NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

• TYPES OF COMMUNICATION

• CHARACTERISTICS OF NON - VERBAL

COMMUNICATION

• BODY LANGUAGE

• THE MAIN ASPECTS OF BODY LANGUAGE

• USING BODY LANGUAGE

• SUMMARY
 INTRODUCTION

• There is often a big gap between what people say

and what they feel. Then of course there are times
when another’s message comes through even though
there are no words said at all. A look of irritation, a
smile, and a sigh – signs like these can say more
than a torrent of words.

• All situations like these have one point in common:

that the above messages were sent non-verbally.

• Literally speaking, if the word ‘non’ means ‘not’

and ‘verbal’ means ‘words’, then ‘non-verbal
communication’, means ‘communication without
words’.
 TYPES OF COMMUNICATION
Vocal Non-vocal
Communication Communication

Verbal Spoken words Written words

Communication

Non-verbal Tone of voice, sighs, Gestures, movement,

Communication screams, vocal appearance, facial
qualities (loudness, expression and so on.
pitch and so on)
 CHARACTERISTICS OF
NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

1. Non-verbal communication exists

• Even without understanding speech it is
possible to get an idea how others are feeling.
• You probably noticed that some people were
in a hurry whereas others seemed confused,
withdrawn, or in deep thought.
• Without any formal experience you are able
to recognize and to some extent interpret
messages that other people sent non-verbally.
2. Non-verbal communication has communicative
value
• Unintentional non-verbal behaviours differ from
deliberate ones. For e.g. we often stammer, blush,
frown and sweat without meaning to do so.
• While some theorists may argue that unintentional
behaviour may provide information, but it should
not be counted as communication.
• Others draw the boundaries of non-verbal
communication more broadly by suggesting that
even unconscious and unintentional behaviour
conveys messages and thus is worth studying as
communication.
3. Non-verbal communication is primarily relational
• Some non-verbal messages serve utilitarian (practical, rational), functions.
For e.g. a policeman directing traffic.
• An important social function of non-verbal communication involves identity
management. We try to create an image of ourselves, as we would expect
others to view us.
• Non-verbal communication plays an important role in this process – in
many cases more important than verbal messages. For e.g. when you attend
a party, where you are likely to meet strangers you would like to get to
know better, instead of projecting your image verbally – “Hi! I’m attractive,
friendly and easy going” – you behave in ways that will present this identity.
• You might smile a lot and perhaps try to strike a relaxed pose. You might
also dress carefully – even if the image involves looking as if you had not
given a lot of attention to your appearance.
• Along with identity management, non-verbal communication allows you to
define the kind of relationship you want to have with others.
• Your behaviour when greeting others could be by a wave, shaking of hands,
nodding, smiling, clapping the other person on his back, giving a hug or
even avoiding all contact.
• Each one of these actions would send a message about the nature of your
relationship with the other person.
• Non-verbal communication also serves an important third valuable
social function – conveying emotions that we may be unwilling or
unable to express – or ones we may not even be aware of.
• You can prove this for yourself by imagining how you could express
each item on the following list non-verbally:

1. You are bored.

2. You are opposed to capital punishment.
3. You are attracted to another person in the group.
4. You want to know if you will be tested on this material.
5. You are nervous about trying this experiment.

• The first, third and fifth items in the above list, all involve attitudes,
and you could probably imagine hoe each could be expressed non-
verbally.
• By contrast, the second and fourth items involve ideas, and they
would be quite difficult to convey without using words. The same
principle holds good in everyday life.
• Non-verbal behaviour offers many clues about the way people feel-
often more than we get from their words alone.
4. Non-verbal communication is ambiguous
• It is important to realize, that non-verbal communication is often
difficult to interpret accurately. It is just as ambiguous in everyday
life, some emotions are easier to decode accurately than others.
• Those who are better senders of non-verbal messages are also better
receivers.
• Decoding ability also increases with age and training, although there
are still differences in ability owing to personality and occupation.
For instances, extroverts are relatively accurate judges of non-verbal
behaviour, whereas dogmatics are not. Interestingly, women seem to
be better than men at decoding non-verbal messages.
• When you try to make sense of ambiguous non-verbal behaviour, you
need to consider several factors: The context in which it occurs (e.g.
smiling at a joke suggests a different feeling from what is suggested
by smiling at another’s misfortune); the history of your relationship
with the sender (friendly, hostile etc.) the others mood at the time;
and your feelings (when you are feeling insecure, almost anything can
seem like a threat).
• The important thing is that when you become aware of non-verbal
messages, you should think of them not as facts, but as clues to be
checked out.
5. Much Non-verbal communication is culture-bound

• Cultures have different non-verbal languages as well as verbal ones.

The meaning of some gestures varies from one culture to another.
• Less obvious cross-cultural differences can damage relationships
without the parties ever recognizing exactly what has gone wrong.
• Americans are comfortable conducting business at a distance of
roughly four feet; people from the Middle East stand much closer.
Imagine the ‘problem’, when people from the US and the Middle East
came to do business?
• Like distance, patterns of eye contact vary around the world. A direct
gaze is considered inappropriate for speakers in Latin America, the
Arab world and Southern Europe. On the other hand, Indians, Pakis
and northern Europeans gaze at a listener peripherally or not at all.
• Communicators become more tolerant of others once they
understand that unusual non-verbal behaviours are the result of
cultural differences – but despite differences like these, many non-
verbal behaviours are universal.
• Certain expressions have the same meaning around the world. Smile
and laughter are a universal signal of positive emotion, while the
same sour expressions convey displeasure in every culture.
 BODY LANGUAGE
• What is Body Language?
• What does your body say when you try to manage
people?
• How well can you “read” the body language of your
boss?
• What is the body language of successful executives and
how can you learn it?
• Body language therefore, . . . .
. . . . is the communication of personal feelings, emotions,
attitudes, thoughts through body movements – postures,
gestures, facial expressions, walking styles, positions and
distance – either consciously or involuntarily, more
often subconsciously and accompanied or
unaccompanied by the spoken language.
• Is the way people unconsciously telegraph their private
thoughts and emotions through body movements – the way in
which they fold their arms, cross their legs, sit, stand, walk, use
their hips, eyes and even in the subtle way they move their lips.

• Is what the other person sees even before he or she hears a

word.

• Is those messages that continue to be transmitted unconsciously

throughout any encounter.

• Is the message that a person transmits, that at times may

conflict with his / her words, but correctly interpreted the
unspoken message is the more honest.

• Is what your body says which people will believe, even if you
are trying to use words to say something different. You will
make the situation worse if you try to hide your body language.
 Similarities between
Body Language and Verbal Language
• As the term suggests, body language has several properties of
ordinary verbal language.
• Verbal language consists of words, sentences and punctuations.
• Similarly, body language consists of individual gestures
(‘words’) that can be grouped together into a logical cluster
(‘sentence’) to give a meaning to a particular behaviour of body
movements, where individual postures and gestures may
‘punctuate’ others by vocalizations or pauses while one speaks
(‘punctuation’).
• As for vocabulary, verbal languages have a large vocabulary of
words with commonly understood meanings.
• Non-verbal communication has a relatively limited vocabulary:
a few facial expressions and body gestures.
• While verbal vocabulary consists of discreet symbols, non-
verbal contains signals (i.e. behaviours which comprise a single
unit of meaning and call for some response) that are
continuous, such as proximity, gaze, and volume of voice.
 Differences between
Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication
Verbal Non-Verbal
1. Words 1. Gestures

2. Words can be chosen, controlled, edited. 2. Postures, gestures and movements are involuntary.

3. Words have a specific range of meaning. 3. Gestures have to be interpreted in context.

4. Syntax and formation of sentences provide meaning. 4. Gesture clusters are interpreted for meaning or
message.
5. Script: Verbal. 5. Script: Non-verbal.

6. Punctuations: periods, commas, colons, etc. 6. ‘Punctuation’: pauses, vocalizations etc.

7. Vocabulary (large): words (=symbols) 7. ‘Vocabulary’ (limited): facial expressions, gestures

(signals).
8. Communicates conscious, concrete phenomena. 8. Communicates inner meanings, impulses, and
conflicts.
9. Process: sender, receiver, medium, message, feedback 9. Multi-process: same but through gesture clusters,
(words). vocalizations, posture, tone of voice.

10. Interpretation through thinking (rational) 10. Interpretation through feeling (gut level).
11. Deals with external realities. 11. Reveals inner realities.
12. Diversity of languages. 12. Universality of languages.
Observe Unspoken Communication

Do this at home:
• Watch a TV program with the sound switched off. See how much of the story line
you can pick up from the context, body language, distance and touch.

• Try the same with a news broadcast.

• In your daily activities, be aware of the silent messages people are sending.

• Try to determine the messages your body is sending.

• Catch a glimpse of yourself in a window or mirror.

- Was your head down?

- Your face grim?

- Were you standing erect with a pleasant, interested look on your face?
Use Unspoken Communication
Context

• Dress appropriately to the situation.

• Make the most of your physical appearance through good hairstyling, clean and
well-pressed clothes. Remember! You need not be ‘good looking’ but you surely need
to ‘look good’.
• Your facial expression should reflect the emotion being expressed verbally.
• As a listener, use your face to show interest. As a speaker, use your face to reinforce
your statements.
• Make eye contact, but do not stare. Look away when you begin to speak, but look
back at the other person as you finish. Hand the conversation back to him / her.

• Think of your eyes as a part of your communication tools, just as your voice is.
• Do not let your posture give a different message than your words. To convey interest
in the speaker, lean forward with your back straight and your arms open.
• Use appropriate gestures. Nod agreement.
• Keep an appropriate distance so that the other person is comfortable with the space
between the two of you.
• Use touch to convey warmth and emotional support as when comforting a bereaved
person, but be wary of touching beyond the firm handshakes in the business world.
• When speaking, use a resonant tone and moderate volume. Vary the pitch and rate
of speaking.
Reading Body Language

‘The most important thing in Communicating is to hear what isn’t

being said’.

Reading Body Language teaches you to listen with your eyes as

well as your ears.

This includes:

• Posture.
• Body movement.
• Gestures (Your arms).
• Facial expressions (Your eyes).
• Appearance (Your face, smile, and emotions).
• Touch.
 THE MAIN ASPECTS OF BODY LANGUAGE
• Posture and Gestures.
• Eye Contact (including the face).
• Voice and Touch.
• Proximity (Distance).
• Looks and Appearance (Physical Attractiveness
& Clothing).
• Expressions of Emotion.
• Time.
• Territoriality.
• Environment.
1. Posture and Gestures
• Posture is a rich channel for conveying non-verbal
information. From time to time, postural messages are
obvious.
• Most postural clues are subtler.
• Postures can communicate vulnerability in situations far
more serious than mere social or business settings.
• A study revealed that rapists sometimes use postural clues to
select victims they believe are easy to intimidate.
• Easy targets are more likely to walk slowly and tentatively,
stare at the ground and move their arms and legs in short,
jerky motions.
• One group of ambiguous gestures consists of what we usually
call fidgeting – movements in which one part of the body
grooms, massages, rubs, holds, fidgets, pinches, picks or
otherwise manipulates another body part.
• Social scientists call these behaviours manipulators.
(a) Importance of Good Posture

• Puts your audience at ease.

• Helps you personally to stay relaxed.
• Helps you to stay alert and confident.

(b) Good Posture - Tips

• Stand erect, relaxed with weight on both feet.

• Avoid leaning / standing on one foot.
• Avoid standing with feet wide apart.
• Movement.

(c) Move To:

• Hold Attention.
• Get rid of Nervousness.
• Suggest transitions.
• Increase emphasis through gestures.
(d) Why Gestures?
• To Emphasize.
• To Point.
• To Reject.
• To Describe.
• Vary gestures.
• Use appropriate gestures.
• Avoid continuous gestures.
• Match timing of gesture with thought expressed.

(e) Mannerisms to Avoid

• Swaying from side to side, backwards and forwards.
• Fiddling with markers, pointers etc.
• Placing hands in pockets.
• Meaningless repetitive gestures.
• Pacing to and fro.
• Waving arms.

(f) Light House Techniques

• Sweep your audience with your eyes staying only 2 - 3 seconds on each person.
• Avoid looking at one member or at a fixed point on the wall/floor /ceiling.
2. Eye Contact (including the face)
• The face and particularly the eyes are probably the most noticed parts of
the body and their impact is powerful.
• For example, smiling cocktail waitresses earn larger tips than unsmiling
ones and smiling nuns collect larger donations than ones with glum
expressions.
• The influence of facial expressions and eye contact does not mean that their
non-verbal messages are always easy to read.
• The face is a tremendously complicated channel of expression for several
reasons. One reason is the number of expressions people can produce.
Another is the speed with which they can change.
• Ekman and Friesen identified six basic emotions that facial expressions
reflect – surprise, fear, anger, disgust, happiness and sadness. Research
indicates that people are quite accurate at judging facial expressions of these
emotions. The eyes themselves can send several kinds of messages.
Facial Expressions/Appearance
– Smile - It improves your face value.
– Be enthusiastic.
– Show sincerity.
– Dress appropriately.
3. Voice and Touch
(a) Voice

• The voice itself is another form of non-verbal communication. Social scientists

use the term paralanguage to describe non-verbal, vocal messages. You can
begin to understand the power of vocal clues by considering how the meaning of
a simple sentence can change just by shifting the emphasis from word to word:

• - This is a fantastic communication book.

(Not just any book, but this one in particular).

• - This is a fantastic communicating book.

(This book is superior, exciting.)

• - This is a fantastic communication book.

(The book is good as far as communication goes; it may not be so great as
literature or drama).

• - This is a fantastic communication book.

(It’s not a play or a CD; it’s a book).
• There are many other ways the voice
communicates – through its tone, speed, pitch,
volume, number and length of pauses.

• Besides reinforcing or contradicting messages,

some vocal factors influence the way a speaker
is perceived by others. For e.g. communicators
who speak loudly and without hesitations are
viewed as more confident than those who pause
and speak quietly. Research has also
demonstrated that people with more attractive
voices are rated more highly than those whose
speech sounds less attractive.
(b) Touch

• Touching – or ‘haptics’ – is essential to our healthy

development. Touch plays a large part in how we respond to
others and to our environment. It increases self-disclosure. It
communicates many messages. Researchers have catalogued
twelve different kinds of ‘touches’, including, ‘positive’,
‘playful’, ‘control’, and ‘ritualistic’. Some types of touch
indicate varying degrees of aggression. Others signify types of
relationship.

- functional/professional (dental examination, haircut).

- social/polite (handshake).
- friendship/warmth (clap on back).
- love/intimacy (some caresses, hugs).

• In general, the degree of touch comfort goes along with

openness to expressing intimate feelings, an active
interpersonal style and satisfactory relationships.
4. Proximity (Distance)

• Choosing the optimal distance can have a powerful affect on how we

regard others, and how we respond to them. For e.g. students are more
satisfied with teachers who reduce the distance between themselves and
their classes. They are also more satisfied with the course itself, and they
are more likely to follow the teacher’s instructions.

• Intimate distance begins with skin contact and ranges out to about 18
inches. The most obvious context for intimate distance involves
interaction with people to whom we are emotionally close – and then
mostly in private situations.

• Personal distance ranges from 18 inches at its closest point to 4 feet at its
farthest. Its closer phase is the distance at which most relational partners
stand in public. We are ‘uncomfortable’ if someone else ‘moves in’ to this
area without invitation. The far range of personal distance runs from
about 2 ½ feet to 4 feet. This is the zone just beyond the other persons
reach - the distance at which we can keep someone ‘at arms length’. This
term suggests the type of communication that goes on at this range:
Interaction is still reasonably personal, but less so that communication
that occurs a foot or so closer.
• Social distance ranges from 4 to about 12 feet. Within it
are the kinds of communication that usually occur in
business situations. Its closer phase from 4 to 7 feet is
the distance at which conversations usually occur
between salespeople and customers and between people
who work together. We use the far range of social
distance – 7 to 12 feet – for more formal and impersonal
situations. This is the range we generally sit from the
boss.

• Public distance is the farthest zone, running outward

from 12 feet. The closer range of public distance is the
one most teachers use in the classroom. In the farther
reaches of public space – 25 feet and beyond – two-way
communication becomes difficult. In some cases it is
necessary for speakers to use public distance owing to
the size of their audience, but we can assume that
anyone who voluntarily chooses to use it when he or she
could be closer, is not interested in having a dialogue.
5. Looks and Appearance (Physical Attractiveness & Clothing)

(a) Physical Attractiveness

• While the term ‘good looking’ is something we all yearn to be, we

need to also understand that to be for ‘good’ communicators, it is
not just the aspect of ‘good looking’ which matters, but also the
importance of ‘looking good’, which does.
• It is true that the influence of attractiveness begins early in life.
Teachers too are affected by students’ attractiveness.
• Fortunately, attractiveness is something we can control without
having to call a plastic surgeon.
• We view others as ‘beautiful’ and ‘not-so-beautiful’, not just on the
basis of the ‘original equipment’ they come with, but also on how
they use that equipment. Postures, gestures, facial expressions and
other behaviours can increase the ‘attractiveness’ of an otherwise
‘unremarkable’ person.
• Exercise can improve the way each of us looks. Finally, the way we
dress can make a significant difference in the way others perceive
us.
(b) Clothing

• Clothing is a means of non-verbal communication, providing a relatively

straightforward method of ‘impression management’.
• Clothing can be used to convey economic status, educational level, social
status, moral standards, athletic ability and/or interests, belief systems
(political, philosophical, religious) and level of sophistication.
• Communicators who wear special clothing often gain persuasiveness.
Uniforms aren’t the only kind of clothing that carries influence.
• The influence of clothing varies from situation to situation, but as we get
to know people better, the importance of clothing shrinks.
• This fact suggests that clothing is especially important in the early stages
of a relationship, when making a positive first impression is necessary in
order to encourage others to get to know us better.
• This advice is equally important in personal situations and in
employment interviews.
• In both cases, the style of dress (and personal grooming) can make all
the difference between the chance to progress further and outright
rejection.
6. Expressions of Emotion
• Sometimes emotion alone may be enough reason for ‘persuasion’.
You might lend your friend Rs: 200/- just for old times sake even
though you may not expect to see the money again soon.
• So also, it is a mistake to let yourself be swayed by emotion when the
logic of a point isn’t sound.
• A speaker’s emotion must be commensurate with his expressions. His
face must be joyful if he is narrating a happy incident and serious if
the object of discussion is sombre.
• Since we listen both, informationally and critically out of self-interest,
we need to be empathic. The goal should be to build a relationship or
help the speaker solve a problem.
• Empathic listening is the approach to use when others seek help for
personal dilemmas.
• You must choose evidence that strongly supports your claim and you
should feel free to use emotional evidence, supporting material that
evokes emotions such as fear, anger, sympathy, pride or reverence
within your audience.
• Whatever type of evidence you use, you should cite your sources
carefully. It is important that your audience know that your sources
are credible, unbiased and current.
7. Time
• The term chronemics is used to describe the study of
how human beings use and structure time.
• The way we handle time can express with, intentional
and unintentional messages.
• Time can be communicated in several ways.
• The use of time depends greatly on culture. In some
cultures, punctuality is critically important, while in
others it is barely considered.
• Even within a culture the rules of time vary. Even within
the same geographic area, different groups establish
their own rules about the use of time.
• All the above notwithstanding, the bottom line is that
time is important and always at a premium.
• We need to respect time.
• A speaker therefore needs to follow the KISS principle –
‘Keep It Short and Simple’.
8. Territoriality
• While personal space is the visible bubble we carry
around as an extension of our physical being, territory
is fixed space.
• Any geographical are such as a room, house,
neighbourhood or country to which we assume some
kind of ‘rights’, is our territory.
• Not all territory is permanent. The way people use
space can communicate a good deal about power and
status relationship.
• Generally we grant people with higher status more
personal territory and greater privacy. We knock
before entering the Boss’s office, whereas a supervisor
can usually walk into our work area without
hesitating.
• In the military, greater space and privacy comes with
rank.
9. Environment
• The physical environment people create can both
reflect and shape interaction. For e.g. the
attractiveness of a room, can shape the kind of
interaction that takes place in it.
• This attractiveness influences the happiness and
energy of the people working in it. In an
‘unattractive’ room, subject become tired and
bored more quickly and take much longer to
complete their task.
• When moved to a beautiful room, however, the
same subjects showed a greater desire to work and
expressed feelings of importance, comfort and
enjoyment.
• The design of an entire building can shape
communication among its users.
USING BODY LANGUAGE

• IDENTIFY the positive signs you can use.

• UNDERSTAND the negative signs you may

give.

• BEWARE of giving conflicting signs.

 Visual Clues and What They Mean
Behaviour Likely Meaning
• Lack of movement Sitting back

• Impatient sigh, hands on hips, Aggressive

• pursed lips, chin thrust forward

• Arms or legs crossed Closed to ideas, unreceptive

• Jacket buttoned Formal

• Jacket unbuttoned Informal

• Body: Leaning back Skeptical, unwilling to commit

• Body: Leaning back Relaxed, possible reservations, no sense

with hands behind head of urgency

• Body: Leaning forward Positive interest in topic

• Body: Slouching Trying to be unobtrusive, low self-esteem

 Behaviour Likely Meaning
• Eyes blinking slowly Uncomfortable, not willing to be there

• Eyes at top left Quickly evaluating and possibly hostile

Planning next manoeuvre

• Eyes at top right Doing mental problem solving, trying to

Figure something out

• Eyes darting Anxious, unconfident, not prepared

• Eyes narrowed Evaluating, assessing

• Eyes staring Not paying attention, daydreaming

• Eyes wide Interested, making an important

point

• Eyes looking over tops Evaluating, assessing

of glasses

• Hands clasped in front Possibly conservative, closed mind

 Behaviour Likely Meaning
• Hands on hips / hip jut Confident, bordering on arrogant – issuing a challenge

• Hands open, palms down Demanding – showing control

• Hands open, palms up Asking, wanting, needing, showing vulnerability

• Hands folded in lap / stomach Protective

• Hands on desk ‘Lets do business’

• Head straight on Confident

• Head tilted back Arrogant, cocky

• Head tilted down Shy, ashamed or lying

• Head cocked to one side Listening with interest

• Smile with eyes crinkled Joyful, expressing pleasure

• Smile without eyes crinkled Trying to gain approval

Be aware of facial expressions like, rolling your eyes, making
faces, frowning etc.

Put a smile in your face and voice.

Lack of eye contact conveys conflicting feelings/incomplete

communication.

Look person in the eye. It depicts interest and self-confidence.

Shifting weight from one foot to another, avoiding eye

contact, head down, stooping shoulders, nervous movements
and closed body and hand gestures – non aggressive.

Cocking head – showing interest.

 SUMMARY
• Non-verbal communication consists of messages expressed by non-linguistic means.
Thus, it is inaccurate to say that all wordless expressions are nonverbal or that all
spoken statements are totally verbal.

• There are several important characteristics (principles) of non-verbal

communication.

• First is the simple fact that it exists – that communication occurs even in the absence
of language.

• This leads to the second principle that it is impossible not to communicate non-
verbally; humans constantly send messages about themselves that are available for
others to receive.

• The third principle is that non-verbal communication is ambiguous; there are many
possible interpretations for any behaviour. This ambiguity makes it important for
the receiver to verify any interpretation before jumping to conclusions about the
meaning of a non-verbal message.

• The fourth principle states that much non-verbal communication is culture-bound.

In other words, behaviours that have special meanings in one culture, may express
different messages in another. Finally, it is stated that non-verbal communication
serves many functions: repeating, substituting, complimenting, accenting, regulating
and contradicting verbal behaviour.
The difference between verbal and non-verbal
communication is thus as under:

• Verbal messages occupy a single channel and must be

received one at a time, while many non-verbal messages
occur simultaneously in everyday situations.

• Verbal ones are discrete, having beginnings and endings,

while non-verbal are continuous,

• Verbal messages are usually intentional, whereas non-

verbal messages are often expressed unintentionally.

• Finally, verbal messages are less ambiguous than non-

verbal ones, which are almost always open to more than
one interpretation.