body movement and gestures. “actions speak louder than words” movement reflects one’s state...
TRANSCRIPT
KinesicsBody movement
and gestures
Movement communicates meaning
“Actions speak louder than words”
Movement reflects one’s state of arousal animated, energetic
lethargic, lackluster
Reciprocal relationship Our mood affects our
behavior, but our behavior also affects our mood.
smiling
nodding
Open vs. closed body positions
Open or closed?
Posture & Gait
Expressions related to posture, gait “grow a spine” walking with a “spring in
your step” “stand up for yourself” “standing tall” “hold your head high” “don’t slouch.” “stand still” “taking a stand”
In Western culture, an upright, yet relaxed body posture, is associated with confidence, positivity, high self esteem (Guerrero & Floyd, 2006).
Poor posture
Miley Cyrus and Kristen Stewart were criticized for slouching at the 2010 Oscars.
Posture & Gait
Power walk Shuffling Runway model walk Sashay Swagger Saunter Stroll Arms swinging vs. not
swinging “Light in the loafers”
Gait, posture and victimization “victimology studies indicate
that approachers…tend to choose less confident, shy women” (White & Smith, 2001).
“A weak walking style sends a cue of vulnerability to a would-be mugger or attacker.” (Gunns Johnson, & Hudson, 2002)
“Confident walkers rank near the bottom of potential targets of crime”(Ivy & Wahl, 2009).
Posture & Gait
People are able to recognize emotions from a person’s body movement (Clarke et al. 2005)
Posture and Body Movement Nonverbal indicators of Liking
Forward lean Body and head orientation facing
the other person Open body positions Affirmative head nods Moderate gesturing and animation Close interpersonal distances Moderate body relaxation Touching Initiating and maintaining eye
contact Smiling Mirroring (congruent posture)
Posture and Body Movement Nonverbal indicators of
dislike Indirect, oblique body
orientation No eye contact, or eye
contact of short duration Averted eyes Unpleasant facial
expressions Relative absence of
gestures Body rigidity, bodily tension Incongruent postures
Scheflen’s Dimensions of Posture
1. inclusiveness/noninclusiveness
The degree to which one’s body position includes or excludes someone else.
Inclusiveness indicates liking, interest in the other person.
2. face to face/parallel
The degree to which people face each other, square on, versus at an angle or side by side.
A square on position indicates mutual involvement, some level of intimacy.
3. congruence/incongruence
The degree of mirroring, matching, mimicry
Posture and power, dominance
Posture and Dominance Taking up space Arms akimbo Maintaining gaze Pointing at someone Violating another’s
personal space
Body movement and sexual orientation Studies on “Gaydar”
demonstrate that people can distinguish another’s sexual orientation at better than chance odds.
This does not mean “Gaydar” is infallible.
Public Speaking
When speaking before a group: Stand straight, yet relaxed Don’t slouch Don’t lean on or hide behind a
podium Don’t look frozen, wooden Avoid nervous pacing Movement should be
purposeful Movement should
complement or punctuate the verbal message
Interpreting posture
What are these people conveying with their bodies?
Interpreting posture
Are these couples getting along?
Interpreting posture
Politician’s postures
nonverbal faux pas
Gestures
Humans have uniquely expressive hands.
Ambiguity of gestures
The same gesture can have different meanings
Gestures
The meaning of a gesture depends on its context flipping someone the
“bird” could be serious or playful.
Gestures
Gestures may be conflicting Yawning while saying
you are not tired. Looking involved but
saying, “I don’t care,”
Emblems
Emblems are used intentionally.
They have verbal equivalents
They have a clear, consistent meaning within a particular culture Cross my heart Shame on you Peace sign I’m crazy
Illustrators
Illustrators are used intentionally.
Illustrators are tied to speech. They reinforce or
supplement what is being said.
Illustrators are most common in face-to-face interaction
Illustrators are so habitual, people use them when talking on the phone
Examples of illustrators Two palms held up signify “I
don’t know Wagging a finger while making
a point Rolling one’s eyes in disbelief “For example” gesture Just a pinch Hitting one’s fist for emphasis A double head nod Pointing when giving
directions I caught a fish this big. After you
Affect displays
Affect displays may or may not be intentional
Affect displays convey feeling and emotion
They are often communicated via facial expressions
They can be difficult to interpret
Interpreting affect displays: Look at the face to
determine the emotion Look at body cues to
determine the strength or intensity of the emotion.
Affect displays
Are these people expressing the same emotion, in differing degrees, or different emotions altogether?
Regulators
Regulators are primarily unintentional
They regulate turn-taking behavior
Conversational give and take depends on regulators
Types of turn-taking Turn-requesting cues Turn maintaining
cues Turn yielding cues Turn denying cues
Regulators
Regulate the ebb and flow of conversation
Adaptors
Adaptors are usually unintentional.
Adaptors include self-touching behaviors
Adapters signal nervousness, anxiousness, boredom
Generally speaking, adapters are perceived negatively However, adaptors
may be perceived as more genuine, authentic
Examples of adaptors Fiddling with one’s hair Chewing one’s
fingernails Tapping one’s foot or
leg Biting one’s lips Scratching one’s arm Wringing one’s hands Clenching one’s jaw
Adaptors
Hair twirling is an adaptor, but does it always mean the same thing?
Adaptors
Object adaptors include:
Tapping a pencil Drumming one’s
fingers Adjusting one’s
clothing Playing with jewelry
Adaptors when students take tests Hair twirling Scratching Ear pulling Forehead rubbing
Nonverbal leave taking behaviors
What do people do when they are ending an
interpersonal conversation?
they are getting ready to leave class?
they are ending a phone conversation?
Does it depend on: the communication
context? the nature of the
relationship? cultural
considerations?