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Body Language Speaks VolumesNon-verbal communication (NVC) is usually understood as the process of communication through sending and receiving wordless messages. NVC can be communicated through gesture and touch, by body language or posture, by facial expresion and eye contact. NVC can be communicated through object communication such as clothing, hairstyles or even architecture, symbols and graphics. Speech contains non-verbal elements known as paralanguage, including voice quality, emotion and speaking style, as well as prosodic features such as rhythm, intonation and stress. Elements such as physique, height, weight, hair, skin color, gender, odors, and clothing send non-verbal messages during interaction. Environmental factors such as furniture, architectural style, interior decorating, lighting conditions, colors, temperature, noise, and music affect the behavior of communicators during interaction. The furniture itself can be seen as a non-verbal message. Proxemics is the study of how people use and percieve the physical space around them. The space between the sender and the receiver of a message influences the way the message is interpreted. The perception and use of space varies significantly across cultures and different settings within cultures. Space in non-verbal communication may be divided into four main categories: intimate, social, personal and public space. The distance between communicators will also depend on sex, status and social role. Chronemics is the study of the use of time in non-verbal communication. Time perceptions include punctuality and willingness to wait, 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 contributes to the interpretation of non-verbal messages. Kinesics is the study of body movements, facial expressions and gestures. Kinesics behaviors include mutual gaze, smiling, facial warmth or pleasantness, childlike behaviors, direct body orientation, and the like. Posture can be used to determine a participant’s degree of attention involvement, the difference in status between communicators, and the level of fondness a person has for the other communicator. Studies investigating the impact of posture on interpersonal relationships suggest that morror-image congruent postures, where one person’s left side is parallel to the other’s right side, leads to favorable perception of communicators and positive speech; a person who displays a forward lean or decrease in a backwards Lean also signifies positive sentiment during communication. Posture is understood through such indicators as direction of lean, body orientation, arm position, and body openness. Gesture is a non-vocal bodily movement intended to express meaning. They may be articulated with the hands, arms or body, and also include movements of the head, face and eyes, such as winking, nodding, or rolling ones’ eyes. Haptics is the study of touching as non-verbal communication. Touches that can be defined as communication include handshakes, holding hands, kissing (cheek, lips, hand), back slapping, a pat on the shoulder, and brushing an arm. Touching of oneself may include licking, picking, holding, and stratching. These behaviors are referred to as “adaptor” and may send messages that reveal the intentions or feelings of a communicator. The study of the role of eyes in non-verbal communication is sometimes referred to as “oculesics”. Eye contact can indicate interest, attention, and involvement. Gaze comprises the actions of looking while talking, looking while listening, amount of gaze, and frequency of glances, patterns of fixation, pupil dilation, and blink rate.
Date: 2016-01-14; view: 945
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