Nonverbal Communication

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.

I decided to go to Panda Express at 5:30 pm for my observations, while there I was able to observe just how much people rely on nonverbal communications to get their point across. Although I witnessed several encounters of unique body language, there were also a few actions that reoccurred several times in several different people. For example, when a customer would approach the counter where employee served the food, the employee would raise her eyebrows and smile at the customer. The employee’s smile, however, did not reach her eyes suggesting that while it is her job to smile and be welcoming to the customer, she most likely did not want to be at work. Additionally, I noticed that when customers approached the counter about 90 percent of them had their arms crossed. The act of crossing ones arms usually means that a person is trying to put a barrier between them and a situation that they either don’t like, or are uncomfortable with. This may mean that the customers were displeased with having to wait in line to get their food, on the other hand it may be that they were simply comfortable folding their arms. Once they reached the front of the line, every customer pointed to the food they wanted along with verbally telling the employee. This made their communication more effective as it helped to overcome the barrier of sound because the restaurant was noisy.

Technology can be positive through providing face to face live video and audio chats, but can also be detrimental when it comes to simple texting without nonverbal messages. Facetime has been able to provide expressions and voice cues that help bring meaning to verbal messages. Nonverbal communication is hard to fake and is more trustable. While, texting can be detrimental to relationships because the meanings of words are skewed since they don’t have nonverbal cues to give context and meaning to them. The relationships that is most influenced by technology is my friends at Uconn because we spend so much time together and the amount of closeness I feel with these people is no comparable to those affected only by technology because I feel a sort of closeness through maintaining a close distance to them and I have the ability to exchange vocal and facial cues.

Body language (the process of communicating nonverbally through conscious or unconscious gestures and movements). People all of the world use body language or gestures to communicate nonverbally. I personally think that nonverbal communication and body language are one of the biggest barriers in communication especially between one culture to other. Body gestures can be misinterpreted as rude or disrespectful depending on the country, region, or even the city you’re from.

Over this summer course I have learned a lot about communication. I learned how significant nonverbal and verbal communication is, along with listening. I never fully understood how big communication is in our daily lives. I now realize that it is a huge aspect of how we continue in our lives. This course has showed me different levels of communication.

Undeniably, presentations give individuals an opportunity to connect with your clients, colleagues, and other contacts. Presentations are a rich two-way communication environment. However, it is essential that you build credibility before, during, and after your presentation. In addition, authenticity is of the utmost importance; even if you plan and rehearse, authenticity must be maintained. With presentations, nervousness and fear can be overcome by numerous strategies to ensure that your presentation is effective. Moreover, it is crucial that your nonverbal behavior displays confidence, strength, and concern. Enhancing these strategies can assist you in delivering a spectacular presentation (Cardon, 2013).

In this paper I will discuss and analyze the verbal communication, “the exchange of spoken or written language with others during interactions” McCornack, 2013, p. 191), and the nonverbal communication, “the intentional or unintentional transmission of meaning through an individual’s nonspoken physical and behavioral cues (Patterson, 1995)” (McCornack, 2013, p. 223), of a 2012 Third Party Presidential Debate between Jill Stein, Rocky Anderson, Virgil Hamlin, and Gary Johnson.

Nonverbal communication is very import it shows how you feel toward someone or something and helps the person you’re talking to understand what you’re talking about better. Non-verbal communication can also tell someone if you’re tired of the conversation your having or if your uncomfortable talking about something. When talking to my partner I had to concentrate on not getting distracted but it happened anyways and it was obvious to her.

“ I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I am not sure that you realize that what you heard is not what I meant -Unknown.” Communication is very important in today 's society. From texting, emails, talking on the phone, or even talking in person. If you are communicating in a nonverbal way it is important to get your point across exactly how you mean it because someone can read it differently. Talking in person can be easier because you can hear their tone of voice and see their facial expressions, so that can help you determine how they are trying to get the message across. In our speech 191 class we have done many activities learning about verbal and nonverbal communication.

In most instances, non-verbal message may complement and reinforce the message and some cases contradict the verbal message. In the American culture, a nod reinforces while a wink contradicts the message.

Coming into this class I didn’t know much about proper communication techniques and how I was communicating incorrectly. I didn’t know anything about I-Statements or different exit strategies in conflict. I was very in the dark about communication and how it works. For my Personal Growth Profile I decided to do a digital airbrush painting which I titled “Dark Flower”. This painting is an abstract portrait in which the girl is dark and cold around the edges, but inside she is full of warmth and light. This painting is the perfect representation of how I have personally grown throughout this course.

The observation of one’s day becomes knowledge to said person. When this becomes fact, how can you disprove this knowledge to said person? The answer being research. But, what if this has been fact to someone their entire life? The following myth is one that when asked to another on the street it seems obvious. Men and women communicate differently. It’s so clear there doesn’t even need to be research on it! However, this is not the case. Men and women do indeed communicate similarly using a few examples of nonverbal communication, responses to certain situations, and the way of speaking to animals.

Most children as young as preschoolers are able to effectively communicate what they want and how they feel despite not having the vocabulary wealth of an adult. Nonverbal communications play a significant role in helping us understand their needs and wants, their frustrations and excitement and also their pain and sorrow. I will show how children can become involved in End of life decision making and why they can be considered competent with a little assistance form parents, physicians and councilors depending on the age and situation of the child.

Nonverbal communication, unlike verbal communication, is often unintentional and easily misconstrued. Nonverbal communication follows a set of unwritten rules, which vary by culture and society. Many societies greet one another with a kiss on the cheek or a hug, while in American society, it’s normal to shake one’s hand, if that. While some cultures value intimacy, closeness and personability, American nonverbal “rules” rely greatly upon personal space and privacy. Because of this, when asked to violate and analyze one of these rules, I selected proxemics, or personal space.

Prior to the interview, keep your hands open in order to prevent them becoming overly sweaty. Keep a tissue in your pocket to discreetly dry your hands if necessary. Sweaty hands could indicate to the interviewer that you are nervous.