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Nonverbal communication essay introduction
Nonverbal communication conclusion
Nonverbal communication essay introduction
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Nonverbal behavior is channeled by norms and most of us abide by them without being aware of them. Physical appearance, gesture and body movement, face and eye behavior, vocal behavior, personal space, touch, scent/smell, and time are all forms of nonverbal communication behavior. Norms differ amongst various cultures, ethnic, and geographic groups. There are endless ways and forms to violate nonverbal norms, and by doing so can lead to a barrier in communication, which are problematic to distinguish. I carried out each violation of nonverbal norms five times with five different people, all within five different places. First violation took place at my local supermarket. I was in line with my shopping cart ready to check out. In front of me was an individual also checking out. I decided to bring my shopping cart as close to them as I can without touching them. Every time I did that, they would move further away from the cart. I did it at least three times before the individual turned around and gave me a firm look with their eyes as I looked down. Second violation occurred on campus at the library. There are booths for students to sit in and study with their friends and classmates. I decided to join these two students that were studying together by quietly sitting in the booth with them. They seemed to hesitate to even talk to me, but I was …show more content…
There are two important areas in this research- territoriality and use of personal space, all while each have an important bearing on the kinds of messages we send as we use space. Standing at least three feet apart from someone is a norm for personal space. Chronemics, also known as the study of time, varies greatly from culture to culture. The American culture is very adamant about time, that if one is late to an event, a negative message is usually attached to their behavior. Arriving to class or to a meeting on time is a typical norm for this
Woods states that nonverbal patterns reflect specific cultures and nonverbal behavior is not instinctive but learned in the process of socialization (p. 124). Our culture in Puerto Rico, children are considered to be disrespectful if they make eye contact when spoken to by an adult; especially when being reprimanded. Nevertheless, closing one’s eyes completely is a sign of unreserved disrespect when someone is speaking to
There are two forms of communication, verbal and nonverbal. The strongest form of communication is when both of these elements work together to convey the person’s message. This essay will analyze the forms of verbal and nonverbal communication in the show “Blackish” by Kenya Barris, an American comedy that surrounds an African American family. The episode being analyzed is from season 3 episode 2, titled “GOD”, where the daughter explains to her dad that she is beginning to lose faith that god exists, so the father tries to persuade her in different forms. To be more specific, the scene being analyzed is when the family goes with the mother to get a sonogram of the baby. The use of verbal and nonverbal language can affect the environment or
In every society nonverbal communication is one of the most powerful tools that a person can use to interpret the message that is being delivered. Even though verbal communication is fairly straightforward, nonverbal communication allows others to sense the true emotions of the person that is expressing them. For example even though a person may say that they are not irritated, their usage of voice may display otherwise. Nonverbal communication not only reveals hidden messages, but it also complements, substitutes, and exaggerates verbal communication.
For my breaching experiment, I decided to break the social norm of looking at someone while engaged in conversation with them. Today, it is socially unacceptable and impolite to avoid looking at someone when talking to them. The background assumption for a typical conversation is that direct eye contact will be made more often than not; otherwise social norms are being violated. Avoiding eye contact during an exchange tends to dehumanize the person that is not receiving the eye contact. It is impolite and offensive, not looking at someone who is talking makes it seem as though the topic being discussed is unimportant. For my research experiment I would constantly talk to someone without initiating eye contact, or with my back facing toward the subject, not turning around or making eye contact until I had to ring up their order or make the drink for them. This research is important because it uncovers what happens when the social norm of
It’s important to study and understand a culture and its norms before assimilating yourself into it so that you do not break a serious social norm, whether it be verbal or nonverbal. According to our book, “Nonverbal communication is an ever-present form of human expression,” and you are always communicating messages even if they are not stated explicitly. Nonverbal cues are there for a reason and they help us to form relationships when we learn how to pick up on those cues commonly used by certain people in our interpersonal relationships. Nonverbal norms help to shape our society in deciding what’s acceptable, help us to establish interpersonal relationships, and help us form a part of our
Little (as cited in Guardo, 1969) defines personal space as "the area immediately surrounding the individual in which the majority of his interactions with others takes place."
This concept focuses on the theory of a bubble called “personal space,” and how we tend to consider our close surroundings to be our own personal area. The size of “personal space” varies from culture to culture, but was divided into four categories within the North American culture. These categories are intimate distance, which is skin contact to 18 inches and is reserved for those whom we trust and with whom we are emotionally close, and personal distance, which is 18 to 4 feet for a range of personal communication varying from couples on the closer end to friends towards arm’s length. Then there is social distance ranging from 4 to 12 feet, which can increase the person aspect of a conversation, such as between a student and their professor, and finally public distance, which is 12 feet at least and establishes a distance in which two-way communication is less frequent (Adler et. al, 2015, pg. 193-194). People tend to react negatively to a stranger entering their personal space, and use strategies in an attempt to create a “wall” between them and the other individual. One of the examples in this section reminded me of a time when a person that I found attractive made her way into my personal space in social setting, which instantly caused me to read into her behavior. Even though no words were exchanged, simply be entering my close proximity she was sending me a message, and I read into the situation. This is where the ambiguity of nonverbal communication can come in to play. However, by her entering my personal space, between 18 inches and 4 feet, it sent me a signal that could have been interpreted to mean that she wanted me to see that she was nearby and initiate a conversation. However, if she had been a stranger who I was not interested in conversing with and I found myself stuck in
Nonverbal communication is rich in meaning. Everyone communicates through nonverbal gestures and motions. I realized that you can decipher a lot from an individual or individuals by just paying close attention to what they do, and that words are not really necessary. Watching two people interacting, I figured that they are really close by their space communication, eye language, and body movements.
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 ...
Culture has always been a driving force in understanding nonverbal communication as nonverbal communication is highly influenced by the cultural differences as the context of the culture defines how the communication/message is interpreted in certain cultures. “Communication occurs within a context but the context is particularly important in relation to non-verbal communication” (Tyler, Kossen & Ryan, 2005, p.185). Culture defines the messages perceived by the non-verbal communication. For instance, proxemics. “Proxemics refers to the spatial relationship or how we use space.” (Tyler, Kossen & Ryan, 2005, p.190) Culture plays an important role in defining the use of one’s personal space in the nonverbal communication process. For example, in North America people usually remain at a distance from one another when talking while Latin American people stay very close when talking. (Wood, 2009). This defines the use of the privacy or personal space in two different cultures. H...
Non-verbal communication decodes messages using body language and facial expressions. Therefore, non-verbal communication is a type of language as its own that can be used universally. This includes, touching behavior, proximity, eye contact, gestures and many more. Furthermore, non-verbal communication can be misinterpreted as well because people from other countries has different ways of interpreting gesture...
Nonverbal communication surrounds us all the time. “Nonverbal communication is all aspects of communication other than words” (Wood, 2016, p. 135). It is not communication with words, but we use nonverbal communication when we talk. We use nonverbal communication without even realizing it in every facet of our lives. This type of communication can be challenging depending on someone’s culture. Something that means one thing in America, can mean something totally different in another country. It is important to know this so that you don’t offend someone from another culture (Wood, 2016, p. 149).
Axtell, E. R. (1993). The dos and taboos of body language around the world. In Social interaction in everyday life (chapter 22). Retrieved from http://www.sheltonstate.edu/Uploads/files/faculty/Angela%20Gibson/Sph%20106/taboos0001.pdf.
The politics, religion, status, age, and social standards of people determine acceptable boundaries for personal space. What is acceptable in the United States differs from what is acceptable in Europe or the Middle East when interacting in each other’s space. Indeed, despite biological similarities as a human race, the social influences that surround an individual affect behavior (Trolley, “Personal Space”). Therefore, each culture must be sensitive to others’ established boundaries, knowing that personal space is just that: personal.
...tention to how people react to one another’s comments, guessing the relationship between the people and guessing how each feels about what is being said. This can inform individuals to better understand the use of body language when conversing with other people. It is also important to take into account individual differences. Different cultures use different non-verbal gestures. Frequently, when observing these gestures alone the observer can get the wrong impression, for instance, the listener can subconsciously cross their arms. This does not mean that they are bored or annoyed with the speaker; it can be a gesture that they are comfortable with. Viewing gestures as a whole will prevent these misunderstandings. Non-verbal gestures are not only physical, for example; the tone of voice addressing a child will be different from the way it is addressed to an adult.