Lecture Notes for Sep 16, 2009

The Nonverbal Message Defining Non-Verbals -non-verbal communication -messages expressed by nonlinguistic means -more meaning than verbals -they convey emotions, they are ambiguous (subjective - different for different people), and they are influenced by culture Spacial Cues -proxemics: space and distance -intimate distance (up to 1.5ft) -reserved for those you are very close with -personal distance (1.5 - 4ft) -still close friends, significant others -social distance (4 - 12ft) -teacher to student, doctor to patient -public distance (12ft +) -lectures and audiences - little connection between speaker and audience -high contact cultures -touch a lot, sit and stand close, make more eye contact, speak loudly -Russian, French, African cultures -low contact cultures -touch less, stand and sit farther away, little or no direct eye contact, speak softly -many Asian cultures -oreintation -the angle of your body -your posture during interaction -communicates the type of relationship, the closeness of the relationship -time -chronemics: use of time, often cultural -we are a very fast paced and monochronic (on time) -other cultures are polychronic (place less importance on time) -visual clues -a persons facial expressions, body movement, clothing, and artifacts communicate to us -they tell us about emotion, style, interests, priorities, and socio-economic status -facial expressions -communicate basic emotions -most nonverbal meaning derived from affect displays -cultural display rules (hiding or displacing emotions are common in some cultures) -emotional contagion (my emotions are able to transfer to others) -think: do emotions vary by culture? -no - they differ in how they are expressed though -oculesics -eye contact -show interest or to avoid someone completely -listeners maintain more eye contact than speakers -ex: alpha dogs vs submissive dogs -kinesics -body movements, use of body -fidgeting, swaying, walking around -posture -gesturing with hands (adds meaning to whats being said - emphasis) -nodding or bowing -haptics -touch -can communicate liking, closeness, inappropriateness -link between touch and health (babies that aren't touched don't develop correctly) -physical appearance -clothing (shows education level, social position, success level, sophistication, title) -hair style -overall grooming (facial hair?) -artifacts -physical attractiveness -communication differs between those you find physically attractive and those you do not -attractive women receive higher grades, more dates, less court appearances, and lighter court sentences -physical environment -hospital rooms vs living space vs classroom -think about style, color, artifacts, ambience, textures