Non-verbal

communicati
on
Define: - when the message transmitted through
some gestures, postures, signals, etc; it is called non-verbal
communication and provides observable expressions of
emotions & feelings but misperception of body language or
gesture can influence receiver interpretation of message.

► Types of Non verbal

communication:-

1) Sign language
2) Body language
3) Para language
4) Space & distance (proxemic
factors)
5) Surroundings, colors, layout &
design
6) Time language (chronemics)
 Types of Non verbal
communication

Sign language

Body language (kinesics)

Voice (paralanguage)

Space & distance (proxemic factor)

Surrounding, color, layout & design

Time language (chronemic)

1. Sign language:-as has been said in the very

beginning communication is process in which people exchange
message/meaning through mutually understood
signs/symbols. These signs/symbols are not always the
words of a language. There are a vast range of visual and
 audio signs outside the gamut of words. From the
immemorial man has been using visual and audio signs or in
other words, pictures, drawing and sounds to convey
messages.

►it may be:

Sign language

Audio/sound
Visual signs
signal

a) Visual signs: - an organization can and

often does, make a very profitable use of visual signs like
posters, drawings, cartoons, statues, etc; to convey message
for general information/education purposes. A large no. of
visual signs/symbols speaks a universal language understood
by people all over the world.

b) Audio/sound signals:-since the

beginning of civilization sound signal have been used to send
 message. The modern world of business has conveniently
adopted them. In olden times drum beating was used by
people living in jungles to sound an alarm or to tell the
people to gather at some place. It is used still in modern
times to mark different occasions like an important
announcement or to tell the people to assemble at some
place. The main idea is to caution the listener and make him
take the right steps.

2. Body language: - it is very clear that

man does not communicate through words alone, or through
speaking, writing, etc; there are various other ways to
communicate and in them our body plays the most important
role. It is, therefore very important to make a serious study
of the way body communicates. This branch of study is
known as “kinesics” which means “body movement”. It stands
for the way the body communicates without words, and
through the movements of it parts.

►Some points for judging

ones body language:-
A) Facial expressions: - it has been
said that “the face is the index of the mind”. Whatever we
feel deep inside is reflected on our face. Every facial
muscle is an instrument of communication and plays an
important role in face to face communication. The lines of
our forehead, the eyebrows, the muscles of our cheeks, our
lips in a simple or in surprise all these speak louder than
words. That is why it is very important for us to exercise
restraint, control our feelings, especially negative feelings
and adopt a positive attitude in all situations.

B) Eye contact: - eye contact is of paramount

importance in face to face communication. When we look at
somebody’s face we focus primarily on his eyes and try to
understand what he means to convey. The eyes, along with
the eyebrows, eyelids and the size of pupils communicate
our deepest feelings. In different situations our eyes adopt
different positions and shapes. Eyelids raised and combined
with dilated pupils tells us that the person in surprised or
frightened. On the other hand, eyebrows with upper and
lower eyelid closed and combined with constricted pupils
convey feelings of anger or pain.

C) Gestures: - movement of our arms, legs,

hands, torso and head are called gestures. And gestures also
communicate very meaningfully. For e.g. ,pounding fist on a
table shows anger, forefinger raised above the head shows
‘number 1’, a forefinger and a thumb touching to form a
circle stand for ‘ok’, arm spread apart convey the meaning of
‘wide’, etc;

D) Head: - in any face to face communication or

meeting or interview the way we hold our head is very
important. There is an old saying” hold your head high”. It is
a sign of honor and self respect. A head bent low shows
modesty, politeness or diffidence, a head drawn too far
backwards or stiffly held straight up indicates pride or
haughtiness.
 E) Body shape and posture: - our
body shape and posture affect the way we think about
ourselves, how we relate to others and others relate to us.
Body shapes may be thin and tall, athletic and muscular or
fat and round. We cannot do much about our body, but
whenever needed we can try to make the best possible
impression. It is all matter of regular practice and ‘minding
our body talk’.

3. Para language: - very closely allied to verbal

(oral) communication but actually non verbal communication is
paralanguage. Para means’ like’. Hence paralanguage is ‘like
language’. It is non verbal because it does not consist of words.
But it is close to verbal communication because it shows how
words are spoken or utterances made. In this way we can say
that while verbal communication consists of the ‘what’ or the
content or words. Paralanguage involves the ‘how’ of a speaker’s
voice or the way in which he speaks.

►Voice:- voice is the first signal that we receive or use.

Everybody knows about the importance of voice. It tells us
so much about the speaker’s sex, background, education,
training and temperament. There are all kinds of voice-
clear, musical, cultivated, pleasant, and unpleasant and so on.
One must, however take care of the following points:-

a) Pitch variation
b) Speaking speed
c) Pause
d) Volume variation
e) Non-fluencies
f) Words stress

4. Space & distance (proxemic

factors):- Proxemic is the study of how we
communicate with the space around us. We can also call it as
‘space language’.
Edwards’s hall writes about apace and how people structure
it and how space influences communication.
Acc. To him there are 4 different distances that we keep
between ourselves and the person:-
a) Intimate- physical contact to 18 inch.
b) Personal- 18 inch. To 4 feet.
c) Social- 4 to 12 feet.
d) Public- 12 feet to as far as we can see to hear.

5. Surroundings, colors,
layout & design:-

►Surroundings:- our surroundings or physical

environment speak their own non-verbal language. While it
encompasses large number of objects, it is worthwhile to
consider to important aspects of our physical context-color
and layout for the purpose of nonverbal communication.
Through our sensory perception we get meaning from our
surroundings, in the same way as through our choice of color
and design we send signals to others.
►Colors:- from the immemorial man has been using
colors to convey message in various forms and figurations.
Different colors are associated with different behaviors
 patterns, attitudes and cultural backgrounds. We make
serious efforts to choose the right color for any significant
occasion.

►Layout & Design: - the layout/design of an

office projects the image of the organization. All successful
communicators take great care in this regard. It is for this
very reason that special care is taken to do up the interior
designing of offices with the help of highly trained
designer. Layout designing and furnishing is in itself an
important business.

6. Time
language
(chronemics):- time language is another type
of non-verbal communication. In this non-verbal aspect of
communication we send out messages to others by showing
them what time means to us. In this way time is symbolized.
Very often we hear the maxim “time is money” we send out
signals regarding the importance of time, a particular pint
of time, and so on. Time management is now one of the most
important parts of overall management.