Communication And The Effects Of Nonverbal Communication

For example, some cultures speak loudly and/or often while other cultures speak softly and/or only when necessary. Eye contact also varies by culture. Some cultures see direct eye contact as respectful while others see looking away or looking down as a sign of respect. It is important to understand how other cultures communicate so that there are fewer misconceptions when caring for people of another culture (Giger & Davidhizar, 2002).

Although Navarro put forward the consideration that people observed by him represent a fairly good number of the entire population, in fact this number only represent a very small number of people in couple of countries compare to the entire globe’s population. Therefore, his claim on nonverbal communication and body gesture cannot represent the entire globe’s population. In order to be representative, Navarro’s sample must include a variety of characteristics such as male and female, people of all race, people of all culture, and people from urban and rural background. And without actually testing these characteristics, his claim cannot be said to represent all

It’s not only how we speak to people but it can also be reflected through our body language. We have to bear in mind that other people’s cultures may find some gestures offensive to them. Being respectful to their beliefs and cultures is important in maintaining positive relations. A raise of an eye brow or shrug of the shoulder can send the

To me interpersonal communication describes the exchange of verbal and nonverbal messages between two different people. Joseph DeVito states that “interpersonal communication is inevitable, irreversible, and unrepeatable” due to these things effective communication is a necessary skill for us to function in our day to day lives (p. 20). Therefore, I have created a theory for interpersonal communication that goes as follows; To experience effective communication you must understand: your culture, the other person’s culture, and how to listen effectively. By knowing these three things you can consistently avoid misunderstandings and promote understanding in your interpersonal and intercultural relationships.

Non-verbal communication consists mainly of the things people do with their body language. There are times where words are expressed and non-verbal communication could help emphasize the message. A few examples of nonverbal communication are hand gestures eye contact, facial expressions as well as tone and volume. I was given this assignment to observe a situation and take note of the nonverbal communication that occurred. I also had to observe whether the non-verbals were able to execute the message and if the behavior was acceptable.

Chapter  4  –  Nonverbal  Communication 1. What  are  the  functions  of  nonverbal  messages? ● Substitute ● complement  verbal  messages:  adds  to  verbal  message,  improves  clarity  and  understanding ● contradict:  non  verbal  behavior  not  reflecting  verbal  message 2. Know  the  different  codes  (i.e.,  kinesics,  haptics,  proxemics,  vocalics,  chronemics,  and  self-­ presentation  cues). Code  1  -­  Kinesics  /  Use  of  the  body ● Gestures ○ Emblems  -­  gestures  with  explicit  meaning  and  dictionary  definitions ○ Illustrator  -­  gestures  that  accompany  verbal  message ○ Adaptors  -­  Touching  behaviors  that  reveal  internal  states  such  as  anxiety ■ self  adaptors ■ object  adaptors  -­  handling  of  objects ■ other  adaptors  -­  touching  other  people ● Eye  contact  /  Oculesics ○ both  people  are  looking  directly  into  each  others  eyes ● Functions ○ regulates  interaction ○ monitors  interaction ○ signals  cognitive  activity ○ expresses  involvement

There are eight key forms of nonverbal communications used on a daily basis. These forms can affect the way people view another person; however, without understanding the forms of nonverbal communication there is certain to be a lot of misinterpretations. Cultural and language differences are a common reason for miscommunication. When communicating with people in different cultures, a person should be extremely aware of the hand gestures and nonverbal communication tools they are using. Many of the hand gestures used in the United States that mean good things, mean offensive and profane things to other cultures. Nonverbal communication is described as body language, hand gestures, and facial expressions. It is known that people reveal more information through nonverbal communication, than words alone to get a point across. There will always be some interaction between two or more people that everyone’s

Body language (the process of communicating nonverbally through conscious or unconscious gestures and movements). People all of the world use body language or gestures to communicate nonverbally. I personally think that nonverbal communication and body language are one of the biggest barriers in communication especially between one culture to other. Body gestures can be misinterpreted as rude or disrespectful depending on the country, region, or even the city you’re from.

While communication across cultures relies on speech to convey the messages of those living in the same society, usually the unspoken language has a larger role to play in delivering these messages. Similar to the country’s language being specific to the region it surfaces from, body language and facial expressions also have individual characteristics within a particular region. There are shared attributes of nonverbal communication across the world but these are commonly divided into high and low context cultures. This results from different cultural beliefs and attitudes within such societies and impact on the social norms of communication. In Japan, the citizens communicate with actions and gestures to a larger percent in comparison to their speech, as they are able to understand each other’s meaning without additional words. Due to it being a high context culture Japan relies heavily on its nonverbal communication for its society to function efficiently and for adequate comprehension to be achieved.

When most of us think about communication, many of us immediately imagine ourselves talking to someone or writing them a message. Most of us do not actively think about the equally or more likely, much more important nonverbal cues that are very much a part of how people perceive our chosen messages. The main types of nonverbal communication cues that I focused on while I was observing my subjects were:

Every culture has a different way in communicating with one another, when no one is speaking. Nonverbal is a message that is sent from one person to another which does not include words, but body motions (Farb, 2017, textbook chapter 8, pg. 256). This is what it includes “eye contact, touch and vocal qualities; and the use of time, space, artifacts, dress, and smell” (Farb, 2017, textbook chapter 8, pg. 256). “Nonverbal communication is a key component to the steps of interaction, and many people rely on nonverbal cues to understand one another”. Nonverbal communication in use by people around the world without speaking a word, but using body motions and they still get messages out. The differences of verbal and nonverbal communications, is verbal uses symbols and nonverbal uses signals. In this nonverbal communication training-guide, it will explain the different body motions in the Muslim culture of what to do and what not to do, and what behavior is appropriate and what is not appropriate. These body motions will include Kinesics, Proxemis, Haptics, Paralanguage, Chronemics, Physical appearance/attire, Oculesics, and Olfactics.

Nonverbal communication is behaviors and characteristics that convey meaning with out the use of words. Sometimes accompanying verbal messages, to clarify or reinforce them. (Floyd, Communicating Nonverbally, 2013) It is said to be true that nonverbal communication sometimes gives more information that verbal communication. People’s facial expressions, gestures, and personal appearance are all forms of nonverbal communication and it relies on our sense of vision. For instance, when my sorority and I get together for a meeting and the president of our chapter stands up in front of everyone to share information, it is important that we let her know that we are interested by nodding our head in agreement, smiling at her, clapping our hands, and keeping eye contact with her so she knows our focus is on her. For our chapter it is important to reassure our president that we are listening and focused on what she has to say by using nonverbal behaviors. Without nonverbal communication, it would be hard to tell when someone is interested or not in a conversation. Nonverbal communication helps us maintain

As Yang (2015) has researched, eye contact is considered important when communicating with another person in English speaking countries; however, in some Asian, Indian and Pakistani cultures, people may not use eye contact with others as a sign of respect, especially if the person they are communicating with is of higher status. This could create challenges in a diverse classroom, as teachers in western classrooms will need to learn and understand that students may not use eye contact when communicating as a sign of respect, or because of their cultural beliefs. When communicating with people from different cultures that use no eye contact, citizens from the United States may perceive people to be uninterested in the conversation or preoccupied when communication. This may be due to the lack of eye contact used in these cultures. The use of gestures can also create challenges in a culturally diverse classroom, as gestures can mean different things among cultures. Yang (2015) has studied how teachers could potentially insult an international student from China or the Philippines for using a single-upright-finger gesture in order to beckon them over. This could be offensive to the students, as the Chinese and Philippines culture find this gesture insulting. Jandt (2007), and Yang’s (2015) research has shown how eye contact and the use of gestures

I recently observed a young couple interacting while sitting in a coffee house. To begin with, the couple seemed awkward and unsure initially and became more comfortable with one another as the time passed. The couple used all types of nonverbal signals but I particularly noticed there was very little space between them, they often touched, and they almost always maintained eye contact. While I observed them, they sat side by side on a small couch, facing each other, and the female sometimes touched the male's arms and thighs. Based on what I witnessed, the nonverbal signals helped this couple to successfully correspond to one another and moved along their conversation. Although I could not make out their conversation it was very evident both

“Systematic research on the role of nonverbal behavior in social interaction has been common only in the past 20 to 25 years.”(Edinger and Patterson, 1983, p. 30).because that statement was published in 1983, it is apparent that the study of nonverbal behavior has been around for roughly 50 to 55 years. However, that is still a relatively recent amount of time compared to research in other science fields such as chemistry or biology. Despite the fact that this field is relatively recent there are many theories about our interaction with others. This paper will discuss the nonverbal expectancy theory along with two other theories, and describe how these theories can work together.