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CHAPTER VI
NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
1. Communication
Communication is the transfer of information from one person to another. In other words we
can say communication as the exchange of ideas, information, etc. between two or more
people.
2. Non-verbal communication
Non-verbal communication is the process of communicating through sending and receiving
wordless messages. Non-verbal communication can be divided into 4 parts namely body
language (kinesics), eye contact (oculistics), touch (haptics), body distance (proxemics),
paralangue, and turn taking.
Body language, and more technically the study of body language, is also known as kinesics,
which is derived from the Greek word kinesis, meaning motion. This includes body
movement, body position, facial expression, as well as dress.
I. Body movement (gesture)
The most familiar categories of body language are the so-called emblems or
quotable gestures. These are conventional, culture-specific body language that can be used as
replacement for words, such as the handwave used in the U.S. for "hello" and "goodbye".
Body languages are a crucial part of everyday conversation such as chatting, describing a
route, or negotiating prices on a market etc.In Genovia, nodding head means ‗no‖. In some
Australian Aboriginal cultures, it is disrespectful to look an elder, superior, in the eyes. It is a
sign of respect to drop the eyes, (whereas in Western culture not meeting somebody's gaze is
commonly considered to be a negative sign, indicating deceit, lying, lack of attention, lack of
confidence, etc).
One of the most frequently observed, but least understood cue is a hand movement.
Most people use hand movements regularly when talking. It can indicate a particular
meaning, feeling or intention. This category includes:
Salute: The salute is a formal greeting where the open hand is brought up to the forehead. It
is often used in the military in a strictly prescribed manner and in specific situations.
Bowing: Bowing is another formal greeting and can be as extreme as a full 90 degree bend
from the waist to even complete prostration on the floor. The greeter averts the eyes (I dare
not look at your majesty) and exposes the head (You can kill me if you wish). The female
variant on the bow is the curtsey, which again can be a full sinking to the floor or a slight
bob. Bowing and its variants place the person into a lower rank than the person who receives
the greeting and into a position of greater vulnerability.
Waving: Waving can be done from a distance. This allows for greeting when you first spot
another person. Waves call attention and a big, overhead wave can attract a person's attention
from some distance. This also makes others look at you and is not likely from a timid person.
A stationary palm, held up and facing out is far less obvious and may be flashed for a short
period, particularly if the other person is looking at you (all you need is that he or she sees the
greeting).
Another familiar body language are using fingers. Same as body movement, fingers
communicate many things. Here are some of the gestures:
Looking recalling, Recalling and and then stating 'facts' from memory in
left remembering, appropriate context often equates to telling the truth.
(generally) retrieving Whether the 'facts' (memories) are correct is another
'facts' matter. Left downward looking indicates silent self-
conversation or self-talk, typically in trying to arrive at
a view or decision
Looking visual Related to imagination and creative (right-side) parts
right and imagining, of the brain, this upwards right eye-movement can be a
up fabrication, warning sign of fabrication if a person is supposed to
lying be recalling and stating facts
b) Mouth
The mouth can be touched or obscured by a person's own hands or fingers, and is a
tremendously flexible and expressive part of the body too, performing a central role in facial
expressions.
c) Head
The head is very significant in body language. The head tends to lead and
determine general body direction, but it is also vital and vulnerable being where our brain is,
so the head is used a lot in directional (likes and dislikes) body language, and in defensive
(self-protection) body language too.
IV. Dress
Since the time of our cave-dweller ancestors, people paid great deal of attention to
clothes. They made clothes out of tree leaves, animals' hides, and now we have excellent
apparel industries that use artificial materials to manufacture clothing. Our clothing is a part
of our cultural identity. Even the way people dress for business differs widely across
cultures. Wearing formal clothes in all over the world means person is going to an
interview, workplace, celebration, or a place where some highranking people are present.
Wearing informal clothes in all over the world means that the person is going to a friendly
party, BBQ or an informal place.
E. Paralangue
It is not only words that convey message, but also a range of other factors,
such as : vocal characterizers -laugh, cry, yell, moan, whine, belch, yawn- send
different messages in different cultures. For example, in Japan, giggling
indicates embarrassment, and in India, belch indicates satisfaction.
vocal qualifiers such as volume, pitch, rhythm, tempo, and tone have different
meaning. Loudness indicates strength in Arabic cultures and softness indicates
` weakness. In German, it indicates confidence and authority. Meanwhile in
Japanese, it indicates indicates loss of control. Generally, one learns not to
―shout‖ in Asia for nearly any reason.
vocal segregates such as ―uh-huh, shh, uh, ooh, mmmh, humm, eh, mah,
nahh‖ indicate formality, acceptance, assent, uncertainty, and also controlling
conversation.
F. Turn – Taking
In normal, civilized Western-type of conversation, speakers do not speak all the
time; they wait for their ‗ turn‘. But, how do people go about allocating turns to each other
or themselves? This is the mechanism of turn taking. On the one hand, there are natural
breaks in every conversation; a speaker has to pause for breath, or runs out things to say,
or simply declares his or her contribution to be finished.