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Essay Role Of Communication At The Workplace

Decent Essays

In the workplace today, we are likely to have a diverse mix of culture, age, race and gender balance. Nonverbal communication varies amongst all of these and also on the different contexts of the workplace i.e. meetings, conferences, tea breaks etc.
Early morning when arriving at the office, colleagues usually wave their hands and give a smile to greet each other depending on the relation you may have with the colleague. If it is a senior manager then the wave and smile may be more reserved. The senior manager will not necessarily wave and smile back but may just nod to show that they acknowledge your gesture. Colleagues who work closer to each other or may have developed a good relation, shake hands. Amongst Kenyans, colleagues may slap …show more content…

Welcoming may involve creating of space (when groups form circles) and a smile from the group members. However if your presence is not appreciated, this may involve frowns or use of unfamiliar gestures contrary to your race/culture. The circle may form without you in it or the group may just disperse.
During office meetings, attending on time may give the chairperson a lot of information. If all the staff attend before time or on time, it may indicate that the agenda is very important or interesting or that the chairperson is highly respected. However, if people turn up late or not at all, it may signify that the meeting is not taken seriously, it is a waste of time or people do not respect the chairperson. During a meeting, if someone clears their throat very distinctly, it may mean that there is something being said which needs attention. If the speaker clears their throat, it may show nervousness, unclear knowledge of the subject matter or the speaker is tying to get some thinking time. If staff members begin yawning or looking outside the window, it means that they are tired or not interested in the meeting maybe because it has lasted too long. Many people start drawing on their notepads in meetings that have been too long or are uninteresting. However if the speaker looks outside, it may mean that he/she is thinking deeply. There could also be some whispering which implies that there is a sub-meeting going on either because an issue being

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