Module 3.4 - Nonverbal Image

Module 4 – Introduction

When we talk about nonverbal image we are talking about the messages you send out without actually saying anything and the ones you receive that have little or no dialogue attached to them. All communication—verbal and nonverbal—is in code. As we will see, there are three primary types of nonverbal codes.

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1. Non-Verbal Image

The finest wardrobe in the world will not compensate for bad breath, body odor, or a disheveled and unkempt appearance. People do not like to do project/programme purpose with those they do not want to be seen with.

However, there is more than cleanliness and grooming involved here.

When we talk about nonverbal image we are talking about the messages, you send out without actually saying anything. This includes:

· Your hair, or lack of it, and the way it is cut and styled. If it is dyed, your choice of color or colors and their brightness and vibrancy.

· Grooming: general neatness and cleanliness.

· Conventional jewelry: rings, watches, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, etc.

· Unconventional jewelry: visible tattoos, tongue and chin studs, and other body piercings.

· Makeup: makeup is usually considered appropriate for women, not men.

· Accessories: briefcases, purses, luggage, pocket organizers, etc.

· Clothing: suits, ties, skirts, dresses, uniforms, protective garments, and other any other attire generally deemed “appropriate” for whatever it is you are doing. This also includes how the various garments go together—or clash. We’ll look at clothing in more detail later in the course.

Like it or not, all of trappings influence the people you are with. They also tell people things about you that you might not want them to know.

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2. Classifying the Code

Before looking at it in the workplace, let’s look at the basis for what we’re talking about. All communication—verbal and nonverbal—is in code. It is helpful to know how these codes developed. Communication researchers Paul Eckman and Wallace Friesen say there are three primary types of nonverbal codes:

Intrinsic nonverbal codes: We are all born with a certain amount of behavior hardwired into us in much the same way that some computers procedures are hardwired into the motherboards. This is how animals intrinsically know how to communicate with others of their species. When they are born, they know how to signal that they are hungry. They know how to make friends, mate, raise their offspring, cooperate with others in their group, find and establish their place in the pecking order, and protect themselves and their group from enemies.
Iconic nonverbal codes: These are the symbols and gestures animals—and humans—use to show they are hungry, or angry, or interested in mating. It is also used to deceive. Certain birds and animals will pretend to be lame to lead possible predators away from their nests. Researchers say some young, male elephant seals will act like females so they can enter an established harem and breed with the females there.
Arbitrary nonverbal codes: This is the code—symbols and gestures—that we create. While humans are believed to be the only species that can create arbitrary code, other species can learn to use it. Numerous animals have learned sign language. A chimpanzee named Washoe and a gorilla named Koko have been written about in academic journals and the media because of their ability to communicate in sign.

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3. Immediacy, Arousal, and Dominance

According to psychologist Albert Mehrabian, there are three ways to interpret nonverbal communication: immediacy, arousal, and dominance.

They are easiest to identify and observe in young children who have not learned how to conceal either their emotions or their feelings. They give us an honest reaction to the world and people around them:

Immediacy: These cues communicate our likes and dislikes, even the degree of each. We tend to move closer to people and things we like, and pull back or shy away from those we’d rather avoid, or that upset us. Watch children react to toys, pets, their parents, or a favorite teacher or friend. Then watch how they react to a threatening situation, such as a dog or an unfriendly adult.
Arousal: This shows how interested we really are. We are animated in voice, expression, and gestures when we are interested in someone or something. When bored, however, it’s just the opposite. Our voice becomes flat, our expression blank, and our gestures tend to disappear. Listen to children talk about the games they are playing, their toys, or a favorite movie. Then ask them to talk about bedtime, eating vegetables, or having to do chores.
Dominance: This is how we show—and acknowledge—rank and position. The way we stand, talk, and move shows what we perceive our status to and relationship with the person or people we are talking to. Watch how children gather around their favorite teachers, parents, or those children who are natural leaders. Watch them as they deal with older children, and with younger ones.

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5. What Do Words Have to Do With It?

In writing, it’s all about the words.

When it comes to talking face-to-face, it’s all about your body and voice.

And when it comes to meeting someone, it’s all about that first impression; an impression that is often made within the first 10 seconds.

Psychologists tell us that in a face-to-face conversation, our words provide only 7 percent of the meaning. How we say them, our inflection, provides 38 percent, and our body language provides the other 55. When you add those numbers together, you’ll see that 93 percent of face-to-face communication has little or nothing to do with the actual words being used.

If you want a quick example, turn on your TV set and watch a show with the volume turned off and see how much of the plot and the relationships among the characters you understand.

For another example, “talk” to a baby. It doesn’t matter what you say, as long as you have a big smile or a loving or caring look on your face and speak in either a happy or soothing tone. Untold thousands of college students have read their textbooks to their babies, and as long as they accompanied the words with appropriate tones and gestures, the baby was happy, and mom or dad got the homework done.

Physiologists tell us that each of us can produce about 700,000 unique movements and combinations of movements: arch the left eyebrow while smiling, frowning, or pursing the lips, etc. They have broken these movements down into about 60 discrete and symbolic signals and around 60 gestures.

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6. Examples of Nonverbal Cues

California author and project/programme purpose consultant Robert C. Brenner says that knowing just some of these nonverbal images can help you communicate better, and gives some examples we are all familiar with at his website, http://www.brennerbooks.com/. The following seven are fairly standard examples:

A nodding head normally means yes, especially in western societies.
Pointing two fingers at your eyes normally means “watch.”
Running your fingers through your hair—or where your hair used to be—can indicate frustration.
A smile or a grin is a universal signal for happiness.
Crying suggests sadness.
Crying while smiling indicates extreme happiness.
Slouching usually indicates boredom.

If you want to show openness and honesty, he says you should have your hands open and the palms visible. This should be accompanied by an open posture and a sincere facial expression.

“Your arms should be unfolded, not crossed. And your eyes should be focused on your action sponsor/beneficiary. Darting eyes suggest deceit. Looking left as you speak can suggest truth. Looking right when you speak may transmit dishonesty.”

And, he adds, “looking down when speaking conveys low self esteem.”

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7. Examples of Nonverbal Cues (Continued)

In the same way that words can have several meanings, so can gestures.

Brenner says that they have to be looked at in relation to what else is going on, or with what else you know about the person giving those signals:

Crossed arms can indicate defensiveness, or simply a comfortable position.
Touching the nose can suggest doubt in what the person is hearing. Alternatively, it could be a response to an itch, or soreness from a recent cold.
An unbuttoned jacket can signify openness and cooperation. Alternatively, it could also be an overweight person trying to fit into an old jacket.

“The key is that a nonverbal signal is not a complete message,” Brenner says.

“Watch for a pattern of signals that all have the same meaning. The body language should match the verbal expressions. It should also match the context of the situation. So look for body language in clusters of signals with common meanings.”

To get another perspective on nonverbal communication, Brenner tells of being “‘told’ by a deaf person that you can tell if a signing person is actually deaf by observing if they touch themselves.

“A hearing person will ‘sign’ words, but seldom touch the body. A deaf person often touches their chest as they ‘sign.’ The same gesture acorganizations sincere statements by hearing and non-hearing people. Touching a palm to the chest usually doesn’t occur unless a person is making an honest comment.”

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8. Your Interviewing Image

One time to be especially aware of the image you convey is when being interviewed for a new job, a promotion, or anything else. Here are some tips:

Show up early, somewhere between five and ten minutes. This gives you time to prepare yourself mentally, and go over those questions you want to ask. But don’t ask questions that show you assume that the job is yours.
Put on a big smile when you give the interviewer a strong—not a limp and not a bone-crushing—handshake, and then put on an interested and smiling face.
Keep smiling, but don’t turn it into forced grin.
Make eye contact, but do not turn it into a staring match. Look away periodically, but don’t look down. It can make you look too submissive.
Keep your head straight, not tilted.
When you take your seat, know how you are going to sit in it. If you lean back you are too relaxed; you’re not taking it seriously enough. If you lean to one side, you look as if you are uncomfortable, or don’t like the person you are talking to. Always lean a little bit forward, to show your interest—but don’t fall off the chair.
Do not smoke, chew gum, or fidget.
Address the person by name regularly.
Feel free to laugh if it seems appropriate, such as when the interviewer laughs.
If you are worried about sweaty palms, you can do the following:

Keep your hands open, not clenched
Have a tissue or handkerchief handy to wipe them off. Do not wipe them off on your pants or skirt. They probably won’t leave a sweat stain, but they will show how nervous you are.
Rinse your hands in cool water just before you go in.

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9. Nonverbal Case Study: Silent Movies

One of the most striking examples of just how successful, specific, and powerful nonverbal communication is can be found in the old silent movies. Aside from “cards” which were shown to set the stage, and give the occasional line of dialogue or other information that could not be transmitted physically, the actors and actresses told their stories with their faces and bodies.

They used gestures, pacing, position, touch, posture, and a vast array of facial expressions, glances, gazes, and looks. The only other “tools” they had were their costumes, sets, and props.

One of their most important tools was the smile. Psychologist and Harvard University Professor Nancy Etcoff, who studies the different ways that the brain triggers and recognizes emotions, calls the smile “nature’s peace symbol.”

It is the basic and most frequently used human expression; one we learned when we were still infants only a few months old.

We learned that at about the same time we learned how to frown.

Over time we learned how to express every other feeling and emotion in the infinite range that came between them.

There are smiles and looks that show happiness, innocence, love, relief, indifference, interest, compassion, smugness, respect, reverence, lust, revenge, spite, anger, and evil.

Those early movie actors didn’t need dialogue. Their bodies and their faces said everything that needed to be said.

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Assignments

Matching the Columns

1. Intrinsic codes	A. Show rank and position by the way we stand, talk and move.
2. Arousal cues	B. These are symbols and gestures used to show that we are hungry, angry, deceiving, etc.
3. Iconic codes	C. Communicate our likes and dislikes.
4. Immediacy cues	D. Are those behaviors we are born with.
5. Arbitrary codes	E. These are symbols and gestures that we create.
6. Dominance cues	F. This shows how interested we really are through an animated voice, expression, and gestures.

Answers:

1.) D

2.) F

3.) B

4.) C

5.) E

6.) A

Multiple Choice

1. One of the best ways to develop your nonverbal communication skills is to

a. Practice gestures in the mirror

b. Force yourself to use them

c. Show no expressions

d. None of the above

2. The two skills used to develop nonverbal communication are

a. Dialogue and giving speeches

b. Speech writing and listening

c. Transmitting and receiving messages

d. None of the above

3. The most basic and frequently used human expression is the

a. Handshake

b. Wave

c. Smile

d. All of the above

4. You can build your image during an interview by

a. Showing up early

b. Make eye contact

c. Address the person by name

d. All of the above

5. Cross arms can indicate

a. Defensiveness

b. A comfortable position

c. None of the above

d. All of the above

6. The body language should match the ______ expressions.

a. Verbal

b. Nonverbal

c. Body

d. None of the above

7. Psychologists say that in face-to-face conversation, our words make up ______ of the meaning.

a. 93 %

b. 55%

c. 7%

d. 100%

8. First impressions are generally made in the first _______ after meeting someone.

a. 10 seconds

b. Hour

c. Minute

d. None of the above

Summary

As we have seen, all communication—verbal and nonverbal—is in code; broken down into three basic types of code. We can learn to understand these codes to better understand the nonverbal messages being transmitted to and around us, and also learn how to have more control over the messages we are transmitting.

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Test

1. ______ The way your hair is cut and styled is a message you send out to others.

2. ______ Iconic codes are those we are born with that reveal certain behaviors.

3. ______ Arousal cues communicate our likes and dislikes.

4. ______ We are not judged by the way we dress or the nonverbal messages we send out through our grooming.

5. ______ When talking face-to-face it is all about words.

6. ______ Our words provide only 7% of the meaning.

7. ______ First impressions are made in the first hour of meeting someone.

8. ______ A smile or grin is a universal sign for happiness.

9. ______ Crossed arms can indicate defensiveness or a comfortable position.

10.______ The nonverbal signal is the complete message.

Answers:

1. T

2. F – Intrinsic codes

3. F – Immediacy cues

4. F – We are judged

5. F – Its all about body and voice.

6. T

7. F – First impressions are made in the first 10 minutes.

8. T

9. T

10. F – Is not the complete message

Bibliography

Knapp, M., & Hall, J. (1992). Nonverbal communication in human interaction. Fort Worth: Holt Rinehart & Winston.

Madonik, B. (2001). I hear what you say, but what are you telling me?: The strategic use of nonverbal communication in mediation. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Morris, D. (1994). Bodytalk: The meaning of human gestures. New York: Crown Trade Paperbacks.

Wainwright, G. (1993). Body language. Lincolnwood, IL: NTC Publication Group.

Glossary

Intrinsic nonverbal codes – Nonverbal cues that we are born with that helps us communicate with others.

Iconic nonverbal codes – These are the symbols and gestures used to show that we as humans are hungry, angry, interested in mating, or even deceptive.

Arbitrary nonverbal codes – These are the symbols and gestures that we create.

Nonverbal images – These are the messages we send out without actually saying anything and the ones you receive that have little or no dialogue attached to them.

Learning Objectives

· All communication, verbal and nonverbal, is in code. There are three primary types of nonverbal codes – intrinsic, iconic, and arbitrary.

· Nonverbal images are those messages we send out without actually saying anything and the ones you receive that have little or no dialogue attached to them

Q&A

1. What are the differences between the three ways to interpret nonverbal communication?

Immediacy cues communicate our every degree of our likes and dislikes. Arousal cues show how interested we really are through the animation in our voice, expression, and gestures. Dominance cues show and acknowledge our rank and position. The way we stand, talk, and move shows what we perceive our status to and relationship with the person or people we are talking to.

2. What is the difference between transmitting messages and receiving them?

Transmitting messages are those messages that you send out about yourself, your attitudes, feelings, and even your enthusiasm, or lack of it, for you job. Receiving or interpreting messages are those that we get by trying to figure out what other people are saying by their dress, looks, attitudes, and gestures.

3. What is nonverbal image?

Nonverbal images are those messages we send out and receive without any words being exchanged. These messages can come from your hair, grooming, conventional and unconventional jewelry, makeup, and clothing.

2. Classifying the Code

Assignments

End of Module