Professional Communications

Verbal and Non-verbal Communication

Verbal - Types,
Importance
Listening skills,
Speaking skills
Non verbal
Body Language,
Para Language,
Visuals and
Visual aids.
PRESENTATION BY SUPREET
Verbal and non-verbal
communication
Verbal communication is the
things we say.
Non-verbal communication is the
things we dont say, but
communicate through our body
language.
Both verbal and non-verbal
communication are important and
can say different things.
It is important we are aware of our
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Non-verbal communication
includes
Facial expressions,
Eye contact,
Posture and motions,
Tone of voice,
Smell,
Touch,
Time & distance,
It may also include the way we
wear our clothes
or the silence we keep.
Only 7% of a messages effect are carried
by words, the other 93% through non
-verbal means.
(Mehabian)
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 Nonverbal
Communication
All the ways we convey
messages and feelings
without words.
Organized into three
categories:
Sounds (tone of voice,
laughter)
Body Language (movement,
posture, eye contact)
Environmental factors (touch,
distance, objects, etc.)
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Nonverbal
Communication
Nonverbal Communication: a system of
symbolic behaviors that includes all forms
of communication except words.
Example: body language

The most important thing in

communication is to hear what
isnt being said.
- Peter F. Drucker
Austrian writer and editor

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 k i n
S p ea
d i l y
Bo According to the social
anthropologist, Edward T. Hall, in
a normal conversation between
two persons, less than 35% of
the social meanings is actually
transmitted by words.
So, at least 65% of it is conveyed
through the body (non-verbal
channel).
The human body can produce
over 700,000 unique movements.
These movements have been
partitioned into about 60 discrete
and symbolic signals and around
60 gestures, postures, and
expressions
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 NONVERBAL BEHAVIOR AS
CUES
Some basic nonverbal behaviors seem to
be reliable cues as to a persons state of
mind.
Facial expressions are not learned but
biologically determined.
Most people can tell what another
persons facial expression means, but
there are of course exceptions.

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 WHY STUDY BODY LANGUAGE

To understand the inner turmoil going on inside the mind

of a person.
To keep the upper hand in arguments and negotiations.
Tell that if a person talking to you is telling a lie?
Detect and send messages of friendship.
Convey your inner feelings without words.
Recognize and overcome boredom or defensiveness.
Recognize the gestures purposely used to make you
nervous.
Succeed in delicate and tricky situations
And many more..

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 Nonverbal
Communication &
Professional Image
A positive professional image is important to your
success in professional and social contexts.
Through nonverbal communication you can
create a professional image that
projects
confidence
poise
Assertiveness

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 Functions of
Nonverbal
Communication
Expands verbal communication
by:
Reinforcing a message
Contradicting the message
Substituting for messages

Conveys emotional and

relationship dimensions of a
message.
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 Characteristics of
Nonverbal
Communication
Subconscious: nonverbal communication is
often sent and received on a subconscious level.
We are usually not aware of the messages we
send nonverbally.
Contextual: nonverbal
communication depends on the
situation in which is occurs.
Ambiguous: the meaning is open
to interpretation and often
confusing.
Cultural: nonverbal communication
has a distinct cultural nature.

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There are 7 types of nonverbal
behavior
Proxemics
Haptics
Chronemics
Kinesics
Artifacts
Vocalics or Paralanguage
Environment

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 Kinesics
Body movement and gestures

The study of body movements,

Facial expressions, and
Gestures is called kinesics.

It is the non-verbal behaviour of the

whole or part of the body.

Body language is scientifically

known as kinesics or non verbal
communication.

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 Kinesic behavior, or body movement, includes
gestures,
hand and arm movements,
leg movements,
facial expressions,
eye gaze and blinking,
and stance or posture.
Although just about any part of the body can
be used for communicating nonverbally, the
face, hands, and arms are the primary kinesic
channels through which nonverbal messages
are sent.

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Elements of body language:

-Head
-Eye contact
-Gestures
- eyebrows
- smile
- handshake
- face

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 Lets Examine How Body
Communicates, from head to
toes

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 Head
Small head nods show continuous
attention
Head is down shows negative
emotion
Lifting chin up and looking down
nose is symbol of superiority
Straight head indicates neutral
position

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 Eye Contact-Oculesics

-Eye contact : shows attention, Interest and

involvement.
-Glancing : indicates passing Interest
-Gazing : indicates intense interest
-Staring : interpreted as anger or confusion
-Blinking : indicates ignorance

The eyes are the windows to the

soul.
Eye contact is VERY culturally
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determined.
Eye contacts
Encouraged in America, Canada, Europe
Rude in most Asian countries and in Africa
Raising eyebrows
Yes in Thailand and some Asian countries
Hello in the Philippines
Winking eye
Sharing secret in America and Europe
flirtatious gesture in other countries
Closed eyes
bored or sleepy in America
Im listening and concentrating. in Japan,Thailand, China

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 Gaze

Eyes and forehead- business

transaction
Forehead to lips- social
From head to toe- intimate
Eyes keep shifting- lack of
concentration
Blinking and trying to get in focus
shifty
nature
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 Eyebrows
Vertical- worry
Horizontal shows happiness
Raised eyebrow- suspicion
Eyebrows lowered- disagreement

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 Supreet Juneja Wahee

Smile
Felt smile- upturned mouth with lips
closed- interaction and happiness
Miserable smile only half the
mouth is smiling- dissatisfaction
False smile- slight turn at the end of
the mouth, does not reach eyes-
sarcastic, dangerous
.
Smile universally recognized as sign of friendliness,
it has other meaning to other culture.
Germans smile less than people from US, but
doesnt mean Germans are less friendly.
U.S. wives are usually shown smiling at their
husband but Japanese wives are rarely shown
smiling.
.

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 Hand movements
Hugging of the self- uncertainity,
lack of confidence
Arms folded with thumb pointing
upward- superiority complex
Clasping of hands behind the
back- used by royalty

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 Lightly scratching one side of
the neck- insecurity
Quick rubbing of hands-
excitement
Rubbing of hands as if hands
were being washed- over with the
issue
Pressing of hands in front of
oneself- pleading

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 Hands resting lightly on the
neck- analyse the problem
Stroking of the chin- ideas behind
given careful consideration

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 Hand shake
Equal handshake equal in
behaviour
Tight grasp- superiority complex
Limp handshake- inferiority
complex
Informal handshake- informal
behaviour

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 Tips on a Perfect Handshake
1. Hand shake is always done with a right hand.
2. Hand should be vertical to the ground.
3. Elbow should be slightly bent.
4. web ( palm) of one person should meet the web of the other
completely.
5. Fingers and thumb should entwine.
6. Give slight pressure to show warmth.
7. Look into the eyes of a person.
8. Say some nice words as greeting.
9.Smile.
10. up-down-centre movement at least Twice.
11. Release the hand in 3 seconds.

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Posture & Gait

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Posture & Gait
Expressions related In Western culture, an
to posture, gait upright, yet relaxed
grow a spine body posture, is
walking with a associated with
confidence, positivity,
spring in your
high self esteem
step
(Guerrero & Floyd,
stand up for
2006).
yourself
stand up straight
hold your head
high
dont slouch.
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stand still
 Styles of walking
Hands in pocket, walk disorganized,
head bent depressed
Hands in pocket walk disorganized,
kicking an imaginary object angry
Focusing of eyes on the ground- lost in
thought
Focusing of eyes in the air looking for
solution
Strutting style of walking- extreme
confidence
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 Posture Cultural
context
Bowing (not done, criticized, or affected
in US; shows rank in Japan)
Slouching (rude in most Northern
European areas)
Hands in pocket (disrespectful in
Turkey)
Sitting with legs crossed (offensive in Ghana,
Turkey)
Showing soles of feet.(Offensive in Thailand,
Saudi Arabia)

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 Face-Express Emotion or Affect
Blank face- relaxation
Positive face desire to be liked
Negative face no one likes

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Gestures
Humans have
uniquely expressive
hands.

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Gestures
A gesture is a movement of the head
,hands or legs to express an idea
feeling or emotion .
Gestures can be seen as subtle or
not so subtle cues
We use gestures to take the place of
words, or help us to increase
understanding of what is being said

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 Gestures
Open palm while talking- positive
personality
Eye to eye confrontation honest
and direct
Smile open personality

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 Gestures
Fidgeting showsboredom and
restlessness.
Pressing fingers together to
form a steeple shows
interests, assertiveness and
determination.
Touching the nose or rubbing
eyes indicates discomfort.
A hand to the back of the
neck may indicate withdrawal
from a conversation.
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 Open
Gestures

Interested people always have an erect

posture, pay attention and lean forward
A firm handshake will give the impression of
assertiveness or honesty
People showing open hands, both feet planted
on the ground are accepting
A head tilted to the side indicates interest
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 Closed Gestures
Leaning backwards demonstrates
aloofness or rejection
Folding arms across ones chest or body is
protective
gives the impression of a closed, guarded and
defensive character.
People with arms folded, legs crossed and
bodies turned away are signalling that they are
rejecting messages.
A head down is negative and judgmental
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Gestures

Openness, Confidence
Open hands
Eye contact
Smile, leaning forward, relaxed
Standing straight
Indifference
Legs crossed
Shaking one foot
Glancing at exit
Yawning
Fidget

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Speech related gestures may be

Emblems
Illustrators
Regulators
Affect displays
adaptors

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 Haptics /Tactilics Study of Touch as
Nov verbal communication

Physical contact is the easiest and one of the earliest forms of human communication.
The observation of physical contact gives revealing clues of non- verbal message
Touching and being touched are essential to a healthy life
Touch can communicate power, empathy, understanding

Who can you touch?

When can you Supreet Juneja Wahee
touch?
It is a study of how physical contact or touch is used to
communicate the
-ideas
-Feelings
Examples of haptics are
-Hitting
-Patting(Back ,Shoulder )
-Shaking hands, Holding hands .

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 TOUCH-Cultural Context
In Western culture, handshake is common (even for
strangers), hugs, kisses for those of opposite gender or of
family (usually) on an increasingly more intimate basis.

Most Africans touch on greeting but are annoyed if

touched on the head (good boy, good girl overtones).

Islamic and Hindu: typically dont touch with the left

hand. To do so is a social insult. Left hand is for toilet
functions.

Islamic cultures generally dont approve of any

touching between opposite-sex (even hand shakes). But
consider such touching (including hand holding, hugs)
between same sex to be appropriate.
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Proxemics (space language /distance)

Each communicator has a personal zone and territory

built or constructed around himself which he does not
allow to be invaded during communication unless the
relationship between the speaker and the listener is
intimate.
Proxemics means nearness between people or
distance maintained during communication.

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Personal Space Language
Countless messages are communicated
the way people use space around them
The way they claim the space for
themselves ,or the way they share it .
How close do you stand to the once
your are communication ?
Where do you sit in the room ?
How do you position yourself with
respect to others at a meeting ?
How furniture is arranged ?
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 Space Language
Communicates
Relationship with others
Status
Level of Confidence
Purpose of Communication
Type of event

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Four kinds of distances are
Proxemics is divided into four major zones Informal Space

-Intimate - physical contact to 18 inches.

-Personal- 18 inches to 4 feet
-Social - 4 feet to 12 feet
-Public - 12 feet to range of eyesight and hearing

Edward T. Halls 4 levels of distance

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 Interpersonal
Distances
Distance Description Voice
Intimate Touching to Private Whisper, Low
18 situation
inches with people
who
are
emotionally
close.
Personal 18 inches to 4 Handshake Soft Voice
feet distance.
Social 4 to 12 feet Distance Full Voice
between
Customers
and
people.
Public 12 feet Teacher in a Loud Voice
classroom.
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 Status
Interpersonal distance is
another Non verbal indicator
of power .
3 basics principle summarize
your use of personal space in
an organization
The more & better space you will
have
Better protected territory
Easier to invade the territory of
lower status personnel

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 Level of Confidence

Choices about seating can influence

interaction
Confident persons often select the
position at a table where they can be
seen & see
People who dont want to indulge in
communication look for seats where
they cant be seen
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Use of Space for purpose of
Communication

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 When you invade my
space.
Reactions to an invasion of your space:-

1 Feel troubled
2 Get defensive
3 Become aggressive
4 Retaliate

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CHRONEMICS (time)
How is time used to communicate?
What does it mean to you when someone is
always late?
A study conducted by Burgoon (1989) found that
people who arrive 15 minutes late are considered
dynamic, but much less competent, composed
and sociable than those that arrive on time.
America is an extremely time conscious culture
Latin cultures versus Anglo cultures

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Chronemics:Time language
How do we manage and react to others
management of time

Punctuality
Waiting Time
Duration (Time
given to a
task/Person)
How People handle
time
is a reflection of their
personality
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 Involves the
following :
Have you taken any appointment ?
Do you inform that the meeting shall be
of certain duration ???
Do you limit your meeting to certain time
limit ?
Do you intervene and hijack the talk ?
Do you keep people waiting if someone
has come to see you ?
Are you punctual for your appointments??

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Examples of use of time language
-Delay in replying letters,
-Late coming to office
-Late coming to class or meetings
-Completion of specific task within a time
span communicates -
-sincerity
-Loyalty
-Reliability

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Frequent late coming or running from office or
Class communicates

-unreliability
-Laziness
-Disinterestedness,
-lack of loyalty, etc

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 Para linguistics

Refers to Vocal Communication

Consists of:
Pitch
Tone of Voice
Vocally produced noises-Laughs ,screams
,sighs etc
Pause/Silence
Volume
Rate of Speech
Word Stress /Intonations
Speech Breakers

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Features that accompany speech and contribute to
communication but are not considered part of the
language system.
The nonverbal voice qualities, modifiers, and sounds
which we use consciously or unconsciously supporting or
contradicting the linguistic, kinesic, or proxemic
messages either simultaneously or alternating with them.
How something is said rather than what is said
Vocal Cues

The text combines two common names into

one: vocalics and paralanguage =
paravocalics.
It is all aspects of the voice other than the
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Vocal Interferences
Extraneous sounds or
words that interrupt
fluent speech
uh, um
you know, like
Filler

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 Silence can communicate
Agreement.
Disagreement.
Confusion.
Respect.
Sadness.
Thoughtfulness, or any number of meanings
USE OF SILENCE IN ASIA
Silence in Asia has commonly been entirely acceptable whereas in the
West silence has generally been considered socially disagreeable.
Oliver(1971)

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Artifactual Communication
Physical Appearance
Clothing ,style
,belongings etc

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Self-Presentation

What message do you wish to send with your

Microsoft Photo
choice of clothing and personal grooming?

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 CLOTHINGS
Clothing can reflect cultural heritage.
Example: Traditional clothing of
Gambia

Clothing can reflect subgroup

identity.
Example: US Army Combat Uniform.
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 objectics

Communication through the use of

artifacts.
It Communicates
Marital status
Economic status
Social status/membership
Personality

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 Olfactics

A smell can trigger the oldest of

memories
We can remember what we smell
longer than what we see & hear.
Americans are very smell conscious
Can even be used as a warning
system
The study of communication via smell is called
Olfactics.

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 Gustorics

Can communicate pleasure,

displeasure or warning
We can savor flavors we enjoy.
What one person perceives as mildly
spicy may be hot and
displeasureable to another

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Improving Nonverbal Communication Skills

When sending messages

Be conscious of nonverbal behavior
Be purposeful in use of nonverbals
Make sure nonverbals are not distracting
Match verbal and nonverbal communication
Adapt to the situation

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Improving Nonverbal Communication Skills

When receiving messages

Dont automatically assume
Consider gender, culture and individual
differences
Pay attention to all aspects of
nonverbal communication
Use perception checking

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BO DY L A N G U AG E
IN THE

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 Steepling Hands

This is frequently used in superior/subordinate

interaction. It demonstrates confidence and a
'know-it-all' attitude.

There are 2 versions:

1)The raised steeple - when the person is

talking, expressing their opinion

2) The lowered steeple - when the person is

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 Palm
Gripping
This is a confidence/superiority position. The
person has their stomach, heart and throat
regions exposed which is an unconscious act
of fearlessness.

If you are in stressful situation assuming this

position can help calm you down and take
control of the situation.

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 Arms Crossed

This is a negative or defensive position.

Most people will assume this position if

they disagree with what they are hearing.

Even if someone is agreeing with you, if

their arms are crossed they will have a
negative attitude towards you.
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 Mirroring Positions

This is one of the most important interpretations of body language

we can learn.

Mirroring building rapport with others by mimicking their

nonverbal cues

People like those who are similar or equal to them

You often see two people talking, standing in the same pose. This
indicates that they are in agreement with each other, they like each
other.

If you want to establish a rapport with someone, mirror their poses -

this will have the effect of relaxing them and giving them a non-
verbal indication that you are both thinking along the same lines.
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 NONVERBAL BEHAVIOR INTERPRETATION
Brisk, erect walk Confidence
Standing with hands on hips Readiness, aggression
Sitting with legs crossed, foot kicking slightly Boredom
Sitting, legs apart Open, relaxed
Walking with hands in pockets, shoulders hunched Dejection
Hand to cheek Evaluation, thinking
Touching, slightly rubbing nose Rejection, doubt, lying
Head resting in hand, eyes downcast Boredom
Sitting with hands clasped behind head, legs crossed Confidence, superiority
Open palm Sincerity, openness, innocence
Tapping or drumming fingers Impatience
Tilted head Interest
Stroking chin Trying to make a decision
Looking down, face turned away Disbelief
Pulling or tugging at ear Indecision
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END NOTE : Smile
Please !!!!!

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 Physical Aspects of Non Verbal
communication.
Kinesics (body language) Body motions such as shrugs,
foot tapping, drumming fingers, eye movements such as
winking, facial expressions, and gestures
Proxemics (proximity) Use of space to signal privacy or
attraction
Haptics Touch
Oculesics Eye contact
Chronemics Use of time, waiting, pausing
Olfactics Smell
Vocalics Tone of voice, timbre, volume, speed
Sound symbols Grunting, mmm, er, ah, uh-huh, mumbling
Silence Pausing, waiting, secrecy
Posture Position of the body, stance
Adornment Clothing, jewellery, hairstyle
Locomotion Walking, running, staggering, limping
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