Speak Without Words: Non-verbal Communication

Objectives:

After reading this blog, readers will be able to:

Know the meaning of non-verbal communication;
Identify the elements of non-verbal communication;
Give their on examples of non-verbal communication; and
Appreciate the importance of non-verbal aspects in communication.

Speak without word through Non-Verbal Communication.

NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

Nonverbal communication is usually understood as the process of communication through sending and receiving wordless messages.

This video tells a summary of the information about Non-verbal Communication.

ELEMENTS OF NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

NON-LINGUISTIC ELEMENTS

KINESICS (Body Language)

Kinesics, or body language, is one of the most powerful ways that humans can communicate non verbally. It is used to portray moods and emotions and to emphasize or contradict what is being said.

Body language is a form of non-verbal communication. How we hold our posture or a facial expression we make, communicates a lot of information.

Many would suggest that the majority of communication between people meeting face-to-face is done non-verbally through body language. Aware of it or not we do react to body language even in robots.

This communication is usually sent and received subconsciously. Most people aren’t leaning one way or another or crossing and uncrossing their arms as a way to consciously communicate. In many ways body language is a window into what you’re thinking.

The non-verbal communication of body language sets the context for verbal communication. It builds the frame within which we interpret the verbal.

For example say an old friend you meet on the street says she’ll give you a call. If she gives you a hug while saying it, you probably believe she’ll call. If she says it as she’s quickly hurrying away, the likely interpretation is that you aren’t going to hear from her.

Examples of Body Language:

BODY LANGUAGE	INTERPRETATION
Brisk, erect walk	Confidence
Standing with hands on hips	Readiness, aggression
Sitting with legs crossed, foot kicking slightly	Boredom
Sitting, legs apart	Open, relaxed
Arms crossed on chest	Defensiveness
Walking with hands in pockets, shoulders hunched	Dejection
Hand to cheek	Evaluation, thinking
Touching, slightly rubbing nose	Rejection, doubt, lying
Rubbing the eye	Doubt, disbelief
Hands clasped behind back	Anger, frustration, apprehension
Locked ankles	Apprehension
Head resting in hand, eyes downcast	Boredom
Rubbing hands	Anticipation
Sitting with hands clasped behind head, legs crossed	Confidence, superiority
Open palm	Sincerity, openness, innocence
Pinching bridge of nose, eyes closed	Negative evaluation
Tapping or drumming fingers	Impatience
Steepling fingers	Authoritative
Patting/fondling hair	Lack of self-confidence; insecurity
Tilted head	Interest
Stroking chin	Trying to make a decision
Looking down, face turned away	Disbelief
Biting nails	Insecurity, nervousness
Pulling or tugging at ear	Indecision

Click here: How to Read Body Language

PROXEMICS (Language of Space)

One of the terms used in non-verbal language is proxemics, or the language of space. Edward Hall defined proxemics in the 1950’s and 1960’s when he investigated man’s use of personal space in contrast with fixed and semi-fixed feature space. Fixed feature is what it is fixed has in unmovable boundaries. Semi-fixed is fixed boundaries that can be moved like furniture. Proxemics can be divided in two other ways, physical and personal territory. Physical territory is like desks that are in front of the room of a classroom instead of center.

In communication, the more communicators get closer, the more it shows that they are interested on what they are talking about. Likewise, when both stay away, shows disrespect, not interested or not that familiar with each other.

CHRONEMICS (Language of Time)

Time, or chronemics, can be used very differently with respect to individuals and even cultures. Time perceptions include punctuality, willingness to wait, and interactions. Time use affects lifestyles, daily agendas, speed of speech and movements, how long people are willing to listen, etc.

The way time is used can provide information about people as individuals. There are different perceptions about time usage and its value. Also, cultures differ in their usage of time. For example, in European and American societies, when men are interacting with women, they generally control the time use, talk more than women, and interrupt more than women. In the business world, Americans are expected to arrive to meetings on time and, usually, even early. On the other hand, they arrive late to parties and dances.

Time can also be used as an indicator of status. For example, in most companies the boss can interrupt progress to hold an impromptu meeting in the middle of the work day, yet the average worker would have to make an appointment to see the boss. The way different cultures perceive time can influence communication as well.

HAPTICS (Language through Touch)

Research has found that touching can create both positive and negative feelings. Your feelings are positive when the touch is perceived to be natural. A person gets the opposite feeling when the touch is perceived to be manipulative or insincere. Touch is experienced in many ways. Handshakes, pats, and kisses are just a few of the ways one can communicate by touching.

Haptic customs differ greatly throughout the world. In many Spanish-speaking countries of Latin America, people greet each other with one kiss on the cheek, for example in Argentina. In Spain, people greet each other with two kisses on the cheek. In Colombia shaking hands or verbal greeting is common and probably without hugging. In Peru when men greet one another they usually do so shaking hands or with a verbal greeting, otherwise, whenever a woman is involved, greeting involves kissing on the cheek or verbal greeting.

In the United States, the main form of greeting is shaking hands, though when greeting friends it is not uncommon for them to hug. In Japan, people bow to each other in greeting and think it rude to touch.

ARTIFACTUAL (Language through Artifacts)

Artifacts are often used to communicate information about oneself. Artifacts are objects, often clothes, jewelry, pictures, trinkets, which express one’s interests, hobbies, status, or lifestyle. Often noted in democratic societies, where all are thought to be equal, artifacts are used to announce inequalities that for reasons of taste and conformity, cannot be expressed in words.

One of the most influential artifacts a person possesses is one’s wardrobe. Much psychology and communication research supports that -at least in the observer’s eyes- that clothes do make the man (or woman!). Lefkowitz, Blake, and Mouton found in their own study that dress can even affect how willing others will be to follow you. This study found that significantly more individuals would follow a model’s example in crossing against the "wait" signal when dressed in a business suit than when the same model crossed the street dressed in poor work clothes.

OLFACTICS: Communication

Olfactics is the study of smell in relation to human communication. Our body associates certain smells with different feelings and emotions. Smells are also powerful at triggering our memory, with certain smells being tied to different emotions, people, or events.

People and animals also use their sense of smell to detect pheromones. Pheromones are a natural chemical signals secreted by the human body. While most human pheromones are used to attract members of the opposite sex, there are also pheromones for many other emotions, such as fear. Animals also use pheromones to communicate with one another. They are also able to detect human pheromones, which is what some one really means when they say, "It can smell fear.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: Communication

Physical appearance is a type of non verbal communication. It is usually associated with one’s dress sense, hairstyle, body types – basically anything on the physical side.

PARALINGUISTIC ELEMENTS

These elements have something to do with the attributes of voice.

VOCAL QUALITY

Vocal quality is that component of speech which gives the primary distinction to a given speaker's voice when pitch and loudness are excluded. It involves both phonatory and resonatory characteristics. Some of the descriptions of voice quality are harshness, breathiness and nasality.

PITCH

Sounds may be generally characterized by pitch, loudness, and quality.

TEMPO

This has something to do with the speed of peaking. Normally, a person may ay 180 words per minute.

VOLUME

The loudness of the voice of the speaker.

JUNCTURE

Juncture is a pause or slightly delay in a continuous flow of speech. Pauses are intervals of silence between or with in words, phrases or sentences. This silence is an effective communicative tool if used sparingly. For better effect, pausing to breathe must be done at natural breaks in the sentences where commas and full stops would be in written prose. This provides a further benefits since relaxed breathing regulates the oxygen supply to the brain and aids clear thinking.

The following videos are about the importance of non-verbal communication.