Nonverbal Communication

Students Objectives

To learn the importance of nonverbal (wordless) messages To understand and apply the concepts of immediacy (tendency to approach the things we like and avoid the things we dislike), power (tendency to equate size, dominance, strength, and high status with power), and responsiveness (adaptive actions such as anger, joy, and surprise in response to the environment) To understand and apply the meanings carried by nine nonverbal elements: face, voice, movement, touch, appearance, space, time, silence, and environment

Nonverbal Communication
Comparison of Verbal and Non Verbal Communication

Message Impact
7 percent

Type of Communication
Words

38 percent 55 percent

Tone of voice and inflection Facial expressions, body position, gestures

Nonverbal messages deal primarily with emotions and attitudes. Nonverbal receiving includes reception of wordless messages through all five senses. Nonverbal communication occur in only three primary dimensions:

Immediacy The concept of immediacy springs from the tendency to approach the things we like and avoid the things we dislike. Approach and immediacy indicate preference, positive evaluation, and liking, whereas avoidance and non-immediacy indicate lack of preference, dislike, and fear. Power It relates to size, dominance, strength, and high status. For example, a person who strides or struts exhibits more power than one who takes small steps or shuffles. One who slouches or bows shows much less power than one who stands fully erect.

Responsiveness Response to the environment appears through anger, joy, surprise, fear, boldness, happiness, sadness, anxiety, quietude, petulance, pity, or benevolence.

Roles of Nonverbal Communication

Nonverbal communication cues can play five roles: Repetition: they can repeat the message the person is making verbally Contradiction: they can contradict a message the individual is trying to convey Substitution: they can substitute for a verbal message. For example, a person's eyes can often convey a far more vivid message than words and often do Complementing: they may add to or complement a verbal message. A boss who pats a person on the back in addition to giving praise can increase the impact of the message Accenting: they may accent or underline a verbal message. Pounding the table, for example, can underline a message.

Nonverbal Components of Communication

The human body (physical characteristics) Kinesics (the language of body position and movement) Oculesics (eye contact and use) Paralanguage (voice qualities and characteristics) Silence Colour Proxemics (the way we use space to communicate) Haptics (touch) Chronemics (time in both its cultural and physiological dimensions)

Three Major Categories of Nonverbal Communication

1. Paralanguage--- How you say it Language deals with what is said; paralanguage deals with how it is said. For example: I would like to help you I would like to help you I would like to help you I would like to help you Paralanguage includes four major categories: voice qualifiers, vocal segregates, vocal differentiators, and vocal qualities

Vocal qualifiers

Variations in pitch, rate, and volume of the voice create vocal qualifiers. A high pitch may indicate nervousness, anxiety, tension, fear, surprise, dynamism, anger, joy, cheerfulness, or impatience. A low pitch may also show affection, sadness, boredom, pleasantness, intimacy, or empathy. The rate of speech also seems to change with emotions or personality types.

2.Vocal segregates

Sounds unnatural silences, and meaningless words used only to fill gaps between meaningful words act as vocal segregates. Examples include uh, ah, uh-huh, um, ok, and well. Such fillers often indicate stress and create a negative impact on the receiver.

3. Vocal differentiators

Specialized sounds made with the voice create nonverbal symbols called vocal differentiators. Most differentiators lead to negative meaning within receivers. For example, think of your reaction when you hear these differentiators: Yawning Snoring Sharp exhaling/inhaling Laughing Yelling Spitting Crying Clearing Throat Hissing Belching Whining Moaning Giggling Coughing Groaning Whispering Slurping sniffing Sighing Gurgling Hiccoughing

Vocal qualities

Resonance----relates to the amplitude of the vibrations---the resounding nature of the voice. It ranges from the fully amplified tones to the thin or blaring tones. Rhythm---it arises from the regularity or irregularity of the vocal pattern. Regularity often expresses confidence, sincerity, satisfaction, fear, activity, surprise---- Irregularity may express anger or sadness Inflection---- it involves the rising and falling pitch of the voice. Enunciation---- it describes the distinctness with which one pronounces or articulate words.

Kinesics---Communicating through Body Movement

Communicating through body movement. The face and eyes are the most expressive means of body communication and they convey 10 different types of meaning: Happiness 6. Disgust Surprise 7. Contempt Fear 8. Interest Anger 9. Bewilderment Sadness 10. Determination

Five categories of Kinesics

1. Emblems
Many body movements act as symbols with relatively fixed verbal translations. They often replace verbal messages entirely. For example,

Patting the stomach------ Im full of food Patting the adjacent seat---- Sit beside me Cupping hand behind ear----- I cant hear you Circling the first finger parallel with the side of the head---- That persons crazy Forming the first and second fingers in the shape of a V---victory Shrugging shoulders and raising palms of hands upward----I dont know Tapping finger against skull----Im thinking

2. Illustrators

When people move and gesture as they speak, they use illustrators. Illustrators synchronize with and complement words. For example, picture a man telling you about the size of a fish he caught. Can you imagine the description using only words? Do you automatically wave an arm as you call Taxi?

3. Regulators

When body motion serve to add instructions or controls to oral transactions, those motions act as regulators. Examples include: Mutual gazes Grooming actions Embraces Waves Smiles Shoulder slaps Head movements Forward leanings Handshakes Head nods Posture changes Shift in eye contact Conversational turn-taking involves such acts as raising and lowering eyebrows, leaning forward and backward, and moving hands.

4. Adaptors

Adaptors develop as responses to learning situations, many of them in childhood. They often appear as adaptive means for coping with discomfort created by negative feelings about oneself, other people, or the environment. Examples of adaptors include picking or holding things, scratching, pinching, rubbing, and covering eyes.

5. Postures and Gestures

Frequent leg position shifts Hands holding onto knees Hand pressed into cheeks Posture of superiors and subordinates conveys meaning

Classification of Body Movements

Attitudes ------ like-dislike metaphor Status------- superiors----- frequently keep their heads raised when communicating with others. Subordinates often lower their heads and shoulders when speaking. Affective States of Moods Approval seeking Inclusiveness ------ it involves cues as to whose side you are on. The positioning of the body, especially the way the legs are pointed, will communicate, I am on your side and not on her side. Interaction Markers ---- leaning forward when speaking, leaning backward when listening

Proxemics------ Communicating with Space

People use the space around them to communicate. How close or far they stand in relation to another person, where they sit in a room, or how they arrange the office furniture has a real impact on communication. 1. Feature- Fixed Space It refers to buildings and other fairly permanent structures, such as walls. The manner in which buildings are laid out and the sequence of rooms and offices have a considerable influence on communication. You will probably communicate more with those individuals whose offices are closer to rather than farther from yours.

Semi fixed Feature Space

The placement and arrangement of movable objects, such as desks and chairs, is referred to as semi fixed feature space

Personal Space
The physical distance people maintain in their encounters with others is known as personal space. There are four different zones or distances for different types of social interaction: Intimate distance----- about 18 inches from other person. Confidential information in offices--- a handshake Personal distance----- ranges from 18 inches to four feet--casual and friendly conversation. Social distance------ ranges from four feet to about eight feet---business setting. Teacher and students---Public distance----- ranges from 12 feet to the limits of a visibility and hearing.

Touch

It shows tenderness, affection, encouragement, and the full range of emotions. For children and adults, the amount of accepted touching varies with many factors such as gender, age, culture, environment, the state of relationship, intimacy, power and status, and immediacy. Touching actions serve as regulators (guiding, attention-getting)

Appearance

1) 2) 3)

Your appearance both reflects and creates your own self-image---as well as the image that others have of you. Three categorize can organize a review of the nonverbal communication inherent in: The person, Clothing, and Accessories.

1. The Person

Height and weight. Length of the hair. Hair color Moustaches, beards, and sideburns. Skin colour leads to racial stereotypes. Age, culture, occupation, and sex. Grooming and cleanliness Attractiveness, handicap. The general carriage and demeanor of a person

2. Clothing

Make mental association as these types of grab call types of people to mind:
white socks
Tight-fitting dressing Imprinted T-shirts Tailored suits Evening gowns

Black leather
Corduroy Sheer fabric Leisure suits Sandals

jeans
Fur Coats Boots Frills Bow ties Stockings

Polyester knit pantsuits Cashmere sweaters

Choices of clothing speak quite loudly about ones personality, status, power, attitudes, values, behaviour, occupation, and confidence. Clothing for the business executive has assumed such importance that several bestselling books have as their sole purpose the description of the kinds of clothing that establish an image of power.

3. Accessories
Articles other than garments contribute to appearance and dress. Recall the imagery you associate with these examples of such accessories: Tatoos Leather Emblems Buttons Eyeglasses Briefcases Cosmetics Sunglasses Earrings False eyelashes False fingernails Rings Tinted hair Scarves

Time

Centuries, decades, years, weeks, days, hours, minutes, seconds. Lightness and darkness, the seasons. Arriving late for an interview, or business meetings Taking account of different time zones