Non-verbal communication

 

Nonverbal communication can be a very powerful tool in understanding ourselves and others. “Nonverbal communication involves those nonverbal stimuli in a communication setting that are generated by both the source [speaker] and his or her use of the environment and that have potential message value for the source or receiver [listener]. Body language involves the physical behavior of our bodies — eye contact, posture, gesture, orientation and so forth — while nonverbal communication embraces all body language communication, and also includes clothing and adornment, environmental factors and even the manner in which we use time.

·         Broadly speaking, there are two basic categories of non-verbal language:
        nonverbal messages produced by the body;
        nonverbal messages produced by the broad setting (time, space, silence)

 

Some types of nonverbal communication:

• touch
• glance
• eye contact (gaze)
• volume
• vocal nuance
• proximity
• gestures
• Facial expression
• intonation
• dress
• posture
• smell
• word choice and syntax
• sounds (paralanguage)

We use nonverbal communication in order to:

1. Replace verbal communication in situations where it may be impossible or inappropriate to talk
2. Complement verbal communication, thereby enhancing the overall message
3. Modify the spoken word
4. Contradict, either intentionally or unintentionally, what is said
5. Regulate conversation by helping to mark speech turns
6. Express emotions and interpersonal attitudes
7. Negotiate relationships in respect of, for instance, dominance, control and liking
8. Convey personal and social identity through such features as dress and adornments
9. Contextualize interaction by creating a particular social setting

Cultural Differences in Non-verbal Communication

1.   General Appearance and Dress

All cultures are concerned for how they look and make judgements based on looks and dress.  Americans, for instance, appear almost obsessed with dress and personal attractiveness.  Consider differing cultural standards on what is attractive in dress and on what constitutes modesty.

2.   Body Movement

We send information on attitude toward person (facing or leaning towards another), emotional statue (tapping fingers, jiggling coins), and desire to control the environment (moving towards or away from a person).

More than 700,000 possible motions we can make — so impossible to categorize them all!  But just need to be aware the body movement and position is a key ingredient in sending-messages.
 

3.   Posture

Consider the following actions and note cultural differences:

o    Bowing (not done, criticized, or affected in US; shows rank in Japan)

o    Slouching (rude in most Northern European areas)

o    Hands in pocket (disrespectful in Turkey)

o    Sitting with legs crossed (offensive in Ghana, Turkey)

o    Showing soles of feet. (Offensive in Thailand, Saudi Arabia)
 

4.   Gestures

Impossible to catalog them all.  But need to recognize: 1) incredible possibility and variety and 2) that an acceptable in one’s own culture may be offensive in another.  In addition, amount of gesturing varies from culture to culture.  Some cultures are animated; other restrained.  Restrained cultures often feel animated cultures lack manners and overall restraint.  Animated cultures often feel restrained cultures lack emotion or interest.

Even simple things like using hands to point and count differ.

Pointing: US with index finger; Germany with little finger; Japanese with entire hand (in fact most Asians consider pointing with index finger to be rude)

Counting:  Thumb = 1 in Germany, 5 in Japan, middle finger for 1 in Indonesia.
 

5.   Facial Expressions

While some say that facial expressions are identical, meaning attached to them differs.  Majority opinion is that these do have similar meanings world-wide with respect to smiling, crying, or showing anger, sorrow, or disgust.  However, the intensity varies from culture to culture.  Note the following:

o    Many Asian cultures suppress facial expression as much as possible.

o    Too much smiling is viewed in as a sign of shallowness.

o    Women smile more than men.
 

6.   Eye Contact and Gaze

In USA, eye contact indicates: degree of attention or interest, influences attitude change or persuasion, regulates interaction, communicates emotion, defines power and status, and has a central role in managing impressions of others.

o    Western cultures — see direct eye to eye contact as positive (advise children to look a person in the eyes).

o    Arabic cultures make prolonged eye-contact. — believe it shows interest and helps them understand truthfulness of the other person.  (A person who doesn’t reciprocate is seen as untrustworthy)
 

7.   Touch

Communicating through touch is another important nonverbal behavior. In business, the handshake is often the only appropriate expression of touch so it’s critical to have a good one, for example:

o    Islamic and Hindu:  typically don’t touch with the left hand.  To do so is a social insult.  Left hand is for toilet functions.  Mannerly in India to break your bread only with your right hand (sometimes difficult for non-Indians)

o     Islamic cultures generally don’t approve of any touching between genders (even handshakes).  But consider such touching (including hand holding, hugs) between same-sex to be appropriate.

o    Many Asians don’t touch the head (Head houses the soul and a touch puts it in jeopardy).

3.   Smell

Smell, too, is a form of nonverbal communication. Smell or olfactory communication is a major mode of communication in the
animal world, and it would be surprising if there were not at least
some residual manifestations in human communication

4.   Paralanguage

o    Vocal characterizers (laugh, cry, yell, moan, whine, belch, and yawn).  These send different messages in different cultures (Japan — giggling indicates embarrassment; India – belch indicates satisfaction)

o    Vocal qualifiers (volume, pitch, rhythm, tempo, and tone).  Loudness indicates strength in Arabic cultures and softness indicates weakness; Gender based as well: women tend to speak higher and more softly than men.

 

 

In this part, we have discovered that we characterize nonverbal communication as any significance shared through sounds, ways of behaving, and relics other than words. A portion of the distinctions between verbal and nonverbal communication incorporate the way that verbal communication utilizes one channel while nonverbal communication happens through different channels at the same time. Accordingly, verbal communication is unmistakable while nonverbal communication is consistent. Generally, nonverbal communication is sanctioned at an oblivious level while we are quite often aware of our verbal communication. At last, some nonverbal communication is viewed as general and unmistakable by individuals from one side of the planet to the other, while verbal communication is selective to specific dialects. There are many kinds of nonverbal communication including kinesics, haptics, appearance, objects, curios, proxemics, our current circumstance, chronemics, paralanguage, and quietness. These kinds of nonverbal communication assist us with sharing implications in our associations. Since you have an essential comprehension of verbal and nonverbal communication as an essential focal point of concentration in our field, we should take a gander at how hypothesis assists us with figuring out our reality.