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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS
UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES
BUSINESS/COMMUNICATION SKILLS
An Assignment Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the BA Degree in Public Administration
Student’s Name
:
Kunda Mando
SIN
:
1608325088
Assignment No
:
One
Lecturer’s Name
:
Mr. Chengo .D
Year/Semester
:
2016/One
Question:
“Non Verbal Communications are vital in the study of communication. Identify at
least ten body languages, their possible means and the consequence to the process
of communication”
The term nonverbal communication was introduced in 1956 by psychiatrist Jurgen Rueldon Kees
in the book Nonverbal communication, notes on the visual perception of human relations.
Nonverbal communication is the process of sending and receiving messages without using
words, either spoken or written. It is also known as manual language.
Body language is a language in which physical behaviour, as opposed to words, is used to
express feelings. Such behviour includes facial expressions, body posture, gestures, eye
movement, mouth, touch and the use of space. Body language exists in both animals and
humans. Body language must not be confused with sign language, as sign languages are full
languages like spoken languages and have their own complex grammar systems, as well as being
able to exhibit the fundamental properties that exist in all languages. Body language on the other
hand, does not have a grammar and must be interpreted broadly. Instead of having an absolute
meaning corresponding with a certain movement, so it is not a language like sign language and is
simply termed as a language due to popular culture.
Facial expression is integral when expressing emotions through the body. Combinations of eyes,
eyebrow, lips, nose and check movements help form different moods of an individual (e.g.
happy, sad, depressed, angry, etc). According to Klima (1979:71), “facial expression and bodily
expression (i.e. body language) are congruent when interpreting emotions and the recognition of
facial expression is influenced by perceived bodily expression”. This means that the brain
processes the other’s facial and bodily expressions simultaneously. The accuracy in judging
emotions based on facial expression can be true because the face and the body are normally seen
together in their natural proportions and the emotional signals from the face and body are well
integrated.
The eyes are frequently referred to as the ‘window to the soul’ since they are capable of revealing
a great deal about what a person if feeling or thinking. As you engage in conversation with
another person, taking note of eye movements is a natural and important part of the
communication process. Some common things you may note is whether people are making direct
eye contact or averting their gaze, how much they are blinking or if their pupils are dilated.
Eye gaze, when a person looks directly into your eyes when having a conversion, it indicates that
they are interested and paying attention. However, prolonged eye contact can feel threatening.
On the other hand, breaking eye contact and frequently looking away may indicate that the
person is distracted, uncomfortable, or trying to conceal his or her real feelings
Blinking is natural, but you should also pay attention to whether a person is blinking too much or
too little. People often blink more rapidly when they are feeling distressed or uncomfortable.
Infrequent blinking may indicate that a person is intentionally trying to control his or her eye
movements. For example, a poker player might blink less frequently because he is purposely
trying to appear unexcited about the hand he was dealt
Pupil size, one of the most subtle cues that eyes provide is the size of the pupils. While light
levels in the environment control pupil dilation, sometimes emotions can also cause small
changes in pupil size. For example, you may have heard the phrase “bedroom eyes” used to
describe the look someone gives when they are attracted to another person
Mouth expression and movements can also be essential in reading body language. For example,
chewing on the bottom lip may indicate that the individual is experiencing worry, fear or
insecurity. Covering the mouth may be an effort to be polite if the person is yawning or
coughing, but it may also be an attempt to cover up a frown of disapproval. Smiling is perhaps
one of the greatest body language signals, but smile can also be interpreted in many ways. A
smile may be genuine, or it may be used to express false happiness, sarcasm or even cynicism
Body postures, emotions can also be detected through body postures. According to Onsager
(2014: 6) says that, “body postures are more accurately recognized when an emotion is compared
with a different neutral emotion”. For example, a person feeling angry would portray dominance
over the other, and their posture would display approach tendencies. Comparing this to a person
feeling fearful, they would feel weak, submissive and their posture would display avoidance
tendencies, the opposite of an angry person.
Sitting or standing postures also indicate one’s emotions. A person sitting till the back of their
chair, leans forward with their head nodding along with the discussion implies that they are open,
relaxed and generally ready to listen. On the other hand, a person who has their legs and arms
crossed with the foot kicking slightly implies that they are feeling impatient and emotionally
detached from the discussion. In a standing discussion, a person stands with arms akimbo with
feet pointed towards the speaker could suggest that they are attentive and is interested in the
conversation. However, a small difference in this posture could mean a lot. Standing with arms
akimbo is considered rude in Bali.
Gestures are movements made with body parts (e.g. hands, arms, fingers, head, legs) and they
may be voluntary or involuntary. Arms gestures can be interpreted in several ways. When one
stands, sits or even walks with folded arms, this is normally not a welcoming gesture. It could
mean that they have a closed mind and are most likely unwilling to listen to the speaker’s
viewpoint. Another type of arm gesture also includes an arm crossed over the other,
demonstrating insecurity and a lack of confidence. Hand gestures often signify the state of wellbeing of the person making them. Relaxed hands indicate confidence and self-assurance, while
clenched hands may be interpreted as sign of stress or anger. If a person is wringing their hands,
this demonstrates nervousness and anxiety.
Finger gestures are also commonly used to exemplify one’s speech as well as denote the state of
well-being of the person making them. In certain cultures, pointing using one’s index finger is
deemed acceptable. However, pointing at a person may be viewed as aggressive in other
cultures, for example, people who share Hindu beliefs consider finger pointing offensive.
Instead, they point with their thumbs. Likewise, the thumbs up gesture show “OK” or “good” in
countries like the US, France, Germany and even Zambia. But this same gesture is insulting in
other countries like Iran, Bangladesh and Thailand, where it is equivalent of showing the middle
finger in the US.
Handshakes are regular greeting rituals and are commonly done on meeting, greeting, offering
congratulations or after the completion of an agreement. They usually indicate the level of
confidence and emotion level in people, but in Muslim and Hindu cultures, men may not shake
hands or touch women in any way and vice versa. Instead, they greet women by placing their
hands as if praying. A firm, friendly handshake has long been recommended in the business
world as a way to make a good first impression, and the greeting is thought to date to ancient
times as a way of showing a stranger you had no weapons.
Personal Space, it is important to note that the level of personal distance that individuals need to
feel comfortable can vary from culture to culture. For example is the difference between people
from Latin cultures and those from Africa (Zambia). People from Latin countries tend to feel
more comfortable standing closer to one another as they interact while those from Zambia need
more personal distance.
What you communicate through your body language and nonverbal signals affects how others
see you, how well they like and respect you, and whether or not they trust you. Unfortunately,
many people send confusing or negative nonverbal signals without even knowing it. When this
happens, both connection and trust are damaged.
Nonverbal communication can be used alone or alongside verbal communication. Either way,
your nonverbal communication can affect the messages you send, your relationships and your
cultural interactions and help you negotiate through conversations. It can add valuable
information to the verbal messages that you are sending. According to Stella Ting-Toomey,
“nonverbal signals can be used to complement, emphasize, substitute and even contradict what
you are saying through your verbal communication”. Nonverbal signals can place the verbal
message in a context that provides a basis for how the message should be interpreted. In addition,
nonverbal cues help you to clarify what other person is trying to say by responding to their words
with your nonverbal signals.
Cultural differences can cause nonverbal signals to create friction. According to Ting-Toomey,
nonverbal signals mean different things to people from different cultures. The use of multiple
nonverbal cues displayed with each message can create confusion, and factors of gender,
personality, socioeconomic statues and situation can cause the meaning behind the nonverbal
signals to vary greatly. Nonverbal communication can be powerful , when used among nonhomogeneous groups the effects can cause confusion and miscommunication
According to Help Guide, nonverbal cues impact the quality of your relationships and when used
correctly can improve your relationships. Nonverbal signals can help you gain an accurate
reading of others’ unspoken feelings and underlying messages, create feelings of trust through
the transparency they create and demonstrate understanding and interest. If used correctly,
nonverbal communication can improve relationships with other but if its poorly used, your
relationships may suffer through a loss of connections and trust
In a community, there are agreed – upon interpretations may vary from country to country, or
culture to culture. Body language, a subset of nonverbal communication, complements verbal
communication in social interaction. In fact it can be concluded that, nonverbal communication
accounts for the majority information transmitted during interpersonal interactions. It helps to
establish the relationship between two people and regulates interaction, but can be ambiguous.
Hence, it is crucial to accurately read body language to avoid misunderstanding in social
interactions.
REFERENCES
Collins, A., (2003). Gestures, Body Language and Behaviour. New York: DKC
Klima, E.S., and Bellugi, U., (1979). The Signs of Language. Cambridge, MA: Harvard
University Press.
Onsager, M., (2014). Understanding the Importance of Non-Verbal Communication. Body
Language Dictionary. New York