Assignment on

Skill Development in Nonverbal Communication Course: Business Communication

Submitted To
Abdullah-al-Mamun Faculty, NIFT

Submitted By
5Friends Group Name Roll No
Tanbir Rahman Aftab Khandaker Sheesh-Al-Labeeb Sharfuddin Ahmed Abdullah-Al- Noman 11 25 09 20 32

Contents
Chapters
INTRODUCTION OF NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION HISTORY OF NON VERBAL COMMUNICATION DIFFERENT TYPES OF NON VERBAL COMMUNICATION
A. B. C. D. E. F. G. H. I. J. According to G. W. Porter Body Language and Posture Gestures Clothing Facial Expression Proxemics: Physical Space in Communication Haptics: Touching in communication Chronemics: Time in communication Eye Gaze According to G. W. Porter 19

Page No
3 4 5

FUNCTION OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

Criticism Interaction of verbal and nonverbal communication Complementing Substituting

IMPORTANCE OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION NONVERBAL COMMUNICAION IN BUSINESS

Uses , Effects, Examples, Benefits, Approaches

21 23

NONVERBAL COMMUNICAION IN THE WORKPLACE

Eye Contact Posture Office Appearance Time

25

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICAION

Understanding non-verbal cues Listening skills Setting the stage for effective nonverbal communication Top 10 Nonverbal Communication Tips

27

HOW NONVERBAL COMMUNICAION CAN GO WRONG CONCLUSION BIBLIOGRAPHY

32 34 35

INTRODUCTION OF NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

Good communication is the foundation of successful relationships, both personally and professionally. But we communicate with much more than words. In fact, research shows that the majority of the messages we send are nonverbal. Nonverbal communication, or body language, includes our facial expressions, gestures, eye contact, posture, and even the tone of our voice. Human beings are able to communicate in a variety of ways besides the use of words. This type of communication is referred to as non-verbal communication. For example, Samuel Morse, inventor of the first electric telegraph, invented a special alphabet of dots and dashes called the Morse Code that is still used today. While the Morse Code was used to communicate words quickly over distances, other codes have been developed to conceal the meaning of messages. Such codes have played a significant role in a variety of military battles and are still used in contemporary times to secure important information that travels across the Internet. Nonverbal communication is usually understood as the process of communication through sending and receiving wordless (mostly visual) messages between people. Messages can be communicated through gestures and touch, by body language or posture, by facial expression and eye contact. Nonverbal messages could also be communicated through material exponential; meaning, objects or artifacts (such as clothing, hairstyles or architectures). Speech contains nonverbal elements known as paralanguage, including voice quality, rate, pitch, volume, and speaking style, as well prosodic features such as rhythm, intonation, and stress. Likewise, written texts have nonverbal elements such as handwriting style, spatial arrangement of words, or the physical layout of a page. However, much of the study of nonverbal communication has focused on face-to-face interaction, where it can be classified into three principal areas: environmental conditions where communication takes place, physical characteristics of the communicators, and behaviors of communicators during interaction. This paper aims at highlighting different types of non-verbal communication, its application in various situations (such as business, workplace ctc.), how to develop the skills of nonverbal communication and how non-verbal communication can go wrong.

HISTORY OF NON VERBAL COMMUNICATION

The first scientific study of nonverbal communication was Charles Darwins book The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals. He argued that all mammals reliably show emotion in their faces. Seventy years later Silvan Tomkins (19111991) began his classic studies on human emotions in Affects Imagery Consciousness volumes 1-4. Rudolf Laban (18791958) and Warren Lamb (1923-) raised body movement analysis in the world of dance to a high level. Studies now range across a number of fields, including, linguistics, semiotics and social psychology. Another large influence in nonverbal communication was Birdwhistell. Anthropologist Ray Birdwhistell pioneered the original study of nonverbal communicationwhat he called kinesics. He estimated that the average person actually speaks words for a total of about ten or eleven minutes a day and that the average sentence takes only about 2.5 seconds. Birdwhistell also estimated we can make and recognize around 250,000 facial expressions. It appears that all cultures have written or oral traditions expressing the importance of nonverbal communication to understanding human beings. Over thousands of years, Chinese culture has developed a set of rules about how to judge the character and personality of an individual by observing the size, shape, and relative positions of the nose, eyes, eyebrows, chin, cheeks, and forehead.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF NON VERBAL COMMUNICATION

List: Different types of nonverbal communication a) Body Language and Posture b) Gestures c) Clothing d) Facial Expression e) Proxemics: Physical Space in

Communication f) Haptics: Touch in communication g) Chronemics:Time in communication h) Eye Gaze i) According to G. W. Porter

Different types of nonverbal communication are described in the bellow:

BODY LANGUAGE AND POSTURE

How we hold our bodies can also serve as an important part of body language. The term posture refers to how we hold our bodies as well as overall physical form of an individual. convey a Posture wealth can of

information about how a person is feeling as well as hints about personality such person open, as is or

characteristics, whether confident, submissive. a

Sitting up straight, for example, may indicate that a person is focused and paying attention to what's going on. Sitting with the body hunched forward, on the other hand, can imply that the person is bored or indifferent. When you are trying to read body language, try to notice some of the signals that a person's posture can send.

Open posture involves keeping the trunk of the body open and exposed. This type of posture indicates friendliness, openness, and willingness.

Closed posture involves keeping the obscured or hidden often by hunching forward and keeping the arms and legs crossed. This type of posture can be an indicator of hostility, unfriendliness, and anxiety. Posture can determine if a person has an attitude, if the person is overbearing, and the like. If a person is standing, a person may lean against an obstacle to rest the body, or else stand straight up, thus showing a good posture as well as a purposeful meaning.

GESTURES
A gesture is a form of non-verbal communication in which visible bodily actions communicate particular messages, either in place of speech or together and in parallel with spoken words. Gestures include movement of the hands, face, or other parts of the body. Gestures differ from physical non-verbal communication that does not communicate specific messages, such as purely expressive displays, proxemics, or displays of joint attention. Gestures allow individuals to communicate a variety of feelings and thoughts, from contempt and hostility to approval and affection, often together with body language in addition to words when they speak. There are many kinds of gestures such as: Clenching fist Biting fingernails Rubbing chin Raising eyebrows Scratching head Hands behind head Sticking out tongue Shaking a finger Tugging at hair Smoothing hair Pursing lips Looking away Rubbing nose Tugging earlobe Pointing Squirming Folding arms Narrowing eyes Hands on hips Rocking Waving

CLOTHING
Clothing is the most common form of non-verbal

communication. The types of clothing that an individual wears convey nonverbal clues about his or her personality, background and financial

status, and how others will respond to them, for instance, Miniskirts can give a woman the appearance that she is not approachable. demonstrates response, in a this This certain case, a

negative and unapproachable response, simply via appearance. It is important to understand that their exterior and demeanor influence how others will react to them. An individuals clothing style can demonstrate their culture, mood, and level of confidence, interests, age, authority, value/beliefs, and their sexual identity. Some examples of a persons clothing type in which a negative message is being conveyed could include the following: A person with a sloppy appearance, messy hair, and wrinkled clothes sends the message, "I don't care". Also, a woman who wears a tight dress with a low-cut neckline may convey the message "I'm attractive and sexy" or Want to come back to my place tonight"? By showing the positive aspects of his or her self through dress attire and grooming, one can inspire confidence in his or her abilities. Nonverbal elements such as physique, height, weight, hair, skin color, gender, odors, and clothing send nonverbal messages during interaction. For example, a study, carried out in Vienna, Austria, of the clothing worn by women attending discotheques showed that in certain groups of women (especially women who were without their partners), motivation for sex and levels of sexual hormones were correlated with aspects of their clothing, especially the amount of skin displayed and the presence of sheer clothing. Thus, to some degree, clothing sends signals about interest in courtship.

FECIAL EXPRESSION
Facial expressions comprise a considerable amount of nonverbal communication. With our 80 facial muscles we can create more than 7,000 facial expressions. It is one of the most difficult types of nonverbal communication to master the subtle meanings and to be able to catch micro-expressions. Some facial expressions are similar where ever we are in the world. Human faces communicate happiness, sadness, anger and fear. This documented in Paul Ekman's 1960s studies of facial expression. The sensation of tasting something sour is similarly universal. The overall appearance of the face offer information about age, sex, race, ethnicity, and even status. Cleanliness, facial hare, use, over use or absence of make up all provide even more information. Expressions can fall into two groups: intentional, unintentional and within them a subgroup of micro-expressions. Micro expressions are facial markers displayed as momentary expressions that cause changes in the forehead, eyebrows, eyelids, cheeks, nose, lips, and chin, such as raising the eyebrows, wrinkling the brow, curling the lip. They are often fleeting. Most facial expressions are readily visible; Both types can positively or negatively reinforce the spoken word and convey cues concerning emotions and attitude. Next to the words we use, our face is the primary source we use to determine an individuals internal feelings or intent. Different facial expression: Joy / Happiness Anger
Sadness

Scared Surprise So, let's start easy. Take a look what the most basic emotions do with the face.

10

Joy / Happiness: Your forehead is relaxed, and may show light wrinkles as you eyebrows are lightly raised. The corners of the mouth are curling up, sometimes showing the teeth. If someone's laughing out loud, the mouth is open. The cheekbones are lifted. Your eyes show wrinkles in their outer corners (when 'the eyes don't smile', these wrinkles are absent; it's a telltale sign that someone isn't really happy). Anger: Your forehead is pushed together in a frown, pushing down the eyebrows. Oftentimes your teeth are showing, with snarling lips and depressed corners of the mouth. Your nostrils are standing out and the nose is wrinkled. The eyes are bulging out, putting tension on the eyelids.

Sadness: The corners of your mouth are depressed, often with a shaking lower lip. The eyebrows are squashed together, and the forehead is frowning. The skin around your eyes is pulled in, and the eyes are tearing up (or even crying). Wrinkles are forming from the nostrils to the corners of your mouth.

11

Scared: Eyes are getting big, and the eyebrows go up and then down again. Your lips are stretched outwards, and your lower lip is pulled down. Your skin will look pale, as blood is retracted from your head, and sweat can form on your forehead. Surprise: When you're surprised, your eye brows are pulled up high, making your eyes wide open, and your forehead wrinkled. Your mouth opens as your jaw muscles relax and your lower jaw drops.

12

PROXEMICS: PHYSICAL SPACE IN COMMUNICATION

Proxemics is the study of how people use and perceive the physical space around them. The space between the sender and the receiver of a message influences the way the message is interpreted. When you are talking to someone stay out of their intimate space they want to talk to you but just do not want to have you all over them. Most animals have a certain air space around their bodies that they claim as their personal space0-18 inches being the intimate zone, 1.5-5 feet being the personal zone, 5-7 feet being the social zone and the public zone at over 12 ft. The term territoriality is used in the study of proxemics to explain human behavior regarding personal space. Hargie & Dickson (2004, p. 69) identify 4 such territories: 1. Primary territory: This refers to an area that is associated with someone who has exclusive use of it. An example is a house that others cannot enter without the owners permission. 2. Secondary territory: Unlike primary territory, there is no right to occupancy of secondary territory, but people may still feel some degree of ownership of such space as they develop the custom of occupying it. For example, someone may sit in the same seat in church every week and feel irritated if someone else sits there. 3. Public territory: this refers to an area that is available to all, but only for a set period, such as a parking space or a seat in a library. Although people have only a limited claim over that space, they often extend that claim. For example, it was found that people take longer to leave a parking space when someone is waiting to take that space. 4. Interaction territory: this is space held by others when they are interacting. For example, when a group is talking to each other on a footpath, others will walk around the group rather than disturb their interaction territory.

13

HAPTICS: TOUCHING IN COMMUNICATION

Haptics is the

study of touching as nonverbal

communication, and Haptics

communication refers to how

people and other animals communicate via touching. Touches among

humans that can be defined as

communication include handshakes, holding kissing hands, (cheek,

lips, hand), back slapping, high

fives, a pat on the shoulder, and

brushing an arm. Touching of oneself may include licking, picking, holding, and scratching. These behaviors are referred to as "adapters" or "tells" and may send messages that reveal the intentions or feelings of a communicator. The meaning conveyed from touch is highly dependent upon the culture, the context of the situation, the relationship between communicators, and the manner of touch. Touch is an extremely important sense for humans; as well as providing information about surfaces and textures it is a component of nonverbal communication in interpersonal

14

relationships, and vital in conveying physical intimacy. It can be both sexual (such as kissing) and platonic (such as hugging or tickling).Touch is the earliest sense to develop in the fetus. The development of an infant's haptic senses and how it relates to the development of the other senses such as vision has been the target of much research. Human babies have been observed to have enormous difficulty surviving if they do not possess a sense of touch, even if they retain sight and hearing. Babies who can perceive through touch, even without sight and hearing, tend to fare much better. Touch can be thought of as a basic sense in that most life forms have a response to being touched, while only a subset have sight and hearing. In chimpanzees the sense of touch is highly developed. As newborns they see and hear poorly but cling strongly to their mothers. Harry Harlow conducted a controversial study involving rhesus monkeys and observed that monkeys reared with a "terry cloth mother," a wire feeding apparatus wrapped in soft terry cloth that provided a level of tactile stimulation and comfort, were considerably more emotionally stable as adults than those with a mere wire mother.(Harlow,1958) Touching is treated differently from one country to another and socially acceptable levels of touching vary from one culture to another (Remland, 2009). In Thai culture, for example, touching someone's head may be thought rude. Remland and Jones (1995) studied groups of people communicating and found that touching was rare among the English (8%), the French (5%) and the Dutch (4%) compared to Italians (14%) and Greeks (12.5%). Striking, pushing, pulling, pinching, kicking, strangling and hand-to-hand fighting are forms of touch in the context of physical abuse. In a sentence like "I never touched him/her" or "Don't you dare touch him/her," the term touch may be meant as a euphemism for either physical abuse or sexual touching. To "touch oneself" is a euphemism for masturbation. Stoeltje (2003) wrote about how Americans are "losing touch" with this important communication skill. During a study conducted by University of Miami School of Medicine, Touch Research Institutes, American children were said to be more aggressive than their French counterparts while playing at a playground. It was noted that French women touched their children more.

15

CHRONEMICS: TIME IN COMMUNICATION

Chronemics is the study of the use of time in nonverbal communication. The way we perceive time, structure our time and react to time is a powerful communication tool and helps set the stage for communication. Time perceptions punctuality and include the

willingness to wait, plus the speed of speech and how long people are willing to listen. The timing and

frequency of an action as well as the tempo and rhythm of communications within an interaction to the

contributes

interpretation of nonverbal messages. Gudykunst & Ting-Toomey (1988) identified two dominant time patterns: monochronic time and polychronic time. Monochronic Time A monochronic time system means that things are done one at a time and time is segmented into precise, small units. Under this system time is scheduled, arranged and managed. The United States is considered a monochronic society. This perception of time is learned and rooted in the Industrial Revolution, where "factory life required the labor force to be on hand and in place at an appointed hour" (Guerrero, DeVito & Hecht, 1999, p. 238). For Americans, time is a precious resource not to be wasted or taken lightly. "We buy time, save time, spend time and make time. Our time can be broken down into years, months, days, hours, minutes, seconds and even milliseconds. We use time to structure both our daily lives

16

and events that we are planning for the future. We have schedules that we must follow: appointments that we must go to at a certain time, classes that start and end at certain times, work schedules that start and end at certain times, and even our favorite TV shows, that start and end at a certain time. Polychronic Time: A polychronic time system is a system where several things can be done at once, and a more fluid approach is taken to scheduling time. Unlike Americans and most northern and western European cultures, Native American, Latin American, Arab and African cultures use the polychronic system of time. These cultures are much less focused on the preciseness of accounting for each and every moment. As Raymond Cohen notes, polychronic cultures are deeply steeped in tradition rather than in tasksa clear difference from their monochronic counterparts. Cohen notes that "Traditional societies have all the time in the world. The arbitrary divisions of the clock face have little saliency in cultures grounded in the cycle of the seasons, the invariant pattern of rural life, and the calendar of religious festivities" (Cohen, 1997, p. 34). Instead, their culture is more focused on relationships, rather than watching the clock. They have no problem being late for an event if they are with family or friends, because the relationship is what really matters. As a result, polychronic cultures have a much less formal perception of time. They are not ruled by precise calendars and schedules. Rather, cultures that use the polychronic time system often schedule multiple appointments simultaneously so keeping on schedule is impossibility. Polychronic cultures include Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Mexico, the Philippines, India, and many in Africa.

17

EYE GAZE
Eye contact is a meeting of the eyes between two individuals. Eye contact is one of the most important forms of communication a human has when interacting with another individual non

verbally. Eyes are not only seen as the window into the soul, they are also able to give answers to critical questions an individual might have when interacting with another person. Whether in the work force, public speaking, at interviews, or participating in other social interactions, the length of eye contact, direction of gaze, number of blinks, and relative eyelid position are all used as nonverbal communication. Eye contact signals vary from culture to culture, and they even vary among certain religions. For example, in America, someone who is unable to maintain eye contact is seen as unconfident, shy, or submissive; however, in some Arab countries this person is also seen as disrespectful. Furthermore, some cultures, for example South Asia, might view this extended eye contact as challenging, rude, and aggressive. In Englishspeaking cultures, a certain amount of eye contact is required in daily social situations; however, too much eye contact can be uncomfortable or awkward. Common practice in American culture is to make eye contact in the beginning of the conversation and then let their gaze drift to the side periodically to avoid a "stare out," as a speaker. But as a listener, maintaining eye contact shows interest and that the listener is actually listening. It can also be used to communicate with different people. For example, people sometimes you it to talk across the classroom with one another. Sometimes girls use it to talk about another girl and make their own eye language and eye gazing. Eye contact length and form can not only be hostile or show emotion, but it can also be used to show attraction or desire. When dancing, if a girl gives extended eye contact to a man on the side of the room, she is sending him a message to ask her to dance the next song. If a couple sits across from one another at the dinner table and gaze for long time into each others' eyes, it is not considered uncomfortable, and is often meant as a message of love or infatuation.

18

ACCORDING TO G. W. PORTER

Symbolic Signs Aesthetic Physical

G. W. Porter divides non-verbal communication into four broad categories:

Physical. This is the personal type of communication. It includes facial expressions, tone of voice, sense of touch, sense of smell, and body motions. Aesthetic. This is the type of communication that takes place through creative expressions: playing instrumental music, dancing, painting and sculpturing. Signs. This is the mechanical type of communication, which includes the use of signal flags, the 21-gun salute, horns, and sirens. Symbolic. This is the type of communication that makes use of religious, status, or ego-building symbols.

19

FUNCTION OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

Criticism Interaction of verbal and nonverbal communication
Complementing Substituting

Argyle (1970) put forward the hypothesis that whereas spoken language is normally used for communicating information about events external to the speakers, non-verbal codes are used to establish and maintain interpersonal relationships. It is considered more polite or nicer to communicate attitudes towards others non-verbally rather than verbally, for instance in order to avoid embarrassing situations. Argyle (1988) concluded there are five primary functions of nonverbal bodily behavior in human communication: Express emotions Express interpersonal attitudes To accompany speech in managing the cues of interaction between speakers and listeners Self-presentation of ones personality Rituals (greetings) In regards to expressing interpersonal attitudes, humans communicate interpersonal closeness through a series of nonverbal actions known as immediacy behaviors. Examples of immediacy behaviors are smiling, touching, open body positions, and eye contact. Cultures that display these immediacy behaviors are considered high-contact cultures.

Criticism
An interesting question is: When two people are communicating face-to-face, how much of the meaning is communicated verbally, and how much is communicated non-verbally? This was investigated by Albert Mehrabian and reported in two papers. The latter paper concluded: "It is suggested that the combined effect of simultaneous verbal, vocal, and facial attitude communications is a weighted sum of their independent effects - with coefficients of .07, .38, and .55, respectively." This "rule" that clues from spoken words,

20

from the voice tone, and from the facial expression, contribute 7 %, 38 %, and 55 % respectively to the total meaning, is widely cited. It is presented on all types of popular courses with statements like "scientists have found out that . . . ". In reality, however, it is extremely weakly founded. First, it is based on the judgment of the meaning of single taperecorded words, i.e. a very artificial context. Second, the figures are obtained by combining results from two different studies which potentially cannot be combined. Third, it relates only to the communication of positive versus negative emotions. Fourth, it relates only to women, as men did not participate in the study. Since then, other studies have analyzed the relative contribution of verbal and nonverbal signals under more naturalistic situations. Argyle, using video tapes shown to the subjects, analyzed the communication of submissive/dominant attitude and found that non-verbal cues had 4.3 times the effect of verbal cues. The most important effect was that body posture communicated superior status in a very efficient way. On the other hand, a study by Hsee et al. had subjects judge a person on the dimension happy/sad and found that words spoken with minimal variation in intonation had an impact about 4 times larger than face expressions seen in a film without sound. Thus, the relative importance of spoken words and facial expressions may be very different in studies using different set-ups.

Interaction of verbal and nonverbal communication

When communicating, nonverbal messages can interact with verbal messages in six ways: repeating, conflicting, complementing, substituting, regulating and accenting/moderating. Conflicting Verbal and nonverbal messages within the same interaction can sometimes send opposing or conflicting messages. A person verbally expressing a statement of truth while simultaneously fidgeting or avoiding eye contact may convey a mixed message to the receiver in the interaction. Conflicting messages may occur for a variety of reasons often stemming from feelings of uncertainty, ambivalence, or frustration.[23]When mixed messages occur, nonverbal communication becomes the primary tool people use to attain additional information to clarify the situation; great attention is placed on bodily movements and positioning when people perceive mixed messages during interactions Complementing: Accurate interpretation of messages is made easier when nonverbal and verbal communications complement each other. Nonverbal cues can be used to elaborate on verbal

21

messages to reinforce the information sent when trying to achieve communicative goals; messages have been shown to be remembered well when nonverbal signals affirm the verbal exchange. Substituting: Nonverbal behavior is sometimes used as the sole channel for communication of a message. People learn to identify facial expressions, body movements, and body positioning as corresponding with specific feelings and intentions. Nonverbal signals can be used without verbal communication to convey messages; when nonverbal behavior does not effectively communicate a message; verbal methods are used to enhance understanding.

IMPORTANCE OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

The way you listen, look, move, and react tells the other person whether or not you care, if youre being truthful, and how well youre listening. When your nonverbal signals match up with the words youre saying, they increase trust, clarity, and rapport. When they dont, they generate tension, mistrust, and confusion. If you want to communicate better in all areas of your life, its important to become more sensitive to body language and other nonverbal cues, so you can be more in tune with the thoughts and feelings of others. You also need to be aware of the signals youre sending off, so you can be sure that the messages youre sending are what you really want to communicate.

Nonverbal communication cues can play five roles:

Accenting Complementing Substitution Contradiction Repetition

Repetition: they can repeat the message the person is making verbally Contradiction: they can contradict a message the individual is trying to convey

22

Substitution: they can substitute for a verbal message. For example, a person's eyes can often convey a far more vivid message than words and often do Complementing: they may add to or complement 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 may accent or underline a verbal message. Pounding the table, for example, can underline a message. Source: The Importance of Effective Communication, Edward G. Wertheim, Ph.D.

Knowledge of non-verbal communication is important managers who serve as leaders of organizational "teams," for at least two reasons:
To function effectively as a team leader the manager must interact with the other members successfully. Non-verbal cues, when interpreted correctly, provide him with one means to do so. The team members project attitudes and feelings through non-verbal

communication. Some personal needs such as approval, growth, achievement, and recognition may be met in effective teams. The extent to which these needs are met is closely related to how perceptive the team leader and team members are to nonverbal communication in themselves and in others on the team.

If the team members show a true awareness to non-verbal cues, the organization will have a better chance to succeed, for it will be an open, honest, and confronting unit. Argyle and his associates have been studying the features of nonverbal communication that provide information to managers and their team member.

23

NONVERBAL COMMUNICAION IN BUSINESS

Nonverbal communication encompasses numerous modes of expression. Physical examples include posture, gestures, eye contact, touch, physiological responses (such as clammy hands or a sweaty brow) and manner of movement. Clothing and adornment choices can also be a form of nonverbal communication. Because

business often involves frequent human interaction, understanding the elements of nonverbal communication can be an enormous benefit in terms of working with colleagues, competitors, clients and potential clients. Uses Effects Examples Benefits Approaches

Uses
Knowledge of nonverbal communication in business plays two roles. Managers use nonverbal communication to effectively lead other employees and team members. And team members in the business, whether they realize it or not, use nonverbal cues to communicate information to individuals outside the business, whether theyre clients, competitors or colleagues in a complementary industry.

Effects
In business, nonverbal communication can affirm or belie the words actually being spoken. Communication can be hindered when nonverbal cues seem to contradict whats being said.

24

When verbal and nonverbal communication messages act in concert, information is communicated more effectively.

Examples
Nonverbal communication in business occurs on a daily basis. Cooperating people tend to sit side by side, while competitors will frequently face one another. Crossed legs or folded arms during a business meeting may signify relaxation or resistance to the ideas being presented. Tactile communication can help or hinder business interactions. A firm handshake might be interpreted as confidence, while other physical touches, such as a lingering touch on the shoulder, might be seen as invasive of personal space.

Benefits
Business owners can gain from learning about nonverbal communication and its potential benefits. Nonverbal communication can increase the opportunity to interact with colleagues, competitors, clients and potential clients through avenues outside of explicit word choice. Posture, vocal tone and eye contact can deliver subtle messages that reinforce whats being said to convey consistency and trustworthiness. Another benefit is that nonverbal communication can help demonstrate confidence, enthusiasm and professionalism through attire choice, active listening cues and the ability to present a message. Nonverbal communication can play a special role in international business settings, where even with the aid of translators there may be a natural wariness about the accuracy of intentions, details or offers revealed.

Approaches
Practice beneficial nonverbal communication through effective eye contact while giving a presentation to large groups of people by alternating various approaches. Scan the audience, make eye contact with different areas of the audience or make four- to five-second eye contact with individual audience members. Rather than standing in one spot during the presentation, stroll around the stage naturally.

25

NONVERBAL COMMUNICAION IN THE WORKPLACE

The workplace is full of communication, both verbal and nonverbal. Employees should understand that sometimes nonverbal communication can be just as important as verbal. Communication is the key to success in the workplace. Communication occurs with vendors and customers. However, the most important communication takes place with fellow workers. Employees should keep remember that it is more than just the spoken word that is communicated with co-workers. In fact, it can be the non-spoken signals that speak volumes in the workplace.

Figure: Nonverbal Communication in the Workplace

Eye Contact Posture Office Appearance Time

Eye Contact
Employees need to give fellow workers the respect they deserve. By looking someone in the eye, the speaker feels as though the message is being carried through to the recipient. Eye contact promotes understanding and honesty. Often times, if someone does not look the other person in the eye, there may be a feeling of insecurity or dishonesty.

26

Posture
Slouching in the chair signifies a person who may not care about the message being sent. A sloppy posture says that the recipient may not be paying attention or may be purposely trying to distract the speaker. Leaning back in the chair or rocking back and forth shows boredom and a distinct lack of interest in the message. In contrast, sitting up straight and leaning in slightly tells the speaker you are interested in the communication that is occurring.

Office Appearance
Believe it or not, the state of an office also signals communication to co-workers. If a desk is messy and strewn with paperwork, a person glancing at the office may believe the occupant has a cluttered mind and is harried when it comes to work. Saving only the paperwork that will be needed in the future can cut down on the paperwork stack that many people experience. In addition, it is important to remember that only the things that are needed throughout the day need to be on the desktop itself. For example, a stapler, tape dispenser and pencil cup can be permanent fixtures on a desk. Correction fluid, sticky notes and extra notepads can be kept in a draw and pulled out only when needed. An uncluttered, clean desk communicates an organized and neat individual.

Time
Respecting the time of other workers is also a nonverbal form of communication. For those that attend meetings with co-workers, being on time is of utmost importance. Arriving on time shows respect for others time and contributions. Employees who are continually late for meetings and other appointments with co-workers signal that they may not respect their fellow employees time or jobs. For example, someone who is continually several minutes late for an 8 a.m. production meeting shows other employees that it is okay to arrive late and that the employee may not believe his or her time is as important as their time. Nonverbal communication is critical to the success of any workplace. It starts from the moment an employee applies for a job and continues through the employment of that particular employee. Realizing the importance of nonverbal communication can promote teamwork, respect and efficiency in any workplace.

27

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICAION

Understanding non-verbal cues Listening skills Setting the stage for effective nonverbal communication Top 10 Nonverbal Communication Tips

When selling to customers, your non-verbal communication skills - such as active listening and interpreting non-verbal cues - are just as important as what you say. Developing these skills will help you understand what your customers want, so you can offer them the most suitable products and services.

Listening skills
Listening to your customer to discover their needs helps you suggest appropriate products or services to meet those needs. Active listening is the process of confirming what you think your customer has said, and meant, by observing their verbal and non-verbal cues. To be a good active listener you should: Focus your full attention on your customer Briefly summarize your understanding of what your customer has said Take notes if necessary Use appropriate non-verbal cues such as nodding your head, inclining your body forward and maintaining eye contact Note your customer's non-verbal cues - are they eager, reluctant, impatient? Use appropriate, well-timed probing questions and summary confirmation questions.

Understanding non-verbal cues

Interpreting your customer's non-verbal signals and behaviours allows you to read their attitude and better understand their needs. Projecting the right non-verbal cues yourself can

28

help your customer feel at ease. Here are some positive and negative examples of nonverbal cues: Facial expressions Bad - wrinkling the nose, furrowing the brow or rolling the eyes Good - smiling, raised eyebrows, relaxed mouth

Eye contact Bad - avoiding your customer or looking outside your sales space Good - looking back to your customer's face and at your products

Smile Bad - closed, firm or expressionless mouth Good - smiling or relaxed mouth

Hands Bad - hands folded to the chest or near the face Good - hands moving freely, relaxed, touching the product

Gestures Bad - closed arms, dismissive hand gestures Good - open arms, nodding the head

Posture Bad - slouching, shoulders turned away Good - standing upright, inclining the body forward

Position Bad - moving too close, facing away Good - observing personal space accommodating cultural differences

29

Setting the stage for effective nonverbal communication

Nonverbal communication is a rapidly flowing back-and-forth process. Successful nonverbal communication depends on your ability to manage stress, recognize your own emotions, and understand the signals youre sending and receiving. This requires your full concentration and attention. If you are planning what youre going to say next, daydreaming, or thinking about something else, you are almost certain to miss nonverbal cues and other subtleties in the conversation. You need to stay focused on the moment-to-moment experience in order to fully understand whats going on.

To improve nonverbal communication, learn to manage stress: Learning how to manage stress in the heat of the moment is one of the most important things you can do to improve your nonverbal communication. Stress compromises your ability to communicate. When youre stressed out, youre more likely to misread other people, send off confusing or off-putting nonverbal signals, and lapse into unhealthy kneejerk patterns of behavior. Furthermore, emotions are contagious. Your upset is very likely to trigger upset in others, making a bad situation worse. If youre feeling overwhelmed by stress, its best to take a time out. Take a moment to calm down before you jump back into the conversation. Once youve regained your emotional equilibrium, youll be better equipped to deal with the situation in a positive way.

How emotional awareness strengthens nonverbal communication: In order to send accurate nonverbal cues, you need to be aware of your emotions and how they influence you. You also need to be able to recognize the emotions of others and the true feelings behind the cues they are sending. This is where emotional awareness comes in. Emotional awareness enables you to:

Accurately read other people, including the emotions theyre feeling and the unspoken messages theyre sending.

Create trust in relationships by sending nonverbal signals that match up with your words.

Respond in ways that show others that you understand, notice, and care.

30

Know if the relationship is meeting your emotional needs, giving you the option to either repair the relationship or move on.

Top 10 Nonverbal Communication Tips

1) Pay Attention to Nonverbal Signals 2) Look for Incongruent Behaviors 3) Concentrate on Your Tone of Voice When Speaking 4) Use Good Eye Contact 5) Ask Questions About Nonverbal Signals 6) Use Signals to Make Communication More Effective and Meaningful 7) Look at Signals as a Group 8) Consider Context 9) Be Aware That Signals Can be Misread 10) Practice, Practice, Practice

Pay Attention to Nonverbal Signals People can communicate information in numerous ways; so pay attention to things like eye contact, gestures, posture, body movements, and tone of voice. All of these signals can convey important information that isn't put into words. By paying closer attention to other people's nonverbal behaviors, you will improve your own ability to communicate nonverbally. Look for Incongruent Behaviors If someone's words do not match their nonverbal behaviors, you should pay careful attention. For example, someone might tell you they are happy while frowning and staring at the ground. Research has shown that when words fail to match up with nonverbal signals, people tend to ignore what has been said and focus instead on nonverbal expressions of moods, thoughts, and emotions. Concentrate on Your Tone of Voice When Speaking Your tone of voice can convey a wealth of information, ranging from enthusiasm to disinterest to anger. Start noticing how your tone of voice affects how others respond to you and try using tone of voice to emphasize ideas that you want to communicate. For example, if you want to show genuine interest in something, express your enthusiasm by using an animated tone of voice.

31

Use Good Eye Contact When people fail to look others in the eye, it can seem as if they are evading or trying to hide something. On the other hand, too much eye contact can seem confrontational or intimidating. While eye contact is an important part of communication, it's important to remember that good eye contact does not mean staring fixedly into someone's eyes. How can you tell how much eye contact is correct? Some communication experts recommend intervals of eye contact lasting four to five seconds. Ask Questions About Nonverbal Signals If you are confused about another person's nonverbal signals, don't be afraid to ask questions. A good idea is to repeat back your interpretation of what has been said and ask for clarification. An example of this might be, "So what you are saying is that..." Use Signals to Make Communication More Effective and Meaningful Remember that verbal and nonverbal communication work together to convey a message. You can improve your spoken communication by using nonverbal signals and gestures that reinforce and support what you are saying. This can be especially useful when making presentations or when speaking to a large group of people. Look at Signals as a Group A single gesture can mean any number of things, or maybe even nothing at all. The key to accurately reading nonverbal behavior is to look for groups of signals that reinforce a common point. If you place too much emphasis on just one signal out of many, you might come to an inaccurate conclusion about what a person is trying to communicate. Consider Context When you are communicating with others, always consider the situation and the context in which the communication occurs. Some situations require more formal behaviors that might be interpreted very differently in any other setting. Consider whether or not nonverbal behaviors are appropriate for the context. If you are trying to improve your own nonverbal communication, concentrate on ways to make your signals match the level of formality necessitated by the situation.

32

HOW NONVERBAL COMMUNICAION CAN GO WRONG

It takes more than words to create satisfying, strong relationships. Nonverbal communication has a huge impact on the quality of your personal and professional relationships. 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 and body language in relationships: Ted, Arlene, and Jack are all articulate speakers who say one thing while communicating something else nonverbally, with disastrous results in their relationships:

Jack gets along with his colleagues at work, but not with those who matter most to him. If you were to ask them why, they would say that Jack is too intense. Rather than look at you, he devours you with his eyes. And if he takes your hand, he lunges to get it and then squeezes so hard it hurts. Jack is a caring guy but has a terrible time being in sync with people. This awkwardness limits his ability to advance at work. He just isnt seen as being good with others.

Arlene is attractive and has no problem meeting eligible men. Keeping them is the problem! Arlene is funny and interesting, but even though she constantly laughs and smiles, she radiates tension. Arlenes shoulders and eyebrows are noticeably raised, her voice is shrill, and her body is stiff. Being around Arlene makes many people feel uncomfortable. Arlene has a lot going for her that is undercut by the discomfort she evokes in others.

Ted thought he had found the perfect match when he met Sharon, but Sharon isnt so sure. Ted is very eligible. He is good looking, hard working, and a smooth talker. The trouble is that Ted seems to talk more to him than to Sharon. When Sharon has something to say, Ted is ready with a reply before she finishes her thought. This makes Sharon feel ignored, and she has started to date other men. Ted loses out at work for the same reason. His inability to listen to others makes him unpopular with many of the people he most admires.

33

These smart, well-intentioned people struggle in their attempt to connect with others. None of them are aware of the nonverbal messages they communicate. If you want to communicate effectively, avoid misunderstandings, and enjoy solid, trusting relationships both socially and professionally, its important to understand how to use and interpret nonverbal signals.

34

CONCLUSION
Nonverbal communication is the process of sending and receiving messages from another person. These messages can be conveyed through gestures, engagement, posture, and even clothing and hygiene. Nonverbal communication can convey a very different message than a verbal conversation. This can tell someone whether they are likes, interesting or hated. Nonverbal communication and can have meanings in objects as well. Certain articles in a persons life can say a lot about them and can sometimes even talk for them. A persons handwriting can also tell a lot about the way they can communicate with others. Nonverbal communication can be easiest practiced when the two communicators are face to face. The nonverbal aspect of communication is easiest when the environment is right for all communicators involved, such as, when the environment is right or the moment is right. Nonverbal communication is an important aspect in any conversation skill people are practicing. Nonverbal communication will inhibit someone to be able to tell other person how they are really feeling without having to voice any opinions. People can interpret body signals better than they can talk most of the time.

35

Bibliography
Books:

Websites:
http://tanbirs.webs.com/mynift.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonverbal_communication http://helpguide.org/mental/eq6_nonverbal_communication.htm#what_is_it http://www.zeromillion.com/business/management/non-verbal-communication.html http://www.uen.org/themepark/communication/verbal.shtml http://psychology.about.com/od/nonverbalcommunication/ss/understanding-body-language_7.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gesture http://www.blatner.com/adam/level2/nverb1.htm http://www.speechmastery.com/facial-expression.html http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cultural_Anthropology/Communication_and_Language#Eye_Gaze http://smallbusiness.chron.com/benefit-nonverbal-communication-business-2831.html http://heather-rothbauer-wanish.suite101.com/nonverbal-communication-in-the-workplace-a105458 ,http://www.business.qld.gov.au/sales-customer-service/sales-practices/sales-skills/non-verbalcommunicationskills.htmlhttp://helpguide.org/mental/eq6_nonverbal_communication.htm#effective http://helpguide.org/mental/eq6_nonverbal_communication.htm#what_is_it http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&biw=986&bih=541&tbm=isch&oq=+Gestures&aq=f&aqi= &gs_sm=12&gs_upl=5699l5699l0l6674l1l1l0l0l0l0l0l0ll0l0&q=Gestures