1. Non Verbal Communication
Haptics and olfactics

2. Questions from the Reading
What is haptics and how does it differ among various cutures? Give some examples from the reading? What touch is inappropriate in your culture?
What is Olfactics? Why are we uncomfortable with body odor? How important is smell in your culture? Give an example.
How does smell influence our interactions?

3. Non Verbal Communication
Nonverbal communication is the process of communicating through sending and receiving wordless (mostly visual) cues between people. It is sometimes mistakenly referred to as body language (kinesics), but nonverbal communication encompasses much more, such as use of touch (haptics) and distance (proxemics)

4. Haptics
Haptic communication is a form of nonverbal communication and the way by which people and animals communicate via touching. Touch is the most effective means to communicate feelings and emotions.
The withholding of touch may communicate a variety of negative feelings.

5. Touch in animals Gentling, stroking and touching of newborn animals.
Licking –to clean the offspring. Also plays an important role in stimulating the physiological functions of newborn animals and therefore contributes to their survival.

6. Examples…

7. Touch in Humans
Tactile communication in the early stages of life may establish the foundation of all other forms of communications that humans later develop.
As one grows older, the frequency of touch decreases.
Touch can sometimes communicate better than verbal communication.

8. Categories of Touch
Friendship-Touch –let’s another person know we care for, value, and have an interest in her or him. Probably the most difficult to interpret, both for the receiver of the touch and the sender.
Boys distance themselves from their parents at an earlier age than girls. There is more touching with the same sex parent than with cross-sex parents.

9. Examples…

10. Categories of Touch
Professional-Functional Touch –Managers should know the effectiveness of using touch while communicating to subordinates but need to be cautious and understand how touch can be misunderstood. A hand on the shoulder for one person may mean a supportive gesture while it could mean a sexual advance to another person

11. Appropriate or not?

12. What emotions are communicated through following handshakes?

13. Friendliness but professional

14. Informal bond

15. Thankful or expressing pity

16. Romantic meaning

17. Bond or accomplishment

18. Relevance to Business Communication
When conducting business in other cultures, be aware of haptics etiquette. Adapt yourself to cultural norms of business partners.
When unsure whether you are dealing with a non-touch culture or a touch culture, it is better to avoid touch.

19. Olfactics
How do you smell?

20. Our sense of smell
Human genes are designed to use smell to detect thousands of compounds.
Smell/scent is not talked about much as it has a negative connotation
Most cultures try to cover/remove/mask body odors

21. How smell influences us
Scent can function as sexual attractant
Idiomatic expressions often involve scent in a negative way:
I smell a rat
This smells fishy
Research shows smell is associated with social status/class
People judge other races/cultures based on their smell.

22. Smell and interaction
Research shows that the sense of smell is very important in our interactions with others.
Many cultures value a fresh/clean smell saying it contributes to life quality.
Smell can create a sense of bond and unity

23. How important is smell to you?
Take the Personal Report of Olfactory Perception and Sensitivity (PROPS) test