Kaier Zhang 201100143

Chapter 14 listening and nonverbal messages

Listening:
Indicators of Poor Listening

Receiving an above normal amount of written communication.

Feeling left out of important projects.
Missing important meetings.
Reacting to problems rather than preventing problems.
Being perceived as slow or inept.
Being manipulated easily by others.

You listen at different levels:

Signal processing: processing and organizing the words of a message

Literal processing: decoding the most basic meaning of a message
Reflective processing: listening for deeper meanings

Strategic Listening Process

1. Understanding and Committing to the Listening Process
2. Listening Between the Words
You must listen for deeper meanings.
Listen for the paralanguage elements of speech.
How something is said rather than what is said.
Aspects of verbal communication unrelated to the words used.
Paralanguage types:
Voice set: the personal characteristics of the speaker
Vocal qualities: characteristics of speech such as pitch, tempo, volume,
rhythm, and articulation
Vocal characteristics: vocal sounds such as laughing, crying, snickering,
whimpering, moaning, or yawning.
These characteristics can express a state of mind, mood, and
even emotional state of individuals
Vocal segregates: vocal sounds that can substitute for words, as in mmhush, huh-uh, sshh, and uummm.
Vocal fillers: vocalizations in which the speaker inadvertently uses um,
ah, or uh.
Can result from stress or emotional strain
3. Improving Memory:
Improving memory increases listening comprehension
Ineffective listeners may hear, attend to, comprehend and then fail to remember
oral communication
4. Providing Supportive Feedback
5. Using Excessive Thinking Time Productively
6. Adopting Mental Guidelines for Listening

Nonverbal Communication:
Nonverbal behavior serves four purposes:

to
to
to
to

express emotions
convey interpersonal attitudes
present ones personality to others
accompany verbal communication - to reinforce what was said

Principles of Nonverbal Communication:

Nonverbal Communication Occurs in a Context: folded arms and laid-back posture

Nonverbal Behaviors Are Usually Packaged: a clustering of posture, eye contact, leg
movement, facial expression
Nonverbal Behavior Always Communicates: even when not speaking
Nonverbal Behavior Is Governed by Rules: smiling conveys happiness
Nonverbal Behavior is Highly Believable: eyes darting away
Nonverbal Behavior is Meta communicational: communication about communication
Nonverbal Behavior Helps Clarify Verbal Communication: with nonverbal
communication the signal is neither as clear nor as precise

Components of Nonverbal Communication:

Facial expression: one of the most expressive and reliable channels

Allow you to determine the real motivations and intentions of others
Eye and Visual Behavior: the movement and focus of the eyes reveal a great deal of
information
Cultural differences
Persuasion
Avoidance of Communication
Gesture and Body Movement: problems occur whenever a persons gestures conflict
with the verbal message
Posture
Time and Space: culturally determined
personal space, environmental space
Dress: general appearance signals others
Physical characteristics: body type, height, weight, hair, and skin color or tone
Studies have shown that people readily attribute greater intelligence, wit, charm
and sociability to those people whom they judge to be very attractive
Additional sense related issues:
1. Artifacts: human made objects
2. Haptic: all human touch
3. Olfactics: sense of smell
4. Gustics: ability to taste
5. Acoustics: sound
6. Silence: the absence of sound to communicate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihKXQbYeV5k

(Non-Verbal Communication- For the Birds: This Video was helpful understand the non-verbal communication
skills and personal space.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfDWQG47pAQ
(Some movie clips about the Non-Verbal Communication.)
http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-non-verbal-communication.html
(Examples of Non Verbal Communication)