Transcript SPCH 230 Chapter 5 Nonverbal Communication: The Messages

Chapter 5
Nonverbal Communication:
The Messages of Action, Space, Time & Silence
Nonverbal behavior is often directly
linked to a culture’s worldview and
value orientation.
Importance of Nonverbal Communication:
 Judging internal states – people use
nonverbal communication to express
attitudes and emotions
 First impressions
 Managing interaction
Defining nonverbal communication
• any message other than words that we
assign meaning to
For U.S. & U.K. cultures:
- 65% of a message is nonverbal
- 35% is verbal
- When the verbal message contradicts
the nonverbal, people usually believe the
nonverbal over the verbal
Functions of nonverbal communication:
- Repeating
- Complementing (illustrators) – supplement the verbal
- Substituting – substitute for the verbal words e.g. “ok”
- Regulating – regulate interaction e.g. head nods;
backchanneling
- Contradicting
- Expressing emotion – happiness, anger, sadness
- Expressing affection – love; intimacy; endearment
- Indicate status differences
- Indicate type of relationship
Principles of Nonverbal communication:
1. You cannot stop sending nonverbal
messages; You cannot, NOT communicate!
2. Nonverbal communication is often
ambiguous
3. In American culture & U.K., when the verbal
message contradicts the nonverbal
messages, we believe the nonverbal over
the verbal (aka channel consistency vs..
channel discrepancy)
4. Much of nonverbal communication is culture
specific; culturally bound
Types of Nonverbal Signals:
- Physical appearance – dress; body type,
skin color, hair, eye color, etc.
Judgments of beauty are learned.
Point: we need to be tolerant of external
differences so that we do not let these
differences impede communication.
• Body movement/kinesics – posture and
gestures (using one’s hands and arms)
o emblems – substitute for words
o illustrators – supplement the verbal
o regulators – regulate interaction
• Facial expressions – “gosh!”, “really??!!”
Eye contact & gaze
In the U.S. culture & U.K. cultures:
 a sign of attention and interest
 regulates interaction
 the average length of gaze is 2.95 sec.
(when gaze is < 1.18 sec., we tend to
think the person is not interested, shy or
preoccupied)
 direct eye contact is considered an
expression of honesty and forthrightness
Haptics
• a type of kinesic behavior involving
touch
• reflects a culture’s attitudes and values
• types: sexual, playful, control, ritual,
greeting or departure, task-related,
accidental, etc.
• some cultures are more touch avoidant
than others.
Smell
 Odor communicates
 Smell and memory are closely
connected
 Smell can alter moods and increase
alertness
Paralanguage/vocalics
• The sounds we generate apart from
words: rate, tone, pitch, pauses,
volume, laughter, accents, dialects,
noises & backchanneling (“mmm hmm”).
Space & Distance or Proxemics
• a person’s use of space is directly related to the
value system of his/her culture.
• personal space – when your space is violated, you
react; your reaction is a manifestation of your cultural
background.
U.S. culture territory:
0 – 18” intimates
1 – 4’ casual personal distance
4 – 12’ impersonal/social distance
12’ > public distance
- Seating – furniture arrangement; illustrate
power & relationship
Time/Chronemics
How we use time communicates something.
Culture plays a substantial role in how we perceive and
use time.
Our use of time is very much dictated by the values of
our culture.
- Past, Present & future time orientations
• Monochronic (M-time) – time is fixed in nature; time
is a scarce resource
• Polychromic (P-time) – time is holistic; stress people
over process; unstructured (p. 196)
Silence
•
•
•
•
silence communicates
silence is also speech
silence holds a powerful message
knowing when and when NOT to speak is to
gain intercultural competence
– e.g. Japanese - “It is the duck that squawks that
gets shot.” American – “The squeaky wheel gets
the oil.”
Types of Nonverbal Ability:
 Encoding skill
 Decoding ability (sensitivity)
 Skill in regulating or controlling
nonverbal communication
 Competence regarding these abilities
(skills) depends on knowing the rules of the
specific culture.
Nonverbal Communication and Culture:
• From your use of eye contact to the amount
of volume you employ during interaction, your
culture influences the manner in which you
send and receive nonverbal symbols.
• Being able to achieve interaction goals
(becoming competent) depends on knowing
the rules of the culture(s) we’re dealing with.
• Be careful not to assume that people are
communicating only when they talk.