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? =)
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hello wanling! yes i strongly agree that communciation is portrayed by both non-verbal comm and verbal communication. Most of us tend to only focus on our verbal communication when we converse with others. But after learning so much from your video about how non-verbal communciatin also play an important role in communicatin, i think we also ought to be weary of our non-verbal cues and take care to be mindful of them!
ReplyDeleteanyway good use of example and illustrations. :)
i didn't realise about the eyes until i read your post! it really shows that the eyes can subtly and subconciously give away your emotions. therefore it is very important for us to take note of our body language to make sure that we are not sending the wrong message across to the recipients! maybe i will consider talking with my eyes close. :)
ReplyDeleteVery detailed observation of his nonverbal cues! I think you practically pointed out all. (I kind of pity this poor guy right now.) His nonverbal cues were really bad; it conveyed badly of himself as well as probably caused awkwardness in his audience too.
ReplyDeleteYou got me thinking about how controllable body language is. I think most of us give way to uncontrollable nonverbal cues under stress especially. We can perhaps learn a fair bit from that speaker. (As in what NOT to do!)
The speaker was outright distressed. But as one considers the sender, one has to consider the receing audience as well:
ReplyDeleteIf the receivers were poor at understanding non-verbal cues, i.e. shockingly insensitive, the message his nonverbals send might not get through at all. Do you think it counts as communication still? (: