Nonverbal communication occurs when a stimulus other than words creates meaning in the mind of the communicator. It contains intentional symbolic behavior and is receiver –oriented, which means that it is up to the receiver to understand the meaning behind the nonverbal cues. Nonverbal cues are an influential source of meaning, taking up to 60% of communication. This means that communication is not just about talking and listening to a person, it means to take in the whole picture of his body language and even how he spoke.
Take a look at this video here!
Besides the fact that we cannot make out his speech, most of us would feel that he was terribly nervous from what he was telling us nonverbally. Now let us take a look at his nonverbal cues.
Remember how much he was fidgeting? He could not help but move his arms about on the podium ledge as he speaks, sometimes clenching and unclenching them. He was also moving his body from side to side. There were even times where he sighed halfway through his speech, as though tired of making his speech. His body language subconsciously goes into this mode to show his nervousness, and even without hearing his speech, we automatically conclude that he is feeling very flustered.
Also, his vocal nonverbal cues were really good indication of how unprepared and nervous he was for his speech! He sighed in his speech and there were also times where he paused too long. Sometimes in speeches, vocal nonverbal cues can be a part of communication too. For him, what he was saying was not only his speech, but also how nervous he was.
Apart from his body language and articulation, his eyes also gave him away. If you can recall, his eyes were darting about nervously, and he preferred not making eye-contact with his audience. Many good speakers are well-aware that the eyes are a very important tool of nonverbal communication. That is why during speeches or campaigns, speakers usually look straight into the camera, or into the eyes of their audience. It gives the impression that they are confident of what they are saying and are sure of their abilities.
Last but not least, let us take a look at how he was dressed for his class speech. Granted, it was only a class speech so there was no need to wear formal attire like suits and pants, as required for important speeches (think of how US President Obama and Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong dress for any of their speeches) However, wearing a cap, a ratty T-shirt and sweatpants is definitely not the proper dress code for a speech. Physical appearances say a lot about a person and many first impressions are formed from the way people look or dressed. We associate specific personalities with the way people dress. For example, a person dressed in branded goods would be associated with being a shopaholic, or a person who wear basketball shoes as an athletic.
Communication is not just about speaking to others and understanding what people are saying. It also includes how we portray ourselves, what our body language or tone is communicating nonverbally to others. After taking a look at the video and reading this post, how many nonverbal cues have you been using to mis-communicate? =)
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Let's learn Chinese!
Take a look at this video:
Given the rise of China as a global economic and cultural power, the language has made its presence felt all over the world, as seen by the opening ceremony of The 2008 Beijing Olympics. Investors and businessmen who had forseen what China is capable of promising are all learning Mandarin.
Have you seen this video before? It was part of Singapore's Speak Mandarin Campaign 2009.
Singapore's Speak Mandarin Campaign has started since 1979, and recent campaigns have turned their attention to focus on children instead. Indeed, people have started realizing the importance of learning mandarin nowadays. There are some who pick up the Chinese language because it proves useful in business. There are some who adopt the language simply because our parents said so. Whatever the reasons may be, today more than ever, there is no denying the importance of learning Chinese.
Some of you might ask, why do we have to learn Mandarin? Isn't it enough that there are Chinese who understand the international language of English? Well, it definitely is not enough.
Firstly, language is symbolic. As quoted from Thinking through Communication, " To communicate, people must find a way to express the ideas that originate in their minds." Having a common language helps us to understand better what each other is talking about and how they feel, as we are now starting from a common ground. Many misunderstandings have occurred due to language barriers. For instance, every Mandarin word has four tones, and each of the four tones can mean a different word. What was meant as a greeting may come across as an insult. Not knowing how to speak Mandarin properly when dealing with their China-counterparts can lead to misunderstandings and unhappiness, and eventually lead to a failure in business dealings for investors.
Also, learning Chinese also means that we get a chance to understand a different culture. The Chinese language belongs to a high-context culture, where it is not necessary to spell out messages explicitly. They believe that where and how something is said is as important as what is said. As such, it is important to understand the language to further understand the other contextual cues that Chinese uses. Understanding the culture will also help us in doing the 'correct' thing at the right time. For instance, the Chinese have many taboos. It is considered very inauspicious to give a clock as a gift as the Chinese phrase for 'giving a clock' sounds the same as the phrase for 'sending a person off for his funeral'. The Chinese pronunciation for 'pears' sounds the same as the one for 'leaving', which means it is also a taboo to give pears. A false step due to a lack of understanding in the Chinese culture will leave many investors and businessmen unknowingly 'blacklisted'.
Given the rise in power of China both economically and culturally, it is a wise choice to start mastering Chinese. Sooner or later, we will have to encounter situations where we have to deal with Chinese, and knowing their language will put us at an advantage over the rest!
Given the rise of China as a global economic and cultural power, the language has made its presence felt all over the world, as seen by the opening ceremony of The 2008 Beijing Olympics. Investors and businessmen who had forseen what China is capable of promising are all learning Mandarin.
Have you seen this video before? It was part of Singapore's Speak Mandarin Campaign 2009.
Singapore's Speak Mandarin Campaign has started since 1979, and recent campaigns have turned their attention to focus on children instead. Indeed, people have started realizing the importance of learning mandarin nowadays. There are some who pick up the Chinese language because it proves useful in business. There are some who adopt the language simply because our parents said so. Whatever the reasons may be, today more than ever, there is no denying the importance of learning Chinese.
Some of you might ask, why do we have to learn Mandarin? Isn't it enough that there are Chinese who understand the international language of English? Well, it definitely is not enough.
Firstly, language is symbolic. As quoted from Thinking through Communication, " To communicate, people must find a way to express the ideas that originate in their minds." Having a common language helps us to understand better what each other is talking about and how they feel, as we are now starting from a common ground. Many misunderstandings have occurred due to language barriers. For instance, every Mandarin word has four tones, and each of the four tones can mean a different word. What was meant as a greeting may come across as an insult. Not knowing how to speak Mandarin properly when dealing with their China-counterparts can lead to misunderstandings and unhappiness, and eventually lead to a failure in business dealings for investors.
Also, learning Chinese also means that we get a chance to understand a different culture. The Chinese language belongs to a high-context culture, where it is not necessary to spell out messages explicitly. They believe that where and how something is said is as important as what is said. As such, it is important to understand the language to further understand the other contextual cues that Chinese uses. Understanding the culture will also help us in doing the 'correct' thing at the right time. For instance, the Chinese have many taboos. It is considered very inauspicious to give a clock as a gift as the Chinese phrase for 'giving a clock' sounds the same as the phrase for 'sending a person off for his funeral'. The Chinese pronunciation for 'pears' sounds the same as the one for 'leaving', which means it is also a taboo to give pears. A false step due to a lack of understanding in the Chinese culture will leave many investors and businessmen unknowingly 'blacklisted'.
Given the rise in power of China both economically and culturally, it is a wise choice to start mastering Chinese. Sooner or later, we will have to encounter situations where we have to deal with Chinese, and knowing their language will put us at an advantage over the rest!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Banning of Facebook in council
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/hampshire/8231234.stm
Facebook is an example of the interactive model of communication. For these council staff, both senders and receivers are active participants influenced by their own individual factors, such as whether they are affected by the statement the sender has posted on Facebook, or even whether they are interested in what the sender has to say. There is feedback and processes of encoding and decoding are taking place.
However, in the office, a transactional communication model is going on. There is simultaneous exchange and mutual influence between the staff and the authorities. In this case, it can be seen that their communication has been negatively affected by the environment, their usage of Facebook. What the staff views as important, such as the updating of their Facebook statuses, is not decoded by their superiors as such. In fact, it is decoded as employees not doing their jobs well and wasting taxpayers’ money. Banning its staff from using Facebook is a way to remove the negative influences of the environment by doing away with distractions. In this way, they will be better able to decode the messages that their work requires them to do.
This article talks about how a council is to ban Facebook on its computers after it was revealed staff spent on average 400 hours on the site every month. Usage of Facebook is becoming such a serious problem for government sectors that its authorities have to resort to banning its staff from using it. Facebook is a live system where users can post how they feel or what they think, and they are able to get immediate responses from their friends. People can easily post what they want to share and their friends are able to reply immediately.
Facebook is an example of the interactive model of communication. For these council staff, both senders and receivers are active participants influenced by their own individual factors, such as whether they are affected by the statement the sender has posted on Facebook, or even whether they are interested in what the sender has to say. There is feedback and processes of encoding and decoding are taking place.
However, in the office, a transactional communication model is going on. There is simultaneous exchange and mutual influence between the staff and the authorities. In this case, it can be seen that their communication has been negatively affected by the environment, their usage of Facebook. What the staff views as important, such as the updating of their Facebook statuses, is not decoded by their superiors as such. In fact, it is decoded as employees not doing their jobs well and wasting taxpayers’ money. Banning its staff from using Facebook is a way to remove the negative influences of the environment by doing away with distractions. In this way, they will be better able to decode the messages that their work requires them to do.
Facebook has been a source of controversy ever since it was launched. Critics of it have long warned that playing Facebook can cause disruptions and distractions to our daily lives just because Facebook is so accessible and easy-to-use! However, even though we all know about the negative effects of using Facebook, we just cannot stop ourselves from becoming addicted to it. Using it is one of the recent fads to follow and to not use it is a way of ostracizing yourself. This is what Francis Bacon has analyzed – the Idol of the Theatre. We accept the fashion uncritically and this may lead to many misunderstandings.
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