequency of direct eye contact maintenance (question 4)

Chart 4.3. Frequency of direct eye contact maintenance

70 63.2 64.5
60
Always
50
Often
40 35.5
% Sometimes
30
16.8 Rarely
20
12.6
7.4 Never
10
0 0 0 0
0
Vietnamese Sts American Sts

It can be seen clearly from chart 4.3 that almost no Vietnamese and
American students never maintained eye contact with their audience when
they deliver presentation. While none of the surveyed American students
said that they rarely or sometimes maintained eye contact during
presentation, 16.8% and 63.2% of surveyed Vietnamese students chose
these two options respectively. While more than half of American students
(64.5%) often maintained eye contact, the number of Vietnamese students
is too small to compare with. It’s only 12.6% of surveyed Vietnamese
students who often maintained eye contact with the audience during
presentation. As being described in chart 4.3, it’s greatly different between
the number of Vietnamese and American students who always maintained
eye contact during presentation. 35.5% of surveyed American students

46
stated that they always looked at their audiences while only 7.4% of
surveyed Vietnamese students belonged to this group.
Summary:
While frequent eye contacts are dominant in American side, they are
sometimes maintained in Vietnamese one. American students tend to look
directly at their audience in presentation more frequently than Vietnamese
students.
4.1.1.5. Types of gestures used to emphasize in oral presentation
(question 5)
Table 4.2: Types of emphasizing gestures used in oral presentation
Chosen options A B C D E F
Vietnamese students 15% 58% 25% 2% 0% 0%
American students 28% 0% 0% 10% 62% 0%
Note on options
A. Sweeping your arm
B. Rubbing your hands
C. Clasping your hands
D. Drumming on the table
E. Pointing your index finger in the air
F. Others
As can be seen clearly in table 4.2, types of gestures which are used
to emphasize in oral presentation are considerably different between
American and Vietnamese students. 28% of surveyed American students
swept their arm when they wanted to emphasize their ideas, while only
15% of Vietnamese students chose that. There’s a very great difference
when more than half of surveyed Vietnamese students (58%) chose rubbing
hands as the gesture they used to emphasize when they delivered
presentation while none of American students chose this type of gesture.
One – fourth of Vietnamese students chose clasping their hands and none
47
of American students did so. Emphasizing opinion by drumming on the
table was chosen by only 2% of Vietnamese students and 10% of American
side. Based on the data in table 4.2, it is obvious that the gesture which
American students most commonly used to emphasize their idea is pointing
their index finger in the air, in contrast, none of Vietnamese students chose
this option (E) – pointing finger in the air when they wanted to emphasize
during the presentation.
4.1.1.6. Types of postures used in oral presentation (question 6)
Table 4.3: The most commonly used posture in oral presentation
Chosen options A B C D E F
Vietnamese Students 79% 0% 5% 14% 0% 2%
American Students 70% 10% 6% 10% 0% 4%
Note on options
A. Standing with straight back
B. Standing with your hands in your pockets
C. Standing/ sitting with your chins on your hands
D. Leaning your hands against the edge of tables
E. Standing with your hands against your hips
F. Others
With 79% of surveyed Vietnamese students and 70% of American
side choosing option (A), it can be seen clearly that standing with straight
back is the most common posture which both Vietnamese and American
students used during their presentations. In great contrast, while none of
the Vietnamese students reported that they stood with their hands in
pockets during their presentation, the number of Americans who employed
this posture accounted for as much as 10% of the total number. 5% the
surveyed Vietnamese students employed the posture stated in option (C),
standing/ sitting with your chins on your hands while 6% of total surveyed
American students did so. Leaning hands against the edge of table is used
48
almost equally by the surveyed Vietnamese and American students, 14%
and 10% respectively. It can be seen from table 4.3 that almost no
American and Vietnamese students chose option (E) – standing with your
hands against your hips. 2% of Vietnamese students and 4% of American
revealed that they often stood or sat in the way which made them feel
comfortable. They stated that they often stood, swayed at the table or
podium and hid their body behind those things that made them feel more
confident.
4.1.1.7. Ways to get the audience’s attention
As demonstrated on chart 4.4, the number of the surveyed
Vietnamese and American students who often raised their voice to get the
audience’s attention is 18% and 10% respectively. The option “look at the
audience and pause” was chosen by only 12% of the Vietnamese students
while the number of American students who also chose that way accounted
for 64% of the total surveyed American students. Most Vietnamese
students (70% of the total number of them) clapped their hands to get the
audience’s attention. In contrast, there is a much smaller number of
American students chose to do this way, only 26% of them.

Chart 4.4: Ways to get the audience's attention

70
70 64
60 Raise your voice
50
40 Look at the
% audience and pause
30 26
20 18 12 Clap yourhands
10
10
0 0 Others
0
Vietnamese American
Sts Sts

49
Summary: The two most useful ways to get the audience’s attention which
were employed by Vietnamese and American students are clapping hands
and looking at the audience and pausing with 70% and 64% of the total
number of students each side respectively.
4.1.2. From observations
4.1.2.1. Description of the observed students and presentations
As mentioned in the previous chapter, totally, there were six
observations which aimed to check the reliability of data collected from the
survey questionnaires. Three Vietnamese observed students were all
seniors. Their presentations were requirement of the subject English for
Economics. In terms of three observed American students, two of them
were female and they are junior students at COE. All of three presentations
of American students were about History.
Another important point of all these six observed presentations is
that they were extemporaneous presentations. In other words, all six
speakers had prepared for the presentation in advance. They were allowed
to use a set of aids such as notes or outlines to assist them in presenting
their ideas. In terms of the amount of the audience, each Vietnamese and
American presentation had from 25 – 30 audiences (including the speaker’s
teacher and his/ her classmates).
4.1.2.2. The observation results
After taking six observations, the researcher realized that both
Vietnamese and American students were aware of using body language
during their presentations. However, the types of body language and the
way they employed them in their presentations are considerably different.
Firstly, in terms of maintaining eye contact, although three observed
Vietnamese students maintained eye contact with their audience, they
tended to pay attention to only one wing of the audience. Two out of three
Vietnamese students only looked at the left or the right wing audience.
50
Moreover, they sometimes looked at the screen and spoke without
maintaining eye contact with their audience. In contrast, the three observed
American always kept eye contact when speaking. They didn’t look at the
screen and the rate of eye contact with all the audiences was equal.
The second point in the observation checklist is about the presenter’s
facial expression during their presentation, specifically, the researcher
observed whether they keep smiling or not. The result in Vietnamese side is
that only one out of three students kept smiling during her presentation.
The others rarely smiled and their faces looked serious. Based on the notes
and the observation checklists which were done in the US, the researcher
realized that three observed American students always appeared with
smiling faces. They didn’t have broad smile, however they kept smiling all
time that helped them have friendly face.
The next important point in the observation checklist is the
speaker’s gesture to emphasize his/her ideas when delivering presentation.
In general, males from Vietnam and America used their hands and their
arms more animatedly than the four observed girls. They moved their arms
confidently and actively. The American one firstly appeared with his hands
clasped together, but when he started his presentation, his arms and hands
also moved continually and when he wanted to emphasize, he pointed the
index finger in the air (5 times) while the Vietnamese male used his finger
three times during his presentation. In terms of the Vietnamese female
students, they seemed not to employ gestures as well as the female
American ones. Specially, they never moved their hands and their arms
strongly. One of them often twisted her hands and she looked confused,
another often employed the way called “rubbing the hands”. Whereas, the
American female students used their hands animatedly and it seemed that
their gestures complemented very well for their opinions. Both of them

51
often pointed their fingers when they wanted the audience to focus on some
important points of their presentations.
The last type of students’ body language was observed is posture.
The most common type of posture which all of the six observed
Vietnamese and American students used during their presentations is
standing with straight back. None of them stood with their hands against
their hips and their hands put in the pockets. Only one Vietnamese male
student stood with his chin on his hand when he was asked and gave
answer to the teacher. He also leaned his hands against the edge of the table
twice while the American male student leaned his hands against the edge of
the podium and sometimes he swayed relaxed. However, the Vietnamese
one tended to lean forward too far compared to the American.
Another important point which the researcher observed through six
observations is the way the speakers employed to get the audience’s
attention. At the beginning of their presentations, all six presenters raised
their voice to attract their audiences. During their presentations, none of
them use verbal message like “pay attention please” for the same aim. All
of the three American stopped talking for 3 – 5 seconds and looked at their
audiences with smiling faces to give them the “silent signal”. One of them
clapped her hands twice. In Vietnamese side, the male student also paused
but he didn’t look at his audience. The two Vietnamese girls clapped their
hands with the same question “You have any questions?” and their tone
was higher than normal.
4.2. Discussion
We often slip into the error of thinking that the American use more
action or employ more body language when speaking than do the
Vietnamese. However, the study’s results are far from what people often
predict. Within the scope of school setting, the study showed that in oral
presentations at school, the Vietnamese students were as active in using
52
body language both consciously and unconsciously as the American
students. As the results of question 2 in the survey questionnaires, none of
the Vietnamese and American students never used body language in their
presentations. Although only 32.6% of Vietnamese students often
employed body language compared with 38% American did so, it
succeeded in proving that Vietnamese students were aware of using body
language in their presentations. The Vietnamese students were also quite
expressive but in different ways from the American students. Based on the
data analysis done above, we look at four body language components:
facial expression, eye contact, gestures and postures to work out the
differences and similarities in the strategies of using body language to
communicate of the Vietnamese and American students in oral presentation
at school.
4.2.1. Eye contact
As mentioned in chapter two, “the cheapest, most effective way to
connect with people is to look them into the eye” (Nicholas Boothman). In
other words, eye contact is highly evaluated in communication. However,
patterns of eye contact are different across cultures. As cited in Nguyen
Quang (1998:66), in American culture, there is a belief that “never trust a
person who doesn’t look you in the eyes”. It means that eye contact is a
crucial factor in communication made by American people. In contrast, in
most Asian countries such as China, Japan and Vietnam, looking at others’
eyes can be considered as impoliteness or disrespect. In this study, the
researcher examined the frequency of maintaining eye contact of
Vietnamese and American students with their audience in their
presentations and there was surprised that the result collected from this
study seems to differ from the opinion of Nguyen Quang. What the
researcher got showed that although the American students tended to look
directly at their audiences during the presentation more frequently than the
53
Vietnamese students, the surveyed Vietnamese students didn’t avoid
looking at their audience at all. The difference between these two groups of
students’ eye contact was the way they looked at the audience throughout
their presentations. As the researcher’s observation, three Vietnamese
students have tried to maintained eye contact with their audience; however,
they didn’t look at all of them equally, but only one wing (the left or the
right) of the audience. Additionally, they sometimes looked at the screen
and seemed to forget their audiences. In contrast, most of the surveyed
American students (64.5%) answered that they often kept direct eye contact
with their audiences. The result collected from three observed American
students also reflected correctly this numerical data.
The reason why the result of this study differed from the opinion of
Nguyen Quang, an experienced expert in Cross Cultural Study, is the scope
and the participants of this study. This research only highlights the body
language of students during their presentation at school; moreover, the
Vietnamese participants were the students in ED, HULIS who study
Linguistic and Cultures of English Speaking Countries, so they have
knowledge about these countries’ languages, conversational styles and their
cultures and thus it’s inevitable for them to be partially influenced by the
target cultures.
4.2.2. Facial expression
It is not unnecessary to repeat the result of the previous study done in
American and cited in Nguyen Quang (1998:62) that 93 percent of message
was transmitted by the speaker’s voice of tone and facial expressions. This
number shows clearly the importance of facial expression. According to
Nguyen Quang, Vietnamese people are more subdued with their emotions
with the general belief that it is unacceptable to show emotion openly. It
can be the reason why facial expression was paid attention to as much as
gestures by the surveyed Vietnamese students in this study (chart 4.2).
54
After observing six students in their presentations, the researcher noticed
that the three observed Vietnamese students did not show their emotions as
freely as did American students. Only one out of three observed
Vietnamese students kept smiling during her presentation. The others rarely
smiled constrainedly and their faces made the audience have a thought that
the speakers were emotionless or they were not confident enough to deliver
information about their topic. Conversely, all the three observed American
students kept smiling freely all the time of their presentations. Smiling
helped they look friendly and more confident. Moreover, it caused the
audience a positive feeling that the speakers were actually interested in the
topic and ready to answer any questions given to them.
4.2.3. Gestures
Sproule (1997:290) remarked that the combined movements of hand
and arm probably are the most consciously used gestures for the public
speakers. What the researcher has got from the study seems to support his
opinion. As the result of question 3, gesture is the most common type of
body language which was employed during presentations by 35.8% and
53% of Vietnamese students and American students respectively. After
observing six presentations, the researcher also realized that arm-hand
gestures were used more frequently and effectively than gestures with the
head. In American side, the most common gesture the surveyed students
used to emphasize their opinions was pointing the index finger in the air
(62%) while in Vietnamese side, it was rubbing hands (58%). One of the
reasons for the dominant use of arm-hand gesture by both Vietnamese and
American students may be it is easier to use and perfectly serves to
emphasize and illustrate virtually whatever speakers tend to express. For
example, arm-hand gesture is a good choice when speakers want to
illustrate their enthusiasm for being there to begin their presentation. They
can accentuate their point of view with a solid, intentional gesture and
55
emphasize main points with deliberate gesture or use their hands to indicate
a new topic or transition with a forward or open gesture, too.
4.2.4. Postures
As mentioned above, posture refers to how we carry our body,
whether we were standing in an erect or in slouched manner. Within the
scope of this study, the researcher examined the way Vietnamese and
American students carry their body during their presentations. Generally
speaking, both Vietnamese and American students achieved poise and
freedom of expression during their speech. Most of them had the
comfortable figure of standing posture which allowed them to move and
gesture effectively during their presentation.
Based on the data collected from the survey questionnaires and
observations, it can be seen clearly that the most common posture of both
Vietnamese and American is standing with the straight back. However, it is
impossible to maintain a single posture throughout the presentation. People
naturally change their posture to adjust to physical conditions and to
achieve certain purposes. As observed, the both two groups of students also
had their postures changed to have comfort and to serve some goals when
speaking. The researcher noticed that the American students seemed to use
a wider range of postures than the Vietnamese ones. 79% of the surveyed
Vietnamese students often stood with their straight back and the results
from the observations also reflected this numerical data. Besides, the
Vietnamese students leaned their hands against the edge of the tables and
bent over a bit forward to the listeners when they wanted to emphasize or
draw attention to something. Whereas, the American could stand at the
same position but they tilted the upper part of their body from side to side
rhythmically to illustrate their points. Some of them stood at the podium
and swayed their body relaxed that made them feel more comfortable and
confident. They occasionally bent over to emphasize the points they would
56
like to make. Their postured seemed to support for their opinion efficiently.
Conversely, the observed Vietnamese students were more stuck to their
basic posture without departing from it. Keeping stable and unchanged
posture seemed to be more suitable to Vietnamese students and it seemed to
help them feel more confident.
In conclusion, both Vietnamese and American students were well-
postured speakers, which showed their interest in as well as knowledge
about the topic of their presentation. To be well-postured also means that
both two groups of students felt quite confident during their talk. However,
they differed in changing posture throughout their presentations. The
American students used their body for emphasis more frequently than did
Vietnamese students.
4.3. Implications: How to use body to communicate effectively in oral
presentations at schools
It is true that body language is not noticeable in daily speaking,
however, in a formal setting as an academic presentation, the speaker’s
body language is the first and foremost thing which makes the first
impression on the audience. This part will focus on things which
Vietnamese students should and should not do during oral presentations at
schools with the participants of American in the role of audience. Although
bodily communication or body language cannot change the ideas of a
presentation, it can help to make the most of those ideas.
4.3.1. Eye contact
Patterns of eye contact are different across cultures around the world
in general and two cultures specifically. Besides gestures, American
students pay much attention to eye contact because looking people in their
eyes is the signal of honesty in this culture.
Although looking directly at others’ eyes can be considered as
impoliteness in Vietnam, when delivering oral presentation, Vietnamese
57
students should pay more attention to eye contact. Maintaining eye contact
throughout the presentation is the best way to persuade the American
audience. Communicators who maintain eye contact with the audience are
likely to be seen as more persuasive, truthful, sincere, skilled, honest and
friendly. There is nothing more reassuring to a speaker than to see members
of the audience nod in agreement or smile. However, there are always
pitfalls even for the best presenters. To be more confident, the speakers
tend to focus their eye contact more on individuals who look interested than
on those who seem bored, consequently, they direct their attention to those
people and neglect the rest of the audience and then they inadvertently lost
most of the listeners. It is the reason why Vietnamese students should not
maintain eye contact with only one wing of the audience as the observed
students in this study.
4.3.2. Facial expression
As discussed above, American students did not pay much attention to
their facial expressions because they tended to be more facially expressive
than people from other cultures. American, generally, can smile and laugh
naturally in public places. Once they become aware of the expressions they
make, it will be easier for them to eliminate their expressions.
Although Vietnamese people do not express their emotions as openly
as American, when delivering presentation to American audiences,
Vietnamese students should be more expressive. Smiling is the easiest and
most effective way to show the audience that the speaker is confident and
not emotionless. It is true that it isn't easy to speak and smile at the same
time, but it is important to smile during a presentation if congruent with the
message.
4.3.3. Gestures
Gesture is an effective nonverbal cue and frequently used by
speakers to achieve success. The study also found out that gesture is the
58
type of body language which the American students paid attention to most
when delivering presentations. It can be understood that when American
students are in the presentation in the role of audience, they also pay
attention to the speaker’s gesture most. How to gesture appropriately and
effectively when delivering an oral presentation is what to be looked at now.
Too little or too much gesture is not encouraged in oral presentation.
Therefore, the matter is how to gesture at the right time, in the right way to
achieve the purpose. Scholars of communication advised that speakers
should use gesture but it must be meaningful. As the researcher observed,
Vietnamese students used gestures quite frequently, however, sometimes
their gestures were meaningless or they weren’t suitable to the points of
speakers.
Communicating across cultures requires speakers to pay a due
attention to every gesture they use as some gestures are universal but some
are not. In Vietnamese culture, pointing the index finger in the air means
rudeness, but it is very common in American culture with the purpose of
emphasizing some points. Thus, when the audiences of the presentation are
American people, Vietnamese students can employ this gesture freely.
It is true that some speakers like using some kinds of gesture than the
others. Observing Vietnamese people as well as Vietnamese students, the
researcher noticed that they are unfamiliar with gestures with shoulder. In
other words, they do not use shoulder gestures to communicate as often as
American students. A gesture is effective when it is used naturally, so if
Vietnamese students feel uncomfortable to use shoulder gestures, they
shouldn’t employ them. Using a gesture that a speaker is not familiar with
may make himself feel uneasy, or even produces negative impact on the
audience.
Of course, it is most effective if the speaker can employ gesture
appropriately to highlight and illustrate their points during their
59
presentations. However, it’s not necessary to use gesture at any cost. A
gesture should be done purposefully, appropriately and naturally to assure a
successful presentation.
4.3.4. Postures
The speaker’s posture at the beginning and during the talk affects the
audience’s judgment on him/her, which may determine whether he/she is
perceived as a confident speaker.
Based on the result of the survey questionnaires and the observations
of the researcher, it can be drawn out that most Vietnamese students have
good posture during their presentation by standing with the straight back.
However, if they keep single posture throughout their presentation, it can
make the audience bored and the students would fail to exploit the benefit
of many kinds of posture. Posture changing is not only for achieving
confidence and comfort purpose but also for other purposes such as
illustration or emphasis. Moreover, when the speakers use a single posture,
the goals of emphasizing their points and illustrating through body
activities can hardly be achieved. Vietnamese students can learn American
students by practicing to tilt their upper body side to side rhythmically
when they want to emphasize their points. Vietnamese students could lean
their hands against the edge of tables, however, they shouldn’t lean forward
too far with their hands resting on the tables. This posture can make the
American audience think that the speakers are too tired or they don’t want
to talk any more.
4.3.5. Ways to get the audience’s attention/ interest
The result finding from question 7 in the survey questionnaire
showed that most American students preferred looking at the audience and
pausing when they wanted to have the audience’s attention. To the
researcher within the scope of this study, with a small number of audiences,
these techniques seem to be the most effective. If there is a very large
60
audience however, the technique must change. If people are not paying
attention at the beginning of a talk, the speaker must raise his/her voice.
However, in the middle of a talk, varying the volume frequently is very
helpful in keeping people interested.

61
 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION
In this chapter, the researcher attempts to make a conclusion of the main
findings presented beforehand as well as review and explain the
shortcomings of the current research, based on which, suggestions for
future studies will be given.
5.1. Major findings of the research
On the whole, this research paper performs as a fairly comprehensive
study on nonverbal communication in general and body language with
emphasis on eye contact, facial expression, gesture and posture used by
American and Vietnamese students in oral presentation at school in
particular.
The researcher has applied both qualitative and quantitative methods
into the practice of investigating the research problem. Through exhaustive
analysis and discussion of data collected from questionnaires and
observations, significant findings concerning the research questions have
been revealed as follows:
Firstly, the study has confirmed that body language is widely used in
oral presentation at school by both Vietnamese and American students, and
this study focused on four types of body language: eye contact, facial
expression, gesture and posture.
Secondly, from the cross-cultural angle the study identifies the
cultural similarities and differences between American and Vietnamese
students’ body language in oral presentation at school. Generally speaking,
although both Vietnamese and American students were aware of using
body language during their presentations, American students were more
skillful at employing all kinds of body language. They used body language
more naturally, so it supported their opinions more effectively.

62
 Thirdly, the study made some suggestions about how should
Vietnamese students employ body language effectively to achieve a
successful oral presentation when their audiences are American.
5.2. Limitations of the research
Hard as the researcher has tried, her research possesses some
inevitable limitations due to time constraint and other unexpected factors.
These shortcomings should always be taken into consideration when
further related studies are conducted in the future.
First, due to the difficulty of accessing participants, especially
American ones, the number and the representativeness of American
students participating in the study remained relatively low. In terms of
Vietnamese side, in order to study thoroughly Vietnamese students’ body
language in oral presentation, more institutions at which students’
presenting activity is compulsory should have been involved as larger range
of subjects will assure the validity of the research.
Secondly, most of the survey questionnaires done by American
students were sent via emails without the researcher’s presence and
supervision, so it was really a big obstacle to retaining the validity and
reliability of the results. Some questions were still left unanswered, which
affected the total added up results and analysis. Moreover, three observed
American presentations were not directly made by the researcher, so the
reliability and the validity cannot be checked.
5.3. Suggestions for further research
Other researchers who develop interest in the same topic may find
the following recommendations useful for their future works.
Firstly, further research should spread its range of participants. In
this study, the participants are students at only two institutions, HULIS and
COE. As previously mentioned, due to the difficulty of accessing American
students, only a relative sample was taken. Larger samples would help to
63
shed more lights on the perception of the American and Vietnamese
students towards body language types and favored body language types
used in oral presentation, from that place, a broader outlook on the
similarities as well as differences between two cultures concerning the uses
of body language in oral presentation would be explored.
Secondly, to improve the reliability of the research, the triangulation
method of observation, interview and questionnaire should be employed in
collecting data.
Moreover, within the scope of this study, only some aspects of using
body language in oral presentation of two groups of students: American
and Vietnamese could be explored, that was frequency of eye contact
maintenance, the emphasizing gesture, the common used posture, ways to
have the audience’s attention. Therefore, there exist a large number of
interesting topics related to using body language in oral presentation in two
cultures as followings:
 The relation between students’ gender and using body
language in oral presentation.
 The relation between the topic of presentation and students’
body language to illustrate their points.

64
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ls/girls/Adan%20Web%20Site/English.htm
41.Tonya Reiman, (2007). The power of body language.
42.Trang, V.T.T (2008). Graduation paper. HULIS

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 APPENDICES
Appendix 1: Questionnaire – English version
SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR PRESENTERS
I am Do Thanh Uyen, a senior student of the English Department – HULIS –
VNUH. I am conducting my graduation thesis on American and Vietnamese students’
body language in oral presentation at school. This survey is designed to investigate
your opinions on the subject. Your personal information will be kept strictly confidential.
Please give your answer truthfully for a guaranteed success of the investigation.
Thank you very much for your help!

Background information
Your age:
Your nationality:

American
Vietnamese
You are:

Male
Female
You are student at: ……………………………………………….
You are:

freshman

sophomore

junior

senior

Survey questions
1. How do you rank the importance of body language in the success of oral presentation?
A. indispensable
B. important
C. not important but a little useful
D. not important at all
2. How often do you use action to illustrate during your presentations at school?

1 2 3 4 5
Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never

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3. Which type of body language you pay attention most when you deliver your
presentation at school?
A. Your facial expression
B. Your postures (sitting/ standing position…)
C. Your gestures
D. Your eye contact
4. When delivering your presentation at school, how often do you maintain directly
eye contact with the audience?

1 2 3 4 5
Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never

5. Which gesture you use most when you want to emphasize your opinion in your
presentation at school?
A. Sweeping your arm
B. Rubbing your hands
C. Clasping your hands
D. Drumming on the table
E. Pointing your index finger in the air
F.
Others: …………………………………………………………………………..
6. During your presentation at school, which posture is the most commonly used?
A. Standing with straight back
B. Standing with your hands in your pockets
C. Standing/ sitting with your chins on your hands
D. Leaning your hands against the edge of tables
E. Standing with your hands against your hips
F.
Others: ..................................................................................................................
7. What do you often do when you want to have the audiences’ attention during your
presentation at school?
A. Raise your voice
B. Look at the audiences and pause
C. Clap your hands
D. Others: ................................................................................................................

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 Appendix 2: Questionnaire – Vietnamese version
PHIẾU KHẢO SÁT DÀNH CHO NGƯỜI THUYẾT TRÌNH
Xin chào các bạn. Tôi là sinh viên năm thứ tư khoa Anh trường Đại Học Ngoại
Ngữ - Đại Học Quốc Gia Hà Nội. Tôi thực hiện khảo sát này nhằm thu thập dữ
liệu cho luận văn tốt nghiệp của tôi, đề tài “Nghiên cứu giao văn hóa về việc sử
dụng ngôn ngữ cơ thể của sinh viên Mỹ và sinh viên Việt Nam trong khi thuyết
trình”. Mong các bạn vui lòng hợp tác với tôi hoàn thành phiếu trả lời dưới đây.
Tôi xin cam đoan các kết quả thu thập được chỉ phục vụ duy nhất cho mục đích
nghiên cứu về văn hóa và thông tin cá nhân của các bạn sẽ không bị nêu ra dưới
bất kì hình thức nào. Sự giúp đỡ của các bạn có ý nghĩa quyết định đối với sự
thành công của nghiên cứu này.
Xin vui lòng cho biết:
Giới tính: Nam Nữ
Tuổi:
Sinh viên trường:
Sinh viên:
năm thứ ba
năm thứ tư
Phần câu hỏi
1. Bạn đánh giá như thế nào về mức độ quan trọng của ngôn ngữ cơ thể đối
với thành công của một bài thuyết trình?
A. Không thể thiếu
B. Quan trọng
C. Không quan trọng nhưng có ích
D. Hoàn toàn không cần thiết
2. Bạn có thường xuyên sử dụng ngôn ngữ cơ thể để minh họa khi thuyết
trình tại trường không?

1 2 3 4 5
Luôn luôn Thường xuyên Thỉnh thoảng Hiếm khi Không bao giờ

3. Kiểu ngôn ngữ cơ thể nào bạn chú ý nhất khi thuyết trình?
A. Biểu hiện nét mặt
B. Tư thế (đứng/ ngồi...)
70
 C. Cử chỉ
D. Nhãn giao
4. Khi thuyết trình, bạn có thường xuyên duy trì nhãn giao với khán giả
không?

1 2 3 4 5
Luôn luôn Thường xuyên Thỉnh thoảng Hiếm khi Không bao giờ

5. Cử chỉ nào được bạn sử dụng nhiều nhất khi bạn muốn nhấn mạnh ý kiến
của mình trong khi thuyết trình?
A. Khoát tay
B. Xoa hai tay vào nhau
C. Đan hai tay vào nhau
D. Gõ tay lên bàn
E. Chỉ ngón tay trỏ vào không khí
F. Cách khác: ...............................................................................
6. Tư thế nào được bạn sử dụng nhiều nhất trong suốt bài thuyết trình?
A. Đứng thẳng lưng
B. Đứng và cho tay vào túi quần
C. Ngồi/ đứng chống tay lên cằm
D. Dựa tay vào thành bàn
E. Đứng chống hai tay vào hông
F. Cách khác: .............................................................................................
7. Bạn thường làm gì khi muốn thu hút sự chú ý của khán giả vào bài thuyết
trình?
A. Nói cao giọng
B. Nhìn vào khán giả và dừng lại
C. Vỗ tay
D. Cách khác: ................................................................................................

71
 Appendix 3: OBSERVATION CHECKLIST
1 2 3 4 5
Student’s nationality: Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never

Topic of presentation:
Time:

The speaker’s eye contact with the entire

audience
The speaker smiles at the audiences when
he/she asks or answers them
The speaker’s gestures to illustrate his/her ideas
- Sweeping their arm
- Rubbing their hands
- Clasping their hands
- Drumming on the table
- Pointing their index finger in the air
- Others:

The speaker’s posture

- Standing with straight back
- Standing with their hands in their pockets
- Standing/ sitting with their chins on their
hands
- Leaning their hands against the edge of
tables
- Standing with their hands against their
hips
- Others:

72