Overview of chapter6
I don't believe you. Look me in the eye and say that.
She must like me. She always sits next to me at lunch.
Did you see what she was wearing?
You're late. Where have you been? You know how important this meeting is.
To start you thinking
- Next time you go shopping or you sit in a café, (discreetly!) observe people's non-verbal behaviour. How are they sitting or standing? What is their expression? How would you translate their hand gestures and facial expressions.
- Turn on a radio. How can you determine the intent of the person's message without seeing them?
- Turn on the television and turn off the sound. How can you determine the intent of the person's message without hearing them?
The introductory examples illustrate the attention that we pay to non-verbal communication. Indeed, some of the most important messages that touch our lives are sent non-verbally. For example, when time is critical, alarms, sirens and signals are used; when a message is too complicated for words, diagrams and graphs are used; when words cannot get the message across clearly, we use paintings and photographs. Yoder et al. (1996) suggest that two-thirds or more of the meaning received in a communication situation comes from non-verbal behaviours as compared to the verbal message. This chapter considers the 'mysteries' underlying non - verbal communication.
Learning objectives
On completion of this chapter you should be able to:
- Describe three types of non-verbal messages
- Describe how cultural norms affect the non-verbal part of the message
- Identify aspects of non-verbal behaviour
- Explain the role of non-verbal communication
- Check for contradictions between verbal and non-verbal communication
- Understand the meaning of ambiguous non-verbal communication.
Topics
- 6.1 Overview of non-verbal communication
- 6.2 Types of non-verbal communication
- 6.3 Aspects of non-verbal behaviour
- 6.4 The role of non-verbal communication
- 6.5 Contradiction between the verbal and the non-verbal message and how to check the meaning of non-verbal behaviour
In your text
Read Chapter 3 in your text by Dwyer, J. 2005, Communication in Business: Strategies and Skills, 3 rd edn, Pearson Education Australia, Frenchs Forest , Australia .
