Nonverbal Communication

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Nonverbal Communication Any communication interaction involves two major components in terms of how people are perceived: verbal, or what words are spoken and nonverbal, the cues such as facial expressions, posture, verbal intonations, and other body gestures. Many people believe it is their words that convey the primary messages but it is really their nonverbal cues. The hypothesis for this research paper was: facial expressions directly impact how a person is perceived. A brief literature search confirmed this hypothesis. Every communication interaction involves two parts: the verbal and the nonverbal. Furthermore, every person is always communicating even when they are not saying a word, thus, it is possible to send an exclusively nonverbal message but it is not possible to send an exclusively verbal message. Nonverbal cues in the interaction are always more powerful indicators of what a speaker means and what the speaker feels. Consider a very simple example: a mother tells her two-year old to stop running around the house but as she makes her direction, she is smiling. The toddler gets two messages: verbally to stop running; nonverbally the smile means mom is pleased with what he is doing. Which direction will the child follow; probably, the second one - mom is pleased regardless of her words so he will continue doing what he was doing. These sorts of communication interpretation conflicts occur numerous times in every day. Here is another example from the poll questions. The manager has said she is available if you have a problem and need to talk with her. You make an appointment, go in, and within a few minutes she receives a phone call which she answers and spends five minutes talking with the caller. Are you likely to believe she is interested in what you are saying? No, in fact, you are likely to feel that you are not very important; you may feel embarrassed and try to make your excuses to just leave. Nonverbal cues involve everything but the spoken word which includes: body posture and facial expressions, gestures, eyebrows, eyes, tone of voice, speed of delivery, inflections, volume, and proximity. Even one's attire sends messages to others. Each area of the nonverbal has the power to send a message; combined they tell the listener what is meant and what is felt. The power of the nonverbal cannot be over-rated; it will almost always ... ... middle of paper ... ...viduals are perceived according to their facial expressions more so than the words they speak is supported by the literature. Nonverbal cues of all kinds have a direct impact on how a person is perceived; facial expressions are extremely crucial in that impression. Bibliography Burgoon, J. K. Buller, D. B. and Woodall W. G. (1989). Nonverbal Communication: The Unspoken Dialogue. New York: Harper & Row. Cherney, Marcia and Tynan, Susan. (1989). Communicoding. NY: Dorset. Chevrier, Donna. (1994, July). Let's Face It. CMA Magazine, Vol. 68, pp. 26 - 27. Elgin, Suzette Haden. (1980). The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense. NY: Prentice-Hall. Hickson, M. I. and Stacks, D. W. (1989). Nonverbal Communication: Studies and Applications. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown, 1989. Jackson, Daryl. (1993). "The Nonverbal Cues." Communication Briefings, Vol. 8, No. 3, pp. 1-2. Knapp, M. L. (1992). Nonverbal Communication in Human Interaction. Orlando: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston. Leathers, Dale G. (1986). Successful Nonverbal Communication: Principles and Applications. NY: Macmillan Publishing Company. Nolen, William E. (1995, April). Reading people. Internal Auditor, Vol. 52, pp. 48 - 52.

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