Remember when George Bush, Sr. tried to give the peace sign during a visit to Australia in the 1990s and ended up insulting the entire crowd? There are a lot of potential cultural mistakes with non-verbal communication and Judith Reker, author of Don’t Get Me Wrong!: The Global Gestures Guide joins Peter to clear up all the do’s and don’ts.

Peter Greenberg: You know the A-OK sign where you put your index finger and your thumb in a circle and raise the other fingers. In this country that means OK, but if you do that in Brazil you get the you-know-what beaten out of you. What are some of the other gestures with multiple meanings?

Judith Reker:  Thumbs-up does mean thumbs-up all over most of the world, but there are some countries where it is the same as flipping the bird. In Iran, Afghanistan or Iraq, it is used as an insult.

PG: Having been to many countries in the Middle East, I learned that rule. Here’s another example, in Thailand you would never touch the top of anyone’s head, ever.

JR: That’s right, there are so many weird gestures and things you shouldn’t do in some countries and things you ought to do in others.

And let’s talk a little bit about numbers. If you want to order two cups of tea, I might think to raise my forefinger and the thumb. But in China the forefinger and the thumb means the number eight. And when it comes to numbers, it’s really an area where you want to know what you’re ordering or buying.

PG: The other thing Americans need to watch out for is body language. I was in a situation in the Middle East where I knew the rules and custom, but my good friend was not sensitive to it. He was sitting in a lounge chair and he crossed his legs across from his host. In doing so, the soles of his shoes, or at least one of them, was pointing directly at the host. That’s a definite no-no.

JR: Exactly, that is certainly something you should not do in any part of the Middle East. The soles of the feet are considered the dirtiest and filthiest part of your body even though they are rarely seen.

PG: OK, what’s the worst offender? What’s the worst gesture that you could think of?

JR: You’ve guessed, it’s the middle finger. I am a journalist and I travel a lot, I haven’t found a single country where flipping the bird doesn’t mean flipping the bird.

Related links on PeterGreenberg.com:

• Tips on Avoiding The Ugly American Stereotype
• Travel Etiquette category
• Tips for Tipping Around The World
• Want Better Service? Tips On Looking And Acting Like a Local
• Travel Tip: International Hand Gestures

By Peter Greenberg for Peter Greenberg Worldwide Radio. To listen to this complete show, check out the Podcast-Hilton Hawaiian Village-July 23, 2011.