Nonverbal Communication

Nonverbal Communication

“Oral and non oral messages

expressed by other than linguistic
means.”
Messages transmitted by vocal

means that do not involve

language.
Verbal and
nonverbal are
interconnected and
operate together in
communication.
It is powerful

 65% of all communication is nonverbal.

Used to repeat the verbal message (e.g. point in a
direction while stating directions

Often complement the verbal message but also may

contradict. E.g.: a nod reinforces a positive message
(among Americans); a “wink” may contradict a stated
positive message.

Note the implications of the proverb: “Action speaks

louder than words.” In essence, this underscores the
importance of non-verbal communication.
How many characteristics of
nonverbal communication are
there ?

 Vyf
 Cinque
 Penki
 One more try ?
 ‫خمسة‬
 Nonverbal communication may be intentional or
unintentional, since often when people
communicate nonverbally, they are unaware of
it.

SO DON’T GIVE ME THOSE EXPRESSIONS THAT THIS IS JUST ANOTHER PRESENTATION

THAT YOU UNKNOWINGLY ARE.
Nonverbal communication is primary,
because it takes precedence over
verbal communication.

YOUR GESTURES SAY ALMOST EVERYTHING EVEN BEFORE THE FIRST

WORD COMES OUT OF YOUR MOUTH
Nonverbal communication is often ambiguous,
since a nonverbal behavior
may have different meanings depending on the
user’s personality, family
influences, and culture.

ANALYSE THE PARTY YOU ARE TALKING TO.

Nonverbal communication is continuous, because
one is constantly
communicating through nonverbal behaviors.

BEFORE YOU START

TALKING
AND EVEN WHEN YOU STOP
Nonverbal communication is multichannel, since
we use a variety of
cues to make an interpretation

SEE MY GESTURE AND GUESS WHAT’S NEXT.

ROLES AND EFFECTS OF NON
VERBAL COMMUNICATION
Roles of Non Verbal
Communication
 Repetition – They can reinforce what is already
being said. They can repeat the message the
person is making verbally.
 Contradiction – They can contradict the
message and make the speaker seem untruthful
 Substitution – They can take the place of words.
They can substitute for a verbal message. For
example, a person's eyes can often convey a far
more vivid message than words do.
 Complementing – They can compliment a
verbal message. A boss who pats a person on
the back in addition to giving praise can
increase the impact of the message.
 Accenting – They can underline a certain
point in the message. Pounding the table, for
example, can underline a message.
Effects of Non verbal
Communication
 Workplace Relationships
Having a conscious awareness of your nonverbal
communication when you are also communicating
verbal messages allows others to receive the
message the way you intended to deliver your
message. Positive nonverbal communication helps
colleagues in the workplace build positive business
relationships, whereas negative nonverbal
communication can cause conflicts and other
negative disturbances in the workplace. Many
people build positive business relationships by
consistently delivering positive nonverbal
communication to others.
 Workplace Performance
 Effective communication is important to managers in business
organizations because their communication with employees
affects how employees perform their duties. Managers may
provide information to employees in regards to various job-
related matters, such as employee policies, job performance
objectives, work schedules and deadlines. Employees must make
adjustments to any changes communicated by managers in
regards to workplace matters. The manager’s attitude, which is
mostly communicated by nonverbal messages, can produce
either positive or negative attitudes by the employees; this can
affect their attitude and emotions when performing job duties
and either raise or lower employee morale. In other words,
communicating positive nonverbal cues when speaking with
employees can increase employee morale and job performances.
 Workplace Relationships
 Having a conscious awareness of your nonverbal
communication when you are also communicating
verbal messages allows others to receive the
message the way you intended to deliver your
message. Positive nonverbal communication helps
colleagues in the workplace build positive business
relationships, whereas negative nonverbal
communication can cause conflicts and other
negative disturbances in the workplace. Many
people build positive business relationships by
consistently delivering positive nonverbal
communication to others.
 Workplace Performance
Effective communication is important to managers in
business organizations because their communication
with employees affects how employees perform their
duties. Managers may provide information to employees
in regards to various job-related matters, such as
employee policies, job performance objectives, work
schedules and deadlines. The manager’s attitude, which
is mostly communicated by nonverbal messages, can
produce either positive or negative attitudes by the
employees; this can affect their attitude and emotions
when performing job duties and either raise or lower
employee morale.
 Intercultural Friction
Cultural differences can cause nonverbal signals to
create friction. 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 status and
situation can cause the meaning behind the
nonverbal signals to vary greatly. Nonverbal
communication can be powerful, but when used
among non-homogeneous groups the effects can
cause confusion and miscommunication.
 Effects on Relationships
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 others, but if it's poorly used, your
relationships may suffer through a loss of
connections and trust.

• The word kinesics
comes from the root
word kinesis, which
means “movement,”.

• It refers to the study

of hand, arm, body,
and face movements.
1) FACIAL EXPRESSIONS
• They refer to the use of the forehead, brow, and facial
muscles around the nose and mouth to convey meaning.
• They can convey happiness, sadness, fear, anger, and other
emotions.
 2) GESTURES

There are three main types of gestures: adaptors, emblems,

and illustrators.
• Adaptors: satisfy some physical need such as
scratching, or represent a psychological need
such as biting fingernails when nervous.

• Emblems: Gestures that serve the

same function as a word are called
emblems.
• Illustrators: Gestures which
accompany words to illustrate a
verbal message are known as
illustrators.
3) EYE CONTACT

• It specifically refers to eye contact with another

person’s face, head, and eyes and the patterns of
looking away and back at the other person during
interaction.

• Eye contact provides turn-taking signals, can be used to

give feedback, signals when we are engaged in
cognitive activity, and helps establish rapport and
connection, among other things.
4) HEAD MOVEMENTS AND POSTURE

• Head movements and posture include the orientation of

movements of our head and the orientation and
positioning of our body and the various meanings they
send.

• Head movements such as nodding can indicate

agreement, disagreement, and interest, among other
things.
• Posture can indicate
assertiveness, defensiveness,
interest, readiness, or
intimidation, among
other things.
• Haptics refers to touch behaviours that convey meaning
during interactions.
• Touch operates at many levels, including functional-
professional, social-polite, friendship-warmth, and love-
intimacy.
• It refers to the vocalized but not verbal aspects of
nonverbal communication. It includes the manner in
which you say something rather than what you say.

• It includes-
1. Rate- speed at which you speak
2. Volume- loudness or quietness of voice
3. Pitch- the highness or lowness of vocal tone

• These qualities reinforce the meaning of verbal

communication, allow us to emphasize particular parts
of a message, or can contradict verbal messages.
• Proxemics refers to the use of space and distance
within communication.
• US Americans, in general, have four zones that
constitute our personal space:
Time can be classified into several different categories,
including biological, personal, physical, and cultural time.

• Biological time (the rhythms of living things)

• Personal time (the ways in which individuals experience
time)
• Physical time (the fixed cycles of days, years, and
seasons)
• Cultural time (how a large group of people view time)
1. Polychronic people do not view time as a linear
progression that needs to be divided into small units
and scheduled in advance.
2. Monochronic people tend to schedule their time
more rigidly and do one thing at a time.
• It refers to how the objects we adorn ourselves and our
surroundings with, referred to as artifacts, provide
nonverbal cues that others make meaning from.
• Personal presentation involves two components: our
physical characteristics and the artifacts with which we
adorn and surround ourselves.
NON VERBAL COMMUNICATION:
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES
How do you greet when you are from

INDIA PAKISTAN USA

How do you greet when you are from

ARGENTINA CHINA
INTRODUCTION
DID YOU KNOW?
NON VERBAL COMMUNICATION ALSO
DIFFER IN REGIONS OF THE SAME
COUNTRY.

Nonverbal cues are critical in the workplace. These cues can

tell you whether your staff understands your instructions,
whether your customer is interested in buying, and much
more.

The nonverbal language we learned while growing up seems

natural. And while some facial expressions, such as fear or
disgust, are universal biological reactions, most other
nonverbal cues are learned behaviour with no universal
interpretation.
 Personal space is the distance two people keep
between themselves in order to feel comfortable.

GENDER
Two women will
naturally stand AVAILAIBLE SPACE
closer to each One from India/NYC
other than two will be accustomed to a
men. smaller circle of
personal space than
one living in Mongolia INTIMACY
or Montana Two friends will
stand closer to
STATUS each other than
A person of two business
higher status is associates.
normally
instinctively
granted more
space.
 The duration and frequency of eye contact
communicates a great deal—honesty, respect,
shame, interest—but the rules governing eye
contact and what it means differ widely among
cultures.

ARABS
Have greater eye contact than
Americans among members ASIANS
of the same gender. Direct eye contact is very brief, with
the gaze then sliding away to the
side, especially with superiors or
MUSLIMS members of the opposite sex
Direct eye contact between
members of the opposite sex is
considered bold and flirtatious.
AMERICANS/BRITONS
The members have the most brief
eye contact in the world.
LATINOS
It is respectful to avoid direct eye
contact with authority figures.
 The volume at which we speak says nearly as much
as the words themselves, communicating shyness,
uncertainty, anger, enthusiasm, and more by the
degree to which it varies from a baseline. But
normal baseline volumes also vary among cultures
and among individuals.

White Americans
interpret raised
Baseline speaking voices as signs of
anger or hostility In some African
volume is generally
whereas for non- cultures, whispering
lower among Asians
white Americans & is a signal of
and Western
other ethnic groups, witchcraft,
Europeans.
simply a sign of plotting, or
American tourists in
exciting conversation malicious gossip.
these parts of the
Good manners
world are often seen
dictate speaking
as rude and
Loudly enough.
thoughtless
 Compared to other cultures, Americans rarely touch each other, limiting
themselves to handshakes and occasional pats on the shoulder or arm in business
relationships, or hugs in closer friendships.

 Latin Americans and Middle Easterners touch with much

greater frequency. In these cultures, it is not uncommon for two men to hold
hands, signifying nothing more than friendship.

 Certain other groups, such as the Japanese, touch less than

Americans and may be uncomfortable being touched in a casual relationship.

 People from cultures with conservative customs regulating inter-gender

relationships may be extremely uncomfortable being touched by someone of the
opposite sex.

 Touching someone on the head is offensive to most Asians.

 Other cultures are NOT
failed attempts at being
you: they are unique
manifestations of the
human spirit.

SMILING FACIAL CONTROL

ASIANS>AMERICAN Researchers have
S>EUROPEANS shown that
Japanese/Korean have
a great control over
their facial expressions
while Americans have TIME
little. For Americans, respect
is conveyed through
punctuality. In
HEAD NOD Latin/Middle Eastern
Can be a YES nations, respect is
Can be just a gained by continuation
Greeting. of meetings till a
conclusion is reached.
 IMPROVING NON-VERBAL
COMMUNICATION

Pay Attention Look for Concentrate

to Nonverbal Incongruent on Tone of
Signals Behaviours Voice When
Speaking

Use Signals to
Make
Use Good Eye
Communicati
Contact
on More
Effective
THANK YOU