Non-verbal communication

Body language and clothing

Presented and written by:

Lezsak Kristina and Pop Diana

Discipline: Communication and negotiation

2015
Captions

1. Introduction to the non-verbal communication

2. Body language
2.1.1. Background and history
2.1.2. Body language analysis
3. Clothing
4. Conclusion
5. References

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Introduction to the non-verbal communication

Non-verbal communication between people is communication through sending and receiving

wordless cues. It includes the use of visual cues such as body language (kinesics), distance (proxemics)
and physical environments/appearance, of voice (paralanguage) and of touch (haptics). It can also
include chronemics (the use of time) and oculesics (eye contact and the actions of looking while
talking and listening, frequency of glances, patterns of fixation, pupil dilation and blink rate).

Non-verbal communication involves the processes of encoding and decoding. Encoding is the
act of generating the information such as facial expressions, gestures and postures. Decoding is the
interpretation of information from received sensations from previous experiences.

Even a speech contains nonverbal elements known as paralanguage, including voice quality,
rate, pitch, volume and speaking style, as well as prosodic features such as rhythm, intonation and
stress; so written texts have non-verbal elements such as handwriting style, spatial arrangement of
words, or the physical layout of a page. Howewer, much of the study of non-verbal communication has
focused on interaction between individuals, where it can be classified into three principal areas:
environmental conditions where communication takes place, physical characteristics of communicators
and behaviors of communicators during interaction.

Only a small percentage of the brain processes verbal communication, as infants, non-verbal
communication is learned from social-emotional communication, making the face rather than words
the major organ of communication. As children become verbal communicators, they begin to look at
facial expressions, vocal tones and other non-verbal elements more subconsciously.

Culture plays an important role in non-verbal communication, and it is one aspect that helps to
influence how learning activities are organized. In many Indigenous American Communities, for
example, there is often an emphasis on non-verbal communication, which acts as a valued means by
which children learn. In this sense, learning is not dependent on verbal communication; rather, it is
nonverbal communication which serves as a primary means of not only organizing interpersonal
interactions, but also conveying cultural values and children learn how to participate in this system
from a young age.

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Body language

What is body language? And more usfully, what might we regard it to be, if we are to make the
most of studying and using it?

The Oxford English Dictionary definition is:

body language (noun) the conscious and unconscious movements and postures by which attitudes
and feelings are communicated, for example, his intent was clearly expressed in his body language.

The Oxford Business English Dictionary offers slightly different definition. Appropriately and
interestingly the Oxford Business English Dictionary emphasizes the sense that body language can be
used as a tool, rather than it begin an involuntary effect with no particular purpose:

body language (noun) the process of communicating what you are feeling or thinking by the way
you place and move your body rather than by words, for example: The course trains sales people in
reading the customers body language.

The OED dictionary definition of kinesics the technical term for the study of body language
depends on the interpretation of non-verbal communication:

kinesics the study of the way in which certain body movements and gestures serve as a form of non-
verbal communication and body movements and gestures regarded as a form of non-verbal
communication.

Body language certainly also encompasses where the body is in relation to other bodies (often
reffered to as personal space). Also includes very small bodily movements such as facial expressions
and eye movements and also arguably covers all that we communicate through our bodies apart from
the spoken words ( thereby encompassing breathing, perspiration, pulse, blood-pressure, blushing, etc).

Body language is the unconscious and conscious transmission and interpretation of feelings,
attitudes and moods through, body posture, movement, physical state, position and relationship to
other bodies, objects and surroundings and also facial expression and eye movements.

Words alone, especially emotional words or words used in emotional situations rarely reflect
full or true mening and motive. We find clues to additional or true meaning in body language. Being
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able to read body language therefore helps us greatly to know how people feel and what they mean, to
understand better how people might be perceiving our own non-verbal signals, and to understand
ourselves better, deeper than the words we hear ourselves saying.

Body language background and history

Philosophers and scientists have connected human physical behavior with meaning, mood and
personality for thousands of years, but only in living memory has the study of body language become
as sophisticated and detailed as it is today. Body language studies and written works on the subject are
very sparse until the mid-1900s. The first known experts to consider aspects of body language were
probably the ancient Greeks, notably Hippocrates and Aristotle, through their interest in human
personality and behavior, and the Romans, notably Cicero, relating gestures to feelings and
communications. Much of this early interest was in refining ideas about oration, speech-making, given
its significance to leadership and government.

Charles Darwin in the late 1800s could be regarded as the earliest expert to have made serious
scientific observation about body language, but there seems little substantial development of ideas far
at least the next 150 years. Darwins work pioneered much ethological thinking. Ethology began as the
science of animal behavior. It became properly established during the early 1900s and increasingly
extends to human behavior and social organization. Where ethology considers animal evolution and
communications, it relates strongly to human body language. Ethologists have progressively applied
their findings to human behavior, including body language, reflecting the evolutionary origins of much
human non-verbal communication and societys growing acceptance of evolutionary rather than
creationist theory.

An important aspect of body language is facial expression, which is arguably one part of body
language for which quite early scientific thinking can be traced:

Physiognomy is an obscure and related concept to body languge. Physiognomy refers to facial features
and expressions which were said indicate the persons character or nature or ethnic origin. The word
physiognomy is derives from medieval Latin and earlier Greek (phusiognominia), which originally
meant (the art or capability of) judging a persons nature from his/her facial features and expressions.
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The ancient roots of this concept demonstrate that while language itself is a recently defined system of
analysis, the notion of inferring human nature or character from facial expression is extremely old.

Kinesics (pronounced kineesicks) in the modern technical word for body language and more
scientifically the study of body language. The word kinesics was first used in English in this sense in
the 1950s, deriving from the Greek word kinesis, meaning motion, and seems to have first been used
by Dr Ray Birdwhistell, an American 1950s reasercher and writer on body language.

Proxemics is the technical term for the personal space anspect of body language. The word was
devised in the late 1950s or early 1960s by Edward Twitchell Hall, an American anthropologist. The
word is Halls adaptation of the word proximity, meaning closeness or nearness.

Body language analysis

Certain body language is the same in all people, for example smiling and frowning, but some
body language is specific to a culture or ethnic group.

Management and customer service staff are particulary prone to misreading or reacting
inappropriately to body language signals from people of different ethnic backgrounds, a situation made
worse because this sort of misunderstanding tends to peak when emotions are high.

Many body language signals are relative. A gesture by one person in a certain situation can
carry far more or very little meaning compared to the same gesture used by a different person in a
different situation. Young men for example often display a lot of pronounced gestures because they are
naturally energetic, uninhibited and supple. Older women, relatively, are less energetic, adopt more
modest postures and are prevented by clothing the type of person and situation involved.

Many body language signals indicate negative feelings such as boredom, disinterest,
anxiousness, insecurity, etc. The temptation on seeing such signals is to imagine a weakness on the
part of the person exhibiting them.

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Body language examples

Head body language

The head is very significant in body language. The head tends to lead and determine general
body direction, but it is also vital and vulnerable being where our brain is, so the head is used a lot in
directional (likes and dislikes) body language, and in defensive (self-protection) body language too. A
persons head, due to a very flexible neck structure, can turn, jut forward, withdraw, tilt sideways,
forwards, backwards. All of these movements have meanings, which given some thought about other
signals can be understood. The head when our hands interact with it is therefore dynamic and busy
in communicating all sorts of messages, consciously and unconsciously.

Examples:

head nodding : (agreement) head nodding can occur when invited for a response, or voluntary
while listening.
fast head nodding: (hurry up, impatience) vigorous head nodding signifies that the listener feels
the speaker has made their point or taken sufficient time.
head held up: (neutrality, alertness) high head position signifies attentive listening, usually with
an open or undecided mind.
head held high: superiority, fearlessness, arrogance
head tilted to one side: (non-threatening, thoughtfulness) a signal of interest, and/or
vulnerability which in turn suggests a level of trust, also head tilting is thought by some to
relate to sizing up something.
head forward, upright: (interest, positive reaction) head forward in the direction of a person or
other subject indicates interest.
head shaking: (disagreement) sideways shaking of the head generally indicates disagreement,
but can also signal feelings of disbelief, frustration.
chin up: (confidence) very similar to the head held high signal. Holding the chin up naturally
alters the angle of the head backwards, exposing the neck, which is a signal of strength,
resilience, pride, resistance, etc.

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Head nodding Head movements Head tilt Head and Chin up Head tilt left

Arms body language

Arms act as defensive barriers when across the body and conversely indicate feelings of
openness and security when in open positions, especially combined with open palms. Arms are quite
reliable indicators of mood and feeling, especially when interpreted with other body language.

The left arm is the arm of freedom of believing or thinking. The right arm is a freedom of
action. Joseph Messinger

Examples:

crossed arms (folded arms): (defensiveness, reluctance) crossed arms represent a protective or
separating barrier. This can be due to various causes, ranging from severe animosity or concern
to mild boredom or being too tired to be interested and attentive. Crossed arms is a commonly
exhibited signal by subordinates feeling threatened by bosses and figures of authority.
gripping own upper arms: (insecurity) gripping upper arms while floded means insecurity.
one arm across body clasping other arm by side: (nervousness) women use this gesture, men
tend not to. Its a barrier protective signal.
arms held behind body with hands clasped: (confidence, authority) as demonstrated by
members of the royal family, armed forces officers, teachers, policemen, etc.

Arms crossed Gripping upper arms Arms held behind One arm across body

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Hands body language

Body language involving hands is extensive. This is because hands are such expressive parts of
the body and because hands interact with other parts of the body. Hands contain many more nerve
connections to the brain than most if not all other body parts. They are extremely expressive and
flexible tools, so it is natural for hands to be used a lot in signaling consciously or unconsciously as in
a wide range of unintentional movements which indicate otherwise hidden feelings and thoughts.

Hands plays a very big role in communicating our emotions. Joseph Messinger

Examples:

palms up or open: (submissive, truthful, honesty) A common gesture with various meanings
around a main theme of openness. Can also mean I do not have the answer, or an appeal. In
some situations this can indicate confidence or trust. An easily faked gesture to convey
innocence.
palms down: (authority, strength, dominance) where the lower are moves across the body with
palm down this is generally defiance or firm disagreement.
hand on heart: (seeking to be believed) although easy to fake, the underlying meaning is one of
wanting to be believed, whether being truthful or not. Hand on heart can be proactive, as when
a salesman tries to convince a buyer.
finger pointing (at a person): (aggression, threat, emphasis) pointing at a person is very
confrontational and dictatorial.
finger point and wink: (acknowledgement or confirmation) the subtle use of a winked eye with
a pointed finger changes the finger point into a different signal, that of acknowledging
something, often a contribution or remark made by someone, in which case the finger and wink
are directed at the person concerned and can be a signal of positive appretiation.
fingertips and thumbs touching each other on opposite hands: (thoughtfulness, looking for
explaining connections).
thumb(s) up: (positive approval, agreement, all well) nowadays this signal is commonly used
and recognized and commonly used as a language term thumbs up, which means approved. It
is a very positive signal, two hands is a bigger statement of the same meaning.
thumb(s) down: (disapproval, failure) logically the opposite of thumbs up.

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Palms down Fingertips touching Hand on heart Palms up

Thumbs up Finger pointing Thumbs down

Legs and feet body language

Legs and feet body language is more difficult to control consciously or fake than some body
language of arms and hands and face. Legs and feet can therefore provide good clues to feelings and
moods, if you know to signs. Men and women sit differently which needs to be considered when
reading leg body language. Partly due to clothing and partly due to sexual differences, men naturally
exhibit more open leg positions than women, which should be allowed for when interpreting signals.
Older women tend to adopt more modest closed leg position than younger women, due to upbringing,
socilal trends, equality and clothing. Leg signals tend to be supported by corresponding arms
signals,for example crossed arms and crossed legs, which aside from comfort reasons generally
indicate detachment, disinterest, rejection or insecurity, etc.

Examples:

leg direction sitting general: (interest, attentiveness) generally a seated person directs their
knee or knees towards the point of interest.
uncrossed legs: (openness) in sitting, open uncrossed leg positions generally indicate an open
attitude.
crossed legs: (caution, disinterest) crossed legs tend to indicate a degree of caution or
disinterest which can be due to various reasons, ranging from feeling threatened, to mildly
insecure.

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 ankle lock sitting: (defensiveness) knees may be apart or together. There is also a suggestion of
suppressing negative emotion.
legs crossed, standing: (insecurity or submission) crossed legs and arms represents less
confident persons. Where legs are crossed and arms not, this can indicate a submissive or
committed agreement to stand and engage, so thee standing leg cross relays potentially quite
different things.
feet or foot direction or pointing: (foot direction indicates direction of interest) like knees, feet
tend to point towards the focus of interest, or away from something or someone if it is not
interest.

Legs crossed Anckle lock Leg direction Crossed legs sitting Uncrossed legs

Clothing as body language

People often use clothing to signify their age, gender, political views and economic class.
People before even hear eachother speak or know anything about eachother, they probably make
certain assumptions about their clothing. Often, we expect certain people to dress a certain way before
we learn anything about their credentials.

First impressions are very important and clothing is one of the biggest factors in first
impressions. If a person goes on a job interview, he/she has probably put much tought into what is
going to wear. Most people try to pick out one of their nicest outfits to wear, so they make a good first
impression before the employer ever asks them any questions.

If you went to your doctors office and he or she was dressed in a dirty lab coat, you might
immediately think about switching doctors. We assign certain expectatioms to certain occupations.

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While you expect your doctor to be cleanly and neatly dressed, if you saw a construction worker or a
painter who had on clean clothing, you might tend to think he or she did not do much work because we
expect them to be dirty since it is dirty occupation.

Politicians can wear clothing to their advantage. If they want to impress, you may see them in a
suit and tie or dress. But, if they want to give the public the impression thet they identify with them,
they may wear jeans and a shirt. Certain types of clothing carry certain assumptions. For example,
some people like to wear cultural clothing. If you see a woman wearing sari, you automatically make
certain assumptions about her. You may assume she is Indian and Hindu based merely on her clothing,
although she may be neither.

Teenagers embrace clothing as a form of non-verbal communication. Teenagers like to dress

differently to exert their independence yet at the same time, they may dress alike. Prior to the 1950s,
teens started wearing jeans, t-shirts, and poodle skirts to show adults they were rebelling against the
traditional style of dress. Boys who wore jeans and t-shirts may have upon first sight been labeled as
rebels. Teens who wore tie-dye during the 60s were automatically believed to be flower children,
regardless of their political and social views. Teens like to dress differently from their elders to
establish their independence and rebel against authority. By wearing clothing different from adults,
many times they are trying to express that they have different attitudes about politics, society, culture.

Clothing can also communicate what nationality you are. In many traditional ceremonies or
festivities, each culture has a certain style of dress that is appropriate. Indian saris, Japanese kinomos,
Scottish kilts, Afghani turbans, and Filipino barongs are just a few examples of clothing that aree
specific to a culture. In the military as well, clothing is used to identify soldiers that are in different
ranks through their uniforms and the amount of medals they wear.

Besides communicating about a persons beliefs and nationality, clothing can be used as a non-
verbal outlet to attract others. Men and women might adorn themselves with accessories and keep up
with the latest fashion trends to attract partners they are interested in. in this case, clothing becomes a
means of self-expression and people can sense power, wealth, personality, or creativity just by looking
at what a person is wearing.

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military barong sari kinomo kilt

doctor painter fashion jeans and t-shirt

worker poodle skirt tye-die

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Conclusion

Clothing can say a lot about you, and it can also tell you a lot about others. Thats why clothing
is one of the biggest factors in first impression. We think that with body language we can easily
communicate to others our feelings even it is a conscious or an unconscious act. Body language can be
interpretated in so many forms, basically with every part of our body we can communicate something.

References

1. Joseph Messinger: Dicionar Ilustrat al Gesturilor

2. http://www.businessballs.com/body-language.htm
3. http://www.bodylanguageexpert.co.uk/clothing-form-non-verbal-communication.html
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonverbal_communication#Clothing

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