Non verbal communication, Cheat Sheet of English Literature

Download Non verbal communication and more Cheat Sheet English Literature in PDF only on Docsity! Non-verbal Communication • Non verbal communication is less deliberate and conscious but it is important. • Non verbal communication means all communication that involves neither written nor spoken words but occurs without the use of words. • The definition includes non verbal communication that occurs together with verbal communication as well as the one that occurs alone.  In non verbal communication we are concerned with such things as body movements, space, time, and voice inflection as well as general characteristics of the environment.  Non verbal communication can be divided into five sub parts. They are: kinesics , proxemics, time language, paralanguage and physical context.  Eyes even tell us more than our facial expressions.  For example, eyebrows with upper and lower eyelids raised combined with dilated pupils i.e. a wide eyed effect tells us that the person is excited, surprised or frightened.  Similarly different kinds of eye contact and movements also express different kinds of meanings.  For example, looking at someone or something for a long period of time shows our intensity of interest. Brief eye contact, on the other hand, reveals embarrassment, timidity or nervousness.  Gestures:  Gestures refer to the movements of arms, legs, hands, torso and head.  Like face and eyes, gestures also convey meaning.  For example, a pounding fist on the table indicates anger. Similarly a forefinger held high above one’s head indicates to number one or unity.  Speaking and gestures are linked. Generally, intensity of speech appears to be directly associated with the size of a gesture. The louder the speech is the greater the gesture is.  Body shape and posture:  Our body shape and posture affect how we think about ourselves, how we relate to others and how others relate to us.  When we are in a familiar situation, we are less aware of our body shape and posture.  But when we encounter an unfamiliar situation such as an interview for an important job or a formal speech, we are more aware of our posture and try to make the best impression possible. We may try to adjust our standing or sitting position from time to time because we know only a right posture shows us confident and comfortable. Proxemics  It is the study of how we communicate with the space around us.  It involves how we arrange our personal space and what we arrange in it.  We also call it personal space language as we call kinesics body language.  There are four different kinds of spaces that we study under proxemics.  The first is the one that extends up to 18 inch circle around us.  This is called our intimate space. We originate all of our body movements within this space. We carry this space with us wherever we go.  Only special people such as our close friends and family are permitted to enter this space.  The second is the space that lies four feet beyond the first circle. We call it personal space.  Conversations with close friends, colleagues, peers and so on occur here.  It is a casual, and a relaxed place for us and permits spontaneous communications.  The third one is the space that extends from four to twelve feet around us. This is called the social space.  This is rather a formal space because we use it formally. This means the relationships in it are official.  Most of our business is conducted in this zone , and it is conducted with less emotion and more planning.  The last one is the space that extends beyond 12 feet to the range of eyesight and hearing. We call it the public space.  Intimate and personal spaces however may differ according to Individuals and across cultures.  For example, activities in the first zone and the meaning they communicate may differ between a person in the western countries and the one in the eastern countries like ours. Paralanguage  Of all the types of non verbal communication, it is the closest to actual verbal communication. It is the only form of non verbal communication that does not occur alone.  By paralanguage, we mean how a person says something. Paralanguage involves the “how” of a speaker’s voice rather than the “what” of the words.  Para means “like”; thus paralanguage actually means like language.  In paralanguage, we examine and study the sound of someone’s speech.  For example, when someone speaks, we try to examine whether his/her sound is fast or slow, high pitched or deep, loud and forceful or barely audible, smooth or disjointed etc.  These are the types of signals with which paralanguage is concerned.  For effective communication, the “how” and the “what” of a person’s speech should have consistency.  This means what is said and how it is said should match. The tone of one’s speech and the meaning intended to be conveyed should match with each other.  We should avoid sending mixed signals i.e. saying one thing in one way and using words that intend the opposite.  Paralanguage even helps us know about people’s backgrounds, appearances and personalities. We can infer about these things by evaluating their voice patterns. Physical Context  Physical context, which is also known as the context of our surroundings, refers to how colour and layout/design communicate.  It is one of the most general and abstract of the nonverbal types.  Under physical context, we study two parts: Colour and Layout/Design.  Colour:  people who study the effects of colours conclude that different colours are associated with different moods and behaviours.  Artists, interior designers and image consultants all say that the right colour combinations can project appropriate feelings.  This automatically means that we have a colour language as well. Questions  Short Answer Questions: a. Define non-verbal communication and mention its types. b. What is kinesics? Give examples. c. Define proxemics. d. What do you mean by gestures? Give examples. e. What are the four informal spaces? Name them. f. What is time language? g. Define paralanguage. h. Define physical context. What do we study under physical context? Long-answer Questions a. Define non-verbal communication. Explain any two of the non verbal communication in detail. b. What is non-verbal communication? What is the most important type of non-verbal communication? Justify your answer. c. Define kinesics and elaborate what body parts we study under it in terms of how they communicate. d. What is proxemics? What do we study under it? Write short notes on: i. Time language ii. Paralanguage iii. Physical context