Nonverbal Messages : A Society That Breathes Social Media

By observing us children learn how to interact with others, accomplish goals, and get along in the world. We are the examples, and what many do not realize is that our non-verbal messages and actions are stronger than our verbal ones. Non-verbal communication consists of expressions, tone of voice, eye contact, and actions.  The way you listen, look, move, and react tells the other person whether or not you care, if you’re being truthful, and how well you’re listening. When your nonverbal signals match up with the words you’re saying, they increase trust, clarity, and rapport. When they don’t, they generate tension, mistrust, and confusion. There are many different types of nonverbal communication. Together, the following nonverbal signals and cues communicate your interest and investment in others.

Communication is everywhere. We, as interactive human beings, spend the majority of our time corresponding with others to satisfy our physical, identity, social, and practical needs (Adler, Rodman, & Sevigny, 2011). Often, this is consciously done; we search our minds for the accurate linguistic means to express our experiences, and use them to communicate with those around us. However, communication is not as straightforward and effortless as we may believe. It is, in fact, often unintentional, with 65% of it occurring as a result of non-verbal cues (Matsumoto, Shibata, Seiji, Mori, & Shioe, 2010). As mentioned by Marta Dynel (2011) in a study done on nonverbal communication, “Non verbal signs and signals ... are prevalent practically in

How to deliver positive nonverbal communication is quite simple. Starting with facial expressions, make sure they are positive, give a genuine smile, others can tell a genuine smile from a fake one. Fakes smiles will make you less approachable, when a genuine smile makes others feel welcome. Maintain eye contact, but do not stare. Maintaining good eye contact shows that you are focused on the other person. Staring is seen as standoffish. Leaning forward shows that you are interested, but distance yourself correctly, use the space around you. Otherwise it is seem as intimidating or awkward. Adjust nonverbal signals according to the context. If you are responding or listening and your

For as long as I can remember, I have been a fairly quiet person who wasn’t too keen on socializing with other people. Every time I found myself in a conversation I would wonder what was on the other person’s mind, and how they perceived me. For instance, I attempted to decipher their true intentions, if they were honest, or if they even liked me. Since I was so focused on those thoughts, I would often miss the concept of the message, as well as the signs that could have clarified my concerns. It is easier to distinguish and interpret another’s probity by observing eye behavior, touch, and other nonverbal cues in the communication context.

We show nonverbal and unwritten communication in our lives each and every day. How we choose to do it is up to us. Only we can give an impression on people it’s up to us if we want to leave a good impression or a bad

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

Eye contact: It is a significant type of nonverbal communication and it is studied belongs to oculesics category which refers to eye contact with another one’s eyes, head and face and the norms of looking during interaction. Usually it has the same meaning a cross cultures.

Nonverbal communication covers all aspects of communication beyond words. It is anything from body gestures to the way words are spoken. The tone, demeanor, hidden meaning behind words, mix that with body language and what is creates in nonverbal communication elements. Even clothes and personal appearance can send a nonverbal message. Nonverbal communication accounts for nearly 65-93% communication means (Wood, 2014). One area where nonverbal communication sent a negative, incorrect message is the movie Erin Brockovich. The clothing of the main character sent the message that she was uneducated, white trash. This could not be further from the truth. She was an intelligent, single mother who saw a problem where nobody else did.

The aspect of nonverbal communication has been studied extensively for at least four decades. During the 1960s, volumes were printed about "body language." While that label has become trite to the point of jokes, the subject itself is valid and has been given a more appropriate label: nonverbal communication. Words, in and of themselves, do not convey the entire message in any communication interaction. There are always nonverbal cues. Even in a telephone conversation, there is are cues in terms of voice inflection, tone, volume, speed. Loudness and/or a harsh tone, for instance, communicates hostility and/or anger. Whether the speaker means to convey that message or not is immaterial because it is the listener's interpretation that will set the tone for the rest of the conversation.

Nonverbal communication is behaviors and characteristics that convey meaning with out the use of words. Sometimes accompanying verbal messages, to clarify or reinforce them. (Floyd, Communicating Nonverbally, 2013) It is said to be true that nonverbal communication sometimes gives more information that verbal communication. People’s facial expressions, gestures, and personal appearance are all forms of nonverbal communication and it relies on our sense of vision. For instance, when my sorority and I get together for a meeting and the president of our chapter stands up in front of everyone to share information, it is important that we let her know that we are interested by nodding our head in agreement, smiling at her, clapping our hands, and keeping eye contact with her so she knows our focus is on her. For our chapter it is important to reassure our president that we are listening and focused on what she has to say by using nonverbal behaviors. Without nonverbal communication, it would be hard to tell when someone is interested or not in a conversation. Nonverbal communication helps us maintain

It is common for those from American to look people in the eye when meeting them. Eye contact it is a basic essential to be a social interaction which show a person’s interest and engagement with your conversation. In other cultures, however, such as Asia countries, it is actually disrespectful to look some in the eye. When I was as a kid, I was taught by not supposed to looks at someone eye when talking especially at older people. When I came to the Untied State, it took me for a while to learned new cultures like eye contact.

Whether it's with our kids, our co-workers, our friends, or our lovers, we make eye contact and we do it well. It's because our "humanness" has made us that way and we've become experts at it. We crave connection and we do it with our eyes.

In every society nonverbal communication is one of the most powerful tools that a person can use to interpret the message that is being delivered. Even though verbal communication is fairly straightforward, nonverbal communication allows others to sense the true emotions of the person that is expressing them. For example even though a person may say that they are not irritated, their usage of voice may display otherwise. Nonverbal communication not only reveals hidden messages, but it also complements, substitutes, and exaggerates verbal communication.

Communicating through social media and technology can sometimes be challenging, what are these challenges and how does this affect the nonverbal communication; and do you think this form of communication causes inabilities to interact positively and work effectively with others. While communicating through new technologies and social media can be challenging at times for some, one must also remember that “nonverbal behaviors can be important in establishing trust in working relationships, but modern technologies may challenge our ability to maintain that trust” (Nelson & Quick, 2017, pg. 131). This is because too much of a good thing can cause harmful reactions when trying to communication with another through that of modern

“Systematic research on the role of nonverbal behavior in social interaction has been common only in the past 20 to 25 years.”(Edinger and Patterson, 1983, p. 30).because that statement was published in 1983, it is apparent that the study of nonverbal behavior has been around for roughly 50 to 55 years. However, that is still a relatively recent amount of time compared to research in other science fields such as chemistry or biology. Despite the fact that this field is relatively recent there are many theories about our interaction with others. This paper will discuss the nonverbal expectancy theory along with two other theories, and describe how these theories can work together.