COM 340 Lecture 6 Introduction to Non-verbal Communication, and the Concept of Time in Culture

COM Field of Nonverbal Communication  Following are some of the areas in which nonverbal communication is studied: Time (chronemics) Distance behavior (proxemics) Touching behavior (haptics) Body behavior (kinesics) Physical qualities Appearance Artifacts Environmental factors Paralanguage

COM  Estimated that only about 30% to 45% of what is communicated in a conversation is verbal (coming from the voice and words themselves). This is based on two persons from the same culture speaking their native language.  The other 55% to 70% comes from NVC.  Upon hearing “nonverbal communication” most people envision gestures and body language.  But, nonverbal communication is so much more than that and so very complicated, Overview of NVC

COM  Many people do not realize nonverbal communication differs in each culture.  No dictionaries of nonverbal behavior.  Cannot ask someone to repeat a nonverbal behavior.  Generally difficult to hide one’s nonverbal behavior. Characteristics of NVC (compared to verbal)

COM  Cultures can be categorized in terms of how they perceive that “time” is related to human life.  3 types… Past orientation Present orientation Future orientation  All cultures must have a concept for all three of these, but it appears that one of these three tends to dominate in each particular culture. Time Orientations

COM 340 Past Orientation common in cultures… where tradition is very important. that worship ancestors or place an emphasize on strong family ties. (many Asian countries) where aristocracy is important (Great Britain, Japan) Present Orientation common in cultures… where people pay very little attention to what has occurred in the past or what might happen in the future. The past is seen as unimportant and the future is seen as vague and unpredictable. Future Orientation common in cultures… where change is highly valued. The future is generally viewed as “bigger and better.” Being “old-fashion” is not a good thing. (i.e. United States)

COM  In addition “time orientations,” people also develop patterns for doing certain things (i.e. sleeping, eating, arriving for meetings, etc.), as well as how many things it is appropriate to do at the same time.  Two way of categorizing… Monochronic Polychronic Time Patterns

COM  Involves compartmentalization of time. Schedule events, see or do things one at a time Use agendas during meetings Must wait one’s turn  At a party, things are organized and planned to the minute. Order is important.  Japanese, White American and most Western Europeans tend to be in this pattern. Relatively speaking, cultures with low levels of involvement among their people Monochronic Time Pattern

COM  Does not involve compartmentalization. People tend to do several activities at the same time in an interwoven manner. Lack of schedules.  At a party, people constantly come and go as they please.  Afro-American, Latin America, Middle Eastern, East Indian, Malaysian, Chinese tend to be in this pattern. Relatively speaking, cultures with high levels of involvement among their people Polychronic Time Pattern