Non-Verbal Communication

NON-VERBAL
COMMUNICATION
HOW WE GET AND USE INFORMATION
Typically, we retain information at these rates:
 10 percent of what we read
 20 percent of what we hear
 30 percent of what we see
 50 percent of what we see and hear
 70 percent of what we see and discuss
 90 percent of what we do
NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION
 Nonverbal messages are unspoken and more difficult to
interpret than verbal messages, but are just as important.
 This is particularly true when you think that someone is
saying one thing and showing body language that tells a
different story.
 Nonverbal cues are often neglected during interpersonal
communication.
BEHAVIOUR
 Behavior and attitude operate together for most people. Our
attitudes lead us to certain behavior. If we have positive
attitudes we tend to act positively, see options, and seek
solutions to problems.
 If we have negative attitudes we may often feel defeated,
assume the worst outcomes, and give up without exploring
alternatives.
 Public officials, teachers, supervisors, parents, and even
fellow workers can be role models. We learn from our role
models. These are people whose behavior we choose to
copy because we value what they do and how they do it.
We learn how to be a supervisor from those supervisors we
have had. We learn to be parents from our own.
BODY LANGUAGE
 Our own behavior can affect those around us. We try to
draw impressions of people, and they of us, by observing
both their verbal and non-verbal behavior.
 We communicate a lot without saying a word. It is
estimated that over 75 percent of the messages we
deliver are communicated non-verbally. We express
ourselves using what is known as body language.
 Body language can be as simple as a frown on your face,
a smile, crossing your arms, or tapping your pen on a
desk. Some convey hostility, others show open
friendliness.
 Body language includes our gestures, facial expressions,
dress, and grooming style. Researchers have documented
some non-verbal expressions common to all cultures.
However, cultures show these common expressions in
different ways.
These common expressions are:
 Joy
 Sorrow
 Fear
 Anger
 Surprise
 Disgust
FOR INSTANCE…
 North Americans tend to make less eye contact than
Arabs.
 Africans are taught to avoid eye contact with people of
higher stature.
 Physical contact is natural for Italians, French, Latin
Americans, and some Arabs.
 It is less common for Asians, Germans, and Scots.
SPACE
In order to communicate effectively with people,
whether in our own culture or in others less familiar, we
need to understand accepted boundaries. The use of
space between people who are communicating has been
studied extensively.
Here is a brief description of how we use space in the
communication process.
 Public space ranges from 12 to 25 feet and is the
distance maintained between the audience and a speaker,
such as the President and reporters at a press conference,
or a professor and students in a classroom.
 Social space ranges from 4 to 12 feet and is used for
communication among business associates, as well as to
separate strangers using public areas such as beaches and
bus stops.
 Personal space ranges from 2 to 4 feet and is used among
friends and family members, and to separate people
waiting in lines at teller machines or fast food vendors
for example.
 Intimate space ranges out to one foot and involves a high
probability of touching, as in whispering and embracing.
We reserve intimate space for parents, our children,
spouses, and close friends.
 Use of public, social, personal, and intimate space is
interesting to observe in all cultures.
REFERENCES
 The Elements of Style, William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White,
Fourth Edition, Allyn and Bacon, A Pearson Education
Company (Needham Heights, Massachusetts, 2000)
 Getting to Yes, Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In,
Roger Fisher, William Ury, and Bruce Patton, Second
Edition, Penguin Books (New York, 1991)
 Getting Ready to Negotiate: the Getting to Yes Workbook,
Roger Fisher and Danny Ertel, Penguin Books (New York,
1995)
 Getting Together, Roger Fisher and Scott Brown, Penguin
Books USA (New York, 1989)
 Guide to Employee Communication, (The), Communication
Briefings (Pitman, New Jersey, 1990)

Non-Verbal Communication

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Non-Verbal Communication

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Non-Verbal Communication

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

NON-VERBAL

 20 percent of what we hear

 30 percent of what we see

 50 percent of what we see and hear

 70 percent of what we see and discuss

You might also like