Nonverbal Communication
Expresses...
• Immediacy
• Responsiveness
• Synchrony
Non verbal……
• Most nonverbal communication is
unconscious or subconscious
• Occurs mostly face-to-face
• Three factors in message interpretation:
Verbal Impact, 7 percent
Vocal Impact, 38 percent
Facial Impact, 55 percent
Non-Verbal Communication – a
definition…
• It is the way people:
• Reinforce the spoken word
• Replace the spoken word using their bodies
to make visual signals or their voices to make
oral but non-verbal signals
Medium – NON VERBAL
• sign language – gestures
• action language – movements
• object language – pictures, clothes etc
Verbal Communication-7%
Bodily Movements, Gestures-55%
Voice tone-38%
Types of Non-verbal
Communication
 Kinesics
 Paralanguage or Para Linguistics
 Proxemics
 Haptics
 Oculesics
 Olfactics
 Chronemics
 Chromatics
 Silence
 Sign language
Kinesics
(the study of body movements,
gestures, facial expressions,
etc., as a means of
communication)
Kinesics
Defined - the study of posture,
movement, gestures,
& facial expression.
Kinesics: facial expression
• Birdwhistle (1970): the face is
capable of conveying 250,000
expressions
Body Language (Kinesics)
• Body language includes facial expressions,
gestures, and posture and stance.
• To interpret facial expressions correctly, it is
important to take the communication context
and culture into account.
• People in some cultures rarely show emotion
(China); Asians will smile or laugh softly when
they are embarrassed.
Effective Use of Body language
•
•
•
•
Mind the body talk
Be careful with the handshake
Establish good Eye contact
Communicate at the level of the person
before you
• We must be ourselves
• Graceful Movements and Confident posture
improve the atmosphere at the workplace
We categorize
kinesics into
5 different kinds.
1. Affect Displays
• Movements of the face to
convey or show emotions
• Happy, sad, fear, anger, etc.
2. Emblems
• Substitutions for words
• Specific verbal translation
• EX: “OK,” “peace,” “be quiet”
3. Illustrators
• Accompany and literally illustrate
the verbal message
• EX: Saying, “Let’s go” while motioning
with your hands for them to go, it was
“this big” while showing how big,
making a circular motion while talking
about a circle
Illustrator
• Asking, “What time
is it?”
• At the same time,
pointing to your
watch.
4. Regulators
• Monitor, maintain,
or control the
speaking of another
individual
• EX: nodding your
head, “keep going,”
“speed up”
Regulators
• Who is sending
an “I’m really
listening”
regulator
message? How
do you know?
5. Adaptors
• Satisfy a need & are usually
unconscious
• 3 types:
1. Self-adaptors
2. Alter-adaptors
3. Object-adaptors
5. Adaptors
1. Self-adaptors: satisfy a physical
need
EX: scratching your head,
pushing your hair out of your
face
5. Adaptors
1. Self-adaptors
2. Alter-adaptors: body movements
you make in response to your
current interactions
EX: crossing your arms when
someone unpleasant approaches
5. Adaptors
1. Self-adaptors
2. Alter-adaptors
3. Object-adaptors: manipulation of
objects; often happen when
feeling hostile
EX: clicking pen, chewing pencil
Vocal Cues
Paralinguistic features - no word sounds
& non word
characteristics
of language.
Paralanguage or Para Linguistics ( systematic study of how a
speaker verbalizes)
Vocal Cues
Paralinguistic features
Vocal cues - all the oral aspects of sound
except words themselves,
which include...
pitch, rate, inflection,
volume, quality, sounds
& silence, pronunciation,
articulation, & enunciation.
• Voice
• Pitch variation
 Those who speak in monotones fail to keep
listener’s attention
 People in authority or When excited speak in high
pitched voice
• Speaking Speed
 Fluency in language is not the same thing as the
speed of speaking
 We should present easy parts of message at a
brisk pace and difficult, complicated parts at
slower pace.
 In state of anxiety, urgency we speak fast and
when relaxed at a comfortable speed.
Pause
Pace of speaking is also accompanied by pauses
But pauses have to be at the right moments
A pause can be highly effective in emphasizing
the upcoming subject and in gaining listener’s
attention
However frequent, arbitrary pauses spoil the
speech and distract listener’s attention
Very important for a speaker to carefully
monitor pauses
Non fluencies
 Pauses often inserted with sounds like ah, oh, uh,
um, you know, OK, yawning, laughing, chuckling…
 Carefully and sparingly used they add fluency to
speaker, give them time to breathe/ relax, make
listener more alert
 Too frequent insertions may irritate listener
Volume Variation
Loudness of our voice should be adjusted
according to size of audience
Some speakers believe only way to sound
convincing is to speak louder
2. Proper word stress
Eg: Have you met my wife before?
Proxemics-Space Language
(study of distance individuals maintain between
each other while interacting and its significance)
Proxemics-Space Language
• Intimate-Physical contact/touch to 1.5 feet
eg with our family members, closest friends
and selected people
• Personal-18 inches to 4 feet eg normal
conversations with close friends,
colleagues, associates and visitors
• Social-4 to 12 feet. Used mostly for formal
purposes
• Public-12 feet to as far as we can see and
hear
Proxemics
Defined
Territoriality
Personal space - bubble of space that
moves with you.
Hall’s Distance Categories
Intimate distance
Contact to 18 inches
Proxemics:
Hall’s Distance Categories
Public distance
12 feet or more
Hall’s Distance Categories
Personal distance
18 inches to 4 feet
Hall’s Distance Categories
Social distance
4 feet to 12 feet
Space (Proxemics)
People in the U.S. tend to need
more space than do persons of other
cultures. U.S. persons back away
when people stand too close.
Standing too close is interpreted as
being pushy or overbearing;
standing too close may also be
interpreted as unwelcome sexual
advances.
U.S. people need more space than do
Greeks, Latin Americans, or Arabs.
The Japanese stand even farther away
than do U.S. persons.
Haptics
• Refers to communicating through the use of
bodily contact
• When used properly, touch can create
feelings of warmth and trust
• When used improperly, touch can betray
trust and cause annoyance
• Some cultures are very comfortable with
bodily contact, others avoid it. Eg
 In US touching has a lot to do with hierarchy
 In Thailand it is offensive to touch head
Touch (Haptics)
• Touch, when used properly, may create
feelings of warmth and trust; when used
improperly, touch may cause annoyance
and betray trust.
• Hierarchy is a consideration when using
touch in the U.S.: people who are older or
higher rank may touch those who are
younger or of lower rank; equals may touch
each other.
“Don't Touch” Cultures
• Japan
• U.S. and Canada
• England
• Scandinavia
• Other N. European countries
Middle Ground Countries
• Australia
• France
• China
• Ireland
• India
• Middle East
countries
“Touch” Cultures
• Latin American
countries
• Italy
• Greece
• Spain and Portugal
• Some Asian countries
• Russian Federation
Location of the Touch Is Important
• Appropriate touch in the U.S. is limited to
shaking hands in business situations - no
hugs or expressions of affection.
• In Thailand do not touch the head.
• Do not touch Asians on the shoulders or
even the back of the worker's chair.
• Avoid touching a person with the left hand
in the Middle East.
Several years ago, when President Carter was
mediating peace talks between Egypt and
Israel, Anwar Sadat frequently placed his
hand on President Carter’s knee. While this
subtextual message was intended as a
gesture of warm friendship, the subtler
message Sadat was conveying to the world
was that he was President Carter’s equal.
Fast, Body Language in the
Workplace
49
Oculesics
• Study of eye-contact as a form of non-verbal
communication.
• Eye contact is the most important cue
• Avoiding eye contact considered as insecure,
untrustworthy
• Direct eye contact may be misinterpreted as
hostility, aggressiveness
• Lowering eyes in China and Indonesia-sign of
respect. They prefer indirect eye contact,
prolonged eye contact is seen as sign of bad
manners
Eye Contact
Eye contacts – shrinking eyes, eye ball
movement, broadening of eyes etc.,
Eye Expressions
Gaze/Eye Contact (Oculesics)
Although people in the U.S. favor direct eye contact, in
other cultures, such as the Japanese, the reverse is true;
they direct their gaze below the chin. In the Middle East,
on the other hand, the eye contact is more intense than
U.S. people are comfortable with.
A prolonged gaze or stare in the U.S. is considered rude.
In most cultures, men do not stare at women as this may
be interpreted as sexually suggestive.
Olfactics
• The study of sense of smell
• Someone’s smell can have a positive or
negative effect on the oral message
Smell (Olfactics)
• Although people of the U.S. respond
negatively to body odors, Arabs are
comfortable with natural body odors.
• Other cultures in which smell plays an
important role include the Japanese and
Samoans.
Chronemics
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 the communication process.
Time (Chronemics)
• Attitudes toward time vary from culture to
culture.
• Countries that follow monochronic time
perform only one major activity at a time
(U.S., England, Switzerland, Germany).
• Countries that follow polychronic time work
on several activities simultaneously (Latin
America, the Mediterranean, the Arabs).
Cultural Differences in
Attitudes Toward Time
• U.S. persons are very time conscious and value
punctuality. Being late for meetings is viewed as rude
and insensitive behavior; tardiness also conveys that
the person is not well organized.
• Germans and Swiss people are even more time
conscious; people of Singapore and Hong Kong also
value punctuality.
• In Algeria, on the other hand, punctuality is not widely
regarded. Latin American countries have a manana
attitude; people in Arab cultures have a casual attitude
toward time.
Chromatics
• Communication of messages through colors
• It is a scientific movement which explores the physical
properties of colour and the effect of color on
humans
• The connotations colors have may be positive or
negative depending on the culture
• In Us common to wear black when mourning, in India
people prefer white
• In Hong Kong red is used for happiness or luck and
traditional bridal dress; in Poland brides wear white
• In Asia people like colored shampoos, in US shampoos
tend to be light colored
Color (Chromatics)
• Colors have cultural variations in connotations.
– Black is the color of mourning in the U.S., but white is
worn to funerals by the Japanese.
– In the U.S. white is typically worn by brides, while in
India red or yellow is worn.
– Purple is sometimes associated with royalty, but it is
the color of death in Mexico and Brazil.
– Red (especially red roses) is associated with romance
in some cultures including the U.S.
United Airlines unknowingly got off on the
wrong foot during its initial flights from
Hong Kong. To commemorate the occasion,
they handed out white carnations to the
passengers. When they learned that to
many Asians white flowers represent bad
luck and even death, they changed to red
carnations.
Ricks, Blunders in International
Business
61
Color Influences Communication
Yellow cheers
and
elevates moods
Red excites
and
stimulates
In some
cultures
black suggests
mourning
Blue comforts
and
soothes
In some
cultures
white suggests
purity
Silence
• Another important aspect in communication
• When we are silent, we are also communicating!
What we communicate depends on what kind of
silence it is.
• Mostly subject of conversation plays major role in
this
• The more emotionally loaded subject is, the more
silence we need
• Silence in group conversations are difficult to be
handled for lot of people
Silence
• Although U.S. persons are uncomfortable with
silence, people from the Middle East are quite
comfortable with silence.
• The Japanese also like periods of silence and do not
like to be hurried. Such Japanese proverbs as,
“Those who know do not speak - those who speak
do not know,” emphasize the value of silence over
words in that culture.
• In Italy, Greece, and Arabian countries, on the other
hand, there is very little silence.
Sign language
Visual Signs
• Crossed bones under a skull as a danger signal
• Cross over a cigarette as warning against smoking
• Lights-green or red at traffic points, railway
stations, outside operation theatre of hospital,
revolving light on the top of VIP vehicle/ambulance
Audio Signs
• Drum beats in jungles in olden times
• Alarm signals
• Blowing a horn
• Buzzer, bells
Nonverbal Signals
Microsoft Photo
Vary from culture to culture
What does this symbol mean to
you?
• In the United States it is a
symbol for good job
• In Germany the number one
• In Japan the number five
• In Ghana an insult
• In Malaysia the thumb is used
to point rather than a finger
-Atlantic Committee for the Olympic Games
• Suspiciousness is indicated by glancing away or
touching your nose, eyes, or ears.
• Defensiveness is indicated by crossing your
arms over your chest, making fisted gestures,
or crossing your legs.
• Lack of interest or boredom is indicated by
glancing repeatedly at your watch or staring at
the ceiling or floor or out the window when the
person is speaking.
Axtell, Gestures
68
Additional Guidelines for
Gesturing in Various Cultures
• The “V” for victory gesture, holding two
fingers upright, with palm and fingers faced
outward, is widely used in the U.S. and many
other countries. In England, however, it is a
crude connotation when used with the palm
in.
Axtell, Gestures
69
An American engineer, sent to Germany by his U.S.
company who had purchased a German firm, was working
side by side with a German engineer on a piece of
equipment. When the American engineer made a
suggestion for improving the new machine, the German
engineer followed the suggestion and asked his American
counterpart whether or not he had done it correctly. The
American replied by giving the U.S. American “OK” gesture,
making a circle with the thumb and forefinger. The
German engineer put down his tools and walked away,
refusing further communication with the American
engineer. The U.S. American later learned from one of the
supervisors the significance of this gesture to a German:
“You asshole.”
Axtell, Gestures
70
• Interest is demonstrated by leaning forward
toward the person with whom you are
conversing.
• The posture of U.S. persons is casual, including
sitting in a relaxed manner and slouching when
standing (considered rude in Germany).
• Posture when seated varies with the culture;
U.S. persons often cross their legs while seated
(women at the ankle and men with the ankle on
the knee).
• Most Middle Easterners would consider
crossing the leg with the ankle on the knee
inappropriate.
• Avoid showing the sole of your shoe or
pointing your foot at someone in the Arab
world.
• Follow the lead of the person of the other
culture; assume the posture they assume.
NONVERBAL POSTULATE
• Nonverbal gives emotional content
What you say is/is not as important as how
you say it
• Nonverbal is culturally determined, yet
universal
• We send multiple nonverbal cues which can
result in mixed messages
Clothing & Artifacts
Objectives - study of human use of
clothing & other artifacts as
nonverbal codes.
Can you guess?
Answer:
• Turkey: Homosexual
• Commonly: Perfect
• Japan: Money
Can you guess?
Answer:
• Turkey: obscene gesture
• No such gesture in English
• Brazil: Good luck!
Can you guess?
Answer:
• Turkey: You get nothing from me
• Commonly: Stop, enough
• W.Africa: You have 5 fathers!
Can you guess?
Answer:
• Turkey: Right wing political party
• Commonly: OK
• Japan: Five
The knuckle Grinder
Handshakes
Body Language (Kinesics):
Body Language (Kinesics):
Body Language (Kinesics):
Body Language (Kinesics):
Proxemics:
Tips of effective use of non verbal
communication
• Observe and understand the non verbal
signals being sent your way on a moment –to
moment basis
• Use eye contact
• Understand the cultural nuances of the
various forms of non verbal communication.
• When there is a contradiction between the
verbal and non verbal messages of the
persons you are listening to try to assess the
situation with the help of non verbal cues.
• Check context: Don't try to interpret cues isolated from other such
cues, from the verbal communication, or from the physical or
emotional context.
• Look for clusters: This is the nonverbal context itself. See if a
resistance accompanies the arms being crossed to eye contact and a
flat tone of voice.
• Consider past experience: We can more accurately interpret the
behavior of people we know. For e.g. Your mother may always hugs
when you come home from school and so you learn that this
represent happiness in that particular situation.
• Practice perception checking: Recognize that you are interpreting
observed behavior, not reading a mind, and check out your
observation.
Get your act together!
• Bhakti Rasa - in devotion - where we evoked the Devine Creator and find him in the
deepest recesses of our being.
• Vatsalya Rasa - Love and comfort expression of affection at its most natural, as a
child delights in all that is fun.
• Raudra Rasa - Beware the ferocity of the Raudra's glare-rest consumes you.
• Karun Rasa - Compassion and care, if pain we share.
• Vibhatsa Rasa - Disgust - showing a disturbing shift in the mood.
• Shringar Rasa - Love, beauty divinity.
• Adbhut Rasa - The look of wonder.
• Madhur Rasa - For a child there is loveliness in all that he beholds .
• Hasya Rasa - laughter , Bounce with us in fun.