Abstract All the forms of bodylanguage and how they contribute to communication are examined. The paper focuses especially on bodylanguage types, how how they are used and what it reveals about the communicator. The paper begins by briefly discussing the process of communication in regards to bodylanguage. It then looks at various forms of bodylanguage. Finally, it concludes by showing what bodylanguage contributes to communication that verbal language does not.
From the Paper "Communication can be defined as the process of creating understanding between two individuals or between an individual and a group. Communication is a transactional process, where a transactional process is defined as, "a process in which two or more people exchange speaker and listener roles, and in which the behaviour of each person is dependent on and influenced by the other" (Friedrich 11). The important point here is that in any communication, the participants are effected by each other. They interpret what the other person says, and why they say it and respond based on what they see the meaning as. Each person does not necessarily say what they think, they may say what they think is appropriate or what they believe the other person wants them to say. "
This paper analyzes the various types of bodylanguages that individuals display, particularly in the workplace, between employees and employers/management.
Abstract This paper deals with bodylanguage, specifically in relation to the manager and to employee-manager communications. The author discusses why communication as a manager is so important and also introduces the nature of communication and the part that bodylanguage plays in communication. The paper also explains why bodylanguage is even more important in a manager-employee relationship, where the nature of the relationship means that hidden meanings are expected. The paper also describes the different types of bodylanguage which include posture, affect, eye contact, etc.
From the Paper "When listening to an employee a manager can gain insight into their real thoughts by looking them in the eye, by taking note of their posture, by listening to their tone and taking note of any affect behavior. If their is any behavior indicating boredom it is also a sign that the employee is not really listening and this can then be rectified. It is also important to keep in mind that what appears on the surface does not always represent real feelings. There is a need to look beyond what is a surface smile and look to body language for clues about real feelings. Once you are aware of these feelings you can then discuss them and rectify any problems."
Abstract This paper focuses upon the cultural and natural determinants of bodylanguage and gestures. More specifically, the paper explores the parameters of bodylanguage communication across cultures and distinguishes those signs that may be innate or universal from those that are purely culturally-specific. The paper also stresses the significance of bodylanguage and gestures in communicating across cultural lines in our rapidly shrinking global village.
From the Paper "As these definitions suggest, body language and gesture can be seen as sign systems that are used to convey meaning from a sender to a receiver. The question of how this communication process occurs, and the roles of coding and decoding that are part of the process, are the subject of considerable scholarly debate. For example, when we encounter someone unknown to us who is making an overt gesture at us, it is necessary that we decode the gesture to determine what is being "said". However, in such cases, do we always have the "key" to unlock this code. Can some "keys" be hardwired into our genetic makeup as humans, or are these "keys" always culturally determined in the same way that spoken languages can be widely different depending upon the culture."
Abstract The paper discusses examples of voluntary bodylanguage, such as posture, relative limb position and hand gestures. The paper then looks at elements of non-verbal communication that are automatic and occur without any voluntary action, such as eye movement and the timing of our actions, gestures and changes in posture.
Outline:
Introduction
Typical Examples of Voluntary BodyLanguage Involuntary Aspects of BodyLanguage
From the Paper "Communication consists of much more than just spoken language; ii includes many physical components of communication such as posture, eye contact, relative limb position, and even the timing of those physical aspects of nonverbal communication. Early humans evolved these types of communications from their earlier pre-human and proto-human ancestors just as all other animal life forms did during the course of their evolution."
Tags: posture, eye, contact, relative, limb, position, communication
Abstract The paper examines the features of universal human bodylanguage that can be completely unconscious to both the communicator and the recipient. The paper explains the phenomenon of mirroring and describes the nonverbal cues used by dating couples. The paper then shows why learning to interpret nonverbal communication is essential in the professions of sales, policing and nursing.
Outline:
Introduction
Universal Human BodyLanguage Mirroring Behavior and the Importance of Postures and Body Position
From the Paper "Like other animals, human beings have evolved patterns of body language to help them communicate with others. Because we rely so heavily on verbal communication, we tend not to notice it as consciously as spoken language except in more extreme circumstances such as fear or outright aggression. Nevertheless, human body language and other forms of nonverbal communication patterns provide considerable amounts of information about others (Gerrig & Zimbardo 2005)."
Abstract This paper compares two divergent views of unspoken communication, known of late as bodylanguage. The earlier work is by Charles Darwin first published in 1872, the later is a publication by Julius Fast, published nearly one hundred years later. The paper discusses how, although the meaning of the expressive language is essentially the same, the roots and origins of these emotions are interpreted differently by the two authors. These differences and contrasting opinions are reviewed and explained.
From the Paper "There is a fascinating contrast between the interpretations of non-verbal cues as observed by a nineteenth century observers and similar observations that are the beneficiary of nearly a century of psychological investigations. Charles Darwin (1965) conducted extensive observations of the expression of emotions by both humans and animals and concluded that similar emotions are expressed in similar manners regardless of the cultural background of the individual conveying their emotions (p.347). Julius Fast relates similar conclusions, except he has the benefit of the psychological theorems developed in the proceeding hundred years (Fast, 1970, p.9). "
Abstract The paper explores how a social worker can be an effective communicator even with clients who do not speak a common language. The paper discusses the steps in developing effective bodylanguage skills, nonverbal communication skills, and the use of gestures. The paper emphasizes the importance of effective communication for social workers.
From the Paper "Social workers interact with many different people in the course of their day-to-day job, and often social workers will find themselves in situations where they are communicating with individuals from a different cultural background. A large part of an individual's cultural background is their language. It is quite likely that as a Social Worker one will be in situations in which they must attempt to effectively communicate with an individual who does not speak the same language. Cross-language communication can be very confusing and frustrating, but as a Social Worker it is important to remain calm and draw on all forms of communication in order to get or provide the information needed. This may involve the use of body language, pictures, or props. In the ideal situation, one would try to find an interpreter in order to facilitate the communication process, but often this is not a possibility in the social work field, as much of a social worker's job takes place on site and away from additional resources."
Abstract The paper offers an analysis of police officers' ability to use verbal and non-verbal strategies to communicate in a culturally diverse community while performing police forensic service calls. The paper offers strategies for how to communicate within a culturally diverse community. The paper analyzes the use of signals and symbols, personal space and bodylanguage. The paper examines the three most common misunderstandings that happen in cross cultural communication. The paper emphasizes how non-verbal communication skills help the police and the practice of these skills earn plenty of goodwill for the police officers from the community. The paper concludes that communication is the essence of fighting crime.
From the Paper "A police officer has to communicate, either through language, or nonverbally, through his body language, expressions, and gestures, to the people he deals with during the course of his duties. He would be definitely able to perform his duties better, if he were to learn the basics of the diverse cultures and people he comes into contact with, and if he was able to understand their gestures and signals well. Today, the concept of community policing' is fast catching up, and it is hoped that when a police officer becomes more involved with his community, then he would be better able to fight crime, by communicating better with them. Nonverbal Communication is a type of communication that can be defined as being based on the use of signals and body language and other similar paralinguistic and non linguistic messages in order to communicate with an individual. For example, when the person's primary language is something other than English, and the other person can only communicate in the English language, then nonverbal communication would be used to communicate something to the other."
Abstract Like other more complex animals, human beings evolved a complex system of physical gestures and postures used to communicate with other members of their species; in the case of humans, this preceded the eventual development of verbal communication. The author of this paper examines the importance of professionally appropriate nonverbal communication at work, potential conflicts presented by unintentional nonverbal communication, and the need for employee training in optimizing nonverbal communication.
Outline:
Introduction - Nonverbal Human Communication
The Importance of Professionally Appropriate Nonverbal Communication at Work
Potential Conflicts Presented by Unintentional Nonverbal Communication
Employee Training in Optimizing Nonverbal Communication
Bibliography
From the Paper "Specifically, authority figures and leaders initiate movements such as crossing their legs, opening folders, and even taking a sip of water from a glass at the conference table first; conversely, followers and those in positions of subservience tend to wait for these cues from more assertive individuals before mirroring their behavior instead of initiating the same types of gestures spontaneously or independently (Hogg & Reid 2006). In a competitive professional environment where one's demeanor and apparent personal confidence plays a role in establishing a social hierarchy, unconscious mirroring behavior may conflict with the messages we hope to communicate consciously. To the extent our professional efforts are designed to enhance our perceived value with respect to establishing our leadership potential, conflicting signals communicated unconsciously to the contrary thereby undermine those efforts."
Abstract Analysis of human bodylanguage. Messages sent to nonverbal communication. Importance of people understanding how to detect and read bodylanguage. Danger of unread, hidden messages leading to misunderstandings and conflict. How infants acquire communication skills. Bodylanguage and date rape. Key differences in bodylanguage of males and females.
From the Paper "This study will analyze human body language, or nonverbal communications, in terms of the messages sent by such language, and the reasons for and consequences of misunderstanding, or not responding knowledgeably to, such messages. The essence of the study will be the argument that an individual who seeks to live and work and relate to other human beings, in business and in personal affairs, and in as healthy and knowledgeable a fashion as possible, will become educated in detecting and reading body language.
Butterworth makes clear the significance of the topic, noting both the presence of body language in infants and the relationship between early nonverbal communication and the learning of language itself. The sub-title of his article in Natural History is "finger pointing by babies is correlated with ..."
Abstract This paper addresses the effects of nonverbal communication, including appearance, mannerisms and bodylanguage, on obese and overweight people in their career, employment and social lives. It analyzes how nonverbal communication can have both a positive and negative effect on how effectively a person gets their message across and how those who understand the strong influence of nonverbal communication and use it to their advantage are often able to use it to enhance their verbal communications skills. It discusses how appearance and bodylanguage aspect of nonverbal communication often leads to discrimination against overweight people in social and business settings and how there is evidence that overweight people have less of a chance of success than thinner people, who are perceived as more attractive.
From the Paper "Obese job applicants are often perceived as having poorer work habits, higher absences, and more likely to get ill than thinner applicants (Borrell, 2003). After watching videotaped job interviews of several applicants with equal qualifications, people rated obese applicants as: less qualified; less likely to be hired; having poorer work habits; more likely to fake an illness and stay home from work; more likely to have emotional problems; and more likely to have problems with coworkers."
Abstract This paper gives an overview of some of the more interesting issues involving gender and cultural differences in gesture and posture: non-verbal communication. It begins by studying gender differences in bodylanguage and, following this, moves on to the differing significance of gestures and posture in various cultures. The paper concludes with a summary of findings and with recommendations for further exploration.
From the Paper "The issues surrounding posture communication are as diverse yet interesting as the communications themselves. In the case of gender, how men and women speak through body language (in North American culture) is a topic which has been much written about in books, articles, and scientific journals. The issue of cultural communication is one which is equally important to the traveler as to the layperson. For example, the forming of index finger and thumb for the "OK" sign in North America means something very different in Japan In Japan country it means money. (Times) In other countries the "OK" sign can mean something very rude, it can mean that things are "not OK" or that you would like coins instead of bills."
Abstract This paper discusses the significant role that bodylanguage plays in the delivery and understanding of a message. The paper talks about how different facial gestures, hand gestures, postures, etc., communicate certain messages and that understanding these messages can be very useful, not only in interpersonal relations, but in the business and political arena, as well.
From the Paper "It's important for people to have a basic understanding of these non-verbal cues so that it can aid them in knowing how to respond to people as well as how well they are responding to others. With this in mind, we must also understand that there are cultural differences in body language and some of the basics that we all seem to know (i.e: "hands on hips" means "defiant" (Pierce-Rusunen, D.1)) may not cross over into other cultures. "Problems arise when generalizations are made about body language" (D.1) and it is therefore significant to gain "literacy in foreign body languages" because "body language is often culture-specific" (D.1)."
Abstract This paper discusses the importance of non-verbal communication, pointing out the emotional information it conveys. The paper describes the world of expression inherent in people's bodylanguage and facial expressions. The writer of the paper observed people at an airport in order to learn more about non-verbal communication. The paper focuses on behavior related to physical space, noise factors, relationships, and environment.
From the Paper "The importance of Non Verbal Communication is evident in the fact that it constitutes the bulk of human communication. The fact that non verbal communication is more important than any other form of communication is due to the emotional information it conveys, which is otherwise usually controlled or concealed. Thus, human beings base their feelings and emotional responses not so much on what another person says, but upon what another person does. In fact, it is estimated that the impact of non verbal communication on a message's meaning can be as high as 93%."
Abstract In this article, the writer explains and discusses the differences between a counseling interview and other types of interviews such as information gathering, persuasive and job interviews. The writer looks at the process and scope of the interview. An interview conducted by the writer is described. The writer explains the purpose of the interview and describes how the person interviewed was dressed. The subject of bodylanguage is also examined. Further, the writer discusses the type of contact between the interviewer and interviewee. Finally, the writer discusses when is it appropriate to breech confidentiality and looks at the relevant laws.
From the Paper "A counseling interview requires a climate conducive to trust, understanding, honesty and openness of communication. In this type of setting more than any other it is important the interviewer establish a solid rapport with the interviewee to help produce a productive and calm environment.
Other types of interviews include job interviews, information gathering interviews and persuasive interviews. A persuasive interview is a directed interview where the primary purpose of the interviewer is to persuade the interviewee to side with them. This form of interview also requires the interviewer establish rapport, but rapport is not as vital to the outcome as it may be to a counseling interview. Nonetheless, the better able the interviewer is able to establish rapport the more likely he or she is to sway the interviewee to their side of an issue."
