Hidden Aspects of Communication by: Austin, Ben, Jason, Shariqa, Shanoon and Vivian

Table of Contents Intro Kinesics Tone and Character of Voice Proxemics Cultural Use of Space Cultural Use of Time Communicating with Clothes Gender Differences in Paralanguage

Introduction We communicate subconsciously, in many different ways We learn how to use glances, gestures, and change in voice/tone in social interaction Learn these techniques by observing others and imitating them over years These methods are known as paralanguage It helps prevent ineffective communication as much as 70% of what we communicate when talking directly with others is through paralanguage

Kinesics Body language E.g.: In North America, we use our hands to say goodbye, point, count, threaten, insult, express excitement, etc. We learn many subtle variations to communicate E.g., shake our head yes or no, smile, frown and flirt. meaning of gestures can be interpreted differently around the world

Tone and Character of Voice The meaning of speech can be altered significantly by tone and character of voice e.g., “Are you here?” has a different meaning if spoken in a rising tone, in contrast to a descending tone

Proxemics The study of interacting distances and other cultures’ use of space For instance, we all have a sense of what is a comfortable interaction distance to a person with whom we are speaking As a result, the verbal message may not be listened to or understood as it was intended

Proxemics (cnt’d) Comfort in interaction distance mostly has to do with the distance between faces that are looking directly at each other. The nature of the messaged communicated also affects interaction distances. E.g., whispering and shouting generally get your attention more than speaking with a normal voice In addition to specifying comfortable interaction distances, culture tells us when and how it is acceptable to touch other individuals.

Cultural Use of Space example of North American office set up Culture tells us how to organize space in a way to control the nature of interaction E.g., Comparing workplaces such as North American and Japan offices Culture also guides our perception of space by defining units

Cultural Use of Time Culture tells us how to manipulate time in order to communicate different messages E.g., When people appear for an appointment, it varies with the custom social situations and their relative status people who are lower in status are expected to arrive on time, if not late Higher status individuals can expect that others will wait for them if they are late

Cultural Use of Time (cnt’d) When people come together with very different cultural expectations about time, there is a potential for misunderstanding, frustration, and hurt feelings “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”

Communicating with Clothes Protection against the elements worn for modesty; prevent others from seeing specific parts of one’s body Some clothing is worn to provide supernatural protection Wearing a lucky shirt for an exam is considered relying on supernatural assistance

Communicating with Clothes (cnt’d) People in all cultures use clothing to communicate status, intentions, and other messages E.g., In North America, we dress differently for business and other social events There are styles of clothing worn to sexually attract others Women are usually the ones who know the subtle messages in clothing We use clothing/appearance to announce our age, gender, economic class, and often our intentions. In many cultures, the same style of dress communicates different messages depending on age, gender and physical appearance of the one wearing it

Communicating with Clothes (cnt’d) Putting on certain types of clothing can change your behaviour and the behaviour of others towards you. e.g., military uniform, doctor’s white coat, clown costume, etc. most uniforms are consciously symbolic so that they can quickly communicate their status there are many forms of body decoration other than clothes, used to send messages e.g., body and hair paint, tattoos, perfumes, even body deformation

Gender Differences in Paralanguage In different parts of the world, there are likely to be significant gender differences in paralanguage e.g., In North America: men generally prefer face-to-face conversations and maintain direct eye contact longer in contrast, women converse standing side by side but closer together male hand shakes tend to be firmer women are usually more restrained in bold gestures but use more facial expressions and are more skilled in interpreting In Japan, women would often speak with an artificially high pitch, when conversing with men in business/official setting. part of the general deference traditionally shown to men