DEVELOPED BY: CPUC LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT GROUP PRESENTED BY: MM/DD/YYYY Communication Series: Non-Verbal Communication Rev Date: 3/1/11

Purpose and Goals Statement Purpose  Provide an overview of non-verbal communication  Introduce the various types of non-verbal communication  Kinesics  Paralanguage  Proxemics  Artifactual  Haptics Goals and Outcomes  Promote awareness  Communicate more effectively  Understand how to prevent and avoid misinterpretation

Introduction What’s non-verbal communication?  Definition  Occurs with every encounter, mostly subconsciously  Does not always match up to words spoken

Basic Communication Process

Background “What you are speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say” -Ralph Waldo Emerson People tend to place more emphasis on the nonverbal communications. The 7%-38%-55% rule  Albert Mehrabian found that only 7% of a message’s effect are carried by words “All movements of the body have meaning. None are accidental" - Ray L. Birdwhistel

TYPES OF NON-VERBAL MESSAGES Types of non-verbal communications: 1. Kinesics (body language) 2. Paralanguage (voice and tone) 3. Proxemic (space and distance) 4. Artifactual Communication (visual and colors) 5. Haptics (touch)

Kinesics Kinesics is the interpretation of body language Speakers engage in body language without even knowing it People interpret body language without even knowing it

Examples of Kinesics Facial expressions can convey emotions and reaction to the speaker Positioning of fingers, hand and arms, feet and leg can convey level of agreement or interested. Body leaning back or forward can indicate level of interest or aggression.

Kinesics Exercise and Video Jan Hargrave, Body Language Expert

Paralanguage Paralanguage communication is communication through pitch, volume, and intonation of speech. Paralanguage represents the vocal cues that accompany spoken language. Different tone, pitch, speed, volume, or using pause and silence can influence the interpretation of the words spoken.

Examples of Paralanguage Someone may have greeted you with a "good morning!" but the tone of the words revealed that it was anything but a good morning. A client comes up to the helpdesk counter and doesn’t see anyone there. So she yells “Helloooooo!” After helping her, the help desk technicians talk about how angry and rude she was and reported it to the supervisor. 'It's not what he said, it's the way he said it."

Proxemics Proxemic communication is communicating with others by virtue of the relative positioning of our bodies. People are inherently territorial Invisible markers are used to reserve space and set boundaries. An acceptable "social distance" between themselves and the person they’re speaking with exists.

Proxemic Distance Chart

Examples of Proxemics A person maintains a wide social distance of 4 feet when he talks to people. An employee on a work visa from Italy frequently engages in hugging her co-workers.

Artifactual Communication Artifactual communication is a non-verbal technique humans use to express themselves to the world through:  Color  Objects  Space

Artifactual Examples

Haptics Haptic communication is the means by which people and other animals communicate via touching. Touches that can be defined as communication include:  Handshakes,  Kissing (cheek, lips, hand),  Back slapping,  High fives,  A pat on the shoulder The meaning conveyed from touch greatly varies.

Haptic Examples

Misinterpretations Body language and non-verbal behavior can be very easily misinterpreted. Non-verbal messages can be very ambiguous. Decoding non-verbal communication is subjective. Differences in culture can often lead to misinterpretations.

Example of Misinterpretation You are talking to a colleague and he constantly yawns. What goes through your mind?  Do you think he is bored?  Is he being rude to you?  Did he eat too much at lunchtime?  Maybe your own interpretation depends to some extent on your mood or how you slept the night before.

Avoiding Misinterpretation As a Speaker: 1. Be aware of your non-verbal communication 2. Your words and actions must match 3. Know your audience 4. Speak clearly

Avoiding Misinterpretation As a Listener: 1. Don’t Jump to Conclusions 2. When In Doubt, Stick with the Words 3. Consider the Context 4. Clarify!

Summary Non-verbal communication is a given. Speakers may give off nonverbal communication that doesn’t match the words spoken. Listeners need to be attuned to nonverbal communication, but be careful how to interpret. Understanding nonverbal messages can help both speakers and listeners be better communicators.

Conclusion Thank you for completing this seminar.