Transcript The Functions of Nonverbal Communication

Unit 6 Nonverbal
Communication
Lecturer Bian Xu
Goals :
1. Nonverbal Communication
Defined
Narrowly speaking, nonverbal communication
refers to intentional use of nonspoken symbol to
communicate a specific message.
2. Categories of Nonverbal
Communication
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proxemics (spatial distance 空间关系学)
ocuelsics （eye contact）
olfactics （smell 嗅觉学）
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haptics (touching 触觉论)
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kinesics (body language举止神态学)
chromatics (color 颜色血）
silence
clothing and physical appearance
A. proxemics
Proxemics refers to the
perception and use of space,
including territoriality and
personal space. Territoriality
refers to physical space;
personal space refers to
perceptual or psychological
space.
a. Personal space
b. Seating
c. Furniture arrangement
a. Personal space
1. In the United States
Hall reports that psychologists have identified
four zones from which U.S. people interact:
the intimate zone, the personal zone, the
social zone, and the public zone.
2. In India
In India, there are elaborate rules about how
closely members of each caste may approach other castes.
3. In Arab
Arabs of the same sex do stand much closer than North
Americans. An Arab entering an elevator may stand
right next to another person and be touching even though no
one else is in the elevator.
b. Seating
c. Furniture arrangement
French space is a reflection of French
culture. Everything is centralized, and
spatially the entire country is laid out around centers.
In Germany, where privacy is stressed, office furniture is
spread throughout the office.
In Japan, where group participation is encouraged, many
desks are arranged hierarchically in the center of a large,
common room absent of walls.
Chinese geomancy, feng shui, is the art of arranging the
physical environment to establish harmony with the natural
environment to achieve happiness, prosperity, and health.
B. ocuelsics
The study of communications sent by the eyes is
termed oculesics. A prolonged gaze or stare in the
United States is considered rude. In other cultures
such as Japan, Korea, and Thailand, staring is also
considered rude. In most cultures, men do not stare
at women. In France and Italy, however, men can
stare at women in public. In the United States, staring
at a person is considered a sign of interest and may
even be interpreted as sexually suggestive.
C. olfactics
The study of communication via smell is called Olfactics.
A person’s smell can have a positive or negative effect on
the oral message.
Case-analysis:
The Bad Smell
D. haptics
Haptics or touch refers to communicating through the use
of bodily contact.
In Thailand and Laos, it is rude for a stranger or
acquaintance to touch a child on the top of the head because
the head is regarded as the home of the spirit or soul. It is
believed that a child’s spirit or soul is not strong enough to be
touched and has tendency to become ill if patted. Even
placing a hand on the back of an Asian worker’s chair is
considered inappropriate. White Muslims hug another person
around the shoulders, Korea young people do not touch the
shoulders of their elders.
E. Kinesics
Kinesics is the term used for
communicating through various
types of body movements
including facial expressions,
gestures, posture and stance, and
other mannerisms that may
accompany or replace oral
messages.
Gestures can be emblems or
symbols (the “ok” gesture),
illustrators (police officer’s
hand held up to stop traffic),
or regulators (one’s face turns red
with embarrassment). Gestures are
used to add emphasis
or clarity to an oral message.
a.
b.
Facial expressions
Gestures
l
Head movement
l
Arm movement
c.
Posture and stance
Posture, the way someone stands, sits, or walks, can
send positive or negative nonverbal messages. Posture
can signal agreement or disagreement. Appropriate
posture is related to a person’s status in society. For
example, the manager may stand erect when talking to
subordinates, but the subordinates may drop their
shoulders when talking to the manager.
F. chromatics
Chromatics refers to the study of
color use in affecting people’s mood,
emotions, and impression of others.
Cultural differences associated with
colors include:
 Black is the color of mourning to many Europeans and
U.S. Americans, but white is worn to funerals in Japan and
many other nations.
 In the United States, white is typically worn by brides while
in India, red or yellow is worn.
 Purple is sometimes associated with royalty, but it is the
color of death in many Latin American countries.
 Red (especially red roses) is associated with romance in
some cultures including the United States. Red is not an
appropriate color for wrapping gifts in Japan. Dark red is
the color of mourning along the Ivory Coast.
Cultural differences associated with
colors include:
 Green is not used for wrapping packages in Egypt since
green is the nationalist color (as red, white and blue are the
nationalist colors in the United States). Men should avoid
wearing a green hat in China as this signifies that their wife
or sister is a prostitute.
 In many countries of the world, blue is considered a masculine
color, but to people of France and the United Kingdom, red
is more masculine. Blue, in Iran, is an undesirable color.
 While people of the United States consider pink to be the
most feminine color, persons in most other countries think
of yellow as the most feminine color.
American brides
National flag of the U.S.
United Airlines unknowingly got off on the
wrong foot during its initial flights from Hong
Kong. To commemorate the occasion, they
handed out white carnations to the passengers.
When they learned that to many Asians white
flowers represent bad luck and even death, they
changed to red carnations.
G. Silence
Silence is a form of nonverbal communication that may
be interpreted in various ways depending upon the
situation, the duration of the silence, and the culture. The
use of silence in communication is also important. Silence
can communicate agreement, apathy, awe, confusion,
contemplation, disagreement, embarrassment, obligation,
regret, repressed hostility, respect, sadness,
thoughtfulness, or any number of meanings.
Case-analysis:
Silence in Japan
H. Clothing and Physical Appearance
The use of clothing and physical appearance to
communicate is more obvious.
Clothing can reflect cultural heritage.
Although Western business dress has been widely adopted
among other cultures, you may wish to learn cultural
distinctions in appropriate business attire. When visiting
Saudi Arabia, for example, the Saudi might wear the
traditional Arabic white flowing robe and headcloth.
Case-analysis:
Formality of Dress
3. Culture and Nonverbal
Communication
 The Alliance Between Culture and Nonverbals
 The Functions of Nonverbal Communication
 Nonverbal Misinterpretations as a Barrier
The Alliance Between Culture and
Nonverbals
By understanding important cultural
differences in this behavior, you will be
able to gather clues about underlying
attitudes and values, because nonverbal
communication often reveals basic cultural
traits.
Nonverbal Misinterpretations as
a Barrier
Many nonverbal expressions vary from
culture to culture, and it is just those
variations that make nonverbal
misinterpretation a barrier. (P214)
This gesture means OK in
the U.S and many cultures,
while it means zero in
France, and means money in
Japan.
The Functions of Nonverbal
Communication (P229)
a. Replacing/substitute spoken messages
There are situations in which words
cannot be used. In a very noisy street, for
example, police officer might use hand
gestures to replace spoken messages.
b. Sending uncomfortable messages
c.
Forming
impressions
that
guide
communication (hand movements)
d. Making relationships clear (pat)
e. Regulating interaction (nod)
f. Reinforcing and modifying verbal messages
4 Nonverbal Expectancy Violations
Theory
People
hold
expectations
about
the
appropriateness of the nonverbal behaviors of
others. These expectations are learned and
culturally driven.
Home work and After-class activities
⑴ Give interpretations to the 8 kinds of
nonverbal communications with typical
examples in the East (China) and in the
West (America).