Face to Face Communication - Essay Example

Social Psychology: Non Verbal Communication One of the main elements of communication which is lacking in the fast growing world of computer based communication, is face to face communication accomplished by non verbal techniques. Whether we realize it or not, we do most of our true communicating in nonverbal ways. The purpose of this paper is to explore three different non verbal forms of communication in order to describe what it is that they convey universally, “ Nonverbal communication has been defined as communication without words. It includes apparent behaviors such as facial expressions, eyes, touching, and tone of voice, as well as less obvious messages such as dress, posture and spatial distance between two or more people”(fsu.edu, 2008). The first form of non verbal communication to be examined is the simple nod of the head. This is often done in public when one person notices eye contact with another person which is often coupled with a friendly smile. By simply nodding one’s head, one is acknowledging the presence of another individual in particular, in a friendly and courteous manner. Incidentally, it is more common for men to utilize the nod of the head gesture than it is for women. A basic human ideology is that acknowledgement is acceptance whereas ignoring someone is a form of rejection if not the ultimate form of rejection. In fact, it can be said that most people would rather someone communicate anger or dislike towards them than to simply be ignored by them. By acknowledging another individual by communicating verbally or nonverbally, one is operating from a primal understanding that simply acknowledging another human being as being present is a fundamental form of common courtesy. In gender norms and social gender roles, society assumes men to be more vocal, dominant and task oriented while women are believed to be more emotional and demure (Briton et al, 1995). From this perspective, male acknowledgement of the presence of others by means of a head nod, is similar to some animal behavior in which males will acknowledge the presence of other males as opposed to challenging them. Male mammals such as lions are often very territorial and will typically challenge other males who venture onto their respective territory. In some cases however, male animals will forgo a territorial battle by implying granted permission to enter, in the direction of the visiting male. This is not so dissimilar from the attitude of human males. It is almost as though a male head nod of acknowledgement implies an acceptance of the presence of another male without either a challenge or an act of submission. Another form of nonverbal communication to be discussed is the raising of two hands when another individual; is speaking as if to imply ‘stop’ or ‘pause’. This can often be done to alert someone that they are communicating something which is a believed to be a misconception or false, by the listener. If one individual is perhaps telling another individual how they perceived the other individual’s actions or words, the individual listening may then put his or her hands up to insinuate that the speaker is communicating false data due to misinterpretation or that the speaker is perhaps beginning to offend the listener. In a situation where one individual is listening and the other individual is speaking, it is considered rude for the listener to interrupt the speaker. If however, the listener wants to immediately interject his or her beliefs, interpretations or opinions into the current conversation, the listener may place his or her hands up as a sign that they in fact either disagree or wish to interject something right away. This is a relatively common form of nonverbal communication between people and is normally not gender oriented, “Words have limitations: There are numerous areas where nonverbal communication is more effective than verbal (when explain the shape, directions, personalities are expressed nonverbally)”(fsu.edu, 2008). Next to words the human face is the primary source of information for determining an individual’s internal feelings”(fsu.edu, 2008). Often times, when we are communicating with another individual, we can gain more perspective on what it is that they wish to tell us by their facial expressions than by their words. This is the case with almost all individuals of any age. For example, if a child wishes to tell a fib in order to play a trick or insight a reaction, he or she may do so verbally all the while with a smile. If a child tells an adult that they believe the dog has run away, but are smiling during the allegations, we are most likely to be aware that the dog has not run away but rather, the child is attempting to trick us. Adults are often just as transparent. Entire volumes of socio -psychological literature have been written about how to properly identify a lie from truth, when someone is speaking. For example, if someone is attempting to tell a lie, even though they do so with the intention of fully convincing their listener, they may subconsciously give themselves away with their facial expressions. Often times when we lie, we will be unable to make or sustain eye contact with our listener. We may even look up and to the right as if to create information conducive to our attempted fabricated tale. We often hear of the term ‘devilish grin’ or ‘evil grin’. This alludes to either someone telling a lie or someone who knows something pertinent to the situation which they are purposely not sharing with others. This again, is an example of a smile being the nonverbal form of communicating one thing even when verbal communication simultaneously taking place with the smile, conveys something entirely different. “Some facial expressions are readily visible, while others are fleeting. Both types can positively or negatively reinforce the spoken word and convey cues concerning emotions and attitude”(fsu.edu, 2008). Something as subtle as a fleeting smile can provide more information than even the lengthiest of dialogue can. The subtle smile can also be a sign of sarcasm or irritation. During the recent presidential debates between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, Clinton would often allow a discrete smile to pass over her face when listening to the words of her opponent. This was universally suggestive of her disagreement with Obama’s ideology or her disapproval of what he was saying. Most of us recognize this, the subtle smile taking place at the time of a debate or argument, as a way of displaying agitation or disbelief at the individual who is speaking at the time. Most everyone has had a verbal altercation at some point in their life, with someone who when listening to their verbiage, allowed a faint smile to illustrate their unspoken agitation at the speaker. This can also be construed as a form of instigation or challenge, which often times fuels the emotion or temperament of the speaker at the time. Works Cited: Archer, Dane., (2004) “Gender and Communication: Male-Female Differences in Language and Nonverbal Behavior” Berkley Media LLC, retrieved from website at: http://www.berkeleymedia.com/catalog/berkeleymedia/films/communication/l anguage_linguistics/gender_and_communication_malefemale_differences_ in_language_and_nonverbal_behavior Briton,. Nancy., Hall, Judith., (1995) “Beliefs about female and male nonverbal communication”, Health Care Industry, retrieved from website at: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2294/is_n1-2_v32/ai_17012184 Fsu.edu, (2008),“Introduction in Nonverbal Communication”, retrieved from website at: http://www.fhsu.edu/~zhrepic/Teaching/GenEducation/nonverbcom/nonverbc om.htm Read More