Nonverbal Communication Introduction Any Communication Interaction example essay topic

NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION Introduction Any communication interaction involves two major components in terms of how people are perceived: verbal, or what words are spoken and nonverbal, the cues such as facial expressions, posture, verbal intonations, and other body gestures. Many people believe it is their words that convey the primary messages but it is really their nonverbal cues. The hypothesis for this research paper was: facial expressions directly impact how a person is perceived. A brief literature search confirmed this hypothesis. Every communication interaction involves two parts: the verbal and the nonverbal. Furthermore, every person is always communicating even when they are not saying a word, thus, it is possible to send an exclusively nonverbal message but it is not possible to send an exclusively verbal message.

Nonverbal cues in the interaction are always more powerful indicators of what a speaker means and what the speaker feels. Consider a very simple example: a mother tells her two-year old to stop running around the house but as she makes her direction, she is smiling. The toddler gets two messages: verbally to stop running; non verbally the smile means mom is pleased with what he is doing. Which direction will the child follow; probably, the second one - mom is pleased regardless of her words so he will continue doing what he was doing. These sorts of communication interpretation conflicts occur numerous times in every day. Here is another example from the poll questions.

The manager has said she is available if you have a problem and need to talk with her. You make an appointment, go in, and within a few minutes she receives a phone call which she answers and spends five minutes talking with the caller. Are you likely to believe she is interested in what you are saying? No, in fact, you are likely to feel that you are not very important; you may feel embarrassed and try to make your excuses to just leave.

Nonverbal cues involve everything but the spoken word which includes: body posture and facial expressions, gestures, eyebrows, eyes, tone of voice, speed of delivery, inflections, volume, and proximity. Even one's attire sends messages to others. Each area of the nonverbal has the power to send a message; combined they tell the listener what is meant and what is felt. The power of the nonverbal cannot be over-rated; it will almost always take precedence over any words that are spoken.

For the purpose of this paper, comments will be limited to facial expressions. Body Individuals are perceived according to their facial expressions more so than the words they speak. The aspect of nonverbal communication has been studied extensively for at least four decades. During the 1960's, volumes were printed about 'body language. ' While that label has become trite to the point of jokes, the subject itself is valid and has been given a more appropriate label: nonverbal communication. Words, in and of themselves, do not convey the entire message in any communication interaction.

There are always nonverbal cues. Even in a telephone conversation, there is are cues in terms of voice inflection, tone, volume, speed. Loudness and / or a harsh tone, for instance, communicates hostility and / or anger. Whether the speaker means to convey that message or not is immaterial because it is the listener's interpretation that will set the tone for the rest of the conversation. It is difficult enough to interpret words accurately, in fact, there are no doubt more misinterpreted messages than not (Cherney and Tynan, 1990). When the element of nonverbal is incorporated, the rate of misinterpretations increases dramatically (Elgin, 1980).

Most people are surprised to learn exactly how much information they communicated about themselves through their facial expressions. The intricacies of what one does with their the eyes, eyebrows, forehead, lips, tongue, teeth, and mouth while listening or talking combine to send some very strong messages. How do you interpret it when one continues to lick their lips? Does this mean the person is nervous or thirsty? If the eyes look hard but the mouth is smiling, which indicator will be believed? These aspects are critical to the communicator.

Sending dual messages or a message one does not want to send can be corrected through practice (Chevrier, 1994). Facial expressions are so important in conveying an impression that people actually practice before a mirror to get the look they want to portray. Leathers reports that U.S. General George Patton wanted others to perceive him as powerful, brave, and determined so he stood in front a mirror to practice his 'war face'. Former President Richard Nixon, on the other hand, wanted to dispel his reputation as 'Tricky Dicky. ' He stood in front of his mirror for hours trying to change his facial expressions, including trying to change his shifting eyes (1986, p. 3). Patton and Nixon aren't the only people who attempt to create a specific image of themselves.

Leathers commented that most people do the same thing; they spend a great deal of time trying to persuade others that they are certain types of people whether their objectives are to have people like them, to make themselves perceived as very important or powerful, or whether they are trying to control others. Nonverbal communication techniques are a critical aspect in their efforts to convey the impression they want (1986). Eyes have been called 'the windows of the soul' and certainly most people tend to place a great deal of emphasis on how they perceive another's eyes. Burgoon, Buller and Woodall call this 'eye behavior. ' Their findings in a 1978 study indicated that direct eye contact is perceived as indicative of credibility, competence and trustworthiness (1989,324). Listeners make an assumption that if a person looks directly at them, the speaker is being hones and knows what he or she is talking about.

On the other hand, if a speaker should avert their eyes before actually speaking and especially before answering a question, it is perceived as being not honest and open or as meaning that the responder is having difficulties formulating an answer Burgoon, et. al., 1989). Perhaps the most significant clue when interpreting others is their smile. Nolen (1995) suggested that the 'single most powerful cue in promoting social attractiveness perceptions is the smile, followed by the head nod, and then the eyebrow raise (49). These facial expressions combined with the nodding of the head also conveys warmth. One must be careful, however, because insincere smiles give just the opposite impression. They convey compete dishonesty as though one were attempting to manipulate the listener and further, that the one who is 'smiling' is anything but happy and positive (Elgin, 1980; Nolen, 1995).

Nolen also pointed out that synchronization of cues to include hand gesturing and head nods make the perception of credibility even stronger. People performing these actions are viewed as even more competent, composed, sociable, and credible (1995). Frowning gives different impressions. In some situations, a frown is perceived as the person being in deep thought; in other situations, a frown is perceived as disapproval. Thus the context of the environment is a key factor in how facial expressions may be interpreted.

When people are engaged in a serious intellectual conversation, a frown is more like to be interpreted to mean that the frowner is in deep thought. In a social conversation, a frown is more likely to be viewed as meaning disapproval. In still other situations, a frown may be seen as meaning the person is confused and does not understand what is being said. This would be the case in a classroom setting where the 'student' frowned after the instructor explained something, the instructor would think the student did not quite understand what was said. Chevrier (1994) points out that impressions on others are made in seconds. As life becomes more and more hectic, judgments about the honesty, credibility, and friendliness of others are made in passing glances.

If a person should look at another from the corner of his eye, he may be perceived as being evasive. Raising one eyebrow can be a symbol of disbelief while raising both eyebrows would be interpreted as surprise. Conclusion The original hypothesis: Individuals are perceived according to their facial expressions more so than the words they speak is supported by the literature. Nonverbal cues of all kinds have a direct impact on how a person is perceived; facial expressions are extremely crucial in that impression.

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