Describing Accidentally Making a Rude Gesture
Lucy: When I first started teaching English, I was teaching a class with a big mixture of students from different countries.
Lucy: And I was teaching them the word “threatening,” so I did a hand gesture that- for an English speaker it was a threatening gesture, where I- I slapped my hands together in a certain way.
Lucy: But I had a few Brazilian students in the room, and they just… they went bright red. Um… I asked what was wrong, and they explained that that it was… in their culture that was a very very inappropriate hand gesture.
Lucy: And, you know, I’m your- I’m their teacher, and I was- I was super embarrassed, and- and so we just explained ourselves, and then we all laughed it off. And it was- it was fine. It was kind of funny.
Lucy: But I think what’s important when you have a non-verbal communication breakdown like that is just be open to talking about it, um, because if you don’t understand what you did wrong then you’re not going to be able to do better in the future.
Vocabulary:
big mixture – a large variety of different things or people together, “The party had a big mixture of old friends and new neighbors.”
threatening – looking or sounding like someone wants to hurt or scare you, “The dark clouds looked very threatening before the storm.”
hand gesture – a movement of your hands to show an idea or feeling, “He made a hand gesture to show that he wanted a glass of water.”
slapped my hands together – hit both hands against each other quickly, “I slapped my hands together to scare away the fly.”
went bright red – when a face turns red because of feeling embarrassed, shocked, or angry, “She went bright red when she dropped her tray in the cafeteria.”
very very inappropriate – extremely rude, wrong, or unsuitable for a situation, “Wearing dirty clothes to a wedding is very very inappropriate.”
super embarrassed – feeling very shy, uncomfortable, or worried about what people think of you, “He was super embarrassed when he forgot his lines during the play.”
explained ourselves – told each other the reasons for our actions to clear up a misunderstanding, “We had a small argument, but we explained ourselves and fixed the problem.”
laughed it off – treated an embarrassing mistake as a joke so it would not bother anyone, “He tripped on the rug but just laughed it off and kept walking.”
non-verbal communication – sharing messages, thoughts, or feelings without speaking, such as using body language or eye contact, “A simple nod of the head is a common type of non-verbal communication.”
breakdown – a failure or a time when something stops working correctly, “The team lost the game because of a breakdown in their plans.”
be open to – willing to listen to, talk about, or think about new ideas, “You should be open to trying new foods when you travel.”