2015-10-14
1310
In oral intercourse a great role is attached to non-verbal means of communication. When we communicate we choose appropriate language means to convey the message but at the same time our verbal message is accompanied by a non-verbal display. It’s believed that 25% of communication is conveyed by non-verbal means. They include apparent behaviours such as facial expressions (facial warmth or pleasantness, smiling), eyes, touching, and tone of voice, as well as less obvious messages such as dress, posture and spatial distance between two or more people. These signals are called kinesic means. There is a special discipline – kinesics, which studies body movements, facial expressions and gestures. It was developed by anthropologist Ray L. Birdwhistell in the 1950s. He proposed the term kineme to describe a minimal unit of visual expression, in analogy to a phoneme which is a minimal unit of sound.
It is interesting to note that scientists put forward the hypothesis that whereas spoken language is normally used for communicating information about events external to the speakers, non-verbal codes are used to establish and maintain interpersonal relationships. It is considered more polite or nicer to communicate attitudes towards others non-verbally rather than verbally, for instance in order to avoid embarrassing situations.
It was defined that there are five primary functions of non-verbal bodily behaviour in human communication:
- To express emotions
- To express interpersonal attitudes
- To accompany speech in managing the cues of interaction between speakers and listeners
- Self-presentation of one’s personality
- Rituals (greetings)
The non-verbal means:
v facial expressions
Our faces can demonstrate a wide range of expressions, especially when our speech is emotionally colored: e.g. the widening of the eyes means interest, the parting of the lips means excitement. A smile generally intensifies positive feelings. Asian cultures suppress facial expressions.
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v gestures
A 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. Falling tone is often accompanied with a nod. But silence is indicated with finger crossing the lips.
Gestures can also be categorized as either speech-independent or speech-related. Speech-independent gestures are dependent upon culturally accepted interpretation and have a direct verbal translation. A wave hello or a peace sign are examples of speech-independent gestures. Speech related gestures are used in parallel with verbal speech; this form of nonverbal communication is used to emphasize the message that is being communicated.
v postures
Posture can be used to determine a participant’s degree of attention or involvement, the difference in status between communicators, and the level of fondness a person has for the other communicator. Posture is understood through such indicators as direction of lean, body orientation, arm position, and body openness.
Meanwhile, all these non-verbal means intensify information conveyed by intonation and are typical of certain cultures. But the problem is that most people are unaware of their own cultural patterns of nonverbal communication, thus, they are unprepared to deal with the patterns of other cultures. This is probably a major cause of misunderstanding between cultures as we interpret each other as rude, pushy, childlike, cold, etc., usually not for what is said, but how it is said, and how we act. That’s why it’s recommended to control your body language and to use it appropriately.
