NONVERBAL

COMMUNICATION
MBA Com III
Michael Lohan
Nonverbal Communication Defined

 Communication in general is the process of sending and receiving

messages which enables humans to share
• Knowledge
• Attitudes
• Skills

While we usually identify communication with speech, communication it is

composed of two dimensions:
• Verbal
• nonverbal.

Everything communicates, including material objects, physical space, and

time systems. Although verbal output can be turned off, nonverbal
cannot. Even silence speaks.
• 
What’s being said?
Nonverbal Communication
• Defined as communication without words. Nonverbal
communication includes apparent behaviors such as
• facial expressions
• eyes
• touching
• tone of voice
• as well as less obvious messages such as
• dress
• posture
• spatial distance between two or more people.
How does NVC differ from Language?

Nonverbal communication skills are developed at a very

young age. Young children know far more than they can
verbalize and are generally more adept at reading
nonverbal cues than adults are because of their limited
verbal skills and their recent reliance on the nonverbal to
communicate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JmA2ClUvUY

As children develop verbal skills, nonverbal channels of

communication do not cease to exist but rather they
become entwined in the total communication process.
Reasons to continue using NVC
• Words have limitations
• Nonverbal messages are likely to be more genuine
• Nonverbal signals can express feelings inappropriate to
state
• A separate communication channel is useful to help send
complex messages
NVC as a tool to strong relationships
NVC can improve relationships by helping you:
• Accurately read other people, including the emotions
they’re feeling and the unspoken messages they’re
sending.
• Create trust and transparency in relationships by sending
nonverbal signals that match up with your words.
• Respond with nonverbal cues that show others that you
understand, notice, and care.
The Power of Nonverbal Behaviour
• While the nonverbal messages may be largely
unintentional or uncontrollable, people (teachers
included!) read a lot into them. In fact, we have a
tendency to trust the nonverbal message being sent as
the "real" message, especially when the verbal and
nonverbal messages are incongruent.
The Mehrabian Equation
Cultural Body Language Differences

Culture affects the interpretations made of gestures. One

culture may view a gesture or a hand sign differently than
another culture. These discrepancies may be deemed
offensive from each viewpoint.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxoB6MhmbIg
What is this?
Proxemics
The term ``proxemics'' was coined by researcher Edward
Hall during the 1950's and 1960's and has to do with the
study of our use of space and how various differences in
that use can make us feel more relaxed or anxious.
We can talk about:

physical territory, our homes, cars, work space, and

personal territory that we carry with us, the "bubble" of

space that you keep between yourself and the person
ahead of you in a line.
Proxemics
• Hall (1966) found four key zones:

• Intimate: touching to 10 inches. For close friends and

family.
• Casual-personal: 18 inches to four feet: Informal
conversation with friends.
• Social-consultative: four to twelve feet: formal
transactions.
• Public: Addressing groups of people.
Distance can vary significantly:

Extraverts may have smaller distances while introverts may

prefer to keep their distance.
People who live in towns and cities are used to squeezing
closer to people so have smaller spaces, whilst country
people stand so far apart they have to lean forwards to
shake hands.
Also the distance varies greatly with nationality. For
example the casual-personal distance may be:
North America: 18”, Western Europe: 14 to 16”, Japan: 36”,
Middle East: 8 to 12 inches
Take Saudi Arabia for example, you might find yourself
almost nose to nose with a business associate because
their social space equates to our intimate space. You would
probably find yourself backing away trying to regain your
social space while your associate persues you across the
floor trying to maintain his. Finally, you would come away
from the encounter thinking he was "pushy", and he
thinking you were "standoff-ish."
Actions speak louder than words