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Chapter 4: Understanding Nonverbal Messages We’ve already discussed how verbal and nonverbal messages help create meaning when we interact with others how our actions speak louder than our words the implications of our feelings and attitudes leaking out through our actions We’ve also discussed Judy Burgoon’s Expectation Violation Theory & some of the various natures of nonverbal communication mentioned in your text Today we will focus on why it is important to sharpen our observations and be open- minded when interpreting nonverbal messages. we will focus on certain nonverbal dimensions on which cultures differ – what your text refers to as Codes of Nonverbal Communication. Your text identifies 7 groupings of nonverbal communication codes. A culture : consists of shared beliefs, values, understandings, and ways of interpreting experiences that people share. 1- Appearance: Refers to physical attributes such as body size, skin tone, hair and clothing. o It seems that we overemphasize this dimension that it results in lowed self- esteem. It is interesting to notice the contradiction messages (e.g., at the supermarket: magazines that have the top 10 tips on how to achieve that perfect look or body & the top favorite dishes to cook or bake.) o Clothing functions primarily to keep us covered within society’s bounds of decency. o Clothing also conveys a sense of culture. (e.g., baggy pants, tight pants, specialized t-shirts, as well as jewelry, tattoos, piercings, makeup, etc.) o Refer to discussion on stereotypes and some of the experiences shared in class based on appearance. 2- Kinesics: Refers to the study of gestures, facial expressions, posture & body movement o Emblems: gestures that translate words or phrases. They have specific meanings that are generally understood (e.g., the peace sign) o Illustrators: gestures that accompany and illustrate verbal messages and provide meaning (e.g., a circular hand movement to describe a circle) o Affect displays: gestures that express emotions (e.g., hugging to express love, smile to express happiness) o Regulators: facial expressions and hand gestures that monitor, maintain, or control the flow of communication (e.g., raising your hand when you want to speak) o Adaptors: gestures or behaviors that help you adjust to your environment and satisfy some need (e.g., chewing your fingernails or twirling your hair indicating nervousness)
Not the same across cultures. There are no common cross cultural dictionaries to interpret nonverbal cues. (e.g., Giving a thumbs up to indicate approval. If you were to look up thumbs up in the Miriam Webster’s online dictionary, you would find it defined as “an instance or gesture of approval or encouragement” but that is not necessarily true across cultures. For example, in various countries in the Middle East, it is equivalent to the middle finger here in the U.S.) 3- Eye Contact: Oculesics: eye behavior or gaze aversion. o Eye contact is very important in the American society o We make judgments about others sincerity and trustworthiness based on eye contact alone sometimes o People generally have unwritten rules about when to break off eye contact with strangers- 10-15ft. No staring-down matches o Research had indicated that we are more likely to give eye contact when we are physically distant from our partner, discuss impersonal topics, have nothing else to look at, are interested in our partner’s response, are romantically interested in our partner, want to influence him or her, come from a culture that emphasizes visual contact, are an extrovert, are listening rather than talking, and are female. o We are less likely to establish eye contact during the opposite conditions such as: when we are physically close, discuss intimate topics, have other relevant objects, people or backgrounds to look at, are not interested in partner’s reactions, are talking rather than listening, come from a culture that does not value eye contact, are an introvert, are embarrassed, ashamed, sorrowful, sad, and submissive, are trying to hide something, and are male. o Ask students if they agree or disagree/ feedback/ experiences o Discuss Asian, Mexican & Middle Eastern cultures and how avoiding direct eye contact is a sign of respect (No more than 5 minutes) 4- Emotional displays: The face is considered to be the exhibit gallery of our emotional displays o Capable of producing 250,000 different facial expressions according to Ekman and Friesen o Activity: have note cards with the 6 universal expressions written on them. Ask for 6 volunteers. Explain that they will express the emotions written on the cards, and the class will guess the expressed emotion) o There are 6 primary universal expressions for (happiness, sadness, fear, anger, and disgust or contempt) o We learn to mask and control our facial expressions even as young children which can endanger our relationships 5- Touch: Haptics: touch behavior; where, how often, what circumstances o Most powerful form of nonverbal communication; also the most misunderstood and carries the most potential problems if it is ill used o Learned through observing our role models
o Intimate space: 0 inches-1.5 feet. The closest "bubble" of space surrounding a person. Entry into this space is acceptable only for the closest friends and intimates. o Personal space: 1.5 ft-4 ft. The space in which we feel comfortable conducting routine and social interactions with acquaintances as well as strangers. o Social space: 4-12ft. Similar to personal space, reserved for the more distant individuals. o Public space: 12ft to infinity. The area of space beyond which people will perceive interactions as impersonal and relatively anonymous. Hall also categorized cultures as either high-context or low-context in his studies. In high-context cultures , nonverbal cues are extremely important in interpreting messages. Communicators rely heavily on the context of more subtle information such as facial expression, vocal cues, and even silence to interpret messages. That is why the term high-context is used. The emphasis in the communication is placed on the context. Asian, Arab, Southern European, African, and South American people are more likely to draw on the context to interpret meanings. Low-context cultures , rely more overtly on language and the meaning of words, and use fewer contextual cues to send and interpret information. Thus, they need more detailed background information and prefer explicit and careful directions from someone who “knows.” Individuals who are Swiss, German, Scandinavian, and Northern American, may perceive that persons from high-context cultures are less attractive, knowledgeable, and trustworthy, because they violate unspoken rules of conduct, and communication. Individuals from low-context cultures often are less skilled in interpreting unspoken contextual messages. People of high status given more space. And allowed to invade the space of lower status people. Urban planning. Size, shape, designs (e.g., draw or show pictures of communities where the houses are stacked next to one another vs. built in circular bunches or cells). This illustrates the “efficient” use of space vs. the sense of community and safety. Another example would be the classroom environment. Sitting in a circle vs. all desks facing front Info on Edward T. Hall : http://www.csiss.org/classics/content/13 & Chapter 6 in text. 8- Chronemics (I add) : time. Monocronic. Concerned with time and scheduling, where time is a commodity that is wasted, spent, saved, etc. (e.g., U.S.) vs. polychronic focus is on relationship. Take pride that the clock doesn’t rule their lives (e.g., Mexico, Italy, Middle East, etc. - most of the rest of the world) Conclusion or intro: Major research findings all indicate that awareness is key to interpretation. If we are aware of our own nonverbal leakages and expectations, more open to other cultural frames, and realize that we are not experts and are not always correct in our interpretations we stand a better chance of understanding the meaning and the message that is taking place. Awareness is key to interpretation!
Balance verbal and nonverbal cues –Perception checking, as we discussed earlier this semester in chapter 2, is a strategy for checking the accuracy of your interpretation of another person’s nonverbal behavior. Be other oriented Have open cultural frames Be aware of the environment Prepare to fail The reason we say that nonverbal communication is more believable than verbal communication is that verbal communication is a conscious activity, much of our nonverbal is not. For the most part, we have more control over our words than our nonverbal cues. Oftentimes we leak our emotions without even realizing it. Nonverbal cues could be interpreted differently across different cultures, which makes nonverbal behavior more ambiguous than verbal behavior. Prepare students for nonverbal walk activity and explain what we are going to do the next class session. We will meet in class.
