Nonverbal Communication in Politics - Literature review Example

Nonverbal Communication in Politics Affiliation Nonverbal Communication in Politics Nonverbal communication is the act of communicating with another person through body language or other symbols in order to convey information or meaning. Nonverbal communication encompasses those nonverbal stimuli in a communication background that is provided by the speaker and the listener. Nonverbal communication then is just a form of communication that does not involve the use of words or verbal codes. Nonverbal communication has been said to be both intentional and unintentional. This is because, besides using body language it also uses gestures, postures, eye contact and facial expression. In addition, nonverbal communication comprises the processes of encoding and decoding. Whereby encoding deals with generating information such as gestures, facial expressions and postures, while decoding involves the interpretation of data from received sensations from other experiences. This essay will examine the use of nonverbal communication in politics, as well as, establish how politicians use gestures and other forms of nonverbal communication. Nonverbal communication is a vital aspect of communication because people use nonverbal symbolic codes each day of their life, whereas in most cases, it is usually unconsciously. According to researchers, it has been established that 38% of people relay information through audio codes, 55% is through body language and 7 % is through words. As a result, it is clear that the use of nonverbal communication is undeniable, which is not an exception to the politicians (Rominiecka, 2008, p. 247). For example, when the society is evaluating a candidate they want to elect in the political arena, what they obtain is the nonverbal communication or gestures. The voters, for instance, take into account when they are communicating with the politicians face to face the tone of their voice, dominance of the mother tongue language, rhetoric, and dress style, jewellery and body posture. Additionally, the society looks at facial expression and body posture as persuasion factors and nonverbal communication. These factors have been said to be imperative and efficient when it comes to creating the political image of an individual. According to Dickson & Hargie (2003, p. 50), they suggest that people use nonverbal communication to enable them to replace verbal communication in areas where it may be inappropriate or impossible to talk. Nonverbal communication is also used to complement verbal communication; hence, enhancing the overall message that is being conveyed. Additionally, it can be used to convey personal and social identity through features such as adornments and dressing code, as well as, express interpersonal attributes and emotions. In politics, nonverbal communication is an important tool for the politicians because they allow making a statement even without having to say a word. According to (West and Turner 2004, p. 136), nonverbal communication is governed by rules “which means that it is regulated by a system of standards and norms that state what is and what is not appropriate, expected and permissible in particular social situations.” Political science scholars see nonverbal communication as a way through, which politicians can consciously sway listeners; hence, convincing them to support their agenda in domestic and foreign policies. This is because the politicians have already mastered the art of nonverbal communication thus understanding what would influence their listeners into agreeing with them when they pitch in their agendas. Edward Hall a known Anthropologist supported this notion where he indicated that in an average conversation between individuals more than 65% of the social meanings are transmitted through the nonverbal channel. However, people from different parts of the world have various ways of translating the nonverbal communication (Fehérváry, 2013, p. 56). For example, in 1992, when George. W. Bush visited the Australia people lined up along the road to welcome the president who unconsciously greeted the people using raised fingers, which formed a “V” shape with the back of his hands facing towards the bystanders. The following day in the daily’s, it was proclaimed that the American president had insulted the Australians, because of the appearance of his hands while greeting them during his visit. This indicated that there are different interpretations of gestures depending on the place where the individual resides. If the same happened in American, the people would not have interpreted it as offensive because for them this was a normal greeting. Politics is said to be the art of management, meaning that is a business of swaying, directing or changing the government or state performance. For this reason, with politicians understanding this, they use all modes of communication to ensure they perform their art to the best of their ability. Hence, in order to understand how politicians use nonverbal communication, it is important to examine nonverbal cues and elements when used by politicians (Kopacz, 2006, p. 13). First, there is the silent communication; in this type of communication, the body is important where the chest centre is said to be a vital body language indicator. This is because it openly expresses what a person feels and thinks about those people who are around them. For example, when a person is open or truthful, their arms are sided loose and freely; when peaceful their arms are sided and their shoulders are situated in the lower position. The posture that one also portrays sends a different message to those analysing them. The posture of talking is the most important because the way a person speaks to other people directly shows that they confident. According to (Knapp & Hall 2000. p. 29) “The way we stand or sit determines our involvement in discussion and gives away the level of our self-confidence.” Gestures are the most used nonverbal communication because many people use their arms and hands to illustrate different emotions. In that, gestures are said to be features that strengthen and colour the given message or the speech made. However, it is crucial to understand that gestures should not be used to fill missing words (Riggio, 2005, p. 40). Hands are said to be the most sensitive and effective ways of expressing oneself because through opening one’s hand, a person shows the readiness to communicate. Arms on the other hand, give a special emphasis on the body language as they indicate the self-confidence. Legs also communicate, in form of gestures especially, because they depict aggressiveness, defensiveness and lack of confidence. Many specialists have referred to legs as barriers to communication. In the European Culture, women who sit with their legs crossed are considered self-confident and determined. Secondly, there is vocal communication, which is reflected in the tone and rhythm of the voice of the politicians. For example, features like rhythm, tone going up and down, harshness monotonous, and resonance of the voices are nonverbal communication features that reveal the feelings and enthusiasm of an individual. For example, in a political speech delivery, the persuasion possibility increases, if there is a possibility that the politician will use a strong voice tone accompanied by suitable stresses. Thirdly, there is the objective communication, which is displayed by the dress, accessories, distance, colour and time. In addition, space and place usage are also an important aspects of nonverbal communication when it comes to politicians because too big or too small, too desolate or crowded places have different impacts on communication. Personal distance also indicates a lot when it comes to communication, for example, for politicians sitting in high places is an indicator of status (Fehérváry, 2013, p. 90). Therefore, the politicians use this as a gesture to show a crowd that they have power and authority. Additionally, the way the politicians dress sends a strong message to constitute because they do not see them as equals; this is because a person’s image covers all aspects of life and information, as well as, specialty and experience in physical attractiveness. For this reason, politicians use these elements to sway their voters into thinking that they are confident. Additionally, the people or the crowd that is watching the politicians, in instances when they use nonverbal communications they seem convincing and persuasive. However, these elements must be mastered carefully to ensure that they are effective because sometimes when a politician is trying to portray something the nonverbal communications elements may portray another (Demir, 2011, p. 12). For that reason, it is always important to master the art properly for it to be effective. Additionally, images that are made with nonverbal communication are an addition of skills that the political leaders should develop, because today it is meant to create professional help. This is because when nonverbal communication aspects together with the message being sent across, as well as, the person characteristics of the individual are paradoxical, then persuasion on target audience cannot be achieved. As a result, when a person is arguing and analysing different social factors such as race, age, sex and education with political behaviours they form the basic functions of public surveys. According to (Unal Erzen, 2010, p. 79), “these factors are the indicators of how experiences of individuals differ and thus they ate political directors of political behaviour differences between people as a secret power. Each valuable, should be taken into control, and new impacts should be measured.” This means that how political leaders use the nonverbal communication aspects have a great impact on the society. The use of nonverbal communication in the political arena is an important aspect for any aspiring politician or a politician who is already in the political set. The way they portray themselves in the political arena says a lot about them in that, any cue they send to the audience may send the wrong information. They have to understand that non-verbal communication is not only a way of pacing information to the public, but it can also be used to interpret the message. Thus, it is important to send the right message because in some cases some people use elements of nonverbal communication without knowing they are doing so. Meaning that politicians should be careful with their gestures as at times, they may send negative or confusing signals without even being aware they are doing so. Are there significant differences between women and men leadership According to a survey analysed by the United Kingdom Company, it was established that there was a difference when it came to men and women leadership. The results used 18 sets of leadership competencies where the results showed that men are strategic, but the women are better project managers. This is because women scored higher in planning and managing activities competencies compared to men, as well as, empathy and respect for others and personal responsibility. Men, on the other hand, scored higher when it came to the personal impact, strategic vision and commercial focus (Kennard, 2012). According to Elva Ainsworth, the managing director of Talent Innovations “men and women tend to excel in different aspects of leadership.” She further stated, “The male leadership style is visionary and strategic while the female leadership is more social.” The study highlighted the general areas in which both men and women needed developmental leadership, but, on the other hand, it suggested that the natural styles of the both sex leadership styles were complimentary. For that reason, if the two types of leadership styles are brought to the organization, then the organizations can have broad levels of diversity hence making the organization peak in its performance. Women are said to be better leaders because they are good at multitasking and prioritizing. This is because they tend at all times to meet deadlines and deliver on their promises. Additionally, women are better listens and socially sensitive meaning that they can have many concerns for their employees, which is a good element in leadership (Scott, 2013). Thus, women are stronger when it comes to interpersonal attributes of leadership as well as, incompetence of planning and organizing. Although women portray such high competencies, the study shows that they do not give themselves as much credit as they should because even the male counterparts rate them poorly when it comes to their stronghold. According to another study conducted by Management research group using a 360-degree assessment that was conducted on 1,800 leaders from different industries, it was established that women tend to be higher achiever. This is because they always ensure that they get the work done, they are transparent and clear and they are good at creating rapport with others. Men, on the other hand, had higher scores when it came to strategic planning ability, delegation, persuasion and being more reserved in expression. According to Triacia Naddaff the president of the MRG “women focus a lot on getting result, so they tend to get rated higher on the dimensions are basically on how hard they work and how much they get done.” The two studies indicate that women are better leaders compared to men because although the women delegate work same as men they ensure that they follow up on the work and ensure that the deliveries are made on time. For that reason, they ensure the organization achieves their goals and objectives at the end of every fiscal year. The number of women who are leading the organization has increased where women hold today 49% of managerial post. This means that in the next five years to come women will be leading even in as presidents although that has already happened. This shows that there is a difference when it comes to men and women leadership, and women are effective leaders as they are diligent in their work. In addition, they have good nonverbal communication skills that they portray to their employees. Additionally, the fact that they can multitask makes them even better leaders as they can deal with different issues facing the organization at the same time. References Demir, M. 2011. Using Nonverbal Communication in Politics. Canadian Social Science, 7(5), 1-14. Retrieved from DOI:10.3968/J.css.1923669720110705.199 Fehérváry, K. 2013. Politics in color and concrete: socialist materialities and the middle class in Hungary. Bloomington, IN. Indiana University Press. Hargie, O., Dickson, D., & Tourish, D. (2003). Communication in management. Aldershot, Hampshire, England, Gower. Kennard, J. (2012, June 13). Insight: The differences between male and female leaders | TrainingZone.co.uk. Retrieved February 5, 2015, from http://www.trainingzone.co.uk/topic/leadership/insight-differences-between-male-and- female-leaders/176255 Knapp, M. L., HalL, J. A., & Horgan, T. G. (2014). Nonverbal communication in human interaction. Boston, MA, Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Kopacz. M. 2006. “Nonverbal communication as a persuasion tool: current status and future directions”. Rocky Mountains Communication Review 3(1). 4–23. Riggio, R. E. (2005. Applications of nonverbal communication. Mahwah, NJ, Erlbaum Rominiecka, M. 2008. Non-Verbal Cues in Politics: An Analysis of Gestural Signals sent by American and European Politicians. Poznan Studies in Contemporary Linguistics, 44(2), 247-263. doi:10.2478/v10010-008-0012-0 Scott, R. 2013, March 27. Studies Show How Male and Female Leaders Differ: Associations Now. Retrieved February 5, 2015, from http://associationsnow.com/2013/03/studies-show-how-male-and-female-leaders-differ/ West, R. and L. Turner. 2004. Introducing communication theory. 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