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1. Nonverbal Communication

2. Nonverbal Communication
Earlier on, we focused on verbal communication process
through written or spoken syllables, usually words. However, we
also communicate nonverbally i.e., without words. Sometimes
nonverbal messages contradict the verbal;
Often they express feelings more accurately than the spoken or
written language. In fact, some studies suggest that from 60 to 90
percent of a message effect comes from nonverbal cues. The
usual methods adopted for nonverbal communication are
Appearance, Body language, Silence, time, and space.

3. Nonverbal Communication
Communication Through Appearance
Appearance conveys nonverbal impressions that affect receivers’
attitude toward the verbal message even before they read or hear
them.
Effect on Written Messages
An envelope’s appearance – size, color, weight, and postage –
may impress the receiver as “important,” “routine,” or “junk”
mail. Telegrams, express mail, and private courier mail also have
distinctive envelopes that signal urgency and importance. Next,
the letter, report, or title page communicates nonverbally before
its contents are read by the kind of paper used, its length, format,
and neatness. Finally, the language itself, aside from its content,
communicates something about the sender. This is basically
about careful wording and mechanics of the language such as
spelling, grammar and punctuation.

4. Nonverbal Communication
Effect on oral Messages
Personal appearance and the appearance of your
surroundings convey nonverbal stimuli that affect
attitudes toward your spoken words, whether you
are talking to a person one on one or to a group in
a meeting. Nonverbal communication adds,
subtracts, and amends the messages we send.
Nonverbal symbols, in conjunction with oral
symbols, say much about who we are, how we feel,
and even how we feel about others. Hence, the oral
communication context involves both verbal and
nonverbal symbols, each hopefully getting listeners
to understand us and do what we wish them to do.

5. Nonverbal Communication
Personal Appearance
Clothing, neatness, posture and stature are part of personal
appearance. They convey impressions regarding occupation, age,
nationality, social and economic level, job status, and good or
poor judgment, depending on circumstances.
Appearance of surroundings
Aspects of surroundings include room size, location, furnishings,
mechanics, architecture, wall decorations, floor (carpeted or
bare?), lighting, windows, view, and other related features
wherever people communicate orally. Surroundings will vary
according to status and according to country and culture.

6. Nonverbal Communication
Communication Through Body Language
The usual methods employed for communicating through body
language are facial expressions, gestures, posture and movement,
smell and touch, and voice and sounds.
Facial Expressions
The eyes and face are especially helpful means of communicating
nonverbally. They can reveal hidden emotions, including anger,
confusion, enthusiasm, fear, joy, surprise, uncertainty, and
others. They can also contradict verbal statements. Facial
expressions suggest enthusiasm for your topic. A mobile face is
an interesting face. Look at the audience; give them the feeling of
high interest in them and your topic. Facial expressions include
eye contact. Eye contact with your listener suggests respect and
goodwill, adding to a favorable impression of you as a speaker.

7. Nonverbal Communication
Gestures, Posture, and Movement
Gestures add emphasis to your oral words. Use them to emphasize a
point, to suggest rejection of an idea, to describe size. Using your arms
helps hold attention. Continual gestures and movement such as pacing
back and forth may signal nervousness and may be distracting to
listeners. Handshakes reveal attitudes by the firmness or limpness.
Posture and movement can convey self-confidence, status or interest.
We need movement to hold attention, to get rid of nervousness, to
suggest transitions, to increase emphasis. Attire also carries a lot of
significance. It is determined by the culture of your group. When in
doubt, be more formal than informal.

8. Nonverbal Communication
Smell and Touch
Various odors and fragrances convey the emotions of the sender
and sometimes affect the reactions of the receiver, especially if
the receiver is sensitive to scents. Also, touching people can
communicate friendship, love, approval, hatred, anger, or other
feelings. A kiss on the cheek, pat on the shoulder, or slap on the
back is prompted by various emotions.

9. Nonverbal Communication
Voice and Sounds
Our voice quality and the extra sounds we make while speaking
are also a part of nonverbal communication called paralanguage.
Paralanguage includes voice volume, rate, articulation, pitch, and
the other sounds we may make, such as throat clearing and
sighing. A loud voice often communicates urgency while a soft
one is sometimes calming. Speaking fast may suggest
nervousness or haste. A lazy articulation, slurring sounds or
skipping over syllables or words, may reduce credibility. A lack
of pitch variation becomes a monotone, while too much
variation can sound artificial or overly dramatic. Throat clearing
can distract from the spoken words. Emphasizing certain words
in a sentence can purposely indicate your feelings about what is
important.

10. Nonverbal Communication
Communication via Silence, time, and Space
Silence, time, and space can communicate more than we may
think, even causing hard feelings, loss of business, and profits .
Silence
We need to consider how we feel when we make an oral request
that is met with silence. Or think about the confusion we feel
when our written message generates no response).

11. Nonverbal Communication
Time
Waiting when an important request is ignored causes problems and attitude
changes. Time is important in many ways. How do we feel when we are kept
waiting two hours after the scheduled time for an interview? In U.S. culture,
being on time for appointments, for work each day, and for deadlines
communicates favorable nonverbal messages. Concepts of time, however,
vary across cultures.
Space
The need for personal space decreases as the number of people increases. In
the U.S. the need for personal space in a two-person conversation is about 18
inches. The need for space is less in many Middle Eastern countries and more
in most Scandinavian countries. Effective communicators must learn to adapt
to both senders’ and receivers’ expectations regarding space. The key to
success is to be aware of the differences.

12. Common Communication barriers

13. Common Communication barriers
The communication process is effective only when each
step is successful. Ideas cannot be communicated if any
step in this process is blocked (skipped or completed
incorrectly). When interference in the communication
process distorts or obscures the sender’s meaning, it is
called a communication barrier, or noise. Recognizing
communication barrier is the first step in overcoming
them. Examples of barriers to effective communication
include perceptual differences, restrictive environments,
distractions, and deceptive communication tactics.

14. Common Communication barriers
Perceptual Differences
Perception is strongly influenced by cultural differences. Perceptual difference
affects how we see the world; no two people perceive things exactly the same
way. Perception also influences how we develop languages, which depends on
shared definitions for meaning and is shaped by our culture.
Little shared experience
Meanings dissimilar – Misunderstanding
Average amount of shared experience
Meanings similar – Average degree of understanding
Large amount of shared experience
Meanings very similar – high degree of understanding

15. Common Communication barriers
Language is only one of the many differences that
exist between cultures. Communicating with
someone from another country may be the most
extreme example of how different cultures can
block communication. But even in our own
culture, we and our receiver may differ in age,
education, social status, economic position,
religion, and life experience.

16. Common Communication barriers
Restrictive Environments
Restrictive structures and management block effective
communication. Every link in the communication chain is open
to error. By the time a message travels all the way up or down
the chain, it may bear little resemblance to the original idea. If a
company’s formal communication network limits the flow of
information in any direction (upward, downward, or horizontal)
then communication becomes fragmented. Lower-level
employees may obtain only enough information to perform their
own isolated tasks, learning little about other areas; so only the
people at the very top of the organization can see the big picture.

17. Common Communication barriers
Distractions
Communication barriers are often physical distractions: bad
connections, poor acoustics, or illegible copy. Although noise of
this sort seems trivial, it can block an otherwise effective
message. An uncomfortable chair, poor lighting, health
problems, or some other irritating condition might distract your
receiver. Another kind of distraction is poor listening. We all let
our minds wander now and then, and we are especially likely to
drift off when we are forced to listen to information that is
difficult to understand or that has little direct bearing on our
own lives. We are even more likely to lose interest if we are tired
or concerned about other matters. Emotional distractions can be
difficult to overcome. When you are upset, hostile, or fearful,
you have a hard time shaping a message objectively. If your
receiver is emotional, he or she may ignore or distort your
message. Moreover, the sheer number of messages can also be
distracting and many executives are overwhelmed by information
overload (the increased volume of messages from all sources).

18. Common Communication barriers
Deceptive Communication Tactics
Language itself is made up of words that carry values. So merely
by saying things a certain way, you influence how others perceive
your message, and you shape expectations and behaviors. An
organization cannot create illegal or unethical messages and still
be credible or successful in the long run. Still, some business
communicators try to manipulate their receivers by using
deceptive tactics. Deceptive communicators may exaggerate
benefits, quote inaccurate statistics, or hide negative information
behind an optimistic attitude. They may state opinions as facts,
leave out crucial information, or portray graphic data unfairly.
Unscrupulous communicators may seek personal gain by making
others look better or worse than they are. And they may allow
personal preferences to influence their own perception and the
perception of others.

19. Overcoming Barriers to Improve Communication

20. Overcoming Barriers to Improve Communication
Effective communicators work hard at perfecting the
messages they deliver. When they make mistakes, they
learn from them. If a memo they’ve written doesn’t get
the response they hoped for, they change their
approach the next time around. If a meeting they’re
running gets out of control or proves unproductive,
they do things differently at the next one. If they find
that they have to explain themselves over and over
again, they reevaluate their choice of communication
medium or rework their messages.

21. Overcoming Barriers to Improve Communication
• The successful communicators tend to share the following traits:
(i) Perception: They are able to predict how you will receive their
message. They anticipate your reaction and shape the message
accordingly. They read your response correctly and constantly
adjust to correct any misunderstanding; (ii) Precision: They
create a “meeting of the minds.” When they finish expressing
themselves, you share the same mental picture; (iii) Credibility:
They are believable. You have faith in the substance of their
message. You trust their information and their intentions; (iv)
Control: They shape your response. Depending on their purpose,
they can make you laugh or cry, calm down, change your mind,
or take action. (v) Congeniality: They maintain friendly, pleasant
relations with you. Regardless of whether you agree with them,
good communicators command your respect and goodwill. You
are willing to work with them again, despite your differences.

22. Four guidelines for
overcoming communication barriers

23. Four guidelines for
overcoming communication barriers
First, adopting an audience-centered approach to communication
means focusing on your audience and caring about their needs –
which means finding out as much as you can about audience
members, especially if your audience is from a different culture.
Second, fostering an open communication climate means
encouraging employee contributions, candor, and honesty. You
can create an open climate by modifying the number of
organizational levels and by facilitating feedback. Third, creating
lean and efficient messages means not communicating
unnecessary information and making necessary information easy
to get. You can send better messages by reducing the number of
messages, minimizing distractions, and using technology
responsibly. And fourth, committing to ethical communication
means including relevant information that is true in every sense
and not deceptive in any way.