What is Nonverbal Communication? What is nonverbal communication?

Nonverbal communication can be best defined as the procedure of communicating with a person or party without using any form of speech to grab an audience attention or to exploit a message. Non verbal communication is often used to make an expression of a thought or thoughts and make your message more appealing and interesting to whom you are speaking. Types of Nonverbal Communication What are the types of nonverbal communication? There are 5 types of nonverbal communication; the 5 types of nonverbal communication Eyecontact Gestures Movement Posture Written Communication Eye contact: Eye contact is one of the forms to nonverbal communication. Eye contact is most effective in the goal to gain someones trust, since it is a form of letting someone know that your are focused on them, thus gives a person a sign to either respond to a message or not. Gestures: Gestures are important in nonverbal communication since it allows you to interest the person by showing the bigger picture to what you are saying. For instance, when your friends are present you tend use your hands and face when you are speaking and describing a thought, for example you may say I went fishing last Sunday and I caught a big fish! To explain the size you may show the size of the fish you caught with your hands. Movement: Movement is the key to obtain a less dull conversation that will eventually attract people to have more interest to your speech, since the person becomes more curious about what you have to say. The movement are not successful are movements you make when you are shaking of nervousness but is the movement that is used to obtain the audience attention. Movement naturally catches a persons eyes, like for instance when you are focused watching a settled object and all of a sudden in the corner of your eye you see something move, your attention will rapidly turn to focus all attention to that object that moved. Posture: Having good posture is very important not only because it is helps you breathe better, and calms your nerves, but it shows confidence trust and power in you. Written Communication: Written communication is the communication with a person whom you wish to communicate with in a written format such as a business memo or business letter. Written communication is very important since there will be times where you will need to exploit a message but time is crucial, the business cant sacrifice the time to gather together for a meeting, even though your message is important. are the following:

Characteristics of NONVERBAL
Touch Touching is nonverbal communication. Physical touch reveals how you feel about people. For example, when you see a good friend, you might hug him or her, but when meeting someone for the first time you might just shake hands. Touch as nonverbal communication can be observed in high school fights, lovers kissing in the park or a gentle touch on a baby's head. Each physical touch sends a different message. Time The use and abuse of time is another characteristic of nonverbal communication. You communicate respect by being on time for appointments, and by making time to be with other people. Lateness, or failure to spend time with friends and family, can show a lack of respect. However, it is important to understand that different cultures have different rules about punctuality or the lack of it. Body Language Body language is use of the physical body to send a message--your head hanging low from sadness, or jumping up and down with excitement, or shrugging your shoulders with indifference. Body language may offer clues about interpreting someone's words. For example, if a friend says "Get lost" and then embraces you, she is likely excited about something and not literally telling you to get lost. On the other hand, if someone says "I'm in love" but lets his head hang low, there may be something more going on. Proxemics Proxemics is the study of an individual's personal space. All people have certain "zones," or distances at which they are comfortable with strangers, with people they know, and with intimate friends. If a stranger enters the "friend" zone unexpectedly, the nonverbal action can be viewed as intrusive and rude. The zones differ from person to person and from community to community. People's body language can offer clues about what kind of distance they prefer. Gestures Gestures are body movements that have a common meaning in a particular culture. In the United States, everyone knows what a thumbs-up, a shaken fist or a blown kiss mean. These gestures communicate a clear message without use of words. Gestures may be used to to direct traffic or to correct children.

Characteristics of Verbal Communication

Mediums Verbal communication is either face-to-face or public. Communicating face-to-face allows communicators to exchange ideas back and forth freely, while public speaking allows the back and forth exchange of ideas only in certain circumstances, like a classroom setting or during a question and answer session. However, in order to keep information flowing smoothly and clearly between the speaker and the audience, rules have to be negotiated as to when each individual can speak. Verbal communication does not just involve speech, since written communication conveys a specific idea and is a part of verbal communication. Sound At birth, everyone has the ability to make sounds. Some sounds have nothing to do with language or words, such as laughing, crying and yelling. Despite that, people with different languages can understand the emotion that the individual is communicating. Emotions and attitudes can also be communicated through the tone of the words. People have a tendency to show how they feel about the subject or the audience through the tone they present. Tone can completely shift the meaning of an uttered statement. For instance, if a statement is said sarcastically, others will likely believe the opposite of what is said. Words At some point, children learn how to put sounds into words. Words are sounds that are produced in such a way that people can distinguish them from other sounds. Not everyone will necessarily know the meaning of each individual word, so those wishing to communicate verbally need to make sure that those they're speaking to understand the intended meaning of the word.

Language Languages are created when meaning is assigned to words. The language that a child is exposed to is the language that the child picks up. Individuals who want to verbally communicate to others speaking another language must not only learn the language but also understand how these words are used in common speech. For instance, a person learning English might know that accelerated is a synonym for fast but needs to understand that accelerated means a specific type of fast in which an individual is performing an action faster than before. Etiquette In addition to understanding, different cultures have systems of etiquette that determine what is said in order to avoid offending others. For instance, speakers often address their audience as ladies and gentlemen. In face-to-face communication, individuals often refer to each other as sir and madam.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HEARING & LISTENING SKILLS

Hearing You can hear someone speak without listening to the words. Hearing defines only the physical measurement of the sound waves that are transmitted to the ear and into the brain where they are processed into audible information. Hearing occurs with or without your consent. The National Youth Council says hearing is such a passive quality, it occurs even while you sleep. When you merely hear someone's words but are not listening to what's being said, it can lead to misunderstandings, missed opportunities and resentments. Listening Skills Listening goes far beyond your natural hearing process. It means paying attention to the words that are being spoken with the intention of understanding the other person. Your personal perceptions and prejudices can affect the quality of your listening skills. For example, if you feel your are better off (financially, intellectually, socially) than the person you are listening to, you may dismiss much of what she is saying because of your perceived superiority. Types There are generally four basic levels of hearing and listening, according to Toast Masters.org. You can easily fall into one or these more categories in different conversations. A non-listener is totally preoccupied with his personal thoughts and though he hears words, he doesn't listen to what is being said. Passive listeners hear the words but don't fully absorb or understand them. Listeners pay attention to the speaker, but grasp only some of the intended message. Active listeners are completely focused on the speaker and understand the meaning of the words without distortion. Solution A good listener understands that communication is a two-way street. He refrains from interrupting a speaker with his own thoughts. Good listening also requires keeping an open mind, refraining from judgment and making direct eye contact. Finally, a good listener will not glance up at the clock or look down at his watch while the other person is expressing her voice

BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE LISTENING

A) Physiological Barriers 1) Hearing Problems hearing deficiencies, auditory-processing difficulties like auditory discrimination, sequencing, memory 2) Rapid Thought the brain is able to process at 500 wpm, but people speak at 125 wpm, leaving a lot of free time to drift B) Environmental Barriers 1) Physical Distractions 2) Problems in the Communication Channel face-time is far more accurate than any other type 3) Message Overload coping with a deluge of information C) Attitudinal Barriers 1) Preoccupation what else do you have to think about? 2) Egocentrism My opinion is worth more; rates lower on the social attractiveness scale; Nobody ever listened himself out of a job. 3) Fear of Appearing Ignorant

D) Faulty Assumptions 1) Assuming that Effective Communication is the Senders Responsibility both speaker and listener share the burden of reaching an understanding 2) Assuming that Listening is Passive can be hard work, you may nee to ask questions or paraphrase the statements to ensure your understanding 3) Assuming that Talking has more Advantages than Listening Big people monopolize the listening, small people monopolize the talking. E) Sociocultural Differences 1) Cultural Differences (a) Accents the assumption that anyone with an accent is less intelligent, the noise of misunderstanding due to accents (b) Time the amount of time that is spent listening varies culturally (c) Silence the length of silences also varies culturally 2) Gender Differences (a) Women listen for relational subtext, men for content (b) Women interpret listening noises uh huh, mmm to signify they are listening, men use them to signify agreement (c) Men & women listen for different reasons (d) All else being equal, women are not as likely to be listened to as men, regardless of how they speak or what they say.