course: nonverbal communication presenter: mr. samende gs 1

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COURSE: Nonverbal communication

Presenter:Mr. Samende GS

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1. FACTORS THAT AFFECT NONVERBAL BEHAVIOUR

the environmental structures and conditions

the communicator’s physical characteristics

the behaviours of the communicators

Environmental structures and conditions

the environment has effect on our moods, choice of words, and actions

environmental factors can affect nonverbal communication

factors in the environment which affect nonverbal communication include

furniture in the room, architecture, noise, music interior decorating, lightning

conditions, colours, temperature etc.

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The environmental structures and conditions(Cont...)

differences in the arrangements, materials, shapes and surfaces of objects affect

interpersonal relationships

traces of actions such as littering, cigarette butts, orange peels, or scraps of paper

left behind may form an impression that may influence your perception of a person

spatial environment is the study of social and personal space

people use and respond to spatial relationships in formal and informal settings

spatial arrangement and seating arrangement facilitate the flow of messages and

task completion

territoriality is the behaviour of claiming a personal territory, which one considers

as his/her own may also affect nonverbal communication

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The communicator’s physical characteristics

This refers to the physical characteristics of a person that do not change during the communication process

These nonverbal cues may include; body shape, general attractiveness, hair,

height and weight, skin colour, body odours and breath odours

Other objects of a person such as clothes, glasses jewellery, scars, tattoos

and make up affect our appearance and the flow of communication

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The behaviours of the communicators

may include body movement and position such as; gestures, movement of

limbs (arms and legs), facial expressions(smile, eye behaviour (blinking,

direction, pupil dilation and length of gaze) and body posture

Gestures

Types of gestures

speech independent gestures

speech dependent gestures

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The communicator’s behaviours (cont…)

Speech independent gestures

Speech independent gestures are not accompanied by speech e.g. Thumbs

upward to signal OK, the V shape formed by the index finger and middle finger

signaling victory in some cultures

Thumbs up sign V shape sign

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Speech dependent gestures

they accompany speech and illustrate what is being said.

may emphasize a word, point to objects, depict the rhythm of an event

they may show how a person feels, signal attention, involvement, status or

liking

Attention & involvement

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Touching behaviour

terson may touch him/herself in a way that reflect nervous mannerism or

touches others e.g. a pat on shoulder or other forms of touch during

conversation

such a touch may excite, irritate or comforting depending on the nature of

relationship and how it is done.

Touching other

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Facial expressions

display various emotional states such as; anger, sadness, happiness, surprise,

fear, and disgust, for example, human show fear by opening eyes wide (Chawla,

Chen & Kraus 1991)

they are used to regulate conversation, provide feedback and

manage the flow of communication during conversation

they may give feedback during conversations

Sign of disgust

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Eye behaviour

refers to where you look, when we look and how long you look.

it shows interest, attention and involvement

gaze refers to eye movement in the direction of another’s face

avoiding eye contact may be seen as a sign of hostility or deviance.

in some culture avoiding eye contact is seen as a sign of respect

Body posture

posture may tell the observer how a person feels

postures are used to signal attention, involvement, status and degree of liking

forward leaning posture shows higher involvement, liking, more interest

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backward leaning posture shows that a person is not interested

drooping posture shows sadness or fatigue

rigid, tense posture shows anger

Sign of anger

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Vocal behaviour

it refers to how something is said

focus on nonverbal cues produced during common speech behaviour

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2. INFLUENCE OF NATURE AND NURTURE ON NONVERBAL HUMAN BEHAVIOUR

nature refers to qualities a person born with (inborn) not taught

nurture refers to qualities a person learns after birth or taught

Nature and human nonverbal behaviour

person born with the ability to express these qualities

responses a person is born with , that happens soon after birth, for example,

smiling, crying, laughing, surprise, anger/fear and winking of eye

blush nonverbal behaviour that cannot be learned

they are passed on from one generation to another through genes

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THE INFLUENCE OF NATURE AND NURTURE ON NONVERBAL HUMAN BEHAVIOUR (Cont…)

Nurture and human nonverbal behaviour

these qualities are taught by society. For example, table manner (how one

behaves when eating at table), dress code, hand signals (using hands to send a

message)

learned nonverbal signals such as turn taking and complex body language

are learned

wrinkle nose show disgust learned nonverbal cue

desired behaviour can be nurtured

these qualities are continuously reinforced by society through positive

feedback and warning

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genetic heritage could be easily influenced or shaped by external stimuli

human behaviour influenced by both nature and nurture

Three primary sources of nonverbal communication

inherited neurological programmes

experience common to all members of the species

experience that varies with culture, class and the individual

Inherited neurological programmes

its biological and concern with the nervous system

biological and cultural forces/factors may overlap

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cultural factors can also be used to communicate messages, for example,

breathing can be a sigh of relief or grief

neurological programme for facial expressions specific to a culture, for

example, men are not allowed to cry

Experience common to all members of the species

refers to activities that all members of the same species can do and not

influenced by culture, for example, all humans use hands to eat

facial expression inherited and common to all human beings

cultural learning important in facial expression of emotions

showing emotions is natural

people can sense when someone is bored, relieved, or sad

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Experience that varies with culture, class and the individual

cultural training includes behaviour people display when reacting to someone

or something

for example when a person sees a snake, this can evoke an expression of fear

in a person from one culture, or expression of joy in another culture especially,

if snakes are a food source to them.

sight of a mole may be seen as a taboo in some culture and evoke fear in a

person, while in other cultures a mole is an important source of food and

evokes feeling joy in them

inherited human behaviour can be modified through learning

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people born with ability to learn language

culture and training influence language learning

if children are isolated from human contact, they do not develop linguistic

competence

humans do not all speak at the same level of competence

we have good and worse speakers

some people have wider range of vocabulary than others.

hand gestures (greetings, thumbs up) are culture specific and they are learned

(nurture)

pattern of eye gaze can be partly genetic, but can also be learned

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3 FACTORS AFFECTING THE ABILITY TO DECODE NONVERBAL CUES

people posses the ability to judge nonverbal cues in other people

these personal factors include:

gender,

age,

general cognitive ability and

other personal correlatesGenderwomen judge nonverbal cues better than men especially facial cues and emotionswomen are more sensitive to interpersonal relationship

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FACTORS AFFECTING THE ABILITY TO DECODE NONVERBAL CUES (continues…)

man are better at judging signs of anger in other man

both men and women judge signs of lies, status and dominance well.

Age

a few months old babies can differentiate among facial and vocal expressions

of emotions

decoding ability slowly increases with age

however, as a person gets older, decoding ability decreases with age

from the age of about 60 decoding skills decreases

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General cognitive ability

intelligence is measured using intelligence quotient test commonly known as IQ

test

cognitive ability and nonverbal sensitivity are closely related

as children who score higher in nonverbal decoding tests also score higher in

academic achievement

Other personal correlates

adults who perform better on test of decoding nonverbal cues are usually better

adjusted,

they are less hostile, less manipulating, more democratic, encouraging, tolerant

and helpful,

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they are open to experience and extroverted.

they are more socially inclusive (“no one should feel left out”), less shy and

anxious,

they believe they are in control of situations

they are more warm, empathic, popular and able to judge others’

interpersonal sensitivity

they perform better in the work place

they have more satisfying personal relationships

children who score higher on tests of decoding nonverbal signs are more

popular and socially competent, less anxious and aggressive and less depressed

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they feel they are in control of themselves

they have higher self-esteem and score higher on academic achievement

people who score lower on tests of decoding nonverbal signs may have

suffered psychological damaging experiences such as parental violence early in

life

metal patients score lower than people without mental problems

excessive use of alcohol may also impair nonverbal decoding accuracy

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4. STRUCTURE AND DESIGN OF A BUILDING, MOVABLE OBJECTS, SOUND, LIGHTNING AND

COLOUR AFFECT NONVERBAL BEHAVIOUR

Structure and design of a building and its influence on nonverbal behaviour

structure and design of house affect nonverbal behaviour

this may include fixed feature space and semi-fixed feature space

fixed feature space refers to space organised by unmoving boundaries in a

building such as the arrangement of rooms in a house

arrangement of rooms in the hostels, rooms arranged next to each other and

doors facing each other along corridor, encourage student interaction

but less privacy

easier to reinforce rules by management

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STRUCTURE AND DESIGN OF A BUILDING, MOVABLE OBJECTS, SOUND, LIGHTNING AND

COLOUR AFFECT NONVERBAL BEHAVIOUR (Cont...)

structure of commercial banks communicate wealth

attractive classroom encourage student learning and achievement

fixed feature space refers to space organised by unmoving boundaries in a room or

house

semi-fixed feature space refers to the arrangement of moving objects in a building

such as tables and chairs in a house

both fixed and semi-fixed feature space can affect human communication

structure and design of house improve the flow of information from supervisor to

employees

people in higher positions usually have more office space and privacy

their offices are located on the upper floors of buildings

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STRUCTURE AND DESIGN OF A BUILDING, MOVABLE OBJECTS, SOUND, LIGHTNING AND COLOUR AFFECT NONVERBAL BEHAVIOUR (Cont...)

height and space may show power and status

lower ranking employees often seat in large rooms divided into cubicles with only

a table and chair in each cubicle

this arrangement facilitate communication/ more communication among

employees , but no employee privacy

In bars, seats face in one direction and this discourage communication among

strangers

in some fast food restaurants seating close together around tables encourage

communication between customers

at university where classrooms are far away from each other encourage both

students and lecturer interaction as they walk from one building or class to another

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Movable objects and their influence on nonverbal behaviour

the linear arrangement of chairs in church encourage listening or one-way

communication

the arrangement of chairs in the bank encourage two-way communication to

discuss financial matters and other related inquiries

arrangement of furniture in the lecture hall encourage participation in lesson

and not suitable for group work

arrangement of furniture in food outlets such as KFC and Hungry Lion may

encourage conversation

arrangement of objects in the room may inhibit or encourage communication

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employees personalised their offices by adding some personal items like

family photos to their offices to make them feel more at home

objects arranged in certain way to show roles between people

they may be used to indicate boundaries or to increase communication, for

examples, the absence of tables in group facilitation encourage dialogue and

open communication among participants

the presence of desk or table may also indicate seniority, for example, the

office of CEO may have large desk, expensive sofas, heavy curtains which may

indicate success and authority

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object can be arranged to discourage communication, for example, the

linear arrangement of tables in examination rooms

arrangement of objects may also discourage the feeling of comfort among

people

the position of a desk plays crucial roles in communication

class room arrangement also affect student-teacher relationship

teacher perceived as less friendly when sitting behind his desk or standing

behind the podium

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materials used to make seats may also discourage communication, for example,

metal benches at most municipal bus stops

in fast food restaurant seats have backward angle to enable users to lean back

and relax for the users to feel more comfortable

Sound and its influence on nonverbal behaviour

too much sound not good for most people and discourage customer to stay

longer

low sound may attract customer and encourage them to stay longer

this may increased profit as customers buy more

restaurants and cinemas use sound absorbing surfaces to reduce sound

thereby encourage clients to stay longer and buy more

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sound and intensity of sound may affect human behaviour

people react to sounds and sound levels in different ways

music may have both positive and negative effects on people’s moods

behaviour of consumer can be affected by music

the absence or presence of music such as classical music can change

consumer behaviours in a restaurant differently

diners who eat and listen to classic music stayed longer and spent more

money on food

playing music relevant to particular group of people encourage them to stay

longer and spent more money

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different types of music are more suitable for different environs

effective music should meet the perceptions and expectations of the

environment

higher noise level leads to deceases employee performance

influence of music on human communication depend on the type of music, the

volume, duration and familiarity with such music

Lightning and its influence on nonverbal behaviour

lightning may influence communication

in a dimly-lit room people talk more softly, sit closer together and feel more

relaxed

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sudden brightening of a dimly-lit room illicit less intimacy activities

bright light discourage customers while dim lights in night clubs encourage

customers to stay

flashing lights in a night club towards closing time indicates to the clients that

they should be ready to leave

the absence of sun or lights during winter may creates problems for people

with Seasonal Affective disorder (SAD). SAD is a form depression

SAD can be treated by exposing patients to extreme bright lights for some hours

in the morning

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restaurants and clubs use dim lightning to encourage customers to stay

longer and to encourage intimacy, attract customers and get more money

Colour and its influence on nonverbal behaviour

colour may affect human communication

the colour pink may suppress violent and aggressive behaviour

different people have different colours and buy their clothes furniture and

cars in those colours

wearing certain colours may affect mood, feelings and they way we

communicate

the pink, blue and green are associated with soothing and calming effects

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red and purple associated with aggression

the colour red may symbolises danger, love (valentine day), warmth, strength or

safety

red colour associated with love and happiness, for example, people wear red

on Valentine’s Day as a symbol of love

pastel colour (pale) more soothing

bright colours attract more attention

colour associated with vitality, for example, red sport attire encourage wining

sporting competition (Namibian soccer team in red attire won COSAFA cup)

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colours influence learning, the colour purple is associated with wisdom and

victory

research have shown that children who thought they were in nice room (blue,

yellow, green and orange) showed more alertness and creative than those in an

ugly room (white, black, brown)

those children in an orange room smiled more and were friendly and hostility

and irritability decreased among these children

the colour of product help customer remember the product

for example, a person may forget the name of product but remember the colour

of the product or how the product looks like

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black colour is associated with sadness, anxiety, fear, unhappiness and death, for

example, in some society a woman whose has just died is required to wear black

clothes for a certain period of time

white colour associated with joy, humility and innocence, for example, white

garments prefers at most wedding celebration to show joy

different cultures assign different symbolic meanings to colour, for example, yellow

is associated with age in China, Prostitution in Italy and famine in Egypt.

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REFERENCE

Hunter, J. (2014). Nonverbal Communication: Study Guide. Windhoek, Polytechnic

of Namibia: Centre for External Studies.

Chawla, p., Chen, Y. & kraus, R. (1991). Nonverbal behavior and nonverbal

communication: What do conversational hang gestures tell us? San Diego, CA:

Colombia University Academic Press

course: nonverbal communication presenter: mr. samende gs 1

Documents

nonverbal behaviour

attention involvement

flow of communication

sign v shape sign slide

body shape

nonverbal cues

person spatial environment

body odours