Download Nonverbal Communication

Nonverbal Communication
Carla Gillson,
Central Lakes
College
Interpersonal
Communication
Introduction

NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION
according to Adler is “messages expressed by
other than linguistic means.”
[*]
Verbal words are spoken words and
expresses ideas.
[ ** ]
Nonverbal conveys attitudes and emotions
by tones in your voice, sighs, pauses,
body language, gestures, touch, space
facial expressions, etc.
* http://home.pages.at/amigo/bauernregeln.htm
** http://zzyx.ucsc.edu/~archer/intro.html
What does this represent to
you?
Physical Appeal

On a 10 point scale with 1 being
non-important and 10 being
extremely important how important
is body appearance to your own
romantic interest in another person?
Physical Appeal
Do the men and women you
know conform to the
stereotypes that say males
are more concerned with the
physical and females with
personality?
Why do we study nonverbal
communication?

Nonverbal messages communicate emotions

Nonverbal communication is strongly related
to verbal communication

Nonverbal communication is relational.
[ http://www.soapboxorations.com/donnellking/nvcom.htm ]
Other aspects of nonverbal
communication

Nonverbal cues are more believable

Nonverbal cues can be ambiguous

Nonverbal cues are continuous

Nonverbal cues are culture-bound
Culture-bound



The “OK” gesture made by
joining the tips of thumb
and forefinger to form a
circle is a cheery
affirmation to most
Americans, but is has less
positive meanings in other
parts of the world.
In France and Belgium, it
means “You’re worth zero.”
In Greece and Turkey it is
a vulgar sexual invitation.
CHOOSE ONE

Patient S. T. – is grouchy,
and something of a
hypochondriac. He is
scowly. He needs help
walking, but can take care
of himself once he reaches
his destination. He sleepsbut not a lot.


Patient B.R. – is kind and
appreciative. She cannot talk
too much, but is otherwise
communicative. She is
friendly, fearless, and
inquisitive. She looks good
and is relatively selfsufficient. She asks about the
nurse’s well being, and sleeps
through the night.
Patient J.T. – is extremely self centered. He cries a lot,
and cannot walk, cannot talk. He is incontinent and
cannot feed himself. He is almost bald, wrinkly and
cranky. He wakes up at all hours of the night.
Are gender behaviors different in
nonverbal communication?

WOMEN
• Make more eye
contact
• Are more vocally
expressive
• Interact at closer
distances
• Express more
feelings via facial
expressions
• Gesture more

MEN
• More Likely to lean
forward in
conversation
• Require more
personal space
• Typically angle their
bodies obliquely
• Use more expansive
gestures
R.Adler. Nonverbal Communication, Looking
Out, Looking In (2006): 234
Nonverbal behavior has
communicative value
There are, of course, some
messages which are
transmitted entirely in a
nonverbal manner through
gestures and facial
expressions. Pictures of
Winston Churchill taken
during World War 11 show
him communicating
encouragement to the
people by raising two
fingers in the familiar 'V for
Victory' sign. What did it
mean in the 60s?
www.topfoto.co.uk/gallery/WinstonChurchill
Principles of Nonverbals
You have heard “It ‘s not what she said, but the way she said it.”
Paralanguage:


laughing, crying, whispering, snoring, yelling, moaning,
groaning, yawning, whining, sucking, sneezing, sighing,
belches, hiccups
Remember that these characteristics are the vocal aspects of
these actions, so imagine that these pictures are making noises.
[ http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/Speech/rccs/theory44.htm ]
Messages in the Voice:

Phrases have different messages depending on what
parts we emphasize. For instance, take the sentence,
She's giving this money to me.

SHE is the one giving the money, nobody else.

She is GIVING, not lending.

MONEY is being exchanged, not anything else.

I am getting the money, nobody else.
[ http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/Speech/rccs/theory44.htm ]
How does silence fit in nonverbal
communication?
Where might this be used?

By using silence at strategic times,
you can sometimes get your decoder
to reveal certain feelings and
attitudes that may be hindering
effective communication. It is
important that we find out how we
are doing in our effort to
communicate; we do this through
feedback. Silence can be an effective
technique to encourage feedback.
BODY LANGUAGE-KINESICS

Have you ever found yourself in a
difficult situation and realized that
you were shifting your weight in the
chair? Or running a finger around the
inside of your collar? Or clearing your
throat nervously? Nonverbal
communication frequently reveals
the emotional side of our
communications. What happens to
you?
BODY LANGUAGE

Whether we are aware of it
or not, each of us spends a
lot of time decoding body
language. We observe a
wrinkled forehead, a raised
eyebrow, a tug on the ear,
fingers tapping on the
table top, legs crossed and
uncrossed, arms crossed
over the chest. These
movements should be
considered in relation to
the message itself;
however, many times the
nonverbal communications
come through louder than
the words that are actually
being spoken.
EYES- Kinesics

Probably everyone has had
some experience with eyes
as nonverbal
communicators. Most of us
have been stared at and
have wondered why. Was
it curiosity or ill manners?
But then there is the
possibility the observer
found us attractive and
interesting and was issuing
an invitation to get better
acquainted. Most of us
have decoded "eye
language" even if we did
not know about body
language or nonverbal
communication.
DID YOU KNOW?
Researchers measured the amount of
pupil dilation while showing men and
women various types of pictures.
The results were interesting: A
person’s eyes grow larger in
proportion to the degree of interest
in an object. For example, men’s
pupils grew about 18% larger when
looking at pictures of a naked
woman.
BUT……..

Women’s pupils grew 20% when
looking at pictures of a naked man!!
Interestingly enough, the greatest
increase in pupil size occurred when
women looked at a picture of a
mother and infant.
E.M.Hess and J.M.Polt, “Pupil Size as Related to Interest value of Visual Stimuli” Science 132
EYE CONTACT



How important is direct eye contact
to our culture?
Can you think of cultures where it is
not appropriate?
Fie, fie upon her! There’s language in her eyes, her cheek, her lips. Nay
her foot speaks, her wanton spirits look out at every joint and motive in her
body.
William Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida
Nonverbal – Physical Space
(proxemics)


Intimate – no more
than 18 inches apart
Social – 4 -12 feet (if
we don’t know people
very well)


Personal – 18 inches to
four feet (a personal
conversation). The better
you get to know someone
the closer you will get to
them
Public – over 12 feet –
to speak publicly –
usually gesture more,
speak louder
Touch - Haptics

The closer you stand to
someone, the more
likely you will touch.
Clothing - Appearance

The bottom line is
that we make
assumptions about
people based on what
they wear.
CONCLUSION
she dresses in flags
comes on
like a mack truck
she paints
her eyelids green
and her mouth
is a loud speaker
rasping out
profanity
at cocktail parties
she is everywhere
like a sheep dog
working a flock
nipping at your sleeve
spilling your drink
bestowing
wet sloppy kisses
but I
have received
secret messages
carefully written
from the shy
quiet woman
who hides
in this
bizarre
gaudy castle
~Ric Masten