Non Verbal communication
Non-verbal communication: when a message is communicated without using a word, the process requires non-verbal cues to be transmitted and received. Non-verbal communication forms an important part in the world of professional communication. Non-verbal communication refers to all communication that occurs without the use of words either spoken or written. It is said that verbal components of oral communication carry less than 35 percent of the meaning and 65 percent is carried on by the non-verbal band.
Proxemics: Proxemics is the study of physical space in interpersonal relations. In a professional setting, space is used to signal power and status. One should use the psychological power of the space to one’s benefit. Edward. T. Hall divides space into four distinct zones.
- INTIMATE: this zone starts with a personal touch to 18 inches. Members of the family, lovers, spouses, relatives and parents fall under this zone. A hand-shake, a pat on the back, a hug, all come into this zone.
- PERSONAL: this zone stretches from 18 inches to 4 feet. Close friends, colleagues, peers fall in this zone. This permits spontaneous and unprogrammed communication. It gives impression of warmth and friendliness.
- SOCIAL: this zone stretches from 4 feet to 12 feet. Here relationships are formal. One should be formal and less emotional here.
- PUBLIC: this zone starts from 12 feet and may extend to 30 feet or to the range of eyesight and hearing. Here formal events take place. There are chances of detachment because the audience is free to do whatever they like.
While communicating in formal situations, it becomes quite important for us to understand and respect the territories of other professionals, and see to it that they never feel intruded, choked or violated. If you stand too close to people while speaking to them, they are likely to resist and resent your presence. Standing or sitting too far from your listeners is also not advisable as they might feel a sense of alienation or lack of warmth. We must maintain the psychological territories of other professionals.
Kinesics: Kinesics is the study of the body’s movements. It is the way the body communicates without words. i.e through various movements of its parts. One communicates just by being, by nodding head, blinking the eyes, shrugging shoulders, waving hands and other such physical activities are all forms of communication. Some kinesics behaviors are deliberately intended to communicate. Understanding non-verbal cues will develop the ability to use them more effectively during the presentation.
• PERSONAL APPEARANCE: Personal appearance plays an important role: as people see before they hear. As one adapts language to an audience, one should also dress appropriately. It includes clothes, hair, jewellery, cosmetics and so on. Clothes accent the body’s movement.
• POSTURE: Posture generally refers to the way we hold ourselves when we stand, sit, and walk. Certain mannerisms creep in- pacing constantly, bobbing the shoulders, fidgeting with notes, jingling coins, and either constantly moving or remaining static. One should always analyze the effect of body shape and posture to understand their role in non-verbal communication.
• GESTURE: Gesture is the movement made by hands, arms, shoulders, head and torso. A well-timed gesture not only drives a point home but also enhances the impact and adds greater value to what is being said. It has been observed that there are around 700000 varied hand gestures alone. Gestures should not divert the attention and distract from the message; one’s gestures should be quite natural and spontaneous.
• FACIAL EXPRESSION: The face is the most expressive part of human body. Facial expressions are subtle. One can use it in a variety of ways: to aid or inhibit or complement the communication. The face rarely sends a single message at a time, but sends a series of messages. The face may show anxiety, recognition, hesitation and pleasure in quick succession. It is difficult to interpret. Though there are only five
basic expressions, one can have 33 blends. The basic five expressions are: inhibited,
uninhibited, substitute, frozen and blank
Paralinguistic: Paralinguistic features are non-verbal vocal cues that help to give urgency to the voice. Voice gives extra life to the speaker’s speech and it is useful to understand the characteristic nuances like quality, volume, rate, pitch, articulation, pronunciation and pauses.
