Learning ahead Types of non-verbal communication What do facial expressions say about us? Importance of Personal space & physical contact

Survey About 7% of the message is conveyed through words. About 38% is conveyed via vocal pitch, emphasis and related factors. About 55% is conveyed by gesture, posture and related factors

Non-verbal communication Importance of non-verbal communication Non-verbal communication is an essential part of all person- to-person situations. Non-verbal communication is the study of communicative behaviors outside of words. Non-verbal communication is the visual element of communication.

Non-verbal communication (1) body language Body language refers to non-verbal signals, gestures, postures, eye contact and so on, which used to aid or hinder communication but non-verbal communication refers not only to bodily behaviour but also to things beyond the body.

Types of body language Open body language E.g. Smiling; good eye contact; palms open and upwards; nodding; body facing the sender/ receiver; good poise; etc.

closed body language E.g. Poor eye contact; shaking head; shrugging shoulders; crossed arms; frown; rolling eyes, etc.

Some basic signs of body language Open  Smile  Nodding head  Hands by the side  Maintaining eye contact Closed  Frown  Shrugging shoulders  Shaking head  Tapping fingers  Cross arm  Slouching （无精打采）  Rolling eyes

The use of body language How should we do? Body language signals should not be interpreted in isolation Most gestures or signals are usually accompanied by other gesture. All body language needs to be put into context in the same way as we do for other forms of communication.

GestureCountryMeaning a circle with one ’ s thumb and index finger most countries Japan France Germany Brazil Comparison

GestureCountryMeaning a circle with one ’ s thumb and index finger most countries Japan Australia Germany Brazil zero rudeness money OK Comparison

GestureCountryMeaning thumbs up most countries Japan Germany Turkey Russia Comparison

GestureCountryMeaning thumbs up most countries O.K, good job or fine JapanFive GermanyOne Turkey rude Russia Comparison

MeaningGesture in the USA Gesture in China No, don’t do that. Moving the index finger from side to side. I don’t know Shrugging one’s shoulders.

Comparison MeaningGesture in the USA Gesture in China No, don’t do that. Moving the index finger from side to side. Moving the hand from side to side I don’t know Shrugging one’s shoulders. Shaking the head Comparison

Non-verbal communication (2)Facial expressions Facial expression is a gesture executed with the facial muscles. Facial expression, along with sight and perception, is core to how a message is perceived by the receiver. Facial expression can tell a lot about of someone feeling without using words.

Facial expressions (Cont’d) We are able to decode messages which facial expressions send fairly easily. Because faces give away what the person is thinking.

Non-verbal communication (3)Personal Space Human beings like animals, have an invisible ‘bubble’ of personal space. What is ‘personal space’? ---the distance required between two people when interacting

Personal Space (Cont’d) The elements influences personal space 1. Personal space varies between cultures Southern European people have smaller personal space than Northern European people

2. The relationship between people determines how much personal space is required. in general terms, the closer the relationship, the closer the personal space There are four zones: 1) The intimate eg. lovers and relatives 2) The personal eg. friends and close colleagues 3) The social eg. work colleagues in a meeting 4) The public

Personal Space (cont ’ d) 3. One needs to remember that personal space varies considerably between classes and sexes. It appears to be the case that: People with greater prestige and power in organizations demand more space Many males demand more space than female People from rural areas need more personal space than urban people

Non-verbal communication (4)Physical contact Physical touch It varies from country to country, culture to culture and person to person when it comes to physical contact.

Tips Body language is a powerful way to express thoughts and feelings. Do not read body language signals in isolation – consider the context of the situation. Our body language will be different for each experience and will depend on who we are dealing with and our relationship with them.