1. Verbal and Nonverbal Skills
CHAPTER 5
Chapter Objectives
1. Identify the importance of verbal and nonverbal communication in the business context.
2. Understand the relationship among power, status, and nonverbal communication.
3. Evaluate messages sent through clothing choice.
4. Improve your use of language.
5. Respect gender and cultural differences.
6. Employ and interpret nonverbal cues.
7. Manage anxiety in informal contexts.
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2. Goal Setting for Effective Messages
Message can have three purposes:
Task messages have the intent to make others accomplish specific goals.
Maintenance messages keep the organization in working order so that tasks can be performed.
Human relations messages help employees fully recognize their potential in the organization.
Copyright © 2008 Allyn & Bacon

3. Situational Knowledge: Personal and Environmental Factors
Messages have two parts:
Content element
What you are trying to communicate?
Relational element
How do you feel about the person with whom you are communicating?
It is important to anticipate the relational
consequences of your message.
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4. Copyright © 2008 Allyn & Bacon
Personal Space
Hall’s Zones:
Intimate Zone:
Zero to 18 inches
Personal Zone:
18 inches to 4 feet
Social Zone:
4 feet to 12 feet
Public Zone:
12 feet and beyond
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5. Personal Space and Touch
Culture affects the way we use and interpret personal space.
Americans need some private space in professional settings while other cultures made need far less.
Culture affects the way we use and interpret touch.
Context and relationship must be considered in using touch.
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6. Court-Upheld Dress-Code Regulations
Males to wear hair at collar length.
Different standard by gender for acceptable tattoos.
Males/Females limited on number of facial/tongue piercings.
Females to wear skirts
Women allowed to wear religious head coverings (Muslim) in business but not in public schools
Copyright © 2008 Allyn & Bacon

7. Communication Competence: Verbal and Nonverbal Skills
Choosing the Setting for Communication
What is the likelihood that bystanders will receive the message unintentionally?
What are the physical characteristics of the setting? (noise level, temperature, etc.)
Is the formality of the situation dictated by social or company norms?
Is the timing of the message important?
Copyright © 2008 Allyn & Bacon

8. Communication Competence: Verbal and Nonverbal Skills
Language Usage:
Jargon is the specialized language professionals use to communicate efficiently.
Euphemisms are agreeable, neutral, or indirect phrases used to describe unpleasant events in a more palatable format.
Tag questions reduce the certainty of a statement and undercut the effectiveness of the message, isn’t that correct?
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9. Avoid Racist and Sexist Language
Possibly Offensive Terms
Neutral Alternatives
Fireman
Chairman
Secretary
Woman doctor
Male nurse
Firefighter
Chair, Chairperson
Assistant, Associate
Doctor
Nurse
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10. Interpreting Nonverbal Cues
Paralanguage: refers to voice qualities, or characteristics of speech, such as:
Pitch (how high or low the voice is)
Tempo (rate of speaking)
Volume (loudness of voice)
Rhythm (timing and emphasis on words)
Articulation (how clearly words are pronounced)
Facial and Eye Expressions
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11. Gestures and Body Movement
Emblems are movements that substitute for words.
Illustrators are body movements that amplify, accent, or supplement what is being said verbally.
Regulators are nonverbal, usually automatic acts, that help to maintain the flow of conversation.
Copyright © 2008 Allyn & Bacon

12. Copyright © 2008 Allyn & Bacon
Message Strategies
Conversational Turns
Nonverbal cues
Interruptions
Conversational Differences Between Men & Women
Men interrupt more often than women
Women are less comfortable with hierarchy
Intercultural Conversations
Open-mindedness, equal treatment, avoidance, interaction management, other orientation
Conversational Ethics
Include background information, honesty, and clarity
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13. Four Combinations of Understanding and Agreement
Mutual understanding with agreement.
Mutual understanding with disagreement.
Mutual misunderstanding with agreement.
Mutual misunderstanding with disagreement.
Copyright © 2008 Allyn & Bacon