Non Verbal Communication

By Mr. Akshat Prashar

 Non – Verbal Communication

 Non-Verbal Comm. means all communication

that involves neither written nor spoken words
but occurs without the use of words

 All external stimuli other than spoken or written

words and including body motion,
characteristics of appearance, voice and use of
space and distancing.
 Non – verbal Communication

 No substitute for verbal

 Only supplements/reinforces
 Efficiency in non verbal makes up the
deficiency in verbal.
 More Impact
 7% verbal 38% vocal 55% nonverbal
KINESICS – Study of body movements

Aspects
• Personal
Appearance
• Facial Expression
• Posture
• Gesture
• Eye Contact
• Touch
1. Personal Appearance

 The Person: hair, beard, colour of skin, age,

grooming, cleanliness, attractiveness, handicaps
 The Attire: Speaks loudly about our general +Ve
attitude, behavioral preferences, confidence, or
occupation, personality, power, status & values
_Ve
 The Accessories:
impact
 Tangible Spectacles, false eye lashes/nails, ties,
rings, bangles tattoos, buttons,
 Intangible- Deodorants, perfumes etc.
 Either enhance the p.a. or detract from the p.a.
2. FACIAL EXPRESSION

 Major visible signs which betray our feelings

 Used to aid ,inhibit or complement
 Reveal attitude, confidence
 Spontaneous emotional expressions
 To interpret accurately is a tricky task.
Is this person talking to a female or
male friend?
3. POSTURE

 The way one stands, sits or walks

 Movement of the body, position of
hands/legs & other parts
 Measure of personality, success of
communication
 Vary according to situations
 Slumped Posture-Low Spirits
 Erect Posture-High Spirits, energy and
confidence
 Lean Forward- Open and Interested
 Lean Away- Defensive or Disinterested
 Crossed Arms- Defensive
 Uncrossed Arms-Willingness to Listen
 Correct Posture-Move the legs freely, don't drag
or shuffle them, walk in a straight line
NASA’s Washington headquarters watch NASA administrator Sean
O’Keefe’s statement following lost of the Columbia
4. Gestures

 Any action that sends a visual

signal to an onlooker (An observed
action)
 Enhance impact, add a greater
value( wrong gestures-playing with
a ring, clasping one’s hands tightly)
5. Eye Contact

 Leads to more effective

communication
 Shows whether speaker is sincere &
listener is interested
 Establishes rapport
 Convey both intended as well as
unintended messages
 Proxemics: Space Distancing

 Concept – Important for nonverbal communication

 Intimate Zone-Physical touch to 18 inches
 Personal Zone-18 inches-4 feet
 Social Zone- 4 feet -12 feet
 Public Zone- 12 feet-30 feet
Do you think these girls are good friends?
Haptics (Touch)

 Body contact
 Intention, interpretation,
 Relationship
 Friendship, intimacy,sexual
 Culture specific
All nonverbal communication is best
understood within cultural context
Paralanguage

Paralanguage refers to the non-verbal elements of

communication used to modify meaning and convey
emotion. Paralanguage may be expressed consciously
or unconsciously, and it includes the pitch, volume, and,
in some cases, intonation of speech. Sometimes the
definition is restricted to vocally-produced sounds. The
study of paralanguage is known as paralinguistics.
Volume

 Loudness or softness of the voice

 Adjust according to two factors
 Acoustics of the room
 No. of audience
 Too High-boorish and Insensitive
 Too low-exhibits Shyness
Rate

 Speed of words per minute

 Normal rate-120-180 WPM
 Depends on the complexity of the
material, mood the speaker wants to
create& composition of the audience
Pronunciation

 To speak the sounds according to accepted

norms
 Individual sounds should be pronounced
correctly
 Word stress should be proper
Articulation

 To speak the sounds according to accepted

norms
 One of the several causes of
mispronunciation
Pitch

 Rise and fall in the voice

 Essential to convey the varieties in emotion
 Well-balanced and well suited pitch results in
a clear and effective tone
Voice Modulation

 To regulate, vary and adjust the tone,

pitch and volume of the voice.
 Brings flexibility and vitality to the voice
 Convey varieties in emotions
 Absence may lead to monotonous
presentations
Pauses

 Use pauses at the end of certain thought units

 Leads to better comprehension
 Exhibits confidence and control
 Time the pauses properly
 Vocalised pauses should be avoided (um-ur)
Gender and Nonverbal Behavior

 Visual Dominance – measured by

comparing the percentage of looking
while speaking with the percentage
of looking while listening
 Men – higher levels of looking

while speaking
 Women – higher levels of looking

while listening
Gender Communication
Questions???