Transcript NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
Definition
Burgoon, Boller, and Woodall (1988) define
nonverbal communication as those actions and
attributes of humans that have socially shared
meaning, are intentionally sent or interpreted as
intentional, are consciously sent or consciously
received, and have the potential for feedback from
the receiver.
Categories of Non-verbal
Communication
• There are several categories of non-verbal
communication. Some of them are listed below:
• Kinesics
• Paravocalics/ Paralanguage
• Chronemics
• Proxemics
• Silence
• Clothing/ Artefacts
• Olfatics
• Haptics etc
Functions of Non-verbal Comn/
Relationships between verbal and
Non-verbal Comn
• Nonverbal Communication performs typical
functions in human interactions. Some of these
functions demonstrate the relationship between
verbal and non-verbal communication.
 The substitution relationship: Non-verbal
messages replace spoken messages e.g at busy
international airports, at noisy environments, at
busy intersection where police officers are
directing the flow of traffic.
Functions Continued
 Sending uncomfortable messages, especially
those messages that are awkward to express
verbally. We may use facial expressions, eye
contact, a hug, posture etc to communicate
messages we are not keen to express verbally.
Forming impressions that guide communication.
We use non-verbal means to manage our
impressions and influence the way other people
perceive us. Consider what you wear for your
date, or interview.
Functions continued
 Making relationships clear: Communication
messages have both content and relationship
information. Content refers to subject matter
whereas relationship refers to the relationship
between the communicators. How do you
identify lovers, boss and subordinate etc.
Regulating interaction, turn-taking in
conversations. How do you tell when its your
turn to say something in a group discussion?
Relationship Continued
Reinforcing and modifying verbal messages:
Non-verbal messages can be metamessages
that affect the decoding of the verbal
message. A non-verbal cue may emphasise,
underline, stress a verbal message
The contradictory function: Occurs when
there is a state of incongruence between a
verbal message and a non-verbal message.
Categories of Non-verbal
Communication
 Kinesics : This refers to gestures, body
movements, facial expressions and eye contact.
 Communication relies heavily on our actions,
postures, movements and expressions of our
bodies. Some mannerisms betray our social
status and upbringing.
 Monica Moore (1995) observed that to attract
men, women most often smile, glance, laugh,
giggle, toss the head, flip the hair and whisper.
NB Kinesic acts do not carry universal meanings.
Kinesics continued
• Consider the way the use of eye conduct and
associated meanings differ from culture to
culture.
• In many African societies it is deemed rude for a
young person to look elders in the eye. Doing so
is a sign of disrespect
• A woman may not lock eyes with a man
• In some Western Societies avoiding eye contact is
construed as a sign of dishonesty
• NB Eyes are the windows through which we can
peep into a person’s soul.
Paralanguage/ Paravocalics
• These are non-verbal elements of the voice.
They are organised into three main categories
namely:
• Vocal characterisers, such as laughter and
sobs
• Vocal qualifiers, such as the intensity of the
voice (loud/soft), pitch (high or low)
• Vocal segregates, such as ‘uh’ ‘uum’ ‘uh-huh’
Paralanguage Continued
• NB People in Thailand speak in a very soft and
gentle voice because they believe that
speaking in such a voice is a mark of good
manners and learnedness.
• A raised voice betrays emotions of anger in an
argument
• Americans speak loudly and they are often
dismissed by Thais as rude or angry.
Paralanguage continued
• Tonal languages have meanings of words
changed according to the tone of voice used in
their articulation. Meanings of words are are
distinguished by stress and intonation e.g
Mandarin Chinese and Shona (vana vana vana
vana)
Proxemics
• Refers to the study of our use of personal space
• People exist in a an invisible bubble of space
• How much space we want between ourselves and
others depends on our cultural learning, our
socialisation, the specific situation and our
relationship with the people to whom we are
talking.
• In India, for example, there are elaborate rules
about how closely members of each caste may
approach other castes.
• Another caste society: The Ibgo people of Nigeria.
Proxemics Continued
• Edward Hall’s (1959) work demonstrates that people
keep four principal space distances, namely: The
Intimate space, The Personal Space, The Casual space
and the Public Space
• The Intimate space (space between touching and
45cm). This space is reserved for private situations with
people with whom we are emotionally close. If others
invade this space we feel threatened
• Personal Space (space distance of up to 1.2m)
sometimes referred to as the handshake distance. It is
the distance most couples keep in public
•
Proxemics continued
• Casual Distance (a distance of up to 3.65m)
The distance between salespeople and their
customers, or people who work together in
business.
• Public space (distance greater than 3.65m)
applies to situations like public presentations
or lectures.
Chronemics
• It is the study of our use of time.
• Most Africans and Asians understand time as
cyclical, whereas Western societies conceive time
as linear in its flow
• There is no hurry in Africa is a popular saying
which captures the cyclical conception of time
which is dominant in Africa.
• Similarly, the expression that time lost can never
be regained captures the Eurocentric conception
of time.
Chronemic Continued
• The Christian belief that Christ’s birth and death were
unrepeatable events necessitates the acceptance of
the conception of time as linear.
• Our professions mark the way we use time. Scientists,
for example, look at time in nanoseconds, business
people attach monetary value to time
• While time is deemed inexhaustible in African and
Asian societies, it is construed as finite in Western
societies.
• How we use time varies from culture to culture.
• Arabs, for example engage in up to half an hour of
informal conversation before turning to business
Olfatics
• The study of how we communicate through the sense
of smell
• Doty et al (1984) argues that women can detect odors
in lower concentrations, identify them more accurately,
and remember them longer than men
• In ancient Rome people were obsessed with roses.
They were used in pillows, medicines and love portions
• In the 16th C lovers exchanged ‘love apples’ i.e peeled
apples kept in the armpit until they were saturated
with sweat and then given to a lover to inhale
Olfatics continued
• Aromatherapy is the use of oils of flowers, herbs, and
plants to make people feel better
• In Japan and many other countries, fragrance is used in the
workplace
• Scientists have developed computerised techniques to
deliver scents through air-conditioning ducts to enhance
efficiency and reduce stress among office workers
• Advertisers believe smell is important. Fragrance strips in
magazines enable consumers to sample a perfume by
pulling open a strip, releasing tiny fragrance capsules
• British stores use smells such as freshly dried linen,
chocolate, and musk in the air-conditioning system to put
customers in the mood for their products
Olfatics continued
• Smell also refer to body odour. Many people
mask body odour with perfumes and
deordourants.
Nonverbal Communication barriers
• Ethnocentricism- Living in the superiority of one’s
own culture
• One nonverbal code may have different meanings
• Different codes share the same meaning
• Need to watch an action chain sequence before
determining the meaning of a particular
nonverbal cue
• Different cultures use nonverbal codes differently.