Non-Verbal Communication 12

8/3/2019 Non-Verbal Communication 12

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Non-Verbal Communication

By V P Bhagat


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What is Non-Verbal Communication?

When we communicate our thoughts without using words,Communication is called non-verbal.

The popular aphorism Actions speak louder than words holds agreat deal of meaning when it comes to understanding the essence ofnon-verbal communication.

Non-verbal is the way in which we ex press our feelings, emotions,attitudes, opinions and views through our body movements.

In verbal communication we use words, in non verbalcommunication, we use our eyes, hands, face and other bodymovements to express our thoughts. The body and its movementsubstitute words.


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Non-verbal Signifiers are Like Words

In body language, there are single gestures and cluster gestures.

Single gestures like nod of the head are equivalent to single

words like, yes or don't know.Cluster gestures like standing, talking using hands to make ourpoint, are equivalent to arrangement of words in a sentence for ameaningful message.

For effective message we have to select the right words, arrange

the words in a proper grammatical structure, supported by the righttone. Similarly in body language, the gestures have to beappropriate to convey that we have in mind.

An angry Face may put off people from approaching you, or araised voice might suggest that you are either annoyed disapprove

the other person's conduct.


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Non-verbal Signifiers are Like Words

In real life verbal and non-verbal communication cannot beseparated. Our oral speech is accompanied by the movement

of eyes, use of hands and pitch of our voice. In written communication, the non-verbal communication

signifiers are the use of white space, proper margins, right kindof fonts, right length of sentence, length of paragraphs and linespacing..

A page that has matter condensed closely is usually skipped bythe reader or it is rejected.

A poor visual appearance of a proposal or a resume will promptthe reader to reject it.


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Non-verbal Communication

Sub- Disciplines

Scientific study has been made in the following sub-disciplines

Kinesics (K)

Occulesics (O) Paralanguage / Paralinguistics (P)

Proxemics (P)

Artifactics (A)

Phonemics' (C)

Tactilics (T)

Registering the different kinds of body movements under the label KOPPACTwill help us to associate the nuances of each skill and its relation to the totalsynchronization of body language

Normally human gestures come in clusters and it is these clusters that we need

to study for an overall meaning of human behaviour and oral communication.

In today's multiculturalism, knowing others as well as one's own non-verbal

cues have become essential.


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Kinesics

The different ways in which people move their bodies that includepostures, gestures, head nods, and leg movements, are called Kinesics.

Gestures have been classified in three categories: Emblems These have direct verbal translations, like nodding of head for

yes, shaking the head for no or waving the hand for hello or saying bye

bye They are used in place of words.

IllustratorsThese gestures naturally accompany our speech andaccentuate what we say. Very often, we tend to close our palm in a fist

formation or bang the table to suggest our mode of thinking ,often for thepurpose of emphasizing our points.

Adaptors These are unconscious movements of body that originate fromthe nervous state of our mind. In an interview , when the candidate is nervous,she/he may unconsciously crack knuckles, shake legs, or tap the foot.

All these three types of gestures are natural accompaniments of our speech


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OCCULESICS

This is the science of the movement/grammer of our eyes and of facialimpressions. In the science of occulesics began with charles darwin when hepublished his scientific study Expression of the Emotions in the Man and

Animals, in 1872. it is claimed that in the science of the body language,there are 7,50,000 signals, of which 15,000 come from the face alone(Richard Denny).

The Power of our eyesThe study of facial expression begins with the eyesbecause they are the most powerful medium of communication we posses

other than words. Poets, writing, artists, and film makers have spent considerable time

imagining the beauty and grace of human eye and the subtle power theyposses.

The dynamics of our eye movement have been labelled as EYE GRAMMER.

The main ones according to Michel Argyle & other researchers are :- EYEGRAMMER.


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OCCULESICS1. Staring eyes Too much eye contact that either shows superiority or lack

of respect, a threatening attitude or a wish to insult.

2. Too little eye contactIt has multiple interpretations. The gesture

indicates dishonesty, impoliteness, insincerity, and also shyness.

3. Withdrawal of eye contactThis is considered as a sign of subm.

4. Frequently looking away at people from a distanceThis is generallyan extroverts behaviour, interested in knowing reactions, or to dominate or

to influence or scrutinize.

5. Scarcely looking at a person when in close proximityAn introvertshows this kind of behaviour, when discussing intimate or difficult topics, ordislike for the other person.

The faceYou can read his face like an open book, is common remarkmade about people whose facial expressions show a lot of transparency ofexpressions. Emotional people have a demonstrative face that shows all

type of feelings.


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ParalinguisticsThis is the science of the vocal cues that accompany our speech.

The science of paralinguistics refers to the volume, pitch, tone intonationmodulation, and the rate of speech.

Accent, stress, rate of speaking, pitch and volume help us to judgepeoples age, sex, attractiveness, educational background and level ofconfidence in the voice, often these micro factors influence us to thinkwhether we should trust a person or not.

A high speed of talking in interviews or presentations will not instill

confidence in the interviewers or the audience.The raised voice, high pitch. and tone are exploited by politicians to earnquick applause. Alternatively, when pauses are taken, words areemphasized or pitch is kept low, the speaker is definite to show a lot ofconfidence and maturity in his communication.

Hence paralinguistics skills can be seen as extremely influencing and

important non verbal skills


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Proxemics

It is the study of the distance between people and objects.Proxemics, the science of space, is an important area of study in thenon-verbal communication. It was Edward Hall who first coined the

term proxemics, and defined the four space zones as

The intimate zone ( o-.5 m )

The personal zone ( .5-1.2 m )

The social zone ( 1.2-3 m )

The public zone ( 3 m )

The language of space is important in the context of business as weare always involved with human interactions of a high speed nature.Except for the public zone, very often, the mix up of other three zonescan create problems at work.

It is important for an individual at work to find out from the non-verbal

cues of the person whether he is free to attend to your request.Violation of spaces can create wrong impression.


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Artifactics

The non-verbal message signals that an individual sendsacross through appearance, clothing, perfume, personal

objects like pens, cell phones, briefcases, etc. belong tothe area of artifactics. These form apart of a your totalpersonality.

In interviews or presentations, your artifactics do influence theprospective interviewers or audiences perception of you.

The pressing demands for personal grooming and personalhygiene, till now neglected, have become important to amanager for his professional image.


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ChronemicsThe concept of time its impact on people is the science ofchronemics. Like proxemics, chronemics too is culture bound .

Time keeping of course, does not mean looking at your watch and

keeping time. It means several things:

Have you taken appointment if you wish to meet someone ?

Do you inform that the meeting is likely to be of certain period?

Do you limit your meetings to specific points?

Do you intervene and hijack the talk?

Are you punctual for your appointments?

The way we use time tells others about our personality like clothing,personal hygiene and other personal habits.

Unscheduled visits, long telephone chats, absence of time log books,long memos are major time robbers and reduce our efficiency at work

and result into poor time management.


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TactilicsTactilics is the science of touch language, it includes touchingself, others, and objects.

Research shows two kinds of touch language:

Bodily contact - Refers to touches that are accidental andunconscious and any part of the body may be involved in it.

Touching with hands - Touching implies that the actions aredeliberate, conscious, and made primarily by hands. Humanconsciously or sub-consciously express through the language of touch

because it fulfills physiological and sociological need.Various kinds of touch are:

A pat on a shoulder ( assurance/ encouragement )

Holding hands and arms (social gesture of goodwill/ goodbye)

Stroking hair or face / caressing (In a close relationship)

Touching both palm together to greet a visitor. Touchin the feet of elderl eo le to a res ect.


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Neuro- linguistic Programming

It is a science that deals with the way human beings think andprocess the outer world through their senses.

The word neuro refers to our nervous system, the mental pathwaysof our five senses by which we: hear, feel, taste, see and smell,consciously or unconsciously, and translate our thoughts intoexperiences.

The word linguistic refers to our ability to use:

Language,

Specific words phrases to mirror our mental worlds,

Silent language of postures, gestures, and habits that reveal our

thinking styles , beliefs, and opinions.

The word programming is borrowed from computer science,suggests that our thoughts, feelings and actions are simply habitual

programs that can be changed by upgrading our mental software,

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Non-Verbal Communication 12