CHAPTER 5 Understanding Nonverbal Communication

1 CHAPTER5 Understanding Nonverbal CommunicationWHY IT S IMPORTANTNot all Communication is accom-plished with words. What you do,how you look, and the sound of yourvoice can send Nonverbal messageseven more powerful than better understand nonver-bal Communication , view theCommunication in ActionChapter 5 video Communication Applications The mostimportant thingin communicationis to hear whatisn t being said. Peter F. Drucker, Austrian writer and educatorVisit the Glencoe CommunicationApplicationsWeb site at click onOverview CHAPTER 5to preview information about Nonverbal Communication . The mostimportant thingin communicationis to hear whatisn t being said. Peter F. Drucker, Austrian writer and educatorSection 1 Have you ever felt as if you weren t in the mood to talk?

2 Maybe youwere tired or upset or just in a quiet mood. Regardless of yourreason, you may have taken a break from talking to your family orfriends. What did your lack of speech communicate to them? Thinkabout the statement You cannot not communicate. Do you agree ordisagree? Why?What was your first reaction to the statementabove? If you are like many people, you mayhave thought, Of course I can avoid com-municating. All I have to do is keep mymouth shut! However, that s not exactly true. Even ifyou don t talk to anyone around you don t say hello, ask questions, or evenanswer questions you still are com-municating. Your facial expres-sions, body language, and eventhe way you use distance andspace all send messages to , these messages oftenspeak louder than words.

3 Body language is an example of the ways in whichthe two men shown are using TO Nonverbal the functions of Nonverbal the characteristics of to Learnnonverbal communicationambiguousUnderstanding Nonverbal Communication135 Principles of NonverbalCommunicationWHATISNONVERBALCOM MUNICATION? Nonverbal communicationis a system ofsymbolic behaviors that includes all forms ofcommunication except words. A symbolicwave of the hand, for example, can mean Hello, Good-bye, Go ahead, I m overhere, or a number of other things, dependingon the context or situation. A laugh can sym-bolize such emotions as humor, nervousness,or sarcasm, just as a sigh can symbolize sad-ness, wishfulness, anger, or impatience.

4 Think about all the ways you convey mes-sages and feelings without words. These areyour Nonverbal behaviors. Nonverbal behav-iors can be organized into three categories: sounds, including the voice and vocali-zations that substitute for speech body language environmental factors such as time,touch, distance, and objects and artifactsStudies in Nonverbal Communication haveconcluded that anywhere from 65 to 93 percentof meaning communicated from one person toanother is communicated nonverbally. Al-though these numbers vary, they all point toone important fact: Most of the meaning inmessages is conveyed nonverbally rather thanthrough Communication can be a power-ful tool or a real hindrance to a communica-tor.

5 That is why it is important to understandit and learn how to use it OFNONVERBALCOMMUNICATIONN onverbal Communication represents awide range of behaviors and is a vast area ofstudy. However, we can identify two mainfunctions of Nonverbal Communication : It relates to verbal Communication . It conveys emotional and relationshipdimensions of a to VerbalCommunication Nonverbal cues may exist on their own, orthey may accompany a person s words. Asmentioned earlier, waving hello is a form ofTwo young women indicate interest in a job position byfilling out an what their nonverbalclues suggest about their interest in the Communication Applicationsnonverbal Communication . In addition, yourvoice, the facial expressions you use, and youraccompanying hand gestures and bodymovements also are forms of Nonverbal cues.

6 Reinforces a Verbal MessageNonverbal behaviors often support, or rein-force, verbal messages. For example, imaginethat a job applicant tells an interviewer, Ireally want this job. I also believe that I havethe qualifications you re looking for. As shespeaks, she seems relaxed, but she still sits upstraight in her chair. Her speech is clear andfirm, and her voice is businesslike and makes direct eye contact with the inter-viewer. Her dress and grooming also convey abusinesslike appearance. In this situation, all the applicant s non-verbal cues clearly support her words. Theyreinforce her message, making it seem morebelievable to the Verbal MessagesOnthe other hand, some Nonverbal cues canmake verbal messages less another job applicant meets with theinterviewer.

7 She also says that she wants thejob and thinks she is qualified. However, asshe speaks, she fidgets uncomfortably in thechair. She hesitates in her answers, and hervoice often is so soft it is difficult for the inter-viewer to hear. In addition, the applicantkeeps looking around the room, avoidingdirect eye contact with the interviewer. In this case, the person s words takenalone would convey confidence and a desireto get the job. Her Nonverbal behaviors, how-ever, seem to contradict her stated suggest that the applicant may not beas confident of her abilities as her wordsimply. Her actions may even imply that she isbeing dishonest about how well suited she isfor the job.

8 It is important to note that, when a non-verbal message contradicts a verbal message,the receiver usually will believe the nonverbalmessage. At best, the receiver will be confusedabout the meaning that is being conveyed. Acts as a Substitute for a VerbalMessageNonverbal messages often areused as a substitute for verbal messages. Forinstance, a highway worker may stand at anintersection wearing a hard hat and waving ared flag to slow traffic. This person does notneed to tell individual drivers to slow down forconstruction because his or her dress andactions convey that information. Similarly, if a new student asks you, Whereis the principal s office? you may simplysmile and point to the second door on the may use a quick handshake to say helloor a pat on the back to express approval.

9 Ifyou think about your day-to-day communica-tion, you probably use a variety of nonverbalbehaviors as a substitute for spoken messages. Understanding Nonverbal Communication137 Nonverbal MessagesLook around your classroom. Is some-one sitting with the arms crossed overthe chest? How many people areslouching or have their feet resting onanother chair? Have you ever pointedto objects in a room or waved yourhand to get someone s attention? Doyou expect others to maintain eye con-tact with you when you are speaking tothem? What messages do each of thesenonverbal actions convey? Find some-one in your community who works withinternational clients. Ask that personwhat these Nonverbal behaviors sug-gest to people who are not from theUnited States.

10 Unfortunately, there is some risk in usingnonverbal messages as a substitute for messages can be open to many dif-ferent interpretations. Because nonverbalcues are received on the subconscious level,are highly personal, are highly cultural, andoften are fleeting, they can be confusing anddifficult to Emotional andRelationship Dimensions ofMessageIn CHAPTER 2 you learned that there arethree dimensions, or components, of a mes-sage. Most messages have an intellectualcomponent, an emotional component, and arelationship usually use their best avail-able verbal skills to express what they remaining two dimensions of a messagethat relate to feelings, however, almost alwaysare communicated About FeelingsImaginethat the school board has called a meeting todiscuss making your school a closed this policy, students would not beallowed to leave the school grounds for lunchor free periods.