The Topic
Communication skills and interactions are very important for every part of life. The way that people communicate can affect how well they do in school, in their careers and in their interactions with friends and family members. Some of the most important communication skills for success in our lives occurs without the use of words, and instead takes the form of an action. This can be the way in which someone stands, what their posture looks like, where they look, where they hold their arms and whether or not they make eye contact. This is because people tend to say things with their bodies that may otherwise go unnoticed, or may indicate that they mean something different from what they are saying. Non-verbal communication can be
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It is because of this that I wanted to explore a specific aspect that people may not think of on a regular basis, eye contact. Eye contact exists as a form of body language that we often unknowingly use while communicating with others. It is an important part of how we represent who we are and what we are trying to say to others, and it stand alone from our words. When we are talking to a friend, having an important conversation, making direct eye contact with them can tell them that we are listening to what they have to say and that we are engaged in what they are saying. It illustrates that we respect them enough to focus on their words and to listen thoughtfully. I find that I tend to fail to make eye contact when I am uninterested in a person or what they are talking about, which is a fascinating discovery about myself and my own ability to communicate with others. Not only does eye contact illustrate interest, it also illustrates a connection between those who are communicating. When we look someone in the eye, we are building a connection to them. To not make eye contact could speak to that person and say, “I do not like you, I do not want to connect to you.” Which may be unintentional and may negatively impact our ability to create a strong relationship with someone important to us. Also, what we are saying with our eyes speaks …show more content…
First is that we can tell a lot about a person simply by how they make or avoid eye contact within moments of first meeting them. That is to say that, friendly and open people tend to look directly into the faces of those with whom they speak and are therefore more effective communicators than those who avoid or shy away from eye contact. My research has led me to also note that eye contact or the lack of eye contact also depends on the social scenario with which one is presented. Clerks and people working behind counters at stores may be less likely to make eye contact when interacting with a customer because they get paid the same amount no matter what, while waitresses and bar staff are more keen on making direct eye contact as a way of appearing friendly and open to their customers. Because service industry people rely on how they are perceived in order to make more money from tips, they try to seem nice and kind. In terms of social and familial relationships, practicing direct eye contact is an important skill for communicating, and is often looked over as an important way to improve how others view us. By keeping eye contact with whom we are speaking with, we show that we are interested in what they are saying and tell them that they are important to us. This can not only serve to improve how we are viewed
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
People want full attention and full eye contact, to ensure interest in the topic being discussed. I discovered that when I would talk to someone with my back completely turned to someone was when they were offended the most, rather than when I just didn’t make eye contact but was faced in their general vicinity. I think that most people reacted negatively towards this experiment because of the social norm that involves being polite and attentive towards a stranger. Being rude to someone whom I’ve never met before for no reason broke the common social norms of politeness. From this experiment I learned that it is greatly important to make eye contact with someone during any type of conversation. If not, it is seen as very rude and will result in negative reactions or attitudes, and give the impression to whomever I am engaging in conversation that I am not interested in what they are saying to
So, when it comes down to making eye contact, women are more likely to do it than men, simply because they don’t have to make contact when it comes down to communicating with each other. On her second point, Tannen explains that women are more understanding when it comes down to the conversation, they always want some way to relate so
Ellsworth, P & Carlsmith, J.M (1968). Effects of eye contact and verbal content on affective response to a dyadic interaction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 10, 15-20.
For Asians and Native Americans it means an understanding or consideration, for the French and Spanish speakers it may mean that they agree with what was said, and African-Americans may use it as a response to an inappropriate question. The use of eye contact to facilitate communication also varies among different cultures. European and American cultures value eye contact during conversation because it means the other person is interested in what is said, while in some Asian countries, Africa and the Middle East it is seen as a sign of disrespect or aggression. Gestures are also valuable when communicating because they serve as illustrators for words that the speaker uses, are regulators
Eye gaze is essential for evaluating the following objects: liking and attraction, attentiveness, competence, social skills and mental health, credibility, and dominance (Kleinke, 1986), these evaluations provide information about the target of another person’s attention and expression. Therefore, eye gaze helps to obtain information about communicative intentions and future behaviour (Baron-Cohen, 1995). Moreover, according to Patterson’s distinguish between communicative behaviours and indicative behaviours in 1982, only communicative behaviours are driven by a goal or purpose. Thus when infants are using eye gaze for communication, they are subjective to process the information transition. This statement also be demonstrated by many studies. For instance, D 'Entremont and his colleagues tested 24 infants form 3- to 6-month-olds in 1997 and they found that 73% participants followed the adults’ head-turn behaviour to change the direction of their eye
Currie (2007) states Effective Verbal Communication is important when building relationships with clients, customers, and the media (pg 1). Verbal communication is important along with listening skills so that communication between parties is clear. Verbal communication is accompanied by sign language called non verbal communication. This communication can be expressed in many ways: One can ask another “How are you today” Reply, “I’m okay” but the shrugging of the shoulders, squinting of eyes and lips closed tightly together gives another answer.
Eye contact can determine a person’s attitude and true feelings. People use eye contact in social situations to determine how and what a person is truly feeling. The amount of distance a person is from another along with the amount of eye contact used, can change the attraction level between two individual. This attraction can change the attitude of both parties towards each other (Goldman, 1980).
Body language is also used to communicate. Gestures, stance, posture and facial expressions can convey a message. People try to use this to their advantage. For example a girl may smile frequently to appear as a happy person. It follows then, eye contact must be important as well. According to Macionis, eye contact suggests that one is open to socializing and avoiding eye contact ‘discourages conversation’.
Body language in a session is important because it allows the skilled helper to understand what the client is feeling by observing their body movements; this can help the communication in the session. This could help the skilled helper as they could note when the client is feeling discomfort which can lead to the session progressing because the skilled helper would ask them why they are feeling this way. It is important that the skilled helper had good eye contact in the session because it shows the client that the skilled helper is respecting what they are saying and it shows that they value what the client is saying. It is important that the skilled helper has good body language and good eye contact in the session so that the client knows that the skilled helper is there to help them and cares about what their problem is. The client should feel as though the skilled helper cares and by having good body language and good eye contact the client would know this because the skilled helper would be paying attention and listening to what they are saying. In the same way, it is important that the client has good body language and is not slouching so that the skilled helper knows that they want help. Good eye contact can show the skilled helper that the client is respecting what they have to say and is listening to what the counsellor is asking so that they can answer the question
During conversations, I have to put extra effort to maintain eye contact. One of the most important aspect of nonverbal communication is eye contact. The use of eye contact can be one of the most crucial and influential feature of our face. In America eye contact is essential “eye contact serves as a signal of readiness to interact and the absence of such contact, whether intended or accidental, tends to reduce the likelihood of such interactions”(Ruben & Stewart, 2015, 34). Eye contact shows that the person is interested in communicating with you, and has respect and appreciation for you. It gives the conversation a sense of flow. However the lack of eye contact can often seem disrespectful across culture. It is due to cultural comparison present regarding nonverbal communication. Every culture has its own altered
The old saying that "eyes are a reflection of your inner self" holds true in most cases. There are a lot of meanings to eye contact. It can be a glaring look when a person is defiant or angry. A stare when we see something unusual about the person (staring obtrusively is rude!). A glazed over look when we are hopelessly in love with the person. It can also be a direct look when we are talking and trying to make a point.
When we communicate, we can say a lot without speaking. Our body, our posture, tone of voice and the expression on our face all display a message. If our feelings don’t fit with our words, it is often the body language that gets heard and believed. Nonverbal communication is a rapidly flowing interactive process. Self-awareness and an understanding of the cues you may be sending are paired with the cues others send and pick up from you. To do this effectively, it is necessary to clear your mind of all distractions. Try planning, creating, talking to yourself, thinking about the other person or what to say, then you won't be paying attention to the moment-to-moment experience, have the presence of mind to pick up on nonverbal cues, or fully understand what's really going on in the conversation.
Non-verbal communication doesn’t involve words, but is a powerful form of communication. The way your body language is tells the other party whether or not you are receiving their message or just listening. When your nonverbal behaviors align with the words you’re saying, they indicate to the person you are communicating with that you are trustworthy. When non-verbal behaviors do not align with your message it sends mixed signals on what you are trying to convey. When communicating in business it is imperative that you are conscious of your own body language and nonverbal cues as well as that of
Global communication is the communication that occurs all over around the globe across international borders. The requirement for global communication is because of increase in influence and effects of globalization, Different culture, societies and countries share their ideas, knowledge, cultural and societal practices through using of technology and spread their ideology and dominant set of minds in other countries and societies. Mostly, the dominant and independent cultures or we can say that influential countries, which have power to shape, reform and controls the ideology of others dependent societies by introducing the way of communication in all over the world through globalization.