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Outcomes

Know and understand the importance of non-verbal

communication in various environments

Know and understand the types of non-verbal

communication

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WHY?A career in every fielddemands a lot from the practitioner

in terms of his/her communicative competence, which

includes verbal as well as non-verbal communication.

It is therefore important that you learn the key elementsof non-verbal communication because it plays an

important role in our daily life.

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Non-verbal communication1. Non-verbal communication, such as facial expressions,

gestures, posture, and tone of voiceis an importantcomponent of most human communications.

There are threemain elements of nonverbal communication:

appearance,

body language,

sounds.

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AppearanceIn oral forms of communication, the appearance of both the

speaker and the surroundings are vital to the successful

conveyance of a message.

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Our choice of color, clothing, hairstyles and other factorsaffecting appearance are also considered a means of

nonverbal communication. Research on color psychologyhas

demonstrated that different colors can evoke different moods.

Appearance can also alter physiological reactions, judgments

and interpretations.

http://psychology.about.com/od/sensationandperception/a/colorpsych.htmhttp://psychology.about.com/od/sensationandperception/a/colorpsych.htm

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Facial expressions are responsible for a huge proportion ofnonverbal communication. While nonverbal communication

and behavior can vary dramatically between cultures, the

facial expressions for happiness, sadness, anger and fear are

similar throughout the world.

Gestures

Common gestures include waving, pointing, and using fingers

to indicate numeric amounts. Other gestures are arbitrary and

related to culture.

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Just a few examples of emotions that can be expressed viafacial expressions include:

Happiness

Sadness

Anger

Surprise

Disgust

Fear

Confusion

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Excitement

Desire

Contempt

Facial expressions are also among the most universal formsof body language. The expressions used to convey fear,

anger, sadness, and happiness are similar throughout the

world. Researcher Paul Ekman has found support for the

universality of a variety of facial expressions tied to particular

emotions including joy, anger, fear, surprise, and sadness.

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Paralinguistics

The tone, rate, and volume of a speaker's voice can convey

different meanings, as can sounds like laughing, throat

clearing, or humming. It is also important to note that perfume

or other odors contribute to a listener's impressions, as doesphysical contact between the speaker and the listener.

Silence, or the lack of sound, is a form of nonverbal

communication as well. Silence can communicate a lack of

understanding or even hard feelings in a face-to-facediscussion.

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Anthropologist Edward T. Hall described four levels of socialdistance that occur in different situations:

Intimate distance - 6 to 18 inchesThis level of physical distance often indicates a closerrelationship or greater comfort between individuals. It oftenoccurs during intimate contact such as hugging, whispering,or touching.

Personal distance - 1.5 to 4 feetPhysical distance at this level usually occurs between people

who are family members or close friends. The closer thepeople can comfortably stand while interacting can be anindicator of the intimacy of the relationship.

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Social distance - 4 to 12 feetThis level of physical distance is often used with individuals

who are acquaintances. With someone you know fairly well,

such as a co-worker you see several times a week, you might

feel more comfortable interacting at a closer distance. In

cases where you do not know the other person well, such as

a postal delivery driver you only see once a month, a distance

of 10 to 12 feet may feel more comfortable.

Public distance - 12 to 25 feet

Physical distance at this level is often used in public speaking

situations. Talking in front of a class full of students or giving

a presentation at work are good examples of such situations.

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Eye contactLooking, staring and blinking can also be important nonverbal

behaviors. Looking at another person can indicate a range of

emotions, including hostility, interest and attraction.

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When evaluating body language, pay attention to the followeye signals:

Eye gaze

When a person looks directly into your eyes when having a

conversion, it indicates that they are interested and payingattention.

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BlinkingBlinking is natural, but you should also pay attention to

whether a person is blinking too much or too little. People often

blink more rapidly when they are feeling distressed or

uncomfortable. Infrequent blinking may indicate that a person

is intentionally trying to control his or her eye movements. For

example, a poker player might blink less frequently because he

is purposely trying to appear unexcited about the hand he was

dealt.

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Pupil size

One of the most subtle cues that eyes provide is through the

size of the pupils. For example, you may have heard the

phase "bedroom eyes" used to describe the look someonegives when they are attracted to another person.

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What is a good listener?Be empathetic.

A good listener keeps eye-contact and responds to the

speaker accordingly. You respect the speaker by, for

example, not doing distracting things during the conversation.

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A good listener also listens with his/her eyes. This isespecially so in face-to-face interactions where the listener is

able to receive messages transmitted by non-verbal

communication mode, such as facial expressions.

A good listener also participates in the interaction, silently, byactive body language. In other words, as you listen to the

speaker, you also give that speaker feedback to make

him/her feel that his/her message is received, and reassure

him/her that he/she is being attended to.

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A good listener would thus also encourage the speaker thathe/she is actively involved and is interested in the interaction

by using both receptive language (e.g. I see) and non-verbal cues (eg nodding or shaking head).

He/she seeks clarification where there is anymisunderstanding, or signs that there is coherence in what is

being presented. He/she would thus ask questions if he/she

is not really sure whether he/she understands what is being

said.

He/she cares about the speaker and other role players in the

listening context, and value of the messages (not necessarily

that he/she agrees).

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He/she pays full and genuine attention to what is said. He/shedoes not fake attention.

A good listener shows interest in, and commitment to, the

interaction. In a professional setting this will be evident when

the listener takes notes.A good listener must be open-minded. Allow your mind to be

open to new ideas and criticisms and thus be comfortable

with ideas you may not agree with. The qualities described

above suggest that listening is not passive, and that thelistener has certain things that he/she has to do during the

interaction or communication process.

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Sources and References

http://www.managementstudyguide.com/non-verbal-

communication.htm

Collins, A. (2003). Gestures, body language and behavior.

New York: DKC.Kendon, A. (2004) Gesture: Visible Action as Utterance.

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Remland, M.S. & Jones, T.S. (2005). Interpersonal distance,

body orientation, and touch: The effect of culture, gender andage. Journal of Social Psychology,135, 281-297.

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Additional BibliographyAgar M.Language shock: Understanding the culture of

conversation, New York: William Morrow, 1994.

Ashley A.A Handbook of Commercial Correspondence,

New Edition , Oxford University Press, 2003.

Coanc M., MagheruanV., Preda M.Practice inCommunication for Informatics, Editura Universitar, 2010.

Roxana-Emanuela Dude