Nonverbal Communication
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Sarah McAllister, Lydia Martin, Stephanie Sedmak
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Nonverbal communication, or the expression of messages
through facial expressions, gestures and body language, is
essential to successful relationships in the workplace.
Examples of this type of communication include eye contact,
posture and voice speed.
Employees and managers should be aware of how they
communicate in these nonverbal ways in the workplace.
Importance of Nonverbal Communication
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What a person’s body language communicates
may be different from what their words
communicate
Research shows that 65% to 93% of the time
people will believe the nonverbal
communication over the verbal communication
Conflicting Messages
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The chief effect of conflicting verbal and
nonverbal messages is that there will be
misinterpretations
Poor communication causes problems in the
workplace
Effects of Conflicting Messages
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About 65 to 75 percent of all communication is nonverbal
in nature
an employee may conclude that a new worker doesn’t like
him or her because that person doesn’t make eye contact or
keeps a reasonable distance between them. But the person
could be shy or introverted and may have been interpreted
incorrectly
Having a great eye contact or a reasonable distance
between you and the other person shows them that you are
paying attention to them.
Nonverbal communication
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Body language is very different across the
world, and it is becoming increasingly popular
to teach businesspeople and politicians body
language of a particular culture before they are
sent overseas
Misunderstandings can be life threatening
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1988: Two Laotian men shot outside of bar
1998: American couple in New Zealand arrested
Cultural Differences
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The “thumbs up” gesture: Means “good” in
most cultures, with the exception of Australia,
New Zealand, and most African countries
Eye Contact: while expected in western
countries, it is seen as a challenge and
disrespectful in Asian countries
Hand movements: With the exception of Italy,
these are not prevalent during conversation
and are generally permissible in the West, they
are seen as rude in countries such as Japan
Examples