Corrected Non-Verbal Communication - Literature review Example

Title: Non-verbal Language Name: Institutional Affiliation: Tutor: Date: Introduction Communication is far more than the exchange words. A message can be expressed through actions or gestures which are forms of non-verbal communication. Non-verbal communication refers to the communication without the use of words, or what is referred to the use of wordless cues among two or more people. Non-verbal language across culture and countries. There are four categories of non-verbal communication. These include aesthetics, physical communication, signs and symbols. Aesthetic category of non-verbal communication occurs in form of creative expressions. These include; dancing, theatre, painting among other forms. Physical communication is about bodily movements made by individual of which others are involuntary. Examples of these include smiling, winking, gestures and posture. Signs are termed as mechanical form on non-verbal communication and include; signal lights, for example traffic lights among other types. The last category is the use of symbols of communication used by different cultures and are perceived different (Jasper, 2007). Non-verbal language is viewed as the creation of relationship which are inherent in people. This is a type of communication which is expressed through nonlinguistic means. Non-verbal communication encompasses the characteristics of humans, which involve the use of sounds, time, objects, smell, appearances and even the use of space that depict a certain degree of importance and drive shared meaning between interactions ( Mehrabian, Albert & Morton Wiener, 1967). Communication occurs when two or more parties have a mutual understanding about a subject at hand although, it is imperative to realize that non-verbal communication can occur even when it is not deliberate. Different countries in the world have different meaning derived from the same non-verbal cues. The culture of a society determines the meaning which non-verbal communication derives. Based on the different interpretations of the non-verbal cues, people draw different perceptions towards various actions. People may decide if to create a liking towards us, listen to our ideas or maintain a congenial relationship with us based on our interpretations. The capability to be able to comprehend and retort to non-verbal messages helps to open the meaning’s gate (Remland, M.S. & Jones, T.S, 2005). When you meet a person who speaks your own language, you do not need an interpreter to interpret to you in order for you to understand each other. But what happens when you meet someone who does not understand the word you speak? You might smile to the person and get a different gesture from the person. Maybe he or she might interpret the smiling face in totally a different way. This is the problem when it comes to the use of non-verbal language. Because of the diverse nature of the world, it is imperative to understand various non-verbal cues in order to be able to communicate with people from different backgrounds . Some of the non-verbal language learned as one grows is used universally as it depicts biological reactions but other non-verbal cues have no universal interpretations. Non-verbal communication differs in different cultures and countries. It is possible to refrain ourselves from speaking maybe through literally shutting our mouths but it is not possible to stop implying messages from our own body reactions. We cannot avoid communicating non-verbally as long as one is aware of the presence of another person and is available to decipher your non-verbal language. There are a number of non-verbal communications used in different parts of the world. I will be able to explain the cues used and the meanings they deliver in different cultures and countries. There are non-verbal communications that are interpreted universally. For example, according (Judith N. Martin & Thomas K. Nakayama, 2010) the flash of the eyebrows depicts the meaning of recognition when we see someone we are familiar to and the use of the palm up shows that someone requires help. What initiates non-verbal communication vary from culture to culture. (Argyle, Michael, Veronica Salter, Hilary Nicholson, Marylin Williams & Philip Burgess, 1970) say that, smiling is seen as a universal non-verbal behavior but it what initiates it is different. One of the non-verbal communications is kinesics. Kinesics refers to the human body movements. This can for example involves the movement of head and the use of eye contact. Fingers can be used to count, but the way one counts varies in different cultures (Allan Pease & Barbara Pease, 2004). Besides, Allan Pease and Barbara Pease also say that, the thumbs up gesture mean ‘one” in Europe but has a different meaning in Greece, which means “up yours”. In the western cultures the two thumbs up is recognized as a count of ten while in other cultures it is recognized as a way to show someone has surrendered or is telling the truth. Bowing is a form of greeting in Asian countries whereas it is a sign of acknowledgement in many western countries. The use of eye contact also has different meanings in different cultures. According to (James, 2008) of the diversity tip sheet, the Latino’s take it as a way of respect to avoid eye contact, while the Muslim’s think it as a way to flirt among members of the opposite sex. The second non-verbal language is the proxemics, which is the use of space and distance talks. The use of space and distance can show how we feel and about ourselves and others. The use of distance can be used to show the interest one has when communicating. The closer we are the more interested we are and the vice-versa (verderber, 2009). Personal space can be influenced by gender. Women would stand close together when communicating as opposed to men. Space can also be influenced by status as people who have high status are granted more space than those who are of low status. According to (Staff, 2012) ,countries in south America and south east Asia have less contact cultural characteristics. The third non-verbal language is the artificial communication and appearance. This ranges from the clothing to the hairstyle. What clothing or jewelry does one wear, what is it associated with, how do people view you in such clothing or jewelry? Artificial appearance influences people reactions because they give people a way to be able to judge. It is often said that the first impressions in a person matters a lot. This means that from a person’s appearance, one is able to judge someone’s character. Typically, people who dress well are thought to be of high cadre than those whose attires are questionable. According to (James, 2008) Americans are more responsive to well-dressed people including those in uniform than those who are not. This is unfortunate because it is living in a look-based culture as it is said “people judge the book by its cover”. The fifth one is color. Color talks to and about us. Moreover colors are associated with emotions. Color may compel us to be faster in our reactions. A research found out that people who wear red are associated with fast reactions that those who wear dark blue. Research shows that when a person is exposed to red color for a long period of time, his or her nervous system becomes excited because red is associated with the blood (Kirch, M. S., 1979). There is the use of touch as a form of non-verbal communication. Touching signifies the need for closeness. Different cultures define the form in which touch is done in different ways. This means the amount of touch we found ourselves in is culturally conditioned. For example, (Ogarcă & Radu,, 2007) the Americans seldom touch themselves. They limit themselves to handshakes and pats on the shoulders. In the case of Latin Americans, touch is common. It is even found uncommon for people from the male gender to hold hands in public places. To them, it shows love. The universal understanding about touch is that, in extreme cases, people from the opposite sex find themselves uncomfortable when a lot of touching is involved. Some of the errors made in non-verbal language. Looking down when conversing according to (Lochner, 2011), shows disinterest and is sometimes thought to be a sign of arrogance. The second error made in non-verbal communication is having a closed body posture. Body posture can be inform of putting arms on the hips which is a sign of arrogance or crossing of the arms which can show anger or superiority. Standing too close is to one another is another error made in non-verbal communication as it makes people feel uncomfortable. The other mistake in non-verbal communication is uneven eye contact. According to (Quash, 2013) too much eye contact may be intimidating and incase it can turn people down. It can be a disconnect to the audience and therefore the eye contact made should be regulated. Sitting at the edge of a chair is found to be another error when it comes to non-verbal language. Sitting at the edge of a chair is thought to signify that one is very uncomfortable and adversely can affect others in ones environ to feel uncomfortable too. Because non-verbal cues are involuntary it is sometimes not possible to realize when sending the wrong message. This is because what we communicate may be uncertain and the aim misinterpreted. For example, wearing of jeans clothing maybe different interpreted. Firstly, it can mean that one wants to be in a relaxed mode and it can also shows that one advocates for gay rights. Another error made in non-verbal language is the faking of smiles. A research established that a genuine smile is symbolized by having wrinkles at the corners of the skin when smiling different from a fake one which is involves the lips and the mouth only (Steve Duck & David T. McMahan, 2011). Fidgeting shows nervousness and anxiety, and is characterized as a non-verbal error. This is because it is often thought to be a sign of unpreparedness. People are advised not to finger tap as it is an indication of stress and boredom. Subsequently, as non-verbal communication is spontaneous, occasionally it is possible to show information that we rather hide. Diversity in culture brings about different beliefs and perceptions in the use of non-verbal communication. The cultural environment one exists in is important as it stipulates unwritten laws of how daily tasks can be conducted and how involvement in the social interactions is carried out (Philips, 2006). Companies in the world use non-verbal communication to communicate to people without the use of words. Brands have adopted the use on non-verbal communication through advertisements. When advertising, symbols and signs which are a form of non-verbal communication is used. This is because a symbol will more likely be easily remembered than the use of words. A symbol is an arbitral representation of something else. A symbol can be a word, a logo, movement, picture, a mark or anything that is used to explain something else. The managers and directors of organizations should be aware of the cultural diversities in order to be able to make strategic decisions for their organizations. During the marketing of products, marketers tend to use non-verbal communication which in this case is the use of symbols to convey messages to their customers (De burca, Fletcher & Brown linden, 2004) argues that, culture can be categorized in to four elements. These include; symbolic culture, institutions, material culture and language. In the category of symbol culture there is the variable of religion, customs and tradition while in the language category there is the written language and non-verbal communication while in the (Popescu & Daniela, 2009). When companies use logos and signs in their advertising, they communicate non-verbally to their customers. These logos may be interpreted differently in different cultural environments. Some companies have made mistakes in the use on non-verbal communication unintentionally. This is because, the use of these symbols are interpreted differently in different parts of the world. Mistakes made by companies in the use of non-verbal language. An example of a company that made a mistake in the use of non-verbal communication is Nike. According to (Jury, 1997) the Nike company banned a range of sports shoes which had a logo that offended people from the Islamic religion in America. A case emerged after the Nike Company had used a logo destined to resemble flames of fire on some pairs of basketball shoes which were to be sold that summer. The line of basketball shoes were encrypted with names like, “Air Bakin” , “Air melt” and “Air B-Que”. This brought a dispute as some Muslims asserted that the logo on the basketball shoes looked like the word Allah when written in Arabic script. The logo was amended but still, some Islamic leaders still asserted that it was still belligerent to their religion when the basketball shoes were distributed to the United States of America and other parts of the word. This made the company to withdraw the pair of shoes which had been distributed. It is claimed that this was the second time the company made a mistake in the use of non-verbal language. In 1995 according to (Jury, 1997), the shoe company was still criticized for erecting a billboard near University of Southern California that portrayed a basketball player and on it , it had a headline which called him Allah. These are some of the mistakes which companies make when they are advertising their products in the global perspective. Another example of a company which made a mistake in the use of non-verbal communication is the KFC’s Vietnamese spin-off over a red-star in a logo (Graaf, Georgia Newsday, 2014). KFC was required to pull off a red star from its logo days after the people of Vietnam claimed that it celebrated Vietnam’s brutal communist regime. The red-star on the logo was asserted to remind the Vietnams of war which occurred a long time ago. The logo was on a Banh shop had started a road testing of its menu of cocktails, noodle dishes subs and hamburgers in Dallas Texas on September 12 where large group of Saigon refugees was gathered. The director was required to amend the logo and issue a request for forgiveness so that the logo can change to a circle without the red-star. The remedy to the errors made by the companies. In the case of the KFC’s shop about the logo, to solve the problem, The company apologized and said that it will remove the red star on all the materials and signage at the restaurant and also apologized to the Vietnam community and volunteered to amend the logo on the banh mi sandwich concept.. (Gubbins, Culture map dallas, 2014). In the case of the Nike Company, to solve the problem, the executive director of Nike Company apologized and asked the community to always point out anything suspicious they realize in order for corrections to be made. Roy Agostino, who is one the heads for the Nike Company, affirmed to the community that all the supplies in hand where to be diverted away from the Islamic regions. The company also agreed on a code of conduct to be issued to all the companies’ plants pertaining the use of non-verbal communication in advertising. From these two illustrations it is evident that the use of non-verbal language brings a lot of controversies. For both cases, if the logo was used in another country or environment, maybe there would be no issue of concern about the red star in the logo. This shows that, different cultures portray different perspectives derived from the meaning of non-verbal language used. In the case of the Nike Company, it shows how religion affects the use of non-verbal language. The errors made by the companies were failure to consider the diversity of different cultural backgrounds when using non-verbal symbols. The other initiative which would be used to resolve this error would be by the use of petition in the court; this is where the community would be forced to sue the company possessing the brand name in the case that it did not comply to the community demands. Furthermore, the company can use the initiative of loyalty in its advertisement in order to curb the problem of getting into controversies. According to (Torresi, Ira, 2010) The loyalty of the translator of advertising materials depends on his ability to sell the products or services of the company for which he is translating and on his ability to influence the opinions of the people that the advertisements target. Due to the fact that different audiences attach different symbols as well as colors or pictures, when using signs or symbols, advertisers should be careful when choosing the symbols or signs as this can bring about controversies. Another remedy to these errors would be the learning of different cultures by advertising firms so that errors in the use of non-verbal language cannot be used. For example, in the developing countries, pictures of semi-nude people portray immoral behavior though these kinds of pictures in the developed countries do not mean the same. Seminude photos of men and women are used in advertising and commercial of lotions products to show the effect of the lotion when applied to the skin. A good example of this is the Nivea commercial of semi-nude ladies in the billboards. This brings us to the following question, how would the world be without non-verbal language. Conclusion In order to appreciate the use of non-verbal language, one must understand the various non-verbal cues. It is say that a symbol is worth a thousand words. This shows the impact non-verbal language stipulates. All the cues in non-formal language bring out different meaning understood differently in accordance to the background one comes from. An innate purpose of non-verbal communication is the establishment and the maintenance of relationship between people from various backgrounds. It helps build congenial relationship through self-disclosure as it aids in expressing oneself emotionally. The non-verbal differences comprehended in diverse cultures and gender are as a result of a state that is portrayed on the outside. Some of the variances are as a result of the biological nature of men and women. To fully understand the importance of non-verbal communication, we should ask ourselves when messages are conveyed faster. Is it when done verbally or non-verbally? References Allan Pease & Barbara Pease. (2004). The definitive book of body language. Newyork: Bantam. Argyle, Michael, Hilary Nicholson, Marylin Williams & Philip Burgess. (1970). 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