Gestures and Vocal Expression

Gestures

When you are speaking gestures are particularly useful as they help you to organize spatial and motor information into packages appropriate for speaking.

Gesture: confers a cognitive benefit on the speaker

Your X-factor and information processing

Gestures are important because they allow us to present information in a multidimensional manner.

For example: Wiggling fingers convey a multitude of information in terms of time, trajectory, space, form and as a result this one image can present multi-dimensional meaning.

Gestures can be used to supplement words. This is especially true when we are trying to convey a mental image or a cognitive concept.

The use of gesture to accompany the spoken word increased the informational value of the message by approximately 60%.

Embodied Cognition

Our mental processes are shaped by our bodies. Our thoughts are shaped by the types of perceptual and motor experiences we have as we interact each day with the world.

Types of Gestures

1. Deictic gesture: Involves pointing and it is often used by children.

2. Iconic gesture: When we use a gesture which closely resembles a concrete object or event.

3. Metaphoric gesture: When a gesture is used to present an abstract concept.

4. Emblems: Use of gesture to communicate a message typically recognized by the community.

Gestures and beats

• Beats give a clue as to the inner workings of the mind of the speaker.

The use of gesture in classrooms

o A number of studies have found that lessons which are characterized by the use of gestures are more effective than the same lessons without their usage.

o Learners who gesture spontaneously on a task are more likely to retain what they have learned about the task than learners who do not gesture.

oTeaching which includes gesture has been found to facilitate learning.

Teachers tend to use gesture more frequently in Math than in other lessons.

Math teachers used from five to seven unspoken representations of mathematical ideas per minute.

GESTURES can vary according to culture!

The type of culture you live has a great impact on your degree of gesturing.

Vocal Expression

The way we use our voice often gives away the true meaning of what we want to say.

• The voice is a leakier channel than the face, it is not so well controlled and is more likely to reveal true feelings.

Pitch It has to do with the number of vocal vibrations of the vocal folds.

The sound of your voice changes as the rate of vibrations varies.

• As the number of vibrations per second INCREASES, so does the pitch meaning the voice would sound higher.

• For example, Joy and Elation can be associated with raised pitch and pitch variability. Depression can be associated with raised pitch, breathy quality and longer more silent pauses.

Voice intonation and the classroom X-factor

• Vocal variety is the factor which students associate most positively with learning.

• Students associate vocal monotone as the behavior most negatively associated with learning.

Steps for teachers:

1. Ensure there is a proper quality of projection.

2. Monitor the rate at which you speak.

3. Vary the kinds of intonation you use.

Your V-factor and Gender

• Men tend to have louder and lower pitcher voices.

• Women tend to smile more while they speak, the voice quality gains a higher pitched sound. Women make more use of voice intonation and of specific voice intonation patterns.

Vocal fluency and persuasiveness

• Big difference in gender Fluency.

• Men are less fluent than women, making more speech errors in general.

RATE OF SPEECH AND ITS VOLUME

Connected to persuasiveness

Other factors connected to persuasiveness

• Facial pleasantness and activity.

• Less direct shoulder orientation.

The faster the rate of speech, the lower the estimation of dominance.

Kinds of pause

• Silent pause:

Users of silent pauses can be interpreted as angry, contemptuous or anxious.

• Filled pauses:

Users of filled pauses were interpreted as anxious or bored.

Extroverted people

• They are more fluent, allow for shorter pauses in conversation turn taking, have shorter pauses in their own speech, fewer hesitation and speak faster.

In order to appear confident, it is better to allow yourself small periods of silence between your words when you are thinking rather than filling the gaps with “ums” and “ers”

ProsodyIt is used to describe the use of vocal variations to change the meaning of what is being said.

The obvious “habitat” for prosody rests in our use of questioning.

Teachers ask about two questions per minute.

A pupil asks one question per month.

Personality and your V-factor

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• For men, greater affection is associated when the average pitch level is low.

• Women are perceived as more affectionate when their average pitch is high.

Dominant individuals tend to have voices which are louder than less dominant individuals.

The V-factor and attractive voices

Your voice and breathing

• Feelings of severe strain reveal themselves in a hoarse and strained voice as tension in the neck and throat muscles affect our vocal resonance.

• When we are anxious, we can also produce more speech errors, especially in the early stages of interaction.

Dysfluencies

Your V-factor and your accent

• One’s accent Extralinguistics

• Accent powerful catalyst for prejudice.

• Emotion dialects: your accent and how you express your emotions.

They relate to the manner in which your cultural identity affects the way you express emotions nonverbally.