Nonverbal Communication stands in many different ways. They come in a broad range of Body, Face and Eyes, Space, Artifacts, Touch, Paralanguage, Silence and Time. This is how, people communicate successfully, without the aid of words.
Body Messages; through movements and gestures and general appearance.
Body Movements - Emblems are body gestures that directly translate into words.
- Illustrators enhance the verbal messages they accompany.
- Affect Displays are movements of the face that passes emotional expressions.
- Regulators are behaviors that monitor, control, coordinate the speech of another individual.
- Adaptors are gestures that satisfy some personal need
[Self-Adaptors are self-touching movements.]
[Alter-Adaptors are movements directed at the person with whom you're speaking to.]
[Object-Adaptors are gestures focused on objects.]
Body Appearance - Attractiveness : includes both visual appeal and pleasantness of personality is also a part of body communication.
Facial and Eye Movements; includes the eyes. Also one of the most important source of nonverbal communication.
*Facial Communication - Facial movement can express a lot of things, for they bare with them emotions. Hence, it is not challenging to grasp a mere expression of sadness, or a face that intensifies rage or horror.
Facial Management Techniques enable you to express feelings so as to achieve certain desired effects.
Facial Feedback Hypothesis influences your level of physiological arousal.
*Eye Communication - depends on certain circumstances such as duration, direction and quality of the eye behavior.
Function of Eye Movements - There many nonverbal messages that could be received just by gazing at your partner's eyes ( To indicate a certain kind of gesture) , or maybe seek feedback. Perhaps even, trying to tell your partner, there may be something wrong, hence, you try to communicate with him/her through your eyes, seems to be a lot easier.
*Spatial Messages - It's an important factor in nonverbal communication. According to Edward T. Hall, it is the study of Proxemics.
Proxemic Distances consists of Personal, Intimate, Social, and Public Distances.
Personal Distance - constitutes the protective 'bubble' that defines your personal space which measures from 18 inches to 4 feet. This protective yet imaginary bubble protects you and is untouched by others.
Intimate Distance - ranges from actual touching to 18 inches the presence of the other individual is unmistakable. Intimate distance is usually used for lovemaking and wrestling, comforting and protecting.
Social Distance - ranges from 4 to 12 feet, you lose the visual detail you have at personal distance. The more distance you maintain, the more formal you appear. For Example; Executives and Chairmans from Head Departments place their office farther from their employees. A professional distance.
Public Distance - Measures from 12 to 25 feet or more. It serves to protect you. This could take a defensive action if threatened.
Territoriality - A possessive reaction to an are or to a particular object. Consists of the following three; Primary, Secondary and Public Territories.
Primary Territory - Areas that you might call your own there are areas that are preserved for your own advantage.
Secondary Territory - Areas that don;t belong to you but which you have occupied and with which you're associated with.
Public Territory - This are, in particular, is welcomed to all people, without exceptions.
*Artifactual Communication - these messages are conveyed through objects or arrangements by human hands. They are sent through colours, clothing that you display, and even bodily scents.
Colour Communication influences our perceptions and behaviors. Wearing black all the time indicates that you are not a person of colour, only favouring dull, dark colours, which make it all the more depressing.
Clothing and Body Adornment is guided by the styles of fashion you display to others. it could mean that you are indeed a follower of what Victoria Posh is wearing, or just setting your own style.
Space Deco tells a lot of a person. What you make known of your furnishings, from your home to workplace, and living room to your own bedroom, reveals a lot of a person; which is also vital. Basically people pass judgements of your personality on the basis of room decorations.
Smell Communication - Attraction Messages : You always use scents to make yourself feel better. When the scents/ smells are pleasant, you feel good about yourself, hence boosting your self-confidence.
- Identification Messages : Used to create an image or identity for a product. they function to create an image for the product.
*Touch Communication.
Meanings of Touch;
-May, in a way, indicate positive emotions; to show support, appreciation and affection
-Touch often communicates playfulness; either affectionately or aggressively.
-May also control or direct the behaviors, attitudes or feelings of another person.
-Ritual touching centers on greetings, departures, like saying farewells.
-Task-relatded touching occurs while you are performing some functions, like helping someone out of a car.
Touch Avoidance : positively related to communication apprehension. Both touch and self-disclosure are intimate forms of communication. People are reluctant to get close to another person.
*Paralanguage and Silence.
Paralanguage is the vocal but nonverbal dimension of speech. It has to do with how you say something rather than what you say.
-Judgements about People; We often pass out judgements to other people, regardless of the classes of status people belong to today.
-Judgements about Communication Effectiveness; Often occurs, depending on the witty communication between a speaker and listener. Research has shown, that rapid speech shows an interesting effect.
Silence is the absence of sound but not of communication.
Functions of it : Allows speaker and listener time to think and respond.
: It could also be used as a weapon. We often use the silent treatment. For example, pointing out to a friend that we are upset with him/her, we use the silent treatment. It serves as a kind of punishment, harsh enough.
: People sometimes use silence because of personal anxiety. You may feel anxious when meeting new people. Therefore, you remain silent, for fear of rejection, if ou try to even communicate.
: To prevent communication of certain messages. You try to prevent one or both parties from saying things they might regret later; for they are irreversible.
: To communicate emotional responses. Silence often communicates annoyance, in this case, it is usually accompanied by a pouting expression.
: Having nothing to say, simply indicates that you literally, indeed have nothing to say, or you do not want to say anything at all.
*Time Communication
Temporal Communication known as chronemics, concerns the use of time, how it is organized and managed, how to react to it and how messages are conveyed through it.
Psychological time : the relative importance we place on the past, present and future. With past orientation, we have a particular reverence for the past. Present orientation, we live in the present, without planning for tomorrow. Future orientation, means we look toward and live for the future.
Mahira.
