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Presenter

Mr. G.S. Samende

Course: Nonverbal communication

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Territoriality refers to behaviour within a specified geographical area in a

way that indicates that it is owned and this space is often strongly

defended against perceived invaders.

People use and regulate space

Nonverbal signals used to regulate personal space

1. HUMAN NONVERBAL TERRITORIALITY AND

ENCROACHMENT

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Types of territories

primary territory

secondary territory

tertiary territory/public territory

Primary territory

area or object which is clearly the domain of the owner

areas are carefully guarded against invaders

important in the daily life the owner, e.g. home, bedroom,

immediate zone around our bodies

when a person gets too close, we feel they are invading our privacy

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Primary territory (Continues)

access to our body very limited

we defend strongly in the wake of an intruder

possessed territory used for jackets, wallets, handbags and even our own

children

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Secondary territories

secondary territory refers to are or object which is not as central to the

daily life of the owner and refers to object we can claim temporarily, e.g.

magazine, a television remote control, a toy

they are not limited property of the owner

boundaries are not clear

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Public/Tertiary territory

refers to area or object which is available to everyone, but only for

temporary ownership

available temporarily to everyone in the public

example include, parks, beaches, seats on public transport, etc.

seats in classroom have many temporary owners. Those who spent more

time in a particular class will regard it as their classroom

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Territorial encroachment

refers to the process when someone or something takes over more and

more of a particular place

Types of territorial encroachment

violation of territory

invasion of territory

contamination of territory

violation of territory

violation refers to unwarranted use of someone’s territory

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Territorial encroachment (Continues)

this can be done by staring at someone until the person feels

uncomfortable

talking too loudly

playing loud music

taking more space than necessary, e.g. taking two seats on a bus

Invasion of territory

refers to an attempt to take over someone’s territory

it can be done permanently

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Territorial encroachment (continues)

in the form of armed invasion into someone’s room

invasion of another country, e.g. USA invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan

Contamination of territory

refers to the act of leaving something behind, that spoils the territory for

another person

it can be done temporary, for example, people do not want to find

evidence in a hotel room that someone was there before them

people do not want to find food particles on a plate in a restaurant or

find rubbish left by someone in a hotel room

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2. SPECIFIC FEATURES OF THE BODY AND NONVERBAL

COMMUNICATION

specific features of the body affect our nonverbal communication and

interaction. These include the face, body shape, height, body image, body

colour, body smell and body hair

The face of a person

beautiful woman have high forehead, fuller lips and have an average nose

and chin

they have clear skin, glossy hair and big eyes

face may reveal character, personality, health and intelligence

but may not reflect real character of person

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The face of a person (continues)

baby-face adults may be judged to be weak, submissive, honest and naïve

they may also be seen as more honest, warm and sincere than mature-

looking people

these understanding may affect their lives

in courtroom baby-faced defendants more often convicted for crimes of

negligence

Matured-looking adults’ crimes judged intentional

facial features make strong impressions on others

facial features may harm or be of benefits to us depending on existing

stereotypes

initial impressions easily changed through actual behaviour and personality

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Body shape of person

the shape of person’s body affects interpersonal communication

life experience, environmental factors, other people’s expectations and

self-concept can affect personality

body shape does not influence personality

Types of body shapes

endomorphic

mesomorphic

ectomorphic

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The body shape of person(continues)

Endomorphic

refers to the fat and soft body shape of person

Mesomorphic

refers to muscular body shape of a person

Ectomorphic

refers to tall and thin body shape of person

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The body shape of person(continues)

Body shape and personality stereotypes

stereotype refers to the general image that many believe represents a

particular type of a person

stereotypes affect interpersonal communication

people with fat and soft body are regarded by others as older, old-

fashioned, weak, less attractive, talkative, warm, friendly and trusting

people with muscular body are regarded as strong, better looking,

masculine, tense, younger, mature and self-reliant

people with tall and thin body shape are seen as younger, tense and

nervous, less masculine, stubborn and difficult, negative, quieter

body build important in judging physical appearance

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The body shape of person(continues)

chubby kids socially avoided

as a result they have negative self-image

overweight people are discriminated in life

they are less likely to marry

may learn less and

have less education

in western culture a slender woman is desired (old-fashion)

modern western culture a healthy body desirable for both men and

women

muscular body shape of man is ideal for many women.

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The height of person

height important in social lives

▪people who are short are negatively judged

■tall people positively judged

▪the following are the dominant perceptions with regard to body height:

◦ status

◦ attractiveness

◦ competence

status

▪height associated with power and prestige, for example, many presidents

are tall

▪a competitive short man often accused of “short man syndrome”.

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The height of person (continues)

Attractiveness

tall man perceived as more attractive

they are romantic ideal

judgment of attractiveness not based on height alone

Competence

tall man seen as more competent at work

they receive higher salaries

short man not often selected for special training

tall man have more self-esteem

they have more money

tall people are often chosen as leader

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The body image of person

body image important for self-image

larger than average adult males desirable

smaller than average adult females preferred

most women prefer bigger breasts

women with smaller breasts regarded as highly competent and intelligence

media promotes unrealistic standard of beauty

body image important for self-image

larger than average adult males desirable

smaller than average adult females preferred

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The body colour of person

blushing colour change of body may be seen as a sign of embarrassment

some women in Namibia lighten their skin to look beautiful and feminine

skin colour used to easily classify social world, for example, albino, black

people and white people

albinos discriminated and killed in some culture because of skin colour

black people discriminated by the white minority in Namibia and elsewhere

because of skin colour

white people seen as superior to black people in some societies

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The body smell of person

body smell influences interpersonal communication

body smell plays an important role in relationship development

homosexual men prefer body odours of gay men

heterosexual men react to body odour of women

they find women most attractive during ovulation

pleasant smell used to reduce anxiety, headaches and hypertension

aromatherapy used to reduce stress

bad breaths may offend people

environmental odours affect human interaction, for example, may set the

mood for romance

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The body hair of person

hair length and style affect interpersonal communication

short hair may be regarded as a sign of civility in some culture such as

Indian

man with long hair discriminated and abused in South Korea, men with long

hair could be arrested

women with long hair desirable for most men

hair length and style associated with gangs, gender identity and disciplines

some men believe that baldness may make men less attractive

women with facial hair or beard discriminated in some cultures

women are encouraged to remove underarm hair and pubic hair

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3. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SPEECH-INDEPENDENT

GESTURE AND SPEECH DEPENDENT GESTURES

Gesture refers to arms, hand movement and head gestures. Some gestures

such as head nods during conversation are universal. Gesture can replace

speech during conversation; they can regulate the flow of interaction,

maintain interaction, clarifies points during conversation and can make the

content of speech memorable.

Two types of gestures

speech-independent gestures

speech dependent gestures.

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Speech-independent gestures

they are known as emblems or automous gestures

have direct verbal translation and dictionary definition

they are understood by the majority of members of a particular culture

children can understand many of these gesture by the age of 3, for example

“yes”, “no”, “quiet”, “goodbye” and “come here”.

they can be understood without using speech, for example, the thumbs-up-

gesture, palms up which means I do not know, the jaw drop shows surprise

and the nose wrinkle which shows that something stinks

gesture can have different meanings in different cultures, for example, the

ring sign, the v or victory sign can be an insult in Britain if the palm faces the

performer, but to some it simply means two as in Roman numerals

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Speech-independent gestures (Continues)

they can be used together with verbal communication, for example, you can

tell a friend about someone’s strange behaviour by using a circular gesture at

the side of your head to show that s/he is crazy.

the yes or no gestures are often used by listeners during conversation

context may influence the meaning of gesture.

giving someone “the finger” can be rude and insulting in some cases or but

may also mean humorous when used among someone’s friend

general meaning of gesture depends on the context, for example, thumbs up

sign can mean “good”, but it can also communicate understanding,

acknowledge a favour or great someone

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Speech-independent gestures (Continues)

slight modification in performing a gesture can affect the meaning of that

gesture

gestures differ from one culture to culture, but most cultures have signs of

yes or no, stop, not knowing

some gestures and their meaning:

palm of hand facing the listener means wait a minute

palm of hand facing oneself and fingers making waving movements toward

yourself means come in

palm of hand upwards and pointing to the seat means sit down

thumbs up mean yes, ok or good

wagging index finger mean no

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Speech-independent gestures (Continues)

palm facing up, fingers cupped and arm stretched out means give

index finger and middle finger form a V means victory

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Speech-dependent gestures

they are called illustrator

they are directly related to speech as they are used while speaking

The following are common types of speech-dependent gestures

gestures related to the speaker’s referent (the ones which the speaker is

referring to)

gestures showing the speaker-referent relationship

gestures used as visual punctuation in a conversation

gestures that regulate and organise spoken dialogue

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Speech-dependent gestures (Continues)

Referent-related gestures

includes concrete or abstract referents

pointing movement, for example, can indicate a specific person, place or an

item being discussed

drawing an object or indicating space is also used with concrete referents

an abstract referent can be observed, for example, when people make circular

movements with an arm to suggest that we mean more than what is said

Speaker-referent relationship gestures

shows the speaker’s orientation to the referent, for example, palms up may

show uncertainty and palms down certainty

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Speech-dependent gestures (Continues)

Punctuation gesture

emphasis important parts of a conversation

organise important parts of a conversation

may coincide with voice stress or eye flash  

Interactive gestures

acknowledge the other conversation partner

help regulate dialogue

they include gestures such as ;

delivery, for example, “here is my point”,

citing, for example, “as you said earlier”, “what is the word for…?” and

turn taking, for example,” it’s your turn”

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4. NONVERBAL BEHAVIOUR IN THE CONTEXT OF THE FACTORS BELLOW:

Context may influence the meaning of nonverbal behaviour. Context refers to

the situation in which nonverbal occurs in a social setting. Context can help

people to understand nonverbal behaviour.

1. advertising and nonverbal messages

advertising has great influence on the lives of people.

advertising motivate people to buy a product

concepts of advertising shape the values and attitude of people

advertising targets areas such as;oour desire for successobeautyosocial acceptance

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Advertising (Continues)

obehaviour and values of different groups

oself-esteem

advertising tells us what the things are that should make us happy

it supports certain stereotypes without us noticing

advertising affect our behaviour

it manipulates behaviour of customers

nonverbal information important in advertising

nonverbal information comes in the form of settings, props, clothes, make-up,

music, physical features and facial expressions, tone of voice and movements

We are less critical of nonverbal messages

advertising my unconsciously influence us

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Advertising (Continues)

the images used in advertising penetrate our mind through constant repetition

nonverbal messages in advertising demean the status of women in

comparison to men

women play subordinate role in nonverbal messages used in advertising

advertising aimed at children show girls acting shy, cover their faces, smiles a

lot

magazine photos shows more of men’s faces and more of women’s bodies

this results in men being regarded as more intelligence and dominant

the beautiful people and exciting lives in advertisement make us feel inferior

and encourages us to buy the product to become just like them

salesperson are carefully trained in nonverbal behaviour that woks

persuasively

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Politics and nonverbal messages

nonverbal behaviour powerful in politics

thus the image politicians portray in public and on TV affect voter choices

political candidates wish to appear attractive show energy, show confidence

and likeability, and communicate assertiveness, sincerity and caring

appearance and body language help politicians win votes

politicians are concerned with their public image

facial photos of political candidates can be doctored to look more matured

and acceptable to voters

knowledge of nonverbal behaviour can help protect you from being

manipulated

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Education and nonverbal messages

nonverbal behaviour plays an important role in classroom

it can give us clues about the relationship between the teacher and the

learners

it help us learn about the students interest, attention and desire to learn

teacher’s dress and classroom design and arrangement of movable object

such as chairs can affect participation and learning

a teacher who smiles more, make more eye contact with the learners can

improve learner’s performance in his subject

students can detect it when the teacher treats them better or worse

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Culture and nonverbal messages

culture influences nonverbal behaviour influence

cultures differ greatly

some people value high/low contact cultures others value

individualism/collectivism and some value high/low context cultures.

High/low contact cultures

high-contact cultures like close interaction distances and frequent

touching

common in Central and South America, Southern Europe and the Middle

East

Asia and Northern Europe are low-contact cultures

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High/low contact cultures (Continues)

some cultures may communicate intimacy with a lot of touching while

others not

the meaning of touch may be different form one culture to another

Value individualism/collectivism

individualist cultures emphasise personal rights, responsibility, privacy,

self-expression, individual initiative and achievement

this behaviour is common in Northern Europe, North America, Australia

and New Zealand

nonverbal signals include private environments, confident and dynamic

behaviour

the collective cultures values membership

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Value individualism/collectivism

sharing and collaboration is important in this culture

harmony and maintaining traditions is important

this behaviour is common South America

they support familiar routines, rituals, respectful behaviour, and avoid

attention-seeking behaviour

this is common among Africans

high/low context cultures

low context-context culture use verbal messages to give information in a

direct, explicit and unambiguous way.

high-context cultures rely on indirect messages and nonverbal behaviour

messages gain meaning through knowledge of the context

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High/low context cultures

its about what everyone knows

tolerate ambiguity

high-context cultures found in Asia and

other countries with low racial diversity

lack of cultural knowledge may lead to misunderstanding

Cultural similarities

there are many similarities in nonverbal across cultures

firstly because nonverbal behaviour is becoming a multicultural

phenomenon

internet, travel, magazines and films used to exchange nonverbal

information

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Cultural similarities

secondly because people have an inherited, universal neurological

programme

neurological programme is part of all members of the human species

therefore people can recognise certain facial expressions

people tend to agree about facial attractiveness

there are similarities with regard to gaze, touch, territorial needs, refusal

and greeting behaviour

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Therapy and nonverbal messages

doctors study patient’s nonverbal behaviour to understand some illnesses

and disorders

for examples, depression can be reflected in sadness

alcoholics and people suffering from autism find it hard to judge emotional

expressions

nonverbal behaviour is important during the doctor’s interaction with

patients

psychotherapists study nonverbal behaviour of their patients to detect

problems that patients do not want to discuss

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Therapy and nonverbal messages (Continues)

nonverbal behaviour can be used to as warning of the risk of heart attack in

person

nonverbal facial cues help doctors to detect pain in patients

doctors needs more training in nonverbal communication and

interpretations of nonverbal behaviour of patients

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Technology and nonverbal messages

technology lack nonverbal communication

technology can communicate nonverbal messages through visual images

people add vocal and visual cues to computer-generated messages

some people use emoticons, capital letters, quotation marks to convey

nonverbal messages to others, for example, people use emoticons to

convey nonverbal messages such as :-) Smile; I’m kidding , :-( Frown; I’m

feeling down, * Kiss, ^ o ^ Happy etc. (De Vito, R.A. 2002).

it’s important to have the ability to decode nonverbal cues in computer-

generated messages

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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

De Vito, R. A. (2002). Human Communication: The basic course. Boston:

Pearson