How to Improve Nonverbal Communication - Assignment Example

Part Provide examples from your personal, social or professional interpersonal communications that illustrate how you use the various types of nonverbal communication to enhance your communication with others. Drawing on the guidelines for improving nonverbal communication, how can you improve your nonverbal communication? Nonverbal communication is the process of wordless communication and includes gesture, body language, inflection, pauses, tone, volume and accent. From the nine forms of nonverbal communication: kinesics, haptics, physical appearance, artifacts, environmental factors, proxemics and personal space, cheronemics, paralanguage and silence, I would like to discuss the three that I have identified as most important to me. Physical Appearance: This is how other people see us and how we perceive them and is an important part of the nonverbal dialogue. How we look is what others see on first meeting and this creates perceptions about us in the other person’s mind. At the same time, we apply this to others and receive important nonverbal information, based on our perceptions. For example, if I meet someone who appears to have taken the trouble to be tidy and clean, I think they will behave in ways that match the appearance, such as a friendly and natural manner, well spoken and polite, smiling and responsive. I am more likely to respond to them in a positive way, mirroring their behaviors. The people I relate to best in social and work situations are those who try to present a pleasing appearance, because in my experience, this goes together with behaviors that help communication, as mentioned above. I have seen how such a person reacts to praise or criticism quietly and thoughtfully, and this also increases my positive perceptions of them. On the other hand, I have met people who are dirty and untidy in appearance, who do not return a smile or greeting, and my perceptions of them are negative, causing me a difficulty in establishing communication and rapport. Kinesics: (external displays of human feelings and emotions). These are expressed through such actions as a look, mimicry, gestures to emphasize meanings, poses, and visual communication (sight and movement of eyes). These nonverbal components provide a great deal of information when interactions take place. This is most helpful in cases where people are speaking in different languages, something I have experienced, as I am Russian. Gestures thus become the unique means of dialogue and carry out vital communicative functions. As with physical appearance, I consider this important because I like people who use body language to communicate; it is helpful to me and I use these most in work situations, because I can tell what people are feeling and understand them better. I believe that an employee should have a decent physical appearance and a polite manner, making efforts to be understood and to understand. This shows respect for colleagues and others we meet. A smile, good eye contact or open gestures work well in many situations. Proxemics and Personal Space: My personal space is very important to me, because if people get too close to me, I feel uncomfortable and may perceive them as opponents who are invading my space. This has happened when waiting in line at the coffee shop or to go into the cinema where it is hard to move away or create distance. My nonverbal communication here is to look at them with a frown or angry look, and even folding my arms across my chest in a protective gesture. I know this is not friendly but I feel concerned if people get too close when I do not want them to do so. Nonverbal communication is a vital part of interpersonal communication that helps people to understand each other better. The book gives two guidelines for improvement, one being to monitor ourselves, see what we do. I think I should look at how I interact with my family, friends and people at work, setting a good example. Because I believe physical appearance is important in how I perceive others, if I want them to think well of me, I should take care with my appearance. Of course I understand that sometimes people are not so handsome or pretty and that this might make some people less open to them. That is not the case for me, when I think about it, it is how people behave and the charisma they have that is important. The second piece of advice is to be careful about making a quick judgment of a person because of the nonverbal signals they give out. I can monitor my responses by thinking of personal and contextual qualifications and by taking care to understand the person and the situation. This is what I will do in order to improve my skills. If we try to use good manners and understanding in verbal communication, then I believe we should do this with nonverbal too. I liked this assignment because I have gathered a lot of interesting information and have had a chance to compare how nonverbal communication works in two languages, Russian and English. I also understand how it is a good tool for establishing better understanding with other people. Part 2: Discuss the influences on perception and provide and example for each based on your personal or professional experience that illustrates how that influence shapes your perceptions. What is the most significant thing you learned from completing this assignment? The textbook states that: “ perception is an active process of creating meaning by selecting, organizing and interesting people, objects, events, situation and other phenomena.” (Wood, 2006) and that influences on perception include the following: physiology, age, social roles and cognitive abilities. Physiology is one of the main factors in shaping perception because, depending on how we are, we perceive others. I learned about myself after I had a baby. I am not a morning person, I like to lie in bed and I need my sleep. But I had to be awake and look after him and this was a hard time for me. I was not good with other people, and because my physical needs were upset, I seemed to see it as their fault. I realized this was wrong, but understand how it changed my perceptions. Age is important because our perceptions are altered by our age. When I was 18 years old, I thought I was the most important person in the world, the center of everything. I had a female relative who was 30 years old and I thought she was really old and unable to understand me. My opinion of her was not good, and I also thought that life was over by the age of 30. Now that I am 34 years old, I feel that life is just beginning for me and I wonder if these perceptions are what cause problems between parents and children. I think children base their perceptions on feelings and parents base theirs on experience. Culture: According to Lee, (2000) “A culture consists of beliefs, values, understanding, practices, and ways of interpreting experience that are shared by a number of people. Culture forms the pattern of our lives and guides how we think, feel and communicate.” (Lee, 2000) I understand the importance of this factor, as I can see how the differences between Russian and American cultures affect perception and behaviors. American culture is more individually focused and Russian is more family-centered. This means that my perceptions, based on my Russian culture will lead me to think of the family’s needs as more important than my own. For example, when I was offered a new job, my American friend was very happy for me and told me it was a great opportunity to improve my career. But it was not convenient for my family as it meant I would be on the road and in the office more, time lost with my family. I chose my family and lost the offer, but believe I did the right thing because I have more time to spend with my husband, son and mom. These are the values of my culture that I have put into practice. Social Roles: During a lifetime, we play many, ranging from child, to parent, employee, friend, lover and so on. The role we are in at any given time will alter our perceptions. For example, when I think of how I communicate in work and with my family, these are very different. At work, I believe I must be more correct and polite, taking care not to be telling my problems or being too personal. I perceive this to be the right way to behave in a work situation. On the other hand, in the family, we are all more relaxed and open, discussing everything, problems, feelings and so on. Thinking of the different roles I play, mother, daughter, wife, I see how my perceptions change and how free I am to express myself because I can show my real feelings and I see things differently. Cognitive Abilities: These we are born with, and they grow with us till the end of our lives. As a baby does not at first know who is who, with time it comes to know, learning step by step and by experiences. Going to school gives us more learning and information about the world, and we apply what we learn in one situation to another, which is our personal growth and way to deal with life. My example for this is the one I mentioned before, about having to change as result of learning about my baby’s needs. The experience taught me not to be selfish or lazy but to change and adapt and to work out how to see things more positively. I believe there are many significant things I have learned from this assignment and the one which stays in my mind is how perceptions are formed, and what influences this. I found this most interesting. I also learned a great deal about how useful nonverbal communication is in understanding others and that I should take care to watch and listen as well as talk in order to improve. This way, life would be easier and more pleasant for everyone. Definition of Terms: Default: This is when a debtor refuses to meet the obligation to pay what is owed. It has obvious and latent forms: the first is when a document is made out, certifying refusal of payment. In latent form, the person or ‘payer’ takes no action to make a payment. Collateral: This is something of value that can be secured for creditors. In other words, collateral is defined as something valuable, used for protection of payment of a duty or the contract on performance of work. This can be tangible or intangible, for example, real estate, bank account or equipment; intangibles include reputation or ‘goodwill’ of a business or company. Repossession of Collateral: This happens when the secured party takes possession of collateral with no jurisdiction process. There are certain requirements, such as retaining or reselling the collateral. Disposition of Collateral: This is when the secured party takes possession, and they can retain, resell, lease or make other transactions to recover debts from the debtor. 1. Once someone is in default on a load that was used to purchase a car, can a creditor - under the law in most states – repossess the car at any hour, even without prior notice? Action depends on state law, but in many states, creditors can repossess the car without court action or warning the debtor in advance. 2. If other valuable items of personal property were in the car at the time of the repossession, can the creditor keep the items or resell them to satisfy the debt? Again, this depends on state law. Usually, a creditor cannot keep or resell any items of personal property found inside. Also, creditors are responsible for those items and if damage or loss occurs, the debtor can sue for compensation. Reference List Lee, W. S. (2000). That’s Greek to Me: Between a Rock and a Hard Place in Intercultural Encounters. In Intercultural Communication: A Reader. 9th Edition. Eds. Samovar, L. And Porter, R. Belmont, CA. Wadsworth Publishing Company. Wood, J. T. (2006). Interpersonal Communication Everyday Encounters. (4th Edition) Belmont, CA. Wadsworth Publishing Company. Read More