NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS

BCN 6933LECTURE 11

DR. E. DOUGLAS LUCAS

• Different studies have shown that between 60% and 90% of the meaning people get from verbal communications with others actually comes from non-verbal communication or body language and not the words themselves.

• If the meaning or intent of communications is unclear in the spoken word, most all people will get their perceived meaning or intent from the body language of the speaker.

• Different cultures have differing interpretation for each type of body language

• Paul Elkman’s study in the 1960s found that certain facial expressions were universal across all cultures. These included facial expressions showing anger, disgust, fear, joy, sadness and surprise.

• During communications, physique, height, weight, hair, skin color, gender, odors and clothing send non-verbal messages. A study in Vienna, Austria by Grammer, Renninger, Leann & Fischer, and Bettina (2004) of the type of clothing worn by women attending discotheques showed that there was a correlation between their motivation for sex and levels of sexual hormones and the sheerness of their clothing and amount of skin being shown.

• Studies have shown that there is a correlation between the height of a person and the respect they have as a leader

• Chronemics is the study of the study of the use of time in nonverbal communications. The way we perceive time, structure our time and react to time is a powerful communication tool and sets the stage for communications

• Time perceptions include punctuality and willingness to wait, the speed of speech and how long people are willing to listen.

• A study by Gudykunst & Ting-Toomey in 1988 identified two dominant time patterns:

1. Monochronic Time Schedule (M-Time) –Time is viewed as being very important and is characterized as linear with an emphasis on a schedules and appointments. Punctuality is a golden virtue. Time is viewed as something to be controlled or wasted. Things are done one at a time. M time is normally found in North America and Northern Europe.

• Polychronic Time (P-time) – Personal involvement is more important than schedules. The emphasis is on personal relationships rather than keeping appointments on time. P-time is typically found in Latin America and the Middle East.

• Kinesics is the study of body movements, facial expressions, and gestures. It is a field of study founded by anthropologist Ray L. Birdwhistell in the 1950s.

• Personal Space (Closeness): This category refers to the distance which people feel comfortable approaching others or having others approach them.

1. People from certain countries, such as parts of Latin America the Middle East , or the Far East often feel comfortable standing closer to each other, while persons of Northern European descent tend to prefer a relatively greater distance.

2. Different distances are also intuitively assigned for situations involving intimate relations, ordinary personal relationships (e.g., friends), social relations (e.g., co-workers or salespeople), or in public places (e.g., in parks, restaurants, or on the street. (Keltner, 1970).

3. Proxemics is a term introduced by anthropologist, Edward T. Hall in 1966 to describe the distance between people in interaction. Body spacing and posture, according to Hall, are unintentional reactions to sensory fluctuations or shifts, such as subtle changes in the sound and pitch of a person's voice.

4. Different distances are also intuitively assigned for situations involving intimate relations, ordinary personal relationships (e.g., friends), social relations (e.g., co-workers or salespeople), or in public places (e.g., in parks, restaurants, or on the street. (Keltner, 1970).

5. Social distance between people is reliably correlated with physical distance, as are intimate and personal distance, according to the following delineations for most Northern European cultures:

5. Intimate distance for embracing, touching or whispering • Close phase - less than 6 inches (150 mm) • Far phase - 6 to 18 inches (150 - 450 mm)

6. Personal distance for interactions among good friends• Close phase - 1.5 to 2.5 feet (450 - 750 mm) • Far phase - 2.5 to 4 feet (750 - 1200 mm)

7. Social distance for interactions among acquaintances • Close phase - 5 to 7 feet (1.5 - 2.1 m) • Far phase - 7 to 12 feet (2.1 - 3.6 m)

8. Public distance used for public speaking • Close phase - 12 to 25 feet (3.6 - 7.5 m) • Far phase - 25 feet (7.5 m) or more

• Eye Contact/Eye Movement: This rich dimension speaks volumes. The Spanish woman in the Nineteenth Century combined eye language with the aid of a fan to say what was not permissible to express explicitly. Eye contact modifies the meaning of other nonverbal behaviors. For example, people on elevators or crowds can adjust their sense of personal space if they agree to limit eye contact. What happens if this convention isn't followed? (Scheflen, 1972.) This issue of eye contact is another important aspect of nonverbal communication.

• Modern American business culture values a fair degree of eye contact in interpersonal relations, and looking away is sensed as avoidance or even deviousness. However, some cultures raise children to minimize eye contact, especially with authority figures, lest one be perceived as arrogant or "uppity." When cultures interact, this inhibition of gaze may be misinterpreted as "passive aggressive" or worse.

• Posture: A person's bodily stance communicates a rich variety of messages. Consider the following postures and the emotional effect they seem to suggest:

slouching stiff slumped twisted (wary)cringing towering crouching angled torso legs spread pelvis tilt shoulders forward general tightness kneeling angle of head jaw thrust

Paralanguage/Sounds: "Non-lexical" vocal communications may be considered a type of nonverbal communication, in its broadest sense, as it can suggest many emotional nuances. This category includes a number of sub-categories:

Inflection (rising, falling, flat...) Pacing (rapid, slow, measured, changing...) Intensity (loud, soft, breathy,... ) Tone (nasal, operatic, growling, wheedling, whining...) Pitch (high, medium, low, changes...) Pauses (meaningful, disorganized, shy, hesitant...)]

• Facial Expression: The face is more highly developed as an organ of expression in humans than any other animal. Some of these become quite habitual, almost fixed into the chronic muscular structure of the face. For instance, in some parts of the South, the regional pattern of holding the jaw tight creates a slight bulge in the temples due to an overgrowth or "hypertrophy" of those jaw muscles that arise in that area. This creates a characteristic appearance. The squint of people who live a lot in the sun is another example. More transient expressions often reveal feelings that a person is not intending to communicate or even aware of. Here are just a few to warm you up:

Gesture/Hand Movements: There are many kinds of gestures: clenching fist shaking a finger pointingbiting fingernails tugging at hair squirmingrubbing chin smoothing hair folding armsraising eyebrows pursing lips narrowing eyes scratching head looking away hands on hipshands behind head rubbing nose rockingsticking out tongue tugging ear lobe waving

These, too, have many different meanings in different cultures, and what may be friendly in one country or region can be an insult in another (Morris et al, 1979, Maginnis, 1958).

• Paul Elman and Wallace Friesen suggested that the five categories of gestures were:

1. Emblems- Gestures with direct verbal translation such as a goodbye wave.

2. Illustrators – Gestures that depict what is said verbally, such as turning an imaginary steering wheel while talking about driving.

3. Affect display – A gesture that conveys emotion like a smile.

4. Regulators – Gestures that control interaction

5. Adaptor – A gesture that facilitates the release of bodily tension, such as quickly moving the leg.

• Touch: How one person touches another communicates a great deal of information: Is a grip gentle or firm, and does one hold the other person on the back of the upper arm, on the shoulder, or in the middle of the back. Is the gesture a push or a tug? Is the touch closer to a pat, a rub, or a grabbing? People have different areas of personal intimacy, and this refers not only to the sexual dimension, but also the dimension of self control. Many adolescents are particularly sensitive to any touching that could be interpreted as patronizing or undue familiarity. Even the angle of one's holding another's hand might suggest a hurrying or coercive implicit attitude, or on the other hand, a respectful, gentle, permission-giving approach (Smith, Clance & Imes, 1998, Jones, 1994).

• Haptics is the study of touching as nonverbal communications

• Touches that communicate include handshakes, holding hands, kissing, back slapping, high fives, pats on the shoulder or back, or brushing an arm.

• Touching oneself while communicating includes licking ones lips, picking, holding and scratching. These actions are known as adaptors and may send messages that reveal the intentions or feelings of a communicator.

• The linguist George L. Trager developed a classification system for vocal communication that consists of voice set, voice qualities and vocalization.

1. Voice set – The context in which a person is speaking including gender, mood, age and culture.

2. Voice qualities are volume, pitch, tempo, rhythm, articulation, resonance, nasality, and accent.

3. Vocalization – Includes characterizers, qualifiers and segregates. Characterizers are emotions expressed while speaking such as laughing, crying and yawning. A voice qualifier is the style of delivering a message. An example would be yelling “Hey stop that” as opposed to whispering the same words. Vocal segregates such as “uh-huh tell the speaker that the listener is actually listening.

• Locomotion: The style of physical movement in space also communicates a great deal, as well as affecting the feelings of the person doing the moving (Morris, 1977):

slither, crawl, totter, walk, stroll, shuffle, hurry, run, jog, spring ,tiptoe, march, jump, hop, skip , climb, swing, acrobatics, swim, and slink

Pacing: This is the way an action is done. jerky, pressured, nervous, gradual , graceful, fatiguedtense, easy, shaky, deliberate, furtive and clumsy

A related variable is the time it takes to react to a stimulus, called "latency of response." Some people seem to react to questions, interact in conversations, or are slower or faster "on the uptake" than others.

ANGER• Usage: Anger may show in a. jaws tensed to a biting position;

b. postures of the broadside display (e.g., hands-on-hips ); c. cut-off and head-jerk cues; d. fist , hand-behind-head, and palm-down beating gestures; e. frowning and tense-mouth expressions; f. growling voice tones; and g. staring.

• Culture. In Italy, the forefinger bite--in which "the knuckle of the bent forefinger is placed between the teeth and symbolically bitten"--means, "I am angry" (Morris 1994:81).

ANGULAR DISTANCE

• Usage: Angular distance reveals how we relate to (i.e., feel about) people sitting, standing, or waiting nearby. Our upper body unwittingly squares-up, addresses, and "aims" at those we like, admire, and agree with, but angles away from disliked persons and people with whom we disagree. In a friendly conversation, formal interview, or staff meeting, e.g., a greater angular distance (i.e, turning away) substitutes for greater linear distance. Angular distance may range from 0 degrees (directly facing) to 180 degrees (turning one's back).

ANTIGRAVITY SIGN

• Usage: We accent our words with authoritative palm-down cues, and show we mean business by squaring our shoulders, lifting our faces and chins, and visibly standing tall. Around the world, antigravity signs are featured in business, government, and military wear

ARM-CROSS

Usage: Though often decoded as a defensive barrier sign, the arm-cross represents a comfortable position for relaxing the arms, e.g., while speaking as well. With arms and elbows pulled tightly into the body (i.e., flexed and adducted), the gesture may reveal acute nervousness or chronic anxiety. Held less tightly against the chest, with elbows elevated and projecting outward (away from the body, i.e., abducted), the arm-cross presents a guard-like stance, suggestive of arrogance, disliking, or disagreement.

• RESEARCH REPORTS: 1. In conditions of severe crowding, the frequency of arms crossed in front of the body touching at the crotch "greatly increased" (Baxter and Rozelle 1975:48). 2. A report summarizing studies of North American college students found a. that women use open arm positions with men they like, but cross-arms with men they dislike (men, on the other hand, show no difference); and b. that women show uneasiness by crossing their arms (while men do not; Vrugt and Kerkstra 1984). 3. "Folding arms may indicate protection against some sort of verbal or nonverbal attack" (Richmond et al. 1991:62). 4. Arm-cross is a worldwide posture that means, "I feel defensive" (Morris 1994:5).

BLANK FACE

Usage: Though "expressionless," the blank face sends a strong emotional message: "Do Not Disturb." In shopping malls, elevators, and subways we adopt neutral faces to distance ourselves from strangers. The blank face is a subtle sign used to keep others a polite distance away. (N.B.: A blank face with naturally downturned lips and creased frown lines may appear "angry" as well.)

BODY ALIGNMENT

• RESEARCH REPORTS: 1. Direct torso alignment in the face-to-face body orientation presents a formal, businesslike posture (Scheflen 1964). 2. Aiming the upper body conveys greater feelings of liking (i.e., of immediacy) than when the body is angled away (Mehrabian 1969). 3. Lean-forward suggests friendliness (Mehrabian 1974), while lean-backward expresses a more negative pose (Mehrabian 1969). 4. A non-aligned, parallel orientation discloses neutral or passive moods which may grade into disliking or disagreement (Scheflen 1964, Richmond et al. 1991).

• Courtship. Women (and men) unthinkingly "aim" their upper bodies at partners they like--even while angling their faces and eyes away. Squaring-up with the shoulders is a nonverbal invitation to speak.

BODY-BEND

• Usage: As expressive cues, body-bend (i.e., axial-skeleton) postures are more fundamental as mood signs than are leg and arm (i.e., appendicular) postures. Bending the spinal column away from the person seated beside you at a conference table, e.g., is a reliable--usually unconscious--sign of disagreement, disliking, or shyness.

• Culture. In southern Italy, the buttocks thrust--in which the stiffened (extended) upper body bends forward and the buttocks thrust backward, toward another person--is a sign of "obscene disdain" (Morris 1994:16). According to Morris, "This simple gesture is essentially an excretory insult, with the message 'I defecate on you'" (1994:16).

HEAD-TILT-BACK

• Usage: Lifting the chin and looking down the nose are used throughout the world as nonverbal signs of superiority, arrogance, and disdain (Eibl-Eibesfeldt 1970, Hass 1970). Culture. 1. In Greece and Saudi Arabia, a sudden head-tilt-back movement means "No," and may originate from the infantile head-tilt-back used to refuse food (Morris 1994:145; 2. In Ethiopia, the same gesture means "Yes," and may originate from the backward head movement used as a greeting (Morris 1994:146).