Each culture has an accepted standard for how far apart two people should stand or sit during a conversation. In most Spanish speaking cultures, the accepted distance is quite close by United States standards. This means that Spanish speakers often step close to have a conversation; Americans, in turn, find themselves feeling crowded, and step back.
This can cause misunderstandings on both halves of the conversation. The Spanish speaker may think that the American dislikes him since he keeps stepping away. The American may think that the Spanish speaker is being pushy by stepping forward repeatedly. Spanish speakers should become aware that Americans who step back do not intend to be rude; the action may even be unconscious. They should also learn to adjust their conversational distance when speaking with Americans.
Each culture has a standard for how much hand gesturing is considered an average amount. In the United States, if someone gestures a great deal while speaking, others may perceive the person to be overly emotional or even hysterical. Spanish speaking cultures, however, tend to have a default level of hand gesturing that is higher than Americans employ.
This leads to misunderstandings because it may appear to an American that a Spanish speaker is emotionally invested in an issue when that is not the case. Spanish speakers should watch Americans during speech to get an idea of how much hand gesturing is the default in the U.S.
Spanish speakers have different customs than Americans when it comes to greetings. Men may hug each other as a form of greeting, as may women. A common greeting between men and women is the "besito" (little kiss), in which two people touch cheeks while creating a kissing noise with their lips. The besito is also a common greeting between two women, although not between two men. All of these greeting styles indicate friendship and not romance.
These greetings are easily misunderstood by Americans, however. Greetings in the United States tend to be less personal and involve less touching. Spanish speakers should be develop two styles of greeting so that they do not inadvertently cause offense when meeting Americans.
People raised in the United States generally regard eye contact as a sign of respect and attention. Teachers expect students to look them in the eye, for example, particularly when the teacher is giving a reprimand. A student who looks down may seem inattentive or disrespectful in such a situation.
However, eye contact is a cultural trait and part of non-verbal communication. Spanish speakers regard looking an authority figure in the eye as way of challenging authority. This means that to show respect, they look down. Spanish speakers should be aware that Americans can misinterpret this behavior as disrespect.