WAVING both of his hands happily at his wife and two children at the Entrance to the Arrival Gate at the airport, Ahmed runs to be united once more with his family. The two children put both their arms around their father and led him and their mother to the driver, who nods his head in respect for the family and opens the door for Ahmed's wife. They are talking at the same time moving their heads in one direction and then in another. Body language has expressed their love and joy. The human body as a whole, is a tool – which when combined with words, results in communication. When visiting a foreign country as a tourist and not being at all familiar with the local language, it is the body that with a combination of gestures gets you through the day. Shaking hands together with a friendly smile indicate a ‘greeting' from which a relationship is started. Pointing to a locked door and moving your hand and wrist quickly implies the wish for someone to unlock and open it. Kicking an empty Pepsi can out of the way with your right foot indicates that you want to remove the obstacle. “I have a lot to learn!”, says Abdulla. He has been listening, watching and waiting as his older brother Mohamed talks to his sister from Riyadh to Jeddah on his mobile. They have been talking for more than two hours… Abdulla wonders why such a long conversation. He decides that the answer must be communication combined with the clarification of specific points. The young and growing population of the Saudi Arabia must be equipped with the tools required to meet the international challenges of the future. Government and private English language schools Kingdomwide must provide the thousands of students not only with meaningful content, but also with quality teaching by experienced instructors. The skill of conversation must be accurate and clear, and yet conversation courses are rarely nor adequately provided. The conversation ‘gap' must be filled immediately as globalization waits for no one…. Training in any skill must be complete. There is no longer any time to waste. The Ministry of Education must seriously review its priorities and improve its system of education in terms of language for the masses of young people who will require to work for the economy of the country. We all know the meaning of language but its exact interpretation is not always clear and clarity and transparency must exist in order for there to be a straight avenue of implementation of ideas and thoughts. Opinions as to what he or she said are dangerous and causes friction between people and between countries. A global danger can arise leading to misunderstanding. Utilize all of the resources at your command when making a point….that means use of your body as well as of your knowledge in the spoken word. When in doubt… let your body assist you in doing the talking. __
