The Importance Of Body Language & The Non-verbal Communication

Introduction Undeniably communication is an important foundation in the success of any organizations, individuals and even in civilizations. Even primitive people tried to find ways to communicate when things were much simpler then and non-existence of standard verbal language. Generally there are varied forms of communication. Each form is valuable and nonverbal communication is being one of them. The most profound nonverbal communication is body language or Kinesics. Body language is defined as nonverbal and mostly unconscious communication through the use of gestures, postures and physiologic signs, which act as cues to other people. New research in the field of cognitive and affective neuroscience suggests that even the breathing pattern is also part of body language communication’s aspect.

Understanding Of Body Language Interest in body language first gained popularity in the early 1970s when Julius Fast wrote the pivotal book, appropriately titled Body Language. Many of his findings have now been backed by neuroscience. Although the first known written work exclusively addressing body language was published in 1644 by John Bulwer’s, Chirolgia or the Natural Language of the Hand but scientific research only began with the 1872 publication of Charles Darwin’s: The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals. Since then, nonverbal communication has been the subject of extensive research. According to a research conducted by Professor Albert Mehrabian of the University of California, Los Angeles, 55 per cent of the message in face-to-face communications results from the body language (Figure 1). A person can have the right words and say everything to another person ears want to hear, and say it in a sensuous, elegant, resonant tone. But if the facial expressions are incongruous with what it said, that person may have well said nothing. Total Impact Of A Message In Communication

Vocal (Voice Dynamics) 38%

Verbal (How You Speak) 7%

Non-Verbal (Face & Body) 55%

Figure 1: Total Impact of A Message In Communication

Body Language & Various Forms Of Nonverbal Communication

Body Language As A Language Itself Body language plays a key role in helping an individual to form quick impressions. Through body language, a person can convey a host of feelings without actually speaking a single word. It also can include any reflexive or non-reflexive bodily movements that an individual uses to convey message to outside world. As a result, body language truly is a language in and of itself. Human beings are genetically programmed to look for facial and behavioral cues and to quickly understand their meaning. The body language really can reinforce or contradict verbal messages because a person’s body discloses true feelings. Action speaks louder than words is an indicator that body language is the literal translation to this statement. The body language target point is a concept referring to wheel-like vortices, which, according to traditional medicine, are believed to exist in the surface of the etheric double of man. They are very similar to the Chakras as used in Yoga. In Yoga the Chakras are said to be "force centers" or areas where energy permeates. They are points on the physical body, the layers of the subtle bodies in an ever-increasing fan-shaped formation (the fans make the shape of a love heart). The Chakras are centers of energy, located on the midline of the body. There are seven of them, and they govern our psychological properties. The Chakras located on the lower part of our body are our instinctual side, the highest ones, our mental side. The Chakras can have various levels of activity. When they're "open," they're considered operative in a normal fashion. Each one of the Chakras and one of the main body gestures relate to one of the body language target points and ideally contribute to our being. Our senses would work together with our feelings and thinking, anytime there is a gag between what we think, feel or say, the body language sends a signal to us and to the environment. For example, one of the most basic and powerful body-language signals is when a person crosses his or her arms across the chest. This can indicate that a person is putting up an unconscious barrier between themselves and others. If you try to understand the meaning of this gesture you will we see it is a gesture that is indicating we are protecting our chest against a possible attack, just like in animal behavior.

Importance Of Body Language The ability to understand body language is a powerful tool that will help us connect with others, express what we really mean, navigate challenging situations and build better inter or intra relationships. Researchers have succeeded in identifying a lexicon of feelings and their corresponding postures. Anyone with enough information can effectively read people’s feelings through their body language. Learning to interpret body language is not a hard task; you just need to know the familiar postures in body language and their associated emotional states, and then link them together. The ancient Greeks and Romans were well aware of the importance of immediately determining who was a friend or foe or knowing before whom they stood. The survival of their civilization depended upon it. Likewise, every major religious doctrine discusses this concept. The Hebrew Talmund and the Muslim Al-Quran both discuss the value of recognizing specific traits within people that can affect an

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Body Language & Various Forms Of Nonverbal Communication

individual inter or intra personal relationships. This inscription is present in most synagogues throughout the modern world as it was in ancient times.

Conceptualization of Nonverbal Communication & Overview of Categories Although every day we respond to thousands of nonverbal cues and behaviors, generally it can be derived as the following: Facial Expressions Facial expressions are responsible for a huge proportion of nonverbal communication. The human face is extremely expressive, able to express countless emotions without saying a word. While nonverbal communication and behaviour can vary dramatically between cultures, the facial expressions for happiness, sadness, anger, and fear are similar throughout the world. Gestures Gestures are woven into fabric of our daily lives. Gestures can be either ambiguous or unambiguous. Deliberate movements and signals are important way to communicate meaning without words. Common gestures include waving, pointing, and using fingers to indicate number amounts. Other gestures are arbitrary and related to cultures or regions. Vocalics / Paralanguage Paralanguage deals with vocal cues, more accurately referred to as the nonphonemic qualities of language. These include accent, loudness, tempo, pitch, cadence, rate of speech, nasality and tone, insofar as these convey meaning. Vocalics is sub-divided into several categories:  Vocal characterizes include laughing, crying, yawning and so on. These can be associated with culture, such as the different ways various cultures accept the practice of belching.  Vocal qualifiers such as volume, pitch, rhythm and tempo also associated with cultural distinctions. In Arab culture, for example, speaking loudly connotes sincerity, whereas in North America it often is interpreted as aggressive.  Vocal segregate such as “uh”, “mmmm”, “uh-huh” also differ among various cultures and time.  Vocal rate deals with the speed at which people talk. Another factor that offers various interpretations. Chronemics Chronemics deals with the use of time as an element of communication. Chronemics considers the use of monochronemics (doing one thing at a time, emphasis on schedules and promptness, getting to the point quickly) versus polychronemics (doing several things at a time, emphasis on people and the whole of relationships). Monochronemics practice or conversation is common in Northern Europe and North America. Meanwhile, Latin American, Asian and Mediterranean cultures are more likely to use polychronemics conversation.

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Body Language & Various Forms Of Nonverbal Communication

Body Language and Posture Posture and body movement can also convey a great deal on information. Research on body language has grown significantly since 1970’s, but the popular media have focused on the over-interpretation of defensive postures, arm crossing, and leg crossing, especially after the publication of Julius Fast’s book Body Language. While these nonverbal behaviors can indicate feelings and attitudes, research suggests that body language is far subtler and less definitive that previously believed. The body language signals may also differ on the basis of gender, cultural and environmental influences. Proxemics People often refer to their need for personal space, which is also an important type of nonverbal communication. One aspect of this is the closeness between and among people when they speak, and the significant role that culture plays in this. A number of factors including social norms, situational factors, personality characteristics and level of familiarity also influence these zones classifications The father of Proxemics, Edward T. Hall, an anthropologist who described four distinct zones that people unconsciously use as they interact with others:    

Intimate distance – 0 to 18 inches Personal distance – 18 inches to 4 feet Social distance – 4 feet to 12 feet Public distance – beyond 12 feet

Occulesics / Eye Gaze Since the visual sense is dominant for most people, eye contact is an especially important factor in nonverbal communication. Looking, staring and blinking are also an important determining factor. When people encounter people or things that they like, the rate of blinking increase and pupils dilate. Looking at another person can indicate a range of emotions, including hostility, interest and attraction. People who has eye contact are viewed as confident, credible and having nothing to hide. Haptics Communicating through touch is another important nonverbal behavior. There has been a substantial amount of research on the importance of touch in infancy and early childhood. Harry Harlow’s classic monkey study demonstrated how the deprivation of touch and contact impedes development. Baby monkeys raised by wire mothers experienced permanent deficits in behavior and social interaction. Simple messages such as a firm handshake, a timid tap on the shoulder, a warm bear hug, a patronizing pat on the head or a controlling grip on an individual personal can be a critical type of touch factors. Appearance Our choice of color, clothing, hairstyles and other factors affecting appearance are also considered a means of nonverbal communication. Research on color psychology has demonstrated that different colors can invoke different moods. Appearance can also alter physiology reactions, judgment and

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Body Language & Various Forms Of Nonverbal Communication

interpretations. Even adornments, body piercing and tattoos are also another form of appearance that a reflective in nonverbal communications.

Future Expectation Despite the cues and behaviors, the future might bring other novel modes of communication. One such mode is already in the offing, involving what can be called brain waves. Through scientific experimentation, that all mental processes, in both humans and animals, are accompanied by the production of a complex pattern of minute electric currents. Each mental process is associated with its own individual pattern of electric fluctuation. Experimenters have been able to record them. It was also discovered that by relaying back these electric currents, it is possible to recreate in the mind of the recipient the mental process associated with a particular set of patterns. Dr. Jose Delgado who, using equipment to relay minute electric currents, was able to control a bull charging at him in the ring has spectacularly demonstrated the effectiveness of this method. This method, when developed for human use, could be called artificial telepathy and it would come under the heading of extra-lingual transfer of information between entities, and so would classify as a means of nonverbal communication.

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