Communication transmitted without the use of words. Oral communication involves both verbal and nonverbal elements.

. Words carry the stated meaning and the non verbal sign transmit the implied meaning. When the stated meaning and the implied meaning put together we get the actual meaning

Characteristics
1. Spontaneous and involuntary. 2. Verbal and non-verbal communication usually coexist. 3. Carries cultural barrier 4. Have to interpret non-verbal cues in relation to the context 5. Not suitable for lengthy, complex messages

Sign Language

Includes visual signs, audio signs and audio-video signs. Visual signs Visual like printed pictures, traffic signals , pie charts, bar charts


Audio signs Addressed to our sense of hearing. Used in situations where the visual signals cannot be seen and where the message suggests urgency and immediacy. Sirens in ambulance, Sirens in factory, door bells

Kinesics: Body Language

The word kinesics is used to describe the role of body language in communication Body language means the changes that occur in the body positions and movements that indicates what the person is feeling or thinking All bodily movements, postures and gestures are guided by our thoughts and emotions.


By nodding our head, blinking eyes, waving hands etc we send out signals and messages which are louder than words.


It includes 1. Facial Expressions 2. Gestures 3. Posture 4. Eye contact


1.Facial Expressions Face is the index of the heart. Whatever we feel deep within ourselves is at once reflected in our face. A cheerful smile, a look of surprise, raised eyebrows, wide open eyes etc can convey with or without words, the attitudes feelings and reaction of the communicator.


Common facial gestures are: Smiles: happiness


Frowns: unhappiness, anger


Clenched jaws: tension, anger


Pouting lips: sadness, displeasure


2.Gestures A gesture is a movement of the head, arms, hands, legs to express an idea, feeling or emotion. It may accompany spoken words or stand alone. Head nod suggest yes. Shaking of the head sideways suggest no. Thumps-up suggest approval. Yawning suggest I am bored. Arms spread apart convey the meaning of wide


3. Posture The way in which someone usually stands or sits or hold his shoulders, neck and back Expresses attitudes, feelings and moods of the person Sitting stiffly: shows tension Forward lean indicates attentiveness


Holding themselves back indicate lack of interest Sitting or standing with the heads erect suggests self confidence Leaning along the back of the chair with the heads thrown backwards suggests weariness. Bowed head and drooping shoulders shows lack of confidence


4.Eye Contact Eye contact between the speaker and listener is necessary for indicating that both are interested in the communication. Eye contact indicates our willingness to interact while its absence suggests the desire to withdraw. The comfort level for eye contact is 3 seconds.


Starring eyes: shows superiority or lack of respect Too little eye contact: it has multiple interpretation. indicates : dishonesty, impoliteness, insincerity and also shyness

PARALANGUAGE
Paralinguistic is the systematic study of how a speaker verbalizes his words or speech. Includes tone, pitch, pauses ,speed of delivery and other vocal qualities.


Tone Tone is the physical level at which the sound of a human voice is transmitted Tone can be gentle, persuasive, appreciative, angry


Pitch pitch is measure of how high or low a voice is Maintaining a constant pitch throughout ones speech produces monotony and shows disinterest or lack of confidence Pitch variations are necessary to keep listener attentive Important part of the message should be delivered at a pitch higher than the normal A high pitch indicate joy, cheerfulness, impatience, surprise, anger etc


A low pitch may show sadness, affection, boredom, intimacy etc. Keep up a pitch at which the listener gets our point across comfortably.


Speed of Delivery Speak at different speeds while conveying different parts of the same message. We should present the easy parts of the message at a brisk pace, because it is likely to be understood easily and soon. The difficult , complicated and highly technical part of information should be conveyed at a slower pace.


Easy information, if conveyed slowly becomes irritating. Hard or complicated information presented rapidly will be difficult to understand. An increase in rate could indicate impatience, urgency or anxiety A decrease in rate may indicate thoughtfulness.


Pauses We should not go on speaking without pausing voluntarily or involuntarily. Giving pauses at the right place is important for effective communication. Give a pause before and after an important point.


The first pause creates suspense & raises anticipation, thus gaining listeners attention. The second pause gives the listener sufficient time to assimilate the point made by the speaker. But frequent pauses spoil the speech & distract the listener's attention.


Speech breakers Pauses scattered at intervals which may be inserted with sounds like ah, oh, um, you know, oketc. They are carefully used to add to the fluency of the speaker and give him time to breath or relax. Sometimes they help to invite listener's attention. But too frequent insertion of these non-fluencies could irritate the listener.

Proxemics
Proxemics is the study of space between two interacting persons. Space defines the level of intimacy between them. Derived from the word proximity which means nearness. Personal space is divided into 4 zones according to the nature of the relationship between the interacting parties.


1. Intimate Zone physical contact to 18 inches. Communication within this distance are intimate activities. Mostly our family members, close relatives and very selected friends enter this area.


2. Friendly zone or personal zone 18 inches to 4 feet. People in this zone are friendly but not intimate, comfortable but not too close. Friends ,colleagues, neighbours etc Informal business gatherings, get-togethers falls into this category.


3.Social zone Ranges from 4 feet to 12 feet People whom we dont know personally but know socially falls under this zone. We use this space mostly for formal purpose and the relationships within this circle are more official. While interacting with people, we have to maintain some amount of formality without causing any inconvenience or discomfort to them.


4.Public zone Above 12 and extending as far as we can see or hear
Communication is very formal To communicate within this zone we have to raise our voice so as to be heard by others whose group is almost always larger in this space

Chronemics
Chronemics is the study of the use of time in nonverbal communication. The way we perceive time, structure our time and react to time is a powerful communication tool. Time perceptions include punctuality, amount of time spend with another and waiting time How people handle time gives a reflection of their personality.


Time can hint at a persons dedication to his job: completion of a job within stipulated period.
Do we attend meetings punctually?

We want to get in touch with some one over the phone.

Do we show consideration for the other persons convenience while calling?

Time can also be used as an indicator of status.

Listening
In oral communication, the role of listening is as

important as that of speaking

If we are listening half-heartedly, we are sending the signals that we are not interested, we are preoccupied with something else, we have no respect for the speaker, the message is not important etc


complaining employees feel satisfied if their bosses

just give them a patient hearing

Listening also helps managers to spot sensitive areas and take timely remedial measures before they become explosive

Haptics
Haptics is the study of touch behavior in communication. Helps in expressing intimacy, warmth, comfort and discomfort. How a person touches someone sends message about their relationship and the situation in which they are placed. Reveals whether someone is caring, friendly, angry, etc A gentle pat on the back, a warm hand shake or simply holding hands can express more than a lengthy speech

Artifactual communication

Communication through appearance and physical setting of office.


Appearance Every person is recognized by his dress and address Dressing gives an idea about the persons financial condition and also whether he is simple or trendy In formal situations such as addressing a gathering, attending a meeting, job interviews etc appearance plays a vital role


Dressing gives an idea about the attitude of the people within the organization. Wear clothes which are neither too gorgeous or trendy nor too old-fashioned. Dress should not be too tight nor too loose-fitting.


Physical setting of the office. Colour and layout or design will convey non-verbal messages. The quality of furnishing reveals a persons aesthetic sensibility. The colours of the walls reflect the personality traits .

Silence
Absence of sound. Respect, fear, helplessness, agreement, willingness, etc. What silence actually means in a situation depends upon the context.

Cultures
Culture is a shared set of values of a group. It is the sum total of the ways of living built up by a group which are transmitted from one generation to another. Always consider cultural difference when you send or receive non-verbal messages. A message that has a particular meaning in one society can have a completely different meaning in another society.


Intercultural communication is the process of sending and receiving messages between people belonging to different culture. Intracultural communication is communication within the same culture.


Intercultural difference can occur in


General appearance and dresses.


Posture: a way in which a person stands or sits or holds his shoulder. Indian greet with Namaste Japanese greet by bowing. In Britain handshake is the common form of greeting.


Gestures: A gesture is a movement of the head, hands or legs to express an idea, feeling or emotion. 1.Pointing: US with index finger; Germany with little finger; Japanese with entire hand .


2. In India it sounds good to me or I like it. In France, it stands for Zero. In Japan it indicates money. 3.Passing money or any itemsIndians use right hand. In Japan people use both hands. Using just one hands is considered as an insult.


Facial Expression: Many Asian cultures suppress facial expression as much as possible. Singaporeans rely on facial expression. They often trust non-verbal messages than spoken words.


Eye contact In US it indicates : degree of attention or interest. In Arabic cultures prolonged eye contact shows interest. In Japanese it indicate : aggressiveness and rude.


Touch USA handshake is common . The Chinese don't like being touched by strangers. Therefore dont make any body contact.


Concept of personal space: People in Canada and the United States usually stands about 5 feet apart during a business conversation. This distance is uncomfortably close for people from Germany or Japan and uncomfortably far for Arabs.


Paralanguage: vocal characterizers send different messages in different cultures. Loudness indicates strength in Arabic cultures; indicates confidence and authority to the Germans. indicates impoliteness to the Thais; indicates loss of control to the Japanese


Values Values are beliefs about what is good, right and desirable and what is not. Different cultures exhibit different value patterns.


Customs In most western countries, it is a custom to wear black at funerals. In European countries the custom is to dress in white during funerals.


Religion The Turban is an indispensable part of Sikh dress code. Christians regard 13 as an unlucky number.


Hierarchy and social Status. In west addressing seniors by name is quite common. But Indians would feel offended by this mode of address. Indians also feel uncomfortable while reporting to someone in the hierarchy if he is younger than them in age.


Time Orientation In India arriving late for meetings and appointments is common. For Americans turning up late for a meeting even by a few minutes offends them. In England, an invitation for dinner at 8 pm would see most guests arriving at about 8.15. In Germany punctuality is king.

Functions of Non-verbal communication

When communicating, nonverbal messages can interact with verbal messages in five ways: repeating,, complementing, substituting, accenting and contradicting.


Repeating : Repeating consists of using gestures to strengthen a verbal message, such as pointing to the object of discussion or point in a direction while stating direction.


Substitution: Nonverbal behavior is sometimes used as the sole channel for communication of a message. Eg: V-sign substitute for victory.


putting a finger on your lips is a signal to the other person to be quiet.


Complementing: Accurate interpretation of messages is made easier when nonverbal and verbal communication complement each other. Eg: A boss who pats a person on the back in addition to giving praise can increase the impact of the message.


Accenting Touch, voice pitch, and gestures are some of the tools people use to accent or amplify the message that is sent. Eg: a person who is verbally expressing anger may accent the verbal message by showing a clenched fist.


Contradicting : Verbal and nonverbal messages within the same interaction can sometimes send opposing messages. A person verbally expressing a statement of truth while simultaneously avoiding eye contact may convey a contradictory message to the receiver in the interaction. In such situations nonverbal communication becomes the primary tool people use to attain additional information to clarify the situation.


Positive and Negative Non-verbal clues. Positive gestures are body movements that make us look relaxed, optimistic, enthusiastic, friendly,. Negative gestures are body movements that deliver tension, confusion, indecisiveness, inattentiveness, etc..

Positive gestures. While listening: tilting the head towards the speaker, nodding gently to express approval or understanding, maintaining eye contact etc.. While speaking: Keeping the hands open, maintaining eye contact. While wailing: Walking with head upright, hands swinging freely on sides, eyes looking straight in front etc..


Negative gestures. Nervousness: Biting nails, glancing sideways, cleaning the throat too often, sitting on the edge of the chair, frequently using speech breakers. Aggressiveness: Staring or pointing someone Rudeness: Shaking a persons hand too hard, looking at the watch frequently while someone is talking etc..


Hands in the pocket. Covering the mouth with hands while speaking. Blinking eyes a lot Playing with paper weight.


General lack of manners : Banging the table to show excitement, chewing pens or pencils, scratching the floor with feet etc..