Non-Verbal Communication - Essay Example

Non-verbal communication due: Non-verbal communication Introduction Notably, non-verbal communication is communication without words. This may be through body movements, facial expressions and posture among many others. Through non-verbal communication, a lot of information could be prevailed. Everyone should decode what these non-verbal cues mean (Goodwin, 1981, pg. 34). With the ability to decode, communication will be easy. This is because communication is between many people, not one person to themselves. Words could accompany the non-verbal cue, for example, telling someone “go there” while pointing towards the direction being said. How people gain the attention of others Gaining the attention of another person could be hard. This is because many people do the wrong things and end up getting the attention for the wrong reasons. A good example of getting attention for the wrong reasons is purposely walking into a lecture hall late so that the students realise your new outfit. This is wrong because the person would be distracting the other students. A good way of getting attention is through laughing. This is during a lecture, for example, if the lecturer is giving a lecture and reads out something funny, students should laugh. This is because through laughing the audience’s attention would be captured. This would make it even easier for students to remember the point because of laughing. Another way is through gazing. Gazing shows that one is available for interaction (Goodwin, 1981, pg. 43). This is applicable in the case of a hotel. If a client is seated at a table and gazing around, it shows that they would like to be served. This calls for the attention of the waiters. In this way, the client has gained the attention of the waiters. If a waiter gazes, it is a sign that they are free and ready to serve just as the subject A did in the case study. She was able to get attention of the client, subject B. Exhibiting facial expressions could also be a way of getting attention from people (Bublitz, 1988, pg 45). Facial expressions such smiling, though often used to show happiness or delight, could be used to get someone’s attention. By putting a smile on the face, an individual may feel invited and would want to talk to you because you look warm. Ones posture can also help in getting the attention of people. From the case study, subject A changed from standing in a relaxed posture to standing in what is described as immediacy posture two. This caught the attention of subject B. Just as the hostess changed her posture; people should change their posture to get the attention of others. If one is seated with their feet crossed, it means they do not want disturbance. Ones walking style could help in gaining confidence. When one walks with the face down, it could mean that they are shy. Someone else walking upright with their heads held up, shows that they are confident and ready to speak to anyone who would like to speak to them. These two walking styles could get the attention of people in a room. This would help them in knowing how to approach the two different people. Confidence could also help in getting people’s attention. This may be through having ones head high up and eyes looking bright. Walking while focusing on where one is going helps to get attention from people. This is because they would know that one is focused, and they know what they want. Confidence helps a lot in getting attention. Exhibiting good manners could also be a way of getting attention from people. These could be like bowing ones head while listening to another person. This could easily apply to the people in the hotel industry. If a waiter bows his or her head, it is a sign of respect and attentiveness. This action could help them get attention from the other customers. By helping others, one could get attention from others (Bublitz, 1988, pg. 59). A good example is helping a visually impaired person cross the road or make a phone call. This would make the people around give you the attention because of help and support you have given the visually impaired person. A waiter in a hotel could also direct a client on where to seat. This kind gesture would help a person get the attention of the other customers. The mode of dressing could also help in gaining the attention of others. A clown, for example, gains the attention of children because of the way he or she is dressed. This helps him or her identify with their audience. Smartly dressed people get a lot of attention because they look presentable and neat. One would not mind being associated with them. The above-mentioned ways could help one in getting the attention of people. This could be at the work place or in a social gathering. These are just but a few ways of doing so. One would want to gain the attention of people to pass a message across or to gain popularity among the people. How participation framework is established Participation in a conversation could be verbal or non-verbal. Just as was mentioned earlier, a conversation could be verbal or non-verbal. Charles Goodwin (1981) looked at how speakers and hearers interact with language. He also considered how they organise themselves in relation to each other through talk and display their status with their bodies using eye contact and gestures. This way, they create a participation framework in which every participant has a role. Participation framework could be established through many ways. One of the ways is through space arrangement. Arrangement is very important is in conversation. This is because one should hear what the other person says and see their facial expression for proper communication. One example is the non-circular head’ position. This is where one person sits at the head’ and can see everyone’s expression and hear what they have to say. This is good because no one would feel intimidated and everyone would speak out freely. There is also the Vis- a- Vis arrangement. This is where people are facing each other. This is a good arrangement because it encourages engagement (Goodwin, 1981, pg 56). Another method is the L- arrangement. This was mentioned in the case study. The subject A was standing at the L-shaped counter that was facing two doors. This was strategically placed so that people could see the customers arrival. This one is also good because it encourages more engagement between the people conversing. The other arrangement is the side-by-side. This arrangement is not very effective as it discourages people from looking at each other. This would hinder good communication, because one does not see the facial expressions of the person they are talking to. One may say something with a different implication, but because the other person cannot see their facial expressions, it is hard to understand. For example, when one says, “That is good” and they are frowning. That shows it was said sarcastically. Another way one can establish a good participation network is through proximity. This refers to how near or far conversing individuals are (Goofman 1963, pg 45). From our case study, we see that subject A was near subject B, and they were able to communicate none verbally. Distance between two people complicates effective communication. This is because they do not decode the other person’s non-verbal cues properly. Proximity helps to use non-verbal forms of communication such as tapping ones back. In a classroom situation, the tutor could use this method to show that the leaner has answered the questions correctly. Body odour could also hinder good communication. This is because if someone has a foul smell no one would like to get close. Body markings such as rings or tattoos that show something help one to know what conversation would be appropriate, and even give the appropriate distance. Everyone should be given the distance they want. This will create a good participation framework. The posture and body movements are also very in important in establishing a proper participation framework. Ones posture may show that they are bored. This would hinder good communication. Body movements such as, hand movement to show someone direction, could also be a form of participation framework. The attributes of being engrossed Being engrossed means being taken totally in terms of attention by someone or an action. It also means to be involved and interested totally by an action. A speech, a lecture, or even a play could engross one on stage. This would make one concentrate totally and show no interest for nothing else. Gazing could show that one is totally focusing on what the speaker is saying. A good example is when learners have visited the animal parks or museums. They have to gaze at the sculptures made so that they understand what the guide is saying. Another example is when a tutor buys a model of the human body. The learners have to gaze and see the different bones in the human body. Facial expressions could also show that one is engrossed. Expressions such as rising of eyebrows could show acceptance. This could be in a situation where one is asked a question and instead of answering loudly, they raise their eyebrows as a way of acceptance. One could also change their face as a sign of disapproval (Goofman 1963, pg 70). This would be in a situation where one is talking about something, but you tend to disagree. This would give a person the chance to correct the speaker. Another form of facial expression is through biting of the lips. This could be a way of showing uncertainty. An example is when in a classroom situation where a student answers a question not correctly but it is almost correct. The tutor would bit his or her lower lip as a sign of uncertainty and ask another student to attempt that question. Smiling could also be a sign that one is engrossed in whatever is going on. For example if a play is a stage and there is a humorous part people would laugh. If one of the characters does something that reminds you of someone, you smile. Crying is also a sign of being engrossed. When something bad happens in play, some characters may cry which makes the audience have teary eyes. Body movements can also tell whether one is attentive or not. Rising of the hands to answer a question could be a sign of attentiveness. A person who was not attentive and engrossed cannot attempt to answer a question because of the fear of failing. Nodding the head is another sign of being engrossed, (Bublitz 1988 pg 67). Nodding the head up and down shows that one is agreeing to what is being said. This could also show that the person is actively listening. Nodding the head sideways is a sign of disapproval. This could be because of what the speaker is saying. It could also be because someone had given a wrong answer. An example of this is in a classroom situation. If a learner gives a wrong answer, the tutor could nod his or her head in disapproval. In the case of a discussion or forum, one could look up as a way of internalizing what is being said. The vice versa is also applicable. Either this could also happen in an examination situation where one looks up or down to internalise what the question is all about. Taking notes could also show that one is engrossed. This is because one has to be very attentive to take notes. Active listening could also show that one is engrossed. A good example is during a narrative or storytelling. The audience should join the narrator during the singing. This would make everyone enjoy and even get more engrossed. Conclusion Non-verbal forms of communication are important in communication. They may help one gain attention. This could be through gazing, helping others, exhibiting good manners and being confident. There are also ways of establishing a good participation framework. This is through the space arrangement that influences a lot on how the non-verbal cues are put across. Some of the arrangements, for example, the side-to -side discourage people from looking at each other. There are also attributes of being engrossed. These include body movements such as nodding, facial expressions such as rising eyebrows among many others. References: Goofman, E. (1963). Behaviour in Public Places. Notes on the Social Organization of Gatherings. New York: Free Press. Goodwin, C. (1981). Conversational Organization: Interaction between Speakers and Hearers. New York: Academic Press. Bublitz, W. (1988). Supportive Fellow-Speakers and Cooperative Conversations. John Benjamins Publishing Company. Amsterdam/ Philadelphia. Read More