Effective Communication And Nonverbal Communication In The Workplace

5. a. there is three types of body language and nonverbal communication, eye contact, body positioning, and encouragement. Making eye contact is extremely important. Making eye contact in a conversation shows the other person that you are listening and you are interested in what is being said. Not making any eye contact makes the other person think you have no interest. Adjusting body positions are important because sitting straight up shows you care, when you slouch during an important conversation you are communicating you don’t care. Facing the person sitting straight up shows you respect them and what is being said. Nonverbally encouraging or discouraging what others say can be demonstrated in a conversation by using hand gestures and facial movement. Actively nodding and showing you are interested without talking are nonverbal ways of communication. (Lewicki, p 184-185)

To me interpersonal communication describes the exchange of verbal and nonverbal messages between two different people. Joseph DeVito states that “interpersonal communication is inevitable, irreversible, and unrepeatable” due to these things effective communication is a necessary skill for us to function in our day to day lives (p. 20). Therefore, I have created a theory for interpersonal communication that goes as follows; To experience effective communication you must understand: your culture, the other person’s culture, and how to listen effectively. By knowing these three things you can consistently avoid misunderstandings and promote understanding in your interpersonal and intercultural relationships.

Non-verbal communication consists mainly of the things people do with their body language. There are times where words are expressed and non-verbal communication could help emphasize the message. A few examples of nonverbal communication are hand gestures eye contact, facial expressions as well as tone and volume. I was given this assignment to observe a situation and take note of the nonverbal communication that occurred. I also had to observe whether the non-verbals were able to execute the message and if the behavior was acceptable.

There are eight key forms of nonverbal communications used on a daily basis. These forms can affect the way people view another person; however, without understanding the forms of nonverbal communication there is certain to be a lot of misinterpretations. Cultural and language differences are a common reason for miscommunication. When communicating with people in different cultures, a person should be extremely aware of the hand gestures and nonverbal communication tools they are using. Many of the hand gestures used in the United States that mean good things, mean offensive and profane things to other cultures. Nonverbal communication is described as body language, hand gestures, and facial expressions. It is known that people reveal more information through nonverbal communication, than words alone to get a point across. There will always be some interaction between two or more people that everyone’s

1. Good eye contact. Eye contact is your main tool to make non-verbal contact with others. Your eyes deliver you participation, interest and enthusiasm. It is ideal to make a 2~3 seconds eye contact with other while talking to someone. A second or less one is a glimpse, which passes on uneasiness, anxiety or evasion. When you are in a meeting or making a speech, you can ask one of your friends to record your eye contact time with specific persons or whether you have made eye contact with people in the room.

Although unrecognized, Nonverbal Communication is used daily. Nonverbal Communication has many twists and turns. You can never fully understand what someone else is thinking. You can take a guess through their gestures, and facial expressions, but even then inaccuracy prevails.

Furthermore, Eye contact is yet another big deal in the business industry. According to bizmove.com, “It can convey emotion, signal when to talk or finish, or aversion. The frequency of eye contact may suggest either interest or boredom.” This means that eye contact is very important when speaking to someone, listening to a speaker, or showing interest. When it comes to business never lose eye contact. According to professor Macphail, “Eye contact tells a lot about the speaker” (Macphail). In the Western cultures looking directly into someone’s eyes shows respect. But in Japan, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East to show respect one has to avoid eye contact with the elders.

One type of nonverbal communication is haptics. Haptics refers to the study of communication by touch (Anonymous, 2012). According to Anonymous, 2012, “touch is necessary for human social development, and it can be welcoming, threatening, or persuasive.” The meaning of a simple touch differs between individuals, genders, and cultures. It is important for the Human Resource Manager (HRM) to recognize these differences in order to improve communication and be effective in the workplace. Tactile communication can help or hinder business and employee interactions. A firm handshake might be interpreted as confidence or credibility while other physical touches such as lingering touch on the shoulder, might be seen as being intimate (Anonymous, 2012). However, a pat on the shoulder or arm might help initiate interactions and show inclusion and respect. Proper knowledge of tactile differences among employees have important implications on how interactions unfold and relationships established.

In life, individuals who work often find that in order to operate effectively within a workplace their must be effective communication between staff and managers from front line managers to high end managers. However, in workplaces all around the world. Employees often fail to address employees effectively and often as a direct result. Employees either make mistakes or purposely choose to disregard orders. To reinforce this statement managers still evaluate that there is a clear failure of effective communication within the workplace still is a large problem. Because of this communication in the workplace is now being seen as a cornerstone for effective productivity and a positive employee-employer relationship as well as for profit and non-profit organisations (Marques, 2010). As both a direct and indirect result issues arise from poor communication and can be detrimental to the success and productivity of an organisation. It is the role of management on all levels of the organisation to prevent this from occurring.

James Humes, a former presidential speech writer, stated that, "the art of communication is the language of leadership" (Leading Thoughts, 2010). Communication is an essential process that is common in the workplace.  Everyone in the workplace especially leaders must communicate with others.  Ideas, conversations, disagreements, and commitments can all be exchanged through communication.  Anyone can communicate but it takes discipline and skills to effectively communicate.   These skills can include feedback, presentation, non-verbal communication, and listening. Listening is the most valuable skills to effective workplace communication because it enhances job effectiveness, relationships

Nonverbal listening and communication skills are a very important part of daily interactions, and the exercise I’m reporting on demonstrates the many reasons why in a practical and effective manner. The exercise required me to have a one-on-one conversation with an individual whom I am comfortable with, and whom I am less comfortable with. During these conversations I made use of active listening while taking mental notes I can analyze subsequently after ending both interactions. Additionally, I intended for each conversation to last for at least fifteen minutes. The ultimate objective of this exercise is to identify my weak points and constructively improve myself in anticipation of further interactions. My brothers are the two individuals who, unknowingly, assisted me in gathering the appropriate material and feedback for this assignment. The conversations that I had with them have been able to help me identify the nonverbal communication skills I did not know I have, and recognize what I need to do to improve.

Communication is sending and receiving information between two or more people. The person sending the message is referred to as the sender, while the person receiving the information is called the receiver. The information conveyed can include facts, ideas, concepts, opinions, beliefs, attitudes, instructions and even emotions. Communication in its most basic sense is transferring information from sender to receiver. Communicating is the act of conveying information for the purpose of creating a shared understanding.

A business looking to expand globally must look beyond the metrics and look for ways to adapt the culture and understand how to communicate within the culture. This proactive approach will assure an engaging workplace and shine a great light on the company. Something as simple as eye contact, head nodding could be misinterpreted and possible offend potential business partners. Which ultimately will lead to losing out on a business opportunity and punishing to a company.

● medium –the way we can communicate by using for example the phone, computer, erc.

Whereas with verbal communication, the Japanese place a higher importance on implicit, nonverbal communication because nonverbal cues give truth to how an individual truly feels about a situation. “The Japanese are able to guess at each other’s feelings from facial expressions, movements of the eyes and the slightest gestures, and their conjectures are not mistaken” (Kowner, 2002, p.341). In Japan, if two individuals hold eye contact for a lengthy period of time, it is viewed as disrespectful and an invasion of privacy. The posture of an individual is a vital aspect of nonverbal communication, because the Japanese believe posture shows if one is being attentive and respectful during a conversation. Another nonverbal cue is the gestures an individual uses during a conversation, which can have several different meanings and can lead to one being offended when no offense was meant in the first place.