Non-verbal communication

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Lecture 4

• Non-verbal communication
• -Space, body language, time, touch, voice

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1. Space

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Personal space
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What is personal space?

• Personal space is the region surrounding each
  person, or that area which a person considers
  their domain or territory.

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What is personal space?

• Often if entered by another being without this
  being desired, it makes them feel uncomfortable.

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Personal space
The average personal distance varies from culture
to culture.

• Generally speaking, people
• from cold areas need larger
• personal space than those
• from warm areas.
• E.g. Indian

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Personal space
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Personal space

• Those who live in a densely populated environment
  tend to have smaller personal space requirements.

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Personal space

• Personal space can also be heavily affected by a
  person's position in society, with the more
  affluent a person being the larger personal space
  he demands.
• It is variable and difficult to measure
  accurately.
• (for an average westerner)
• 24.5 inches (60 centimeters) on either side,
• 27.5 inches (70 centimeters) in front and
• 15.75 inches (40 centimeters) behind

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Personal space--exceptions

• People usually make exceptions to modify their
  space requirements, when they see an immediate
  need or reason to temporarily allow a change in
  their usual personal space needs.
• Often a person's comfort zone is different
  depending upon where they are and who they are
  with. In certain circumstances people can accept
  having their personal space violated.

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Personal space--exceptions

• In romantic relationships, the lack of personal
  space is usually expected as well as desired.

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Personal space--exceptions

• Similarly family members often welcome hugs and
  affection in exchange for their personal space.

These close and personal situations are often
built on high levels of trust.
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Personal space--exceptions

• Crowded events such as concerts, fairs, sports
  arenas, buses and elevators, normally dont leave
  room for ample personal space.

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Zones of Personal Space

• In 1966 Anthropologist Edward Hall identified
  four different zones of personal space Americans
  like to keep around them.

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Personal space in the US
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• Intimate distance
• extends roughly 18 inches (45.7 cm) from the
  individual and is reserved for family, pets and
  very close friends.

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• Personal distance
• extends 18 inches to 4 feet (.457 - 1.5 m) is
  reserved for friends and acquaintances.

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• Social distance
• extends from about 4 to 12 feet (1.2 - 3.7
  meters) and is used for formal, business and
  other impersonal interactions such as meeting a
  client.

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• Public Space
• extends more than 12 feet (3.7 m) and is not
  guarded. Secret Service agents will commonly
  attempt to ensure 12 feet (3.7 m) of open space
  around dignitaries and high ranking officials.

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2. Body Language
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• Body language is an important part of nonverbal
  communication and it is connected with culture.
  In order to make successful exchange in
  intercultural communication, we should know the
  body language from different cultures.

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• 1) Body movements also known as body language or
  kinesics
• Including gestures, head movements, facial
  expressions, eye behaviors, etc.
• Ekman and Friesen
• five categories of kinesic behaviors emblems,
  illustrators, affect displays, regulators,
  adaptors

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• Emblems ?????
• OK, Victory
• Illustrators ?????
• used with verbal messages, to indicate accuracy
  and help explain, eg. Calling for a taxi
• Affect displays ???????
• facial and body movements
• many are universally recognized, such as
  happiness, sadness, anger, fear, surprise,
  disgust, contempt, interest
• Unconscious and unintentional, eg. Startled look
  of surprise, a blush of embarrassment
• Conscious and intentional, purposeful smile and
  look at another person to convey warmth and
  affection

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• Regulators ?????
• sequencing in conversation, used by speakers to
  indicate whether others should take a turn and by
  listeners to indicate whether they wish to speak
  or would prefer to continue listening
• High-context cultures eyes (p.204-205)
• Adaptors ?????
• personal body movements that occur as a reaction
  to an individuals physical or psychological
  state.
• Self-adaptors, alter-directed adaptors,
  object-adaptors
• Eg. Scratching an itch, fidgeting (unrest),
  tapping a pencil, smoothing ones hair
• Often performed unconsciously

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Classification

• Eye language
• Postures
• Touch
• Facial expressions

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Eye language

• As saying goes The eyes are the window of the
  soul. we can read ones mind through his/her
  eyes. Eye language can express complicated
  feelings and it is an important way to judge the
  intimacy of communicators.

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• If two Chinese are in conversation, they will
  look at each other warmly. Because they think
  eyes are the key of their existence. But in
  American eyes, they think this behavior is
  unsuitable or a homosexual behavior.

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• The educated Englishmen believe direct eye
  contact with our communicators is gentlemanly.
  But Swedish use eye language more often than
  Englishmen.

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• And the French especially like to look
  attentively at the other communicators with
  admiration. Japanese often look at the other
  communicators neck when they are in
  conversation. They believe eye contact is
  impolite.

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Postures

• Posture is a matter of how people sit, walk,
  stand and move.

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• According to Chinese tradition, people who are
  sitting have right to take charge of others
  Monarch sits and officer stands father sits and
  son stands leader sits and employee stands and
  so on. So the younger give the old a seat to show
  respect.

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• But in America and Britain, people who are in
  charge of others have tendency to stand. They
  will make use of the height of space to indicate
  the high status.

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Touch

• Touch refers to the way people exchange
  information by touching ones body. The most
  common touch behavior is hands shaking and hugs.

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• In China, people greet with each other with head
  nodding, smile, hand shaking and so on. Even
  good friends just hold hands for a short time or
  hammer softly on the other friends shoulder.

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• In English speaking countries, people used to hug
  or kiss each other in public between males and
  females, which is unacceptable and only exists
  between lovers and couples in private in China.

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• In America, common friends and acquaintances will
  avoid body touch. Even in the elevator, body
  touch is not allowed. Touching the other people
  slightly or unconsciously, people will say
  Sorry, Very Sorry, Excuse me in a hurry to
  express apology.

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Facial expressions

• We constantly read facial expressions to
  understand what others are feeling. The face
  provides vital clues to our own feelings and
  those of the people around us.

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• In many cultures, smiles are signs of happiness
  or friendliness, like America and China.
• When we have guests at home, we will smile to
  show welcome. But American Indians will cry to
  express welcome. Smiles will not only represent
  happiness and friendliness but also indicate
  apology and understanding.

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Conclusion

• The study of body language makes us understand
  others very well and behave in proper ways. Only
  when we make a clear understanding on body
  language, can we use body language of English
  speaking countries to make an efficient
  communication and avoid misunderstanding.

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3. Time
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Chronemics

• Chronemics is the study of the use of time in
  nonverbal communication. The way we perceive
  time, structure our time and react to time is a
  powerful communication tool, and helps set the
  stage for communication.

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Time systems

• Technical time systems
• Formal time systems
• Informal time systems

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Technical time systems

• The precise, scientific measurements of time that
  are calculated in units
• E.g. light year
• atomic pulses

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Formal time systems

• Refer to the ways in which units of time are
  described and comprehended by the members of a
  culture
• E.g. century, year, month, week, day, hour,
  minute, second, etc.
• Phases of the moon, changing seasons, rising and
  falling of the tides, etc.

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Formal time systems

• Seven Characteristics
• 1. ordering
• 2. cyclicity
• 3. valuation
• 4. tangibility
• 5. synthesisity
• 6. duration
• 7. depth

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Seven Characteristics

• Ordering
• the sequences of events are invariable
• Cyclicity
• time is the circulation of time units
• Valuation
• time is precious and should be cherished
• Tangibility
• time is commodity can be gained, wasted,
  spent, lost, saved, and measured, etc.

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• Time is money.???????/?????
• Time and tide wait for no man.??????
• Lost time is never found again.????????
• We have only a short life to live.?????
• Life is but a span.????,?????
• Strike while the iron is hot.?????
• Never put off till tomorrow what you can do
  today.???,????/?????,??????
• The early birds catches the worm.?????
• A stich in time saves nine.????,?????

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Seven Characteristics

• Synthesisity
• time is accumulated the larger units of time
  are made up by smaller ones
• Duration
• Depth
• the past is the foundation of the present

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Informal time systems

• Refer to the assumptions that cultures make about
  how time should be used or experienced
• Monochronic-time or M-time
• Polychronic-time or P-time

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M-time system

• People who have a monochronic concept of time
  regard it as a commodity time can be gained,
  lost, spent, wasted, or saved.
• In this orientation, time is linear, with one
  event happening at a time.
• In general, monochronic cultures value highly
  punctuality, completing tasks, and keeping to
  schedules.
• E.g. North America and Northern Europe

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P-time system

• A polychronic orientation conceptualizes time as
  more holistic, perhaps more circular many events
  can happen at once.
• Personal involvement is more important than
  schedules where the emphasis lies on personal
  relationships rather than keeping appointments on
  time.
• E.g. Latin America and the Middle East

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• Many international business negotiations and
  technical assistance projects fail because of
  differences in time orientation.
• International students and business personnel
  often complain that U.S. Americans do not care
  enough about relationships and about the
  personal aspects of living.

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Plan in advance

• To plan an activity in advance is a significant
  feature of modern social life.
• Meetings, appointments, and social activities,
  etc.

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Punctuality

• Begin at 7pm?arrive at 7pm (punctual?)
• Formal activities
• In Britain and north America on
  time/less than 5 minutes late
• In Arabian countries 15 minutes late
  is normal and acceptable
• Family dinners
• In English speaking countries, 10
  minutes late is acceptable, but never arrive
  before the time
• In China, we usually think that it is
  polite to arrive before the time.

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Time Length of an activity

• In Arabian countries and Latin American
  countries, the time length of social activities
  is longer than that in Britain and north American
  countries.
• Short inhospitable and unfriendly
• In China, it is usually less than 3 hours.

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4. Touch
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Definition of touch

• Touch, which is known as haptics
• Most basic component of human communication.
• One of the nonverbal communication.
• it can create a more direct message than dozens
  of words
• Touch communication occurs first in a human
  beings life in the mothers womb the child kicks
  

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5 types / functions

• Affect
• Playfulness
• Control
• Ritualistic
• Task-related
• -by Stanley Jones and A. Elaine Yarbrouhgh.

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• 1.Affect
• positive and negative feelings

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• Positive meaning of touch
• -Connection to people
• -Provide affirmation, reassurance and
  stimulation
• - Decrease self-esteem
• Warmth
• Approval
• Emotional support

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• Negative meaning of touch
• Frustration
• Anger
• Aggression
• Punishment
• Invasion of personal space and privacy
• Subservient (??) relationship

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• Hugging
• Stroking
• Kissing
• Slapping
• Hitting
• kicking

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• 2. Playfulness
• These touches serve to lighten an interaction.
  These touches communicate a double message since
  they always involve a play signal, either verbal
  or nonverbal, which indicates the behavior is not
  to be taken seriously. affectionate
• aggressive

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• Playful affection Serve to lighten interaction.
  The seriousness of the positive message is
  diminished by the play signal. These touches
  indicate teasing and are usually mutual.
• Playful aggression Like playful affection these
  touches are used to serve to lighten interaction,
  however, the play signal indicates aggression.
  These touches are initiated, rather than mutual.

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• 3. Control
• These touches serve to direct the behavior,
  attitude, or feeling state of the recipient. The
  key feature of these touches is that almost all
  of the touches are initiated by the person who
  attempts influence.
• compliance, attention-getting, and announcing a
  response.

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• Compliance Attempts to direct behavior of
  another person, and often, by implication, to
  influence attitudes or feelings.
• Attention-getting Serve to direct the touch
  recipients perceptual focus toward something.
• Announcing a response Call attention to and
  emphasize a feeling state of initiator
  implicitly requests affect response from another.

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• 4. Ritualistic
• These touches consist of greeting and
  departure touches. They serve no other function
  than to help make transitions in and out of
  focused interaction.

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• Greeting Serve as part of the act of
  acknowledging another at the opening of an
  encounter.
• Departure Serve as a part of the act of closing
  an encounter

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• 5. Task-related
• These touches are directly associated with the
  performance of a task.
• this is usually related to a job or, maybe not
  necessarily even a work job, that where you earn
  your income, but any kind of jobs where touch is
  essential.
• i.e) a hair dresser, a massage person, nail
  person and so on

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Culture and touch

• 1. The amount of touching that occurs within a
  culture is largely based on the relative high
  context or low context of the culture.

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• High contact cultures
• -Arab world, Middle East
• - France, Southern Europe, Latin America
• Moderate/Variable contact cultures
• -Russia, East-Central Europe
• -North America, Australia/ New Zealand
• Low contact cultures
• -Northern Europe, most of Asia

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• 2. Culture also differ in where people can be
  touched
• 3. Cultures vary in their expectations about who
  touches whom.
• 4. Cultures differ in the settings or occasions
  in which touch is acceptable.

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Cultural differences in touch

• Western Cultures
• Handshake is common (even for strangers)
• Hugs, kisses for those of opposite gender, family
  (usually) on an increasingly more intimate basis.
• Some differences between African American Anglo
  Americans

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Cultural differences in touch

• Islamic/Hindu cultures
• Typically dont touch with left hand
• Generally dont touch between genders with same
  sexes is appropriate
• Common to see two men or two women holding hands
  (friendship)

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Cultural differences in touch

• Many Asian cultures
• Dont touch the head because it houses the soul.
  (Thailand and Malaysia.)

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Cultural differences in touch

• Latino, Middle-Eastern, Jewish cultures
• Touch is okayemotion encouraged
• Opposite-sex handshakes acceptable usually
  same-sex

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Cultural differences in touch

• English, German, Scandinavian, Chinese Japanese
  cultures
• Do not subscribe to overt displays of affection

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And always remember

• the more we know of other cultures, the greater
  the possibility is of a successful communication!

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Conclusion

• misunderstandings can be avoided if we are aware
  of and understand our cultural differences
• non-verbal communication changes constantly