Barbara works for a subsidiary of a German corporation in the United States. Her job involves ordering products from Germany and following up on the status of deliveries. Barbara does not speak, read, or write German; however, this is not a problem, as Barbara’s contact Anna speaks, reads, and writes English. Normally all of Barbara’s e-mails, letters, and faxes from Anna are written in English.

Lately, the German factory has been having diffi culty, and Barbara has been sending e-mails to Anna with inquiries about the product delays. In her last e-mail, Barbara asks why the Germans cannot get their materials shipped on time. Barbara’s answer comes back in German. Discuss what nonverbal communication was being conveyed in the situation and how you would change the behavior to be more positive.