Category: Body Language

Everyone likes to understand the person who is in front of him but it doesn’t mean by only hearing what a person says, because sometimes words are not enough, so in this article we are going to discuss an interested method to understand people which known as a body language. basically body language is the unsaid words of the communication that shows the actual feelings and emotions like our gestures, facial expressions.

According to body language project (2013) Reading body languages signs have lots of advantages things such as, firstly, it can assist the speaker to complete the point that he is trying to say and to raise our awareness of people reactions of what they make and say. Secondly it helps to act more positive engaging and approachable.

As (Retrieved 2019) says, there are many things that helps the person to understand the signs. Firstly facial expression when a person try to make a happy smile you will crinkle and when the person is faking his smile you will not, and it helps the person to hide the pain that he is facing because people will assume the person is happy due to his fake smile. Secondly, eye has more than a few effects. According to (Retrieved) the person cannot control his pupils, and you can know when the person is interesting on the object or in the person by looking at his pupils because it will expanded automatically when the person or the object is in front of him. Lastly Gestures, it is the movement with the body parts such as arm, hands, finger, head and others, for example if you are in a discussion and the person arms are fold it might mean the person is closed mind and for the most part unwilling to listen to what is the speaker’s view point. However when the person doesn’t be aware of what you are saying his shoulder will automatically wave. Also according to Kurien, Daisy N (March 1, 2010) stress-free hands means self-confidence and assurance while clenched hands may be interpreted as signs of anxiety or fury. If a person is wringing his hands, this shows nervousness and afraid.

In society, people have agreed that not all points should be accurate 100% due to difference of cultures, which sometime it will leads to misunderstanding the person who is in front of you and this is the most negative point about the body language, and here is a simple example, in middle east countries when someone gave you a present it will be embarrassing to open it in front of the person who gave you the present, and in Europe countries it will shows that you are not interesting about the gift if you didn’t open it in front of the person.

To conclude with, in everything there is some advantage and some disadvantages and here in body language the benefit is way more than the disadvantages but you just need to be careful when and how to use it to avoid the misunderstanding.

In a culture where silence is golden and spoken words can be vague or meaningless, body language and gestures are very important. Japanese culture is considered ‘high context,’ implying that individuals depend far less on words to convey significance than they do on nonverbal prompts. The Japanese, who represent social contrasts in nonverbal correspondence, value group needs over the individual and place a strong emphasis on social harmony.

In this essay we are going to describe about various nonverbal elements of Japanese culture and its importance. We are also going to put some light on its uniqueness by comparing it to different cultures, and introducing you to various hand as well as body gestures.

To begin with, Japan is a society that uses high-context communication, meaning that contextual factors play a prominent role (as opposed to most European cultures which are low context). The TV news in Japan invests a lot of energy examining outward appearances and eye developments as opposed to concentrating on an individual’s words. Consequently, mastering Japanese non-verbal communication is similarly as significant as the actual spoken language. The most important body gesture of Japanese culture is bowing; no mention of Japanese body language is complete without the bow. Bowing in Japan shows regard toward the other individual. For men, you put your hands on the sides of your legs. Ladies generally place their palms flat on the front of their legs. At that point, you bring down your head with the goal of paying respect to the other. The profundity and time period of the bow relies upon the circumstance and social status of every individual. Furthermore, eye contact in Japanese culture is a very essential part of communication. In Japan, eye to eye contact expresses aggression. In the event that you look at somebody without flinching, they turn away. Direct eye to eye contact is viewed as rude or meddlesome. It’s okay to look, yet for the greater part of the discussion you should look elsewhere. In case you’re an individual confused by the unfriendliness of the Japanese you meet, it could be on the grounds that they believe you’re gazing them down.

Now we will talk about some other non verbal gestures used in Japanese culture and we will compare it to western cultures. Firstly, In English talking societies, the non-verbal signal for ‘come here’ is normally a palm-up hand movement where the fingers or whole hand are utilized to beckon or wave somebody over from a distance. In Japan, this is a comparative movement yet with the palm facing downward. Secondly, touching children on the head is fine in North America. However, in Japan, this is exceptionally improper, as the head is viewed as a sacred piece of the body. Moreover, “In English, the non-verbal signal for ‘OK’ can be a thumbs-up or an ‘OK’ made with the thumb and index finger, with the three remaining fingers splayed open. However, in Japan, the non-verbal signal for ‘OK’ is a much larger gesture, made by holding your arms above your head in the shape of an ‘O’ similar to a ballet pose. This is typically used to signal from a distance or in a large group of people, rather than face-to-face.” (BAGARINO, 2017). Also, the “OK” sign used in United States signifies “Money” in Japan. Lastly, there are many more signals used in Japanese culture which are used for communication.

At the end, it is basic for the Japanese to keep up a detached articulation while talking. Apparently displaying negative feelings is viewed as a weight to other people. Consequently, grins may have a wide scope of implications including to express joy or understanding or to cover sentiments of outrage, disappointment or despondency. At the point when negative feelings are communicated, they are done so inconspicuously. Negative articulations may incorporate breathing in through held teeth, the tilt of a head or the scratching of an eyebrow. Eye to eye connection, especially for delayed timeframes, is viewed as rude. The Japanese now and then turn away or sit quietly with their eyes shut when they are a part of a group of people. This shows consideration and now and again concurrence with the speaker. Quietness is normal in discussions. Keeping away from talking is considered to protect agreement and exhibit dependability and unwavering quality. Individual space necessities likewise vary contingent upon setting. While in uncrowded circumstances, the Japanese may require a lot of individual space; when in jam-packed circumstances, (for example, on open transportation), it is regular for them to acknowledge a reasonable arrangement less.

In conclusion, these were some of the gestures and body signals that people of Japanese culture use exceptionally as compared to other cultures. Also Japanese people rely a lot on their non verbal elements almost in every case in which they have to communicate. Japanese people respect their non verbal culture as it represents their norms and values.

Annotated Bibliography

My area of interest is nonverbal communication within different cultural context because I’m from a different culture, and I frequently find myself comparing communication styles with the people around me and assuming their actions could correspond to negative aspects, based solely on the knowledge of my own culture. Nonverbal is a universal thing as it is a part of the act of communication. However, the meanings vary from culture to culture, for instance, the meaning of eye contact varies from being seen as a sign of respect to a sign of disrespect, depending on the cultural contexts.

Nonverbal communication is defined as the nonverbal messages that are consciously or unconsciously encoded and decoded through means such as body movement and facial expressions (kinesics), space between the people communicating (proxemics), touch (haptics), conception of time (chronemics), and even the use of silence. I chose this topic and these five sources because other than appreciating learning about different cultures as a hobby, I also have many international friends and I often times, unconsciously, analyze their behaviors and how they might contrast with mine. On a broader scale, I analyze and compare all our behaviors and cultures to the American one. From this research, I hope to be able to recognize and understand the meaning behind nonverbal communication within different cultures so I can be more mindful of my own behaviors around people from different cultures and learn not to stereotype the ones that have different communication styles from mine.

Sources:

Bello, R. S., Brandau-Brown, F. E., Zhang, S., & Ragsdale, J. D. (2010). Verbal and nonverbal methods for expressing appreciation in friendships and romantic relationships: A cross-cultural comparison. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 34(3), 294–302. doi: 10.1016/j.ijintrel.2010.02.007

Globalization has increased intercultural interaction and knowing what is considered acceptable in other cultures can be beneficial to this interaction, be it a friendship or romantic a relationship. One way we can maintain our relationships healthy is by expressing appreciation by helping others, offering favors in return, or being encouraging and supportive. This appreciation can vary from verbal to nonverbal communication depending on the culture which is being addressed. In western cultures, such as the American culture, appreciation is demanded to be verbally expressed. The person who fails to support others, or spend time with them is seen as rude and disrespectful and can be called out for not expressing their appreciation. In holistic cultures, such as the Chinese culture, favors done for them by other people are expected because it’s a sign of harmony and collectivism; therefore, appreciation is expressed without being said, through nonverbal communication.

I found it interesting that the journal states the difference in expression of appreciation in individualist and collectivist and low and high-context cultures. Where individualist, low-context cultures express appreciation verbally as a “sort of score-keeping”. Meaning that if someone were to do something for their friend and they didn’t say “thank you”, this someone might not do it next time. This is why it’s important to understand the meaning of nonverbal communication in different cultures for this friend can be Chinese and bow instead of verbally say “thank you” as a way to express appreciation. Other nonverbal ways to communicate appreciation are: giving out hugs, cooking for them, paying attention to people when they’re talking, and even praying for them.

Chang, Y. (Y. (2015). Cultural Norms and Nonverbal Communication: An Illustration. Communication Teacher, 29(4), 191–195. doi: 10.1080/17404622.2015.1057749

This journal guides us through how cultural norms are rules that govern our behaviors and lives and determine what we consider correct and incorrect to do. We learn these rules from when we’re a child by observing them through verbal, but mostly nonverbal communication. These norms are measured by two factors: consensus and intensity. According to the journal, consensus represents the number of people within a culture that agree upon a specific norm, whereas intensity represents how much these people care about that specific norm. And the more people care about it, the greater the punishment will be, for example, if people in a certain culture, and a certain time, disapprove the fact that men can have too much contact between them, for this can be labeled as them being gay, as it is shown in the scenes from the TV show “Friends.”

I acknowledge with the reading of this journal, that the approval of touch, or any other nonverbal communication varies not only from time to time but also from culture to culture. For example, people in the Saudi Arabia don’t approve the LGBT community; therefore, their members face legal charges if they are to be caught. This situation changes when it concerns the American culture, especially now a days, for its promotion of approval and encouragement among the members of the LGBT community. Therefore, cultural norms are the sum of nonverbal communication we should abide by, in order to live within what is acceptable in our culture and provides order within it.

Cruz, W. (2001). Differences In Nonverbal Communication Styles between Cultures: The Latino-Anglo Perspective. Leadership and Management in Engineering, 1(4), 51–53. doi: 10.1061/(asce)1532-6748(2001)1:4(51)

In this journal, the author presents the difference in nonverbal communication between the Latino and the Anglo cultures. These differences in culture are due to race, gender, geography, socioeconomic and historical influences. The Latinos, when it comes to proxemics, which refers to personal space, stand much closer to each other than Europeans (8-18 inch vs. 18-33 inch). Anglos may think of Latinos as being too invasive in their personal space or misinterpret their proximity as a sexual message. On the other hand, Latinos can misperceive Anglos’ need for distance as cold, uninterested, or even discriminatory. When it comes to kinesics, body movements, gestures, or facial expressions, Latinos have peculiar behaviors that Anglos don’t understand because it doesn’t exist in their culture. For example, Latinos will point with puckered lips as a way of nonverbally communicating “there,” “that one over there,” or “him or her”, as the author states.

It’s interesting to read about this especially because I come from a culture when we are very touchy with each other, for example, we greet everyone with two kisses on the cheek and a hug. So, when I first got here to the U.S. I would try to greet people with kisses on the cheek but they would often take a step back because they’re not comfortable nor are they used to greeting strangers like this and think I’m invading their personal space. Another aspect about the haptics that differs my culture, which is similar to the Latino culture, from the American is the fact that we feel comfortable touching people to take something off their clothes, for example, whereas people here have the mentality that “if I don’t touch them, then they won’t touch me”.

Niedenthal, P. M., Rychlowska, M., & Wood, A. (2017). Feelings and contexts: socioecological influences on the nonverbal expression of emotion. Current Opinion in Psychology, 17, 170–175. doi: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.07.025

Emotions such as happiness, sadness, fear, disgust, surprise and anger are supposedly universally acknowledged, but after reading this journal I found that that isn’t the truth, since in Papua Guinea people interpret the facial expression of fear as a representation of anger. Emotions are expressed differently in western (mostly individualist cultures) and holistic (mostly collectivist cultures) countries, mainly because of the factors that influence individual’s behavior within certain cultures; therefore, producing distinct cultures of emotion expression, as it’s stated. These factors range from historical to economical. Smiles and other emotions are shown more openly and frequently in western countries than in the eastern ones. This is, not only because within collectivist cultures showing strong emotions would indulge in individualism. But also, because they are homogeneous countries, meaning that everyone already feels like they belong in the culture and don’t feel the obligation to make other feel welcomed. The opposite happens in western countries, which are heterogeneity, the diversity due to migration requires that all are friendly and welcoming towards each other.

The meaning behind kinesics, as I can conclude, isn’t universalizable, especially smiling. In countries like Germany, a person who smiles a lot can be interpreted as vague, and less intelligent, whereas a person who barely smiles is seen as responsible, and intelligent. I experience this first hand for I have a friend who is from Germany. Many see him as a very serious person who doesn’t know how to joke around, but in reality, it’s just his culture. In my culture, which resembles the Latino Culture, sees a person who smiles a lot as someone who is friendly and approachable. This is why people smile a lot more in western cultures than in the eastern ones.

Singh, N. N., McKay, J. D., & Singh, A. N. (1998). Culture and Mental Health: Nonverbal Communication. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 7(4), 404–409. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1023/A:1022946925134.pdf

As the authors of this journal point out, culture is a concept that is constantly changing because it’s socially constructed by the individuals of a certain generation within a certain community that can emphasize on explicit verbal communication when defining rules (low-context cultures) or on nonverbal communication to define social norms (high-context cultures). People in high-context cultures listen more than they talk, and they do it with their eyes rather than with their ears, as the authors state, as they notice not only your verbal expression but also your body language. For this reason, high-context cultures think people from low-context cultures talk too much and these think the people from high-context cultures are quiet, and insensitive. We can see how hard it is for professionals (advisors, professors, doctors) when they have communicating with people from different culture about their mental health because not only do they must understand that meanings of words and gestures aren’t universal, but they also must internalize the fact that we can never fully understand the meaning of words and actions of a culture different than theirs because they’re not a part of it.

I see this happen a lot when international students are dealing with mental troubles and their counselors or advisers can’t help them because they can misinterpret student’s based on judgements that are rooted in their own culture system. Thus, the importance of the need for a culturally diverse professional base in every area, especially in the education department, in order for students to feel more of a sense of belonging in their campus; consequentially, preventing mental troubles that can come up during the phase of adaptation.

Throughout this research, I’ve come to internalize that even though nonverbal communication is found in every culture, the meaning of these vary from culture to culture and from generation to generation. Nonverbal communication is more convincing and difficult to manipulate, it carries greater impact than verbal communication, especially when revealing emotions, and is intrinsic to human biology and evolution. This is why it conveys, in some cultures, two thirds or more of the meaning people are trying to send when communicate.

The expression of appreciation and feelings in relationships, cultural norms, proxemics, haptics, kinesics, and dealing with mental health are influenced by whether a culture is high or low-context, heterogeneous or homogeneous, or individualist or collectivist. As cultures that are heterogeneous, which usually are of low-context and individualist, find it more acceptable to explicitly express their appreciation, feelings and thoughts verbally. This is because they are trying to make members of other ethnicities feel welcomed within society, emphasizing their individualism within it. On the other hand, homogeneous cultures, which usually are high-context and collectivist cultures, find it harder to express feelings, appreciation, or even talk about mental health because that would make people focus on their individual feelings and how it makes each person feel better about it. Furthermore, in collectivist cultures, favors are seen as normal; therefore, expressing appreciation is seen as unnecessary. If anything, they would be expressed through nonverbal communication, for example bowing, or cooking for someone.

Acknowledging the existence of these differences doesn’t necessarily mean we understand the meaning of nonverbal communication used in cultures different than ours, but it decreases the likelihood of misunderstanding, stereotyping, discrimination, and confusion among people of different cultures. Thus, allowing everyone to feel respected and heard.

Since the very beginning of human history, even during the primitive times, communication has been seen as one of the main necessities of our kind. One of the types of communication people use the most is nonverbal communication, which is a way to communicate without using words. Putting nonverbal communication into practice, people usually use many types of signs which include body gestures, signage and facial expressions. Among the most significant types of body gestures are emblem, illustrators, regulators, adaptors and affect.

Emblems refer to those movements of the body that have a verbal translation that is direct and can stand by itself. I enjoy running around my neighborhood in the afternoons so this week I took one day to walk around and pay attention to those gestures that most of the time we do not even notice. I had only been walking for a couple of minutes when I realized that the person walking in front of me had dropped a piece of paper from her purse. I called her attention and point to the floor. She raised her hand in form of gratitude. She did not need to use words for me to understand that she was thanking me with her gesture. After that I went to a park nearby and I saw a father and a daughter playing in the grass. They asked me to take a picture of them. After I took it and gave the father his phone back, he gave me a thumb up confirming they liked the picture. They did not need to use words to let me know they had liked the picture I took.

On the other hand, illustrators are those signs that go together with words or phrases to illustrate a verbal message. During my walk from the park to the town library, I witnessed two teenagers standing in a corner. One was giving directions to the other one. When she was indicating that the person needed to turn right, she would point with her finger to the correct direction. After my walk, I went to a restaurant to grab lunch. I saw the host greeting a family. When she asked how many people were going to be dining, the father of the family counted out load and also pointed his finger at the people in the party as he was counting.

Furthermore, regulators like emblems and illustrators are gestures as well, only they are primarily unintentional. Regulators are the body movement that control, modify and endure the conversation. I was the restaurant with some of my friends and in the table in front of us was a couple arguing. While the man was talking to the girl she was not saying anything. However, she was rolling her eyes up showing disapproval. Also, another group of people were sitting back having a lot of fun. One of the girls was telling a story to the rest of the group, while the others where nodding with their head to indicate approval.

Adaptors are forms of nonverbal communications that include movement made with little awareness. Involve gestures that make you feel more comfortable in a communication situation. After we ate, I went to the restroom and as soon as I got back, I saw my girlfriend drumming the finger and one of my friend scratching. I was under the impression that they wanted to leave as soon as they could.

The one mentioned in last place was affect displays, which occurs when emotions motivate facial expressions. My day continued at the beach. When I was walking down the boulevard I saw a woman approaching and smiling. At the time she got in front of me, tried to convince me to eat in the restaurant she works with a kind invitation, although I felt tented, I was not interested and kept walking. Then a man frowning caught my attention. I noticed the reason of his expression was because he received a ticket and he was not precisely happy about it.

At the end of this interesting day I was able to conclude that people use the body to communicate very often. Kinetics is the given name to the study of nonverbal communications. Emblems, illustrators, regulators, adaptors and affect are the five more common used body gestures. They are used unintentionally most of the time, but when a time is dedicated to pay attention to their use, it can be noticed everybody around use them constantly.

The topic of my essay is murder. My essay goes over the case of Chris Watts, a man from Colorado who was sentenced to life without parole after pleading guilty to murdering his pregnant wife and their two young daughters and dumping their bodies on an oil work site, on November 6, 2018. The main focuses are the first trial and the final verdict trial where he is a sentence.

In the video of the case on the first trial we see watt’s facial expression which he had many of them, he looked angry when the judge would say certain things, then he’d shift between looking lost like day dreaming and uninterested like the look where he’s thinking he has better things to do then being in court, on occasion he gave eye contact. Watts had been moving his lips licking them and biting them, through the first trial like what you do when your nervous, watts would also shrugs his shoulders.

His facial and body language was totally different in the final verdict trial. When Watts got to the court, he didn’t give any eye contact and he looked down at his lap the majority of the trial. When he would look up he would bite his lips and take deep breaths like he was stressed and needed to breath out. Watts body was slightly shaking as well he was shaking his leg which we can take that as being agitated and when the gave the final say he was hunched hover leaning on the table slightly with his head hanging low. And when he looked up he had a contempt look on his face like he just gave up and is just taking it for what it is.

The majority of how we communicate is through nonvrbal communication like body language and tone of voice, since the 1967 when Professor Albert Mehrabian found that only about 7% of our communication was not actual words, people have been interested in understanding body language.

Body language is a type of a nonverbal communication.when using body language a person uses physical behaviors, as opposed to using words to communicate, body language can be used to express or convey specific information. An example could be behavioral which could include facial expressions, body posture (slouching, hunching over, twisted), gestures (hand movements), eye movement (looking side to side, eye contact, no eye contact), touch (tapping or fidgeting with an object) and the use of space.

There are many interpretations of body language, to go into a little more depth, nonverbal communication can play three key roles. The first one would be Repetition: It’s said that using repetition most often then not, strengthens a message you’re making verbally, for example when you are a teacher and you want your students to know a key [piece in your lecture you would repeat it 2-3 times with more emphasis on the words so that you can show its importance.The second key roll would be contradiction,to contradict the message you’re trying to explain to someone would be showing to your listener that you may not be telling the truth, and example could be, when you tell your friend why you didn’t show up to their party was because you had a doctors appointment , then you say later on the reason was because you had chores, that contradicts the first thing that you had previously said.

The third key role in nonverbal communication would be substitution: a form of substitution for a verbal message could be facial expressions that an individual would give, For example, your facial expressions often express a far more telling message than words ever can that why some people would say “its written all over your face” or “The face is like and open book, i can see right through you” and this is why. Another example could be, a person is going for and interview for a job , and they know perfectly well that they aren’t qualified but they try it anyway, when they show up and the boss asks whether or not you know how to do that specific job task, and you lie and say yes you do but the boss looks at your face and they can tell you’re lying so they tell you that they would call you back and never do, that is because they say your facial expressions and knew the truth,

The main types of nonverbal communication are Facial expressions,Body movement/ posture,gestures, eye contact, touch and vocal. As humans our face is highly expressive, on an everyday basis we are able to show numerous emotions without even having to say anything. Facial expression is unique because “unlike some other forms of nonverbal communication, facial expressions are extremely universal”. Our facial expressions can show “happiness, sadness, anger, surprise, fear, and disgust which are mostly the same across many different cultures”. When looking at body movement or posture, in certain occasions, it can alter your perceptions of how people see you, just by the way you walk, talk, sit and even carry yourself shows how people would assume about you. (HelpGuide.org)

As individuals, we are continually conveying; with words as well as with signs and practices. Nonverbal communication is a sort of correspondence that doesn’t include words. While utilizing nonverbal communication individuals utilize various kinds of motions, the investigation of body motions and feelings is called energy. There are five most agent sorts of body signals identified with energy: seals, artists, controllers, connectors and influence. Tokens comprise in body developments that have a direct verbal interpretation and can remain solitary. While I was en route to meet a few companions at the seashore, I was attempting to stop at South Beach when I saw some person on foot in the walkway. I chose to stop the vehicle and let them go across the boulevards. While crossing, they lifted their hands in type of appreciation. They didn’t utilize words, yet I realized that sign implied bless your heart. It was not by any means the only insignia sign that I could saw during the day. When I stopped, I saw a man taking photos of a couple. After he took it, they checked and they did the ‘alright’ sing, as a method for endorsement. Artists are motions which go with words to show verbal message. During my strolled to the eatery at the sea shore, I saw a lady who is by all accounts lost with an extremely young lady that was giving her bearings, yet she was utilizing words, yet additionally utilized her hands to call attention to the manner in which that she should lead. I found my companions at the eatery, when the server asked us what number of we were I point with my finger while tallying. Controllers are likewise signals, that are principally accidental. They are body developments that control, alter and support the discussion. I was at the eatery with my companions and right beside us, I saw a couple and they appear to battle. The man was taking and the young lady was not saying anything other than she was moving her eyes, and appears to show dissatisfaction. Then again, a gathering setting in the back were having a great deal of fun. One of the youngsters was recounting to a story, while the others where gesturing of the head, to demonstrate they were tuning in.

Adaptors are types of nonverbal communications that incorporate developments made with little mindfulness. Include motions that make you feel increasingly good in a correspondence circumstance. After we ate, I went to the bathroom and when I got back, I saw my sweetheart drumming the fingers. Likewise, one of my companions was swinging his leg. Despite the fact that they didn’t utter a word, there non-verbal communication gave me the feeling that they needed to leave when they could.

Last, we have the influence shows. The influence are outward appearances persuaded by feeling. We chose to proceed with our day at the sea shore. We were strolling down the street, and I saw a lady drawing closer with a major grin. She attempted to persuade us to get into the café, she was caring, however we were not intrigued. We continued strolling, and took a gander at a man with a frowny face, he got a ticket and he was troubled about it.

Taking everything into account, as social animals we are continually speaking with our bodies. The investigation of nonverbal correspondence is called Kinetics. There are five common kinds of body motions identified with energy: images, artists, controllers, connectors and influence. More often than not we utilized them unexpected, however on the off chance that we watch individuals responses, for my situation at an open and traveled space (South Beach), you would see that everybody around us utilized them continually.

According to ThoughtCo, “Nonverbal communication, also called manual language, is the process of sending and receiving messages without using words, either spoken or written (Nordquist, 2019). Communication whether verbal or nonverbal is the way in which persons interact, communicate ideas and experiences with one another. Nonverbal communication is a common practice in which persons communicate with others, it can be expressed through the motions of gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice, eye contact, body language and posture.

Communication is vital in our everyday lives because it is how persons communicate about every aspect of their lives such as work, relationships and social lives. Thus, in communication men and women communicate differently, and they communicate differently through nonverbal cues. In this paper I will explain and identify the difference in nonverbal communication between genders, including the workplace, dating and sexual interest. In communication information can be misinterpreted or mistranslated that can contribute to an enormous gap that can occur during the transfer of messages. It is a known fact that women and men have different opinions and styles about mostly everything and communication is not exempted. Similarly, men and women communicate differently amongst one another. It is stereotyped that in the workforce and in general women are more talkative and emotional than men.

Whereas, men are more reserved and not opened with their emotions to everyone. Women talk to bring a sense of comfort to them and their surroundings. They are also natural emotional creatures that talk about their problems and situations. “Women are nurturers, and this quality can enhance any work situation. Men are natural providers. They are task-oriented and like to get the job done” (Mohindra, 2012). Women lean on other ladies for a sense of comfort and understanding. However, according to research (Onnela, Waber, Pentland, Schnorf, & Lazer, 2014), “a recent meta-analysis suggests that men are more talkative than women, while earlier meta-analyses give mixed results. Some of the variability in results can potentially be explained by the use of different measures for talkativeness.” In this research, it is also indicated that women engage in longer conversations and they are comfortable in talking in a small group setting. Whereas, for men they engage in longer conversations when the group consists of more than five (5) persons.

Nonverbal communication is common in the workplace. In the workforce women tend to build relationships with other women and to look for common interests that they have amongst one another. Whereas, for men they tend to build relationships with other men base on the dominance and their social relationship with one another. On the other hand, women tend to build relationships by sharing experiences and asking questions. In contrast, men rather take or give information than to build relationships with their coworkers. It is a common thing for men in the workplace to want to have the upper hand on their coworkers, it is never in their intention to build a close bond. Also, if a woman encounters a problem at the workplace with her colleagues the relationship will be truly impacted and she will be and devasted, where she will try to find a common medium to resolve the situation. While if men have a disagreement with their colleagues it will not affect them in no type of way, they will go on to the next task that is on their agenda. Moreover, when men and women are in a meeting, they will use gestures to say that they agree with one another.

For instance, in a meeting if a man is making a presentation and he makes a point that the woman agrees with she will nod her head. It may surprise the man that the woman agrees with his point, because in meetings there is commonly a disagreement between men and women on their views about business. Meanwhile, if the roles were reversed and the woman was making the presentation the men will nod if he agrees with her statement and the point that she made. When a man does not nod his head in agreement and is listening earnestly to what the lady says she automatically thinks that he is disagreement with her. Quite often men and women notice the differences in their communication skills in the workplace. Besides, when a conversation is being carried out both genders look at the approach and the insertion of interjecting a conversation differently. When a woman and a man carry on a conversation, the woman relies heavily on nonverbal cues.

Men think that when a conversation is being held that is polite to remain quiet while someone is speaking. Women believe that during the conversation and an interest point is established it is imperative that they interject and that their point is heard. However, when a man is speaking and he realizes that the woman stops communicating he feels that she is disinterested in the conversation; whereas, the woman feels that the insightful comments that the male is making are rude which results in her departure of the conversation. In communication there is a major difference in which both genders communicate with one another. Nonverbal communication is subject to be hereditary and children model the same sex roles that are exhibited. Gender communication differences occur during the early stages of childhood. Children tend to model the characteristics shown by their parents. Sons follow the characteristics that are shown by their father such as playing rough and to be tough. Hence, the girl follows the patterns of their mother such as showing feelings and being emotional. These stereotypical guidelines for the workplace are subconsciously guiding persons on how they are supposed to act based on their genders.

According to Gender Communication: A Comparative Analysis of Communicational Approaches of Men and Women at Workplaces, “Girls are told to use their manners, play quietly, and be ladylike. However, it is okay for boys to use rough language, play loudly, and be rambunctious. Girls are allowed to show feelings” (Mohindra, 2012). In addition, the characteristics of maleness and femaleness are the developmental components that are exhibited through our bone structure, it affects the way that we speak, walk, body posture, gestures and body shape. In addition, the way that men and women communicate nonverbally contributes to the effect that it has on dating and relationships. Women and men view touching differently. When a woman wants to communicate with someone, she is most likely to connect with them face to face and to touch them in an attempt to develop a relationship/friendship.

Whereas, for men they are keener to associate touching as a chance to establish a relationship with a woman. According to Do Men & Women Use Nonverbal Communication Differently, “men are more likely than women to associate touching with sexual intentions, heterosexual men are less likely to use touch during conversation with other men. Women, on the other hand, are far less reticent about touching other women because they also use touching as an expression of friendship or sympathy” (Carnes, 2019). In the dating aspect the nonverbal cues between genders have an enormous gap where touch is communicated differently between one another. Social interest and dating can be affected by nonverbal communication. Men and women interpret proximity differently, and their tolerance for bodily proximity is different between one another. While women are communicating, they are comfortable standing side by side with the person they are talking to. Whereas, for men they rather communicate face to face with the person they are speaking with. Hence, both genders perceive proximity differently from one another.

However, when it comes to intimacy women are more likely and open to be of close bodily proximity of someone; men perceive proximity as an act of being aggressive or being confrontational. “Nevertheless, different cultures have different tolerances for bodily proximity, and these differences often exceed the difference between genders” (Carnes, 2019).

Non-verbal communication is the exchange of information by wordless cues which includes body language, gestures, and facial expressions. Nonverbal communication is sending and receiving messages in a variety of ways without using verbal cues. It’s both intentional and unintentional and it is one of the key aspects of any business communication scenario. Nonverbal communication also includes handwriting style, arrangement of words and the physical layout as with all communication there is room for misinterpretation and the possibility of distortion of noise. When verbal communications conflict with nonverbal cues, people will sometimes use nonverbal cues to come to their own understanding. This section of the handbook will center around interpreting nonverbal communication to alleviate any miscues.

We felt the need to identify nonverbal communication in this handbook because we are not only dealing with staff, we are also dealing with vendors and customers alike. We addressed emails earlier in this handbook and because it is a primary way that we communicate here at Text for Thought. Since we are an online publishing company and most of our communication will be handled electronically, specifically emails. Dealing with emails we sometimes missing out in the tone in which the email was written. Nonverbal communication is used to repeat the verbal message but it can also contradict the verbal message through posture and dress. Now that we have addressed nonverbal communication we will talk about the issues related interpreting and identifying this type of communication, and ways of preventing miscues. We want to caution against some of the following miscues:

• Bad posture-such as slouching instead we should be standing or sitting upright
• Crossing your arms-this comes off as you are closed
• Gestures-not overusing gestures

Tips for Effective Cultural Communication

This section is our final section in our handbook and this one is so critical in how we treat others around and are respectful of everyone’s differences. We are going to talk about cultural communication and how we can address this subject to not only help our diverse customer base but also the different cultures that are employed here at Text for Thought. Cultural communication focuses on how people from different cultures, background, beliefs and communities communicate across different cultures to minimize understandings. We have outlined some tips that will be beneficial in our workplace.

Cultural communication relates to how employees communicate, manage, work together and build relationships with others from cultural backgrounds that are different from our own. Our organization is comprised of different cultures and beliefs therefore we need to be sensitive to the cultures of everyone around us and this will help to curtail intercultural conflicts. Effective cultural communication helps us to be aware of other employees as well as the vendors and customers that we service.

We have outlined a potential barrier to cultural communication that in no way will be tolerated here at Text for Thought which Ethnocentrism where one negatively judges aspects of other cultures based on the ideas of one’s own culture and they feel that their culture is superior to others.

Here at Text for Thought, we want to thank you for taking the time to review this handbook and that it helps alleviates any nuances that one might have centered around communication.

Refernces

1. Informal Communication in the Workplace. (n.d.). Retrieved April 29, 2020, from https://www.bamboohr.com/

Nonverbal communication

Nonverbal communication is the act of exchanging news, views, ideas and information between two or more parties without the use of oral or written medium. It generally includes body languages, signals, expressions etc. There are many times where words play very small role in a communication. For example, you went on a date with a new person and he/she is constantly on his phone for ages. However, while leaving, they tell you that they liked spending time with you, but you don’t believe it because you know he go bored even though he did not tell you anything. He/she as looking here and there every time, their body posture was uncomfortable, and they did not make any eye contact as well. So even though they said they enjoyed the time, you can say that they did not cause their body language and behaviour said another thing. This is nonverbal communication. Nonverbal communication tends to become more trustable and honest that the verbal ones.

Talking about the types of nonverbal communication, there are 4 types of them, and they are:

• Personal nonverbal communication
• Cultural nonverbal communication
• Universal nonverbal communication
• Random nonverbal communication

Personal nonverbal communication

The way of expressing personal feelings and emotions through nonverbal actions. There are so many times when we can communicate without use of words. We just simply react to certain things or give response to them. For example: pitch of voice, expressing excitement, nervousness etc.

Cultural nonverbal communication

Communication can happen between people of two different culture, background and ethical groups. The way people behave, their body gestures, way of talking etc all are rooted to their cultural background. Cultural nonverbal communication is slightly different from personal communication as different people have different culture and meaning for the same behaviour. For example, patting on shoulders, loud voice, eye contact etc. It is a rule concerned behaviour learned unconsciously from others in behaviour.

Universal nonverbal communication

The communication that can be understood by all humans irrespective of their culture, language, background and nationality is known as universal nonverbal communication. It includes smiling, crying etc. It generally shows common and mutual feelings like happiness and sadness, anger, embarrassment etc.

Nonverbal communication can be more reliable that the verbal communications. Although cultural difference my lead people to misunderstand the information, universal communication can be exchanged worldwide. Communication is not just about words. Most of the time, the reality is much different than what is being said. Therefore we need to go deeper and observe the hidden meaning of the words. It can de done by observing body language, eye contact, environment, dresses, facial expressions etc.

Being aware and informative about the nonverbal communication can help us to differentiate between what is being said and what the actual scenario is. For example, someone might tell you that they are totally comfortable with you but if you see them shaking their fingers or feet constantly then they might be waiting for time to pass fast. In this way the we can enhance our understanding by comparing their words and actions at the same time. Mehrabian (1971, p. 44) commented that a person’s nonverbal behaviour communicates feelings or attitudes more than words. His equation is:

Total feeling = 7% verbal feeling + 38% vocal feeling + 55% facial feeling

Also, Birdwishtel (1970) stated that 35% of the explanation of our information comes from verbal and the rest 65% is explained by nonverbal communication. Nonverbal communication portrays relative cues with two parties, which goes along with the verbal communication. It adds or clarifies the meaning of actual words. According to the Edward G. Wertheim, author of The Importance of Effective Communication, there are five main effects that nonverbal communication can have and they are explained below:

1. Repetition: It is re-expressing the spoken words. For example, waving hands while saying Bye. Both the words and action reflect same meaning.
2. Contradiction: It is doing exactly opposite of what you are saying. For example, shivering and saying you are not feeling cold. It directly reflects that you are not saying the truth.
3. Substitution: It is performing actions instead of words. For example, placing your index finger on your lips to ask another person to keep silence.
4. Complementing: It is elaborating your words with your actions. For example, rolling eyes while talking to another person to show you don’t like them,
5. Accenting: It highlights point in a message. For example, shaking head while saying no.

Every information shared in verbal way comes with expressions and body language, movements and environments. Nonverbal communication is generally true. While in a face to face communication, we can observe many nonverbal cues which will help us to find out what the other person means. Similarly, the body gesture of listener can also tell us how much he/she is interested in our conversation. If they are constantly checking their phone or looking here and there, then we can know that they are not interested. Even in a written communication, the format, choice of words, salutation, envelope, neatness etc can provide an overall impression about the sender (writer). Nonverbal communication can also help us to know about the class and occupation of the people from the way they dress. It can be also useful to convey information to a large group of people. For example, red light in traffic light indicates to stop and this rule is for everyone in the road. Nonverbal communication is the best key to communicate with illiterate and handicapped people. We can use different symbols, color, pictures, and movement of our body parts to exchange information between us. In this way, we can reduce the communication barrier and avoid any miss communication.

Nonverbal communication and speaking and listening skills

As indicated by social researchers, verbal relational abilities represent 7% of the message. The other 93% comprise of nonverbal and emblematic message and are called ‘listening abilities.’ Listening is one of the most important factors in communication. Active listening sets the establishment for strong relational connections. Active listening does not only mean hearing. It means interpretation and understanding of message when we hear something. Listening consists of 5 stage of response when we hear the message and they are:

• Receiving
• Understanding
• Remembering
• Evaluating
• Responding

Active listening is evaluating the senders’ message and provides appropriate feedback as well. Having a proper listening and speaking skill is very important for an effective nonverbal communication. When you are a good listener, you can encourage the speaker to provide more information and disclose their opinions without pressurizing them. We can become a good listener by making eye contact, nodding head to indicate that we are listening, facial expression, open posture etc. We can also add short responses like ‘hmm, ok, I see, umm’ etc to show that we are really interested. When we are a good listener, we can get the information we want. Not only while listening, we can use nonverbal communication to persuade others while speaking too. Nonverbal communication can give extra attention to the speaker. For example, smiling and having eye contact with the audience can make a great impact at first. While speaking lean slightly towards your listeners so that they can feel focused. In this way we can capture their attention.

References

1. (www.LeeHopkins.com), L. (2019). Types of nonverbal communication: Listening Skills. [online] Leehopkins.com. Available at: http://leehopkins.com/types-of-nonverbal-communication-listening-skills.html [Accessed 19 Sep. 2019].
2. Knapp, M., Hall, J. and Horgan, T. (n.d.). Nonverbal communication in human interaction.
3. Robinson, R. (2009). Picture This: Exploring Nonverbal Communication Through Self-Portraiture. Communication Teacher, 23(1), pp.62-65.
4. Psycnet.apa.org. (2019). PsycNET. [online] Available at: http://psycnet.apa.org/record/1998-07091-018 [Accessed 19 Sep. 2019].

Everyone is unique. Diversity is a variety of different objects or people. Meanings can vary from being different to having different thoughts or opinions. It can be based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies. The concept of diversity deals with respect and acceptance.

Types of Diversity

The types of diversity can be defined on infinite number of bases, as there are many characteristics that differentiate people. For example, people can have different hair or eye colours. In the workplace, there are seven types of diversity:

• Cultural diversity – Diversity depends on ethnicity
• Racial diversity – Physical traits differentiate people from one another
• Religious diversity – This type of diversity refers to the presence of multiple religions and spiritual beliefs
• Age diversity – People of many different ages and/or generations work together
• Sex / Gender diversity – Can be used in traditional sense, such as male or female
• Sexual orientation
• Disability – Disabilities such as mental or physical also distinguish people

Communication in Diverse Communities

We need to understand the importance of effective cross-cultural communication in today’s world with increasing globalization.

Some steps you can take to improve your communication with diverse groups are:

• Keep an open mind
• Have some understanding of the cultural backgrounds of people
• Practice active listening
• Watch your nonverbal communication
• Maintain a personal touch
• Eliminate figurative language

Non-Verbal Communication

Communication between people is much more than just using words and the message they convey. Nonverbal communication also plays an important part in effective communication. Nonverbal communication can convey implicit messages. This includes facial expressions, voice tone and pitch, kinesics and proxemics.

Role of Non-Verbal Communication when dealing with diverse groups

Verbal communication only accounts for 80 per cent of communication. The remaining 20 per cent is intonation, or nonverbal communication.

Nonverbal communication allows you to understand human behavior better. These channels are more powerful than what people may say. Body language varies from one country to another.

Nonverbal communication is extremely important. The nonverbal component can highlight, refute, or even replace verbal communication, so we need to learn the cultural differences prior. An example of a culturally different hand gesture is forming an “O” with your thumb and forefinger. In the USA, it means “a-okay”, “perfect” or “got it.” But in some countries, it has an obscene meaning.

Not understanding the differences in nonverbal communication can be a source of misunderstandings, friction and annoyance between cultural groups.

Storytelling Presentation Style

Storytelling is a form of communication which is prevalent in every culture. It allows people to understand others’ backgrounds, experiences and beliefs. A good storyteller can capture people’s attention and emotions and can evoke sympathy with the characters by proving them a way to visualize the elements of the story. The listeners stay captivated as they are curious to know more about the journey of the characters. This helps in maintain their attention and keeping imaginations active.

In this presentation style, the speaker relies on anecdotes and examples to connect with the audience. This style is great for conference speaking, networking events, and sales presentations where you have adequate time to tell your stories without taking minutes away from questions.

Three storytelling styles that work with almost any presentation are:

1. Tension & Discovery. You use elements of tension and discovery in your stories to capture the interest of the audience.
2. The Heroic Journey. By telling the story of failure and triumph of a hero character, the audience will understand, relate and participate in the presentation.
3. The Visual Journey. This involves explaining concepts using analogies. Visual metaphors break things down. They make ideas easy to understand. They put subjects in a relatable context.