Nonverbal Communication

Brittany Wagers 11/08/10

It is the very essence that differentiates us from most other species on earth. It is what gives us the ability to emote, to do business, to interact with any and all levels of our society. On that note, it is what gives our society the intricate and specialized hierarchy differing us again from all other types of animals inhabiting this planet. From this we build relationships, both personal and business, and what builds us into a multi-faceted. The small feat of effective communication can make or break relationships, careers, or even mold and effect national security. From birth, we are taught that communication is key to getting both what we desire and require. It begins with simple crying, the louder babies cry, the faster they are fed. From there, the more we ask why, the more we learn in school. The better we speak and build relationships at work, the more likely we are to climb the corporate ladder. And in the twilight of our lives, we find the need to communicate our wisdom in catchy adages and cryptic sounding idioms. I begin with a brief synopsis of communication as a whole, what entails communication and the necessary attributes that define communication. There are 5 main parts of communication, all important not only to communication in general, but to communicating effectively. First we have the Encoder. This is the spark of communication, from whence the entire process begins. This part selects data and packages it specifically for an audience, either speaking, encoding, painting, gesturing, or a slough of other ways. The second part is the decoder. This is the intended recipient of the message from the encoder. This is done by the perception of the message, basing on total knowledge and the sum of the decoders life

experiences. We also have the actual tangible message. This is the encoded data or set of ideas that is being transmitted. Quite possibly the most important part of communication, as there has to be a careful construction of this device as to ensure that there is no miscommunication between the encoder and the final decoder. We also have the medium of the communication. This is where the split between verbal and nonverbal is seen. The message can be written, it can be spoken, painted, sculpted, and danced even. Finally, the most important facet of communication for effective communication is feedback. When the encoder is displaying information, data, or ideas, there is an intended audience and an intended response the encoder is attempting to elicit with the presentation thereof. Effective communication saves time, it improves relationships, builds trust, fosters camaraderie and also helps to logistically control and instruct more fluidly and without incident. One of the most misunderstood and underestimated forms of communication is nonverbal communication. It is simply the way that human beings both send and receive signals and messages to each other. As simple as a concept as it is, there really isnt anyone that can fully grasp this often subtle and surely culture specific complexities of this form of communication. There isnt one school of thought, or one uniformly adopted method of understanding all facets of nonverbal communication. It is the goal of this essay to both identify and explain the categories of nonverbal communication, identifying certain features and degrees of nonverbal messages, and also expressing the cultural complexities are thrown into the mix.

In its first study, from famed scientist Charles Darwing, nonverbal communication has come from a sidelined part of our daily lives into something that is not only studied but taught. Nonverbal communication, as small and finite changes can be, has blossomed only recently in the last 100 years into a billion dollar business. Around the world, professionals in all fields study the art of the perfect handshake, the perfect poker face, the gestures needed for compelling presentations, and even the art of coming off as genuine to prospective customers and clients. To begin, it would be most proper to explain the difference between standard straightforward communication and the more subtle nonverbal communication. Generally, standard communication is messages conceived and displayed or projected in a fashion as to the recipient can fully understand and grasp the meaning, both general and underlying. This is of course best understood as standard conversing. Whether speaking to small or large audiences, speaking to inform, to persuade, it is all communication. Also, communication includes the written word, letters, papers, superbly written essays documenting communication, signs, emails, text messages, etc. Nonverbal communication, on the other hand is a combination of the smaller more subtle movements, tones, gestures, and facial expressions that combine what an observer gathers from our whole person. Nonverbal communication can also include things outside of the person. Architecture is an example of communication, often expressing religions, cultural movements and sometimes as a form of art.

Nonverbal communiqus primarily convey our emotions, attitudes, and and underlying impetuses. They are used to reinforce our verbal communication, to emphasize what we express directly, or can even contradict what point we are actually trying to make. Generally, these are ambiguous, but more reliable than spoken word, as it is much more difficult to lie with our hands than with our tongues. The easiest to recognize and most often easily read form of nonverbal communication is the facial expression. Without uttering a single syllable, the human face is able to express hundreds of emotions. When we are happy, we smile. When we are sad we frown. For pain, we contort our face, for confusion we may look taken aback. When are surprised we go wide-eyed, and when we are in awe, a unique dumbstruck look takes our face. Facial expressions are also very unique, ironically in that they are not unique to any one town, city, state, region, province, country, continent, or even hemisphere. A smile is a smile, expressing joy, happiness, and pleasure the world over, whether in Brazil or Baghdad. A frown is never misunderstood whether in Vermont or Vienna as someone being happy. Confusion doesnt take different shapes in Ulan Batar than it does in the Ukraine. It is the one generall universal type of nonverbal language. Also, the eyes, whethere and dazed and uninterested look, or a bright and attentive gaze, are sure signs to someones level of involvement in communication. When we are lying or deceiving someone, we are generally less likely to make eye contact. When we are expressing deeply emotional feelings, we tend to

increase eye contact. In the event of stressful situations, people find eye contact one of the most appealing and relaxing ways of relieving stress. Being able to gaze into ones eyes and see, figuratively, into their soul is the number one way of expressing and understanding love. Without consciously making the decision to do so, the searching of a target of communications eyes allows us to see subtle clues into the sincerity of whoever it may be. Along with facial expressions, a level of nonverbal communication much easier to read than the rest is what linguists refer to as paralanguage. Without even understanding what we are saying, we express many emotions in our voices. Tone, inflections, rhythm, pace and volume all culminate to create the second half of communication. Monotone expression doesnt convey importance, excitement, or any of the emotions that simple cues from the voice can. By the intensity with which you speak, the inflection of your tones, people around the world can understand your commitment or level of personal interest in a certain situation. The pace of our words and the timing behind them also help to express sincerity, or lack thereof. Also, guttural sounds can help to communicate a level of understanding and connection with the speaker. Paralanguage is most important in sarcasm and persuasive arguments. Without the proper inflection, sarcasm can come of as serious. There is the fine line between the two. Also, in a persuasive argument, it is the emphasis of phrases and words that express true conviction of the part of the speaker.

More subtly and surely much more overlooked is the speakers choice of dress and even bodily characteristics. When applying for a job, tattered jeans and a stained tee shirt is generally not acceptable. Without saying so, this conveys a nonchalant attitude, something that prospective employer would surely see as a turn off. Other elements go into impressions of people before they are even given the ability to speak. Skin color, gender, certain pieces of clothing, the amount of cologne or perfume someone is wearing, the degree to which accessories are used are all factors everyone subconsciously takes inventory of for people in the distance. Often, first impressions rarely include much more than a few words, as most of what needed to be known was rounded up on the way to meet. Generally, tall people are found to be more impressive. Study after study has found that managers, political leaders, and executives tend to be of above average height. It is why when speeches are given, platforms are used on stages. Height adds legitimacy. On the flip side of this, weight takes legitimacy from many otherwise qualified individuals. A study conducted in 3 Japanese provinces found that citizens with more than 30 lbs over the average weight for their age group were 35% less likely than their colleagues to be promoted to positions of power and larger monetary gains. Another form of communication is the physical environment is which people surround themselves. The architecture of a house can shed much light on its inhabitants. Choice of furniture, amount of lighting, colors and even temperature can speak volumes as to the people that live somewhere. How we express ourselves

and what we enjoy to surround ourselves with shows character traits to people on the outside looking in. We may simply like the contemporary black and white feel, but to others we may come off as out of touch, modern, liberal, or a host of other assumptions that can be reached about the fenq shui of a room. More commonly, a layperson sees nonverbal communication in a persons movements and actions during communication. A persons gait, whether long and lackadaisical or pronounced and with purpose can speak volumes as to how seriously one takes themselves, others, jobs, or scial gatherings. When people sit up and more rigid, it shows a certain amount of engagement to the situation at hand. This, opposed to someone taking the shape of the chair, is how people again communicate attentiveness to situations. When standing, how and which way we lean shows out openeness or opposition to certain ideas. Sometimes how we hold ourselves can come off as either standoffish or accepting. Least subtly and most consciously executed is of course the gesture. A gesture is something expressly done to convey meaning or to reinforce a topic. Gestures can be made with the hands, arms, full body, or the head. Whether throwing someone a wink, or rolling of the eyes in disbelief. We wave our hands to say hello, we beckon to objects and people of interest. With hundreds of emotions, there are many more hundreds of gestures to reinforce our position on things. Under gestures we also find dance, whether interpretive or otherwise. This requires a certain amount of work in both the expressing party and the receiving

one. With dance, the conceptualization of the entire performance becomes more difficult, as the meaning must manifest itself using a variety of techniques, non of which are black and white, and which can be taken to mean different things. There are always multiple meanings, both underlying and version type. Nothing is quite more culture specific as gestures either. A thumbs up in The United States is quite different than the same gesture in Pakistan. A simple sign of approval here can be something vile and despicable in many other countries. Again, A-Ok can mean certain positive things in North America but is grounds for aggression in South America and some parts of Europe. Cultural differences and certain specific cultural nuances make it difficult or any one specific gesture to be entirely universal. Finally, the last facet of nonverbal communication is the first sense humans develop as the fetus. The simple touch, that of certain physical contact with others can help to drive home certain messages, or express other feelings and emotions. When first meeting someone, it is not uncommon to shake their hand. Kissing is an oft-used method of expressing affection and love. There are quite different degrees and levels to how people use haptics to communicate. Some people are described as touchy-feely while others can be labeled as cold. When discussing emotionally tinged subjects, a simple touch can go a long way. On the flip side, a platonic touch can be mistaken for something above what the toucher had intended. After discussing the different methods of nonverbal communication, we must discuss how these are fit into categories. With so many forms of nonverbal communication, whether person to person, architectural, oral, aesthetically, all can

be broken down and fit into one of four different categories. In his book, G.W. Porter gives us the first true breakdown of the different categories and theyre uniting factors. The first is Physical Nonverbal communication. The most personal type of communication, it is the most easily noticed and also controlled. These types of communication are tones in the voice, facial expressions, gestures, and the sense of touch and smell. Second, we have Aesthetic. This form on nonverbal communication is done through creative expression. Painting, playing music, sculpting, and even dancing are all forms of Aesthetic nonverbal communication. We also have Signs; this is the type of communication that is normally mechanical, done through the use of sounded noises, horns, sirens, etc. Finally, we have symbolic forms of nonverbal communication. The is the most broad form, encompassing the use of such things as religion, time-period specific, or shows of status and wealth. Nonverbal communication is quite possibly one of the most overlooked and underappreciated forms of expressing ourselves to the outside world. Many people find it easy to emote and to share their thoughts and feelings with others using the simple wave of an arm, stroke of a brush, or dart of the eye. When people have difficulties in expressing themselves nonverbally, whether clinically challenged or otherwise, it can pose a serious obstacle in fostering interpersonal relationships and business relationships. Many people are physically unable to express themselves using nonverbal communication, and, sometimes worse, are terrible at reading others nonverbal

signs. These types of people would include people who are autistic or people who have Asperger syndrome. There are again hundreds of self-help books and many more hundreds of courses on treating the issue, as it is so very serious and crucial in personal development in and out of the workplace. In conclusion, nonverbal communication takes as many forms and mediums as there are different paintings in the world, as there are as many gestures you use, or as many facial contortions you can create. With the above essay, it is better understood as to what types of communication actually encompass nonverbal communication, what types of communication fall into certain categories in nonverbal communication, and a brief comparison between standard communication and nonverbal communication. Whether sent through paintings, through gestures, or a simple flinch, nonverbal communication can speak volumes more than what people actually mean to directly convey, and can often be a gateway into the true predilections and prejudices that the encoder has assembled. Whether a message repeats, conflicts, complements, substitutes, or regulates a message, it is absolutely vital that everyone come to understand not only what others can convey with their nonverbal cues, but also how to control our own. It is something that can help us to show sympathy more effectively in the simple touch of an arm, or to show professionalism when shaking hands and making eye contact, or even the ability to cover up your poker face when bending the truth. It is our own nonverbal cues that are really trouble for most people. Not being able to control such cues can be devastating in both personal and business relationships, as to complete communication, you need nonverbal signs to reinforce it. It is this simple and subtle

way of communication that human beings differ from all other species, how we interact and build our societies, nonverbal communication remains an yet to be fully understood and grasped field of study.

Bibliography

Andersen, Peter. (2007). Nonverbal Communication: Forms and Functions (2nd ed.) Waveland Press.

Knapp, Mark L., & Hall, Judith A. (2007) Nonverbal Communication in Human Interaction. (5th ed.) Wadsworth: Thomas Learning. ISBN 0-15506372-3

Segerstrale, Ullica., & Molnar, Peter (Eds.). (1997). Nonverbal Communication: Where Nature Meets Culture. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. ISBN 0-8058-2179-1