BODY LANGUAGE

Paul Eleman says, “We talk with our vocal cords. But we communicate with our facial expressions, our tone of voice, our whole body.”

MEANING

“Body language is the unconscious and conscious transmission and interpretation of feelings, attitudes, and moods, through:

body posture, movement, physical state, position and relationship to other bodies, objects and surroundings, facial expression and eye movement”.

KINESICS Kinesics means the study of role of body

movements such as winking, shrugging, moving, walking, laughing etc.

Movements of the body, or some part of it, used to communicate an idea, intention or feeling.

It is the way people:• Reinforce the spoken word • Replace the spoken word using their bodies to

make visual signals or their voices to make oral but non-verbal signals

KINESICS To interpret facial expressions correctly, it is

important to take the communication context and culture into account.

People in some cultures rarely show emotion (China); Asians will smile or laugh softly when they are embarrassed.

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BODILY SPEAKING…

According to the social anthropologist, Edward T. Hall, in a normal conversation between two persons, less than 35% of the social meanings is actually transmitted by words.

So, at least 65% of it is conveyed through the body (non-verbal channel).

Verbal Communication-7%

Bodily Movements, Gestures-55%

Voice tone-38%

Importance

Replace speech Regulate flow and rhythm of interaction Maintain attention Add emphasis to speech Make memorable the content of speech

Effective Use of Body Language

Mind the body talk Be careful with the handshake Establish good eye contact Communicate at the level of the person before you We must be ourselves Graceful Movements and Confident posture

improve the atmosphere at the workplace

NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

KINESICS

FACIAL EXPRESSIONS

USE OFHANDS/ HEAD

USEOF

ARMS

USEOF

LEGS

POSTURE

USEOF

EYES

APPEARANCE AND ATTIRE

FACIAL EXPRESSIONS

Face is Index of mind. Thoughts of mind and feelings often find

expression on the face. Generally associated with happiness, surprise,

fear, anger, sadness, bewilderment, astonishment and contentment.

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FACES

Kinesics: facial expression

Birdwhistle (1970): the face is capable of conveying 250,000 expressions

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FACE

The face is capable of conveying 250,000 expressions (Birdwhistle, 1970).

Impact factors:Verbal Impact, 7 percentVocal Impact, 38 percentFacial Impact, 55 percent

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EYES* Most expressive part of human beings.* Eyes along with eyebrows, eyelids and the size of pupil convey

inner most feelings. * E.g. Dilated pupil tells that person is surprised or excited.* Eye contacts

- Encouraged in America, Canada, Europe- Rude in most Asian countries and in Africa

* Raising eyebrows- “Yes” in Thailand and some Asian countries- “Hello” in the Philippines- Asking question in India.

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EYES (Cont’d)

* Winking eye- Sharing secret in America and Europe- flirtatious gesture in other countries

* Closed eyes- bored or sleepy in America, India.- “I’m listening and concentrating.” in Japan,

Thailand, China

SMILE, NOSE, EARS

These body parts communicate different things Smiling increases sociability, likeability, attraction.*Ear grasp: eg I’m sorry.” in parts of India*Cupping the ear: eg. “I can’t hear you.” in all

societies*Holding the nose: eg. “Something smells bad.”

universal*Nose tap: eg: “It’s confidential.” England

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CHEEKS, LIPS AND MOUTH

* Cheek screw: eg. gesture of praise - Italy- “That’s crazy.” Germany

* Whistle, yawn, smile, bite, point, sneeze, spit….

* Open mouth: Any display of the open mouth is considered very rude in most countries.

GESTURES These are observed actions. Non vocal bodily movements intended to express

meaning. These may be articulated with hands, arms or body

We categorize Gestures into

5 different kinds.

1. Affect DisplaysMovements of the face to convey

or show emotionsHappy, sad, fear, anger, etc.

2. EmblemsSubstitutions for wordsSpecific verbal translationEX: “OK,” “peace,” “be quiet”

3. IllustratorsAccompany and literally illustrate the

verbal messageEX: Saying, “Let’s go” while motioning

with your hands for them to go, it was “this big” while showing how big, making a circular motion while talking about a circle

IllustratorAsking, “What

time is it?”At the same

time, pointing to your watch.

4. RegulatorsMonitor, maintain, or

control the speaking of another individual.

EX: nodding your head, “keep going,” “speed up.”

Regulators

Who is sending an “I’m really listening” regulator message? How do you know?

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are needed to see this picture.

5. Adaptors Satisfy a need & are usually

unconscious 3 types:

1. Self-adaptors2. Alter-adaptors3. Object-adaptors

5. Adaptors1. Self-adaptors: satisfy a physical

needEX: scratching your head, pushing your hair out of your face

5. Adaptors1. Self-adaptors2. Alter-adaptors: body movements you

make in response to your current interactionsEX: crossing your arms when someone unpleasant approaches

5. Adaptors1. Self-adaptors2. Alter-adaptors3. Object-adaptors: manipulation of

objects; often happen when feeling hostileEX: clicking pen, chewing pencil

SPEECH INDEPENDENT GESTURES

Autonomous gestures, or emblemsDirect verbal translation High agreement among users

SPEECH RELATED GESTURES Illustrators--directly tied to, or accompany, speech.

Four common types are:gestures related to speaker’s referentgestures indicating speaker’s relationship to the referentvisual punctuation interaction gestures

REFERENT RELATED

Characterize the content of our speech Such as pointing at objects Pointing in a general direction

RELATIONSHIP TO THE REFERENT

Comment on the speaker’s orientation to the referent

Eg: How much you care?

PUNCTUATION GESTURES

Accent or emphasize a single word Coincides with the primary voice stress Used for commas, periods, etc..... Can be accomplished with gestures, body

movements, and eye and vocal changes too

INTERACTION GESTURES

Used to acknowledge the other relative to the speaker

Help to regulate and organize the interaction Turn-exchange behaviors Nearly 1/2 of gestures in an interaction serve

this purpose Gestures are not limited to a single function

POSTURE

It refers to the way one stands, sits or walk. A person's bodily stance communicates a rich

variety of messages. Postures are ways of positioning the body or

certain parts of it, such as slouching in a chair or kneeling in prayer.

•Both postures and gestures are under more conscious control than facial expressions and more regulated by cultural norms and conventions.

•Good posture should be natural and relaxed, not stiff and tense.  As with all other elements of your speaking, verbal and non-verbal, it takes practice.

Basic Types of Body Language Postures

OPEN / CLOSED: People with arms folded and legs crossed and bodies turned away are signaling that they are rejecting messages. People showing open hands, fully facing you and both feet planted on the ground are accepting them.

A slumped posture indicates that you have low spirits, are fatigued or that you feel inferior. Whereas, an erect posture shows high spirits and confidence. 

Basic Types of Body Language postures

FORWARD/ BACK: When people are leaning forward and pointing towards you they are actively accepting or rejecting the message. When they are leaning back, looking up at the ceiling, doodling on a pad, cleaning their glasses they are either passively absorbing or ignoring it.

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HANDS

* Of all the body parts, the hands are probably used most for communicating non-verbally.

* Hand waves are used for greetings, beckoning, or farewells.

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HANDS* The Italian “good-bye” wave can be interpreted by

Americans as the gesture of “come here.”* The American “good-bye” wave can be interpreted in

many parts of Europe and Latin America as the signal for “no.”

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HANDS (Cont’d)

* Beckoning. * The American way of getting attention (raising a hand

with the index finger raised above head) could be considered rude in Japan, and also means “two” in Germany.

* The American “come here” gesture could be seen as an insult in most Asian countries.

* In China, to beckon a waiter to refill your tea, simply turn your empty cup upside down.

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HANDS (Cont’d)

* Right hand. The right hand has special significance in many societies. In certain countries in the Middle East and in Asia, it is best to present business cards or gifts, or to pass dishes of food, to get an attention, using only the right hand or both.

* Left hand is considered unclean in much of the Middle East and in parts of Indonesia.

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HANDS (Cont’d)

* Hang loose. (thumb and little finger extended) * could convey different meanings:

* in Hawaii, it’s a way of saying, “Stay cool,” or “Relax.”* in Japan, it means six.* In Mexico (do vertically), it means, “Would you like a

drink?”

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HANDS (Cont’d)

* Clapping hands.* Russians and Chinese may use applause to

greet someone.* In many central and eastern Europe, audience

frequently clap in rhythm.

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HANDSHAKE

* Handshaking is a form of greeting in most Western cultures. * In the Middle East, a gentle grip is

appropriate.* In most Asian cultures, a gentle

grip and an avoidance of direct eye contact is appropriate.

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HANDSHAKE

Types of Handshake A firm handshake: shows confidence and keenness. A limp handshake: shows lack of confidence, inferiority

complex. A clasp: using both hands suggest high degree of warmth and

respect. A vice like grip: a right grip which makes the other person

uncomfortable, suggest some kind of dominance.

The knuckle Grinder Dead fish

Handshakes

Proxemics:

Common Gesture ClustersEvaluation:

Evaluation gestures say that the other person is being thoughtful or is considering what you are saying. Sometimes in a friendly way sometimes in an unfriendly way.

Typical evaluation gestures include tilted head, hand to cheek, leaning forward and chin stroking

Common Gesture ClustersEvaluation:

Sometimes evaluation gestures take on a critical aspect.

The body is more drawn back The hand is to the face but the chin is in the palm

of the hand with one finger going up the cheek and the other fingers positioned below the mouth.

This is generally an unfavorable gesture.

Common Gesture ClustersEvaluation:

To gain time for evaluating the situation people use cigarette or pipe smoking habits, removing eyeglasses.

A final negative evaluation gesture is dropping his eyeglasses to the lower bridge of noise and peering over them.

This gesture usually causes a negative emotional overreaction in other people.

Body Language (Kinesics):

Body Language (Kinesics):

Body Language (Kinesics):

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FINGERS

* The “O.K.” signal. (the thumb and forefinger form a circle) means* “fine,” or “O.K.” in most cultures,* “zero” or “worthless” in some parts of Europe* “money” in Japan* an insult in Greece, Brazil, Italy, Turkey, Russia and

some other countries

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FINGERS (Cont’d)

* “Thumb-up” means:* “O.K.” “good job” or “fine” in most cultures,* “Up yours!” in Australia* “Five” in Japan; “One” in Germany

* Avoid a thumb-up in these countries: Australia, New Zealand, Greece, Turkey, Iran, Russia, and most African countries.

Appearance & Attire

A man is recognized by his “dress & address”. “Address” means the way person speak to the

others. Initially the audience judge the speaker from his

physical appearance, physique, attractiveness, personal hygiene, body odour, hair style and even from our skin tone.

Activity

Watch a scene from a television drama with the sound turned down, paying particular attention to non-verbal clues. Watch again with sound. How much of a contribution has the performance of

non-verbal codes made to the meaning of the scene and the identity of the characters?