What primarily distinguishes us from others biological species? Moves social and personal progress? Allows us to understand the world more broadly, making us who we are - creatures with developed intellect and thinking?
Of course, this is communication - the exchange of information and interactions between two or more individuals.
Communication is divided into two groups: verbal and non-verbal. And also - for individual and mass. The interaction of verbal and nonverbal means of transmitting information helps to diversify the conversation and give it the desired character. Both of these forms are equally important in live communication.
This group includes the transmission of information using words - speech. There are two types of speech interactions:
Oral conversation:
Written conversation:
Speech is possible thanks to the main tool of communication – language. Language is a system of signs and symbols, different combinations of which convey information about a specific object/phenomenon. Using language requires thinking and intelligence.
The peculiarities of the language are that it is diverse and multifaceted. So, there are non-literary and literary forms and types of it, used by people depending on the specific life situation.
Mastery of verbal communication skills is the key to successful interpersonal communications. It is necessary to develop not only intelligence, correctness and literacy of speech, reading classical literature and studying native and foreign languages. It is important to be able to speak in the sense in which psychology teaches it - to learn to listen to your interlocutor, to remove barriers and fear of contacting other people, to express understanding and sympathy. A person who skillfully uses skills verbal communications, easy to find mutual language with any personality, even the most difficult one.
The nonverbal form of communication is also called “body language” or “gesture language.” It includes all the information that we convey to the interlocutor or interlocutors without speech, as well as interactions with them that carry a certain emotional connotation. For example, a handshake (expresses friendliness and willingness to cooperate), a kiss (love), a pat on the shoulder (a familiar friendly gesture), etc.
Nonverbal communication occurs only in face-to-face conversations. Conversation in in social networks through personal messages is deprived of this communicative component.
Psychology converts Special attention to this form of communication - it says more about a person than verbal communication can tell.
Non-verbal means are very important for pedagogical communication. They help the teacher attract and hold the attention of students and develop his teaching style. With the active and appropriate use of gestures and facial expressions in the process of pedagogical communication, students better assimilate the material and use thinking, they become more open and make contact more easily.
A heavy gait is typical for people who are overwhelmed by anger or other negative emotions, while a light, airy gait indicates a person’s cloudless mood.
This is how the interaction of verbal and non-verbal means of transmitting information is manifested.
People watch their speech and what they communicate to their interlocutors. It is much more difficult to constantly control facial expressions, gestures, and gait. Not all of us can do this. However, it helps to understand a person's true feelings and motivations, which is used in psychology.
Psychology tells us that in communication it is important to maintain the correct balance of means of verbal and nonverbal communication. The audience is unlikely to be imbued with a monotonous, unemotional reading of a report or presentation without paying due attention to the speaker. But there is no need to go to extremes: there are people whose thoughts and emotions outstrip the capabilities of the speech apparatus. They gesticulate wildly, swallow their words, making the interlocutor tired of such expressiveness.
In addition, it is worth considering the situation in which this or that form of communication is appropriate, as well as the characteristics and intelligence of the interlocutor.
We tend to communicate with each other. Conversation is a process of exchanging opinions that arouse each other's interest. It is impossible to imagine our life without it. There are verbal and non-verbal means of communication. In this article we will take a closer look at the first type.
If non-verbal communication carried out through facial expressions and gestures, then with verbal it is much easier. With it, a person uses only words to exchange information with his interlocutor. So, verbal communication in in a broad sense is a process of information exchange between people, carried out by speech means.
People understand the meaning of verbal communication as opposed to non-verbal communication. After all, there is nothing complicated here. A person makes sounds from which words are made. If these words are related to each other in meaning, and the interlocutor understands the thought of his friend and answers him in the same way, then this is communication in a verbal way. There is nothing complicated here, is there?
Let's take a closer look at verbal and nonverbal communication, or rather, one of the myths that says that nonverbal contains much more information than verbal. There is some truth in this, but more often than not it is not so. There are times when people don't talk to each other. However, they show dissatisfaction or something else to their interlocutor with the help of a simple gesture or facial expression.
In this case, this myth is justified. But for the most part, people communicate through conversation. As examples, a boss assigns a task to his subordinate or junior manager. In this case, you should not pay attention to his gestures or facial expressions. Here you need to grasp words, they are important sources of information. Such communication does not constitute an expression own feelings, does not represent affiliative communication. So we looked at verbal and non-verbal means of communication.
Verbal types of communication imply compliance with certain rules. Bring clarity to the conversation. It is necessary for the interlocutor to understand you as best as possible, what you told him and what you want. But this doesn't always work out. Many people cannot immediately clearly formulate a sentence that contains the main idea. Such verbal communication is unpleasant for the interlocutor.
He, in turn, stops perceiving this information, begins to get distracted and “ignore” what was said. Therefore, it is necessary to constantly improve the quality of verbal communication. We need to strive for the perfect conversation. Here are some tips to help you become a good conversationalist:
Let's return to communicating verbally. So, verbal means of communication include speech and voice. We write a speech on a piece of paper, and sometimes we speak it out loud to a friend, we can read it in a magazine without voicing it, or we can simply think about tomorrow and make some kind of plan in our heads. All this is speech.
It turns out that verbal communication is not only a conversation with an interlocutor, but also reading a book, speaking in front of an audience, and even your own thoughts expressed in words.
On modern stage development of communication psychology, we understand that it is not always possible to understand a business person during verbal communication. As examples, relatives came to you from South America or some other country. They can learn Russian and more or less navigate it, but they will not be able to understand some words with diminutive suffixes. For this purpose, experts have created some rules that apply to business verbal communication.
So, in modern Russian there are 5 text styles. These are types such as official business, scientific, colloquial, and so on. All information we convey to our interlocutor relates to one or another style of speech. In a scientific style, speech should be logical and generalized, and in colloquial speech- this is a dialogue between two people, ordinary everyday conversations. Try to speak with your foreign guest in scientific language, without any interjections and diminutives.
In communication between two business people, the verbal form is more often used. This is due to the fact that such people express their main thoughts briefly and clearly, using simple Russian language, and not using any emotions and feelings. In the process of this business conversation It would be ridiculous not to know the rules of the Russian language and to make speech and stylistic mistakes. This is not the level where this is allowed. However, there are other problems that are called communication barriers:
Verbal communication, like nonverbal communication, has its own characteristics, which we will talk about now. When talking to a person, pay attention to the distance at which you are from each other. We'll look at some basic communication layers:
Key Feature verbal communication is that it is unique to humans. The condition for such verbal communication is language mastery. Due to this, much more information is transmitted through verbal communication than through non-verbal communication. But it will not be possible to completely eliminate the non-verbal component in everyday life, no matter how much one would like to do so. When talking, some feelings and emotions still appear, and facial expressions change. It is impossible to do without this.
In the process of even short business communication, it is easy to find out what level of intelligence the interlocutor has. This is followed by a determination of his position in society. Through communication, we influence other people in a direct way. Imagine that in most cases, growth up the career ladder, that is, the career growth of a business person, depends on communication. And in this case it is almost impossible to express oneself with gestures or facial expressions. Know how to speak, use verbal rather than verbal methods. We do not pay attention to other types.
Sometimes we meet new people whom we have never encountered in our lives before. And it doesn’t matter whether the meeting is planned or random. The first thing we pay attention to is the appearance of a business person. What he looks like, what he’s wearing, what perfume he wears and how he behaves.
The next stage of familiarization is already related to communication. And often at this stage the idea of a person changes. Before this, everything could have been fine, but after hearing his speech, it immediately becomes clear, the desire to continue such communication disappears, and the negative takes place. The main thing is that you yourself do not find yourself in such a situation, in this person’s place. Watch your speech, speak correctly and clearly for others.
People have undeniable advantage before other life forms: they know how to communicate. Parenting, learning, work, relationships with friends and family - all this is done through communication. Some people may enjoy communication, others may not, but we cannot deny the presence of such a positive communication process in every sense. Communication is considered one of the main forms of human social activity. In the process of communication, what one person previously knew and could become the property of many people. Communication in the scientific sense is the interaction of people (the influence of people on each other and their responses to this influence) and the exchange of information during this interaction.
There are two groups of ways in which interaction between people can take place: verbal and non-verbal means of communication. It is believed that verbal communication provides less information about goals, the veracity of information and other aspects of communication, while non-verbal manifestations can reveal many points that are not customary to advertise in a conversation. But different means of communication are applicable and meaningful depending on the situation. Thus, in the business world, mainly verbal communication is important, since it is unlikely that the manager will monitor his gestures or react emotionally to the next assignment to the employee. When communicating with friends, new acquaintances or family, non-verbal manifestations are more important, since they give an idea of the feelings and emotions of the interlocutors.
Verbal communication is carried out using words. Speech is considered a verbal means of communication. We can communicate using written or spoken language. Speech activity is divided into several types: speaking - listening and writing - reading. Expresses itself both in writing and oral speech through language - a special system of signs.
To learn to communicate effectively and use verbal means of communication, you need not only to improve your speech, know the rules of the Russian language or study foreign languages, although this is certainly very important. In this regard, one of the main points is the ability to speak also in a psychological sense. Too often people have various psychological barriers or fears of establishing contacts with other people. To successfully interact with society, they need to be identified and overcome in time.
Language acts as a tool for expressing people's thoughts and feelings. It is necessary for many aspects human life in society, which is expressed in the following functions:
Nonverbal communication is necessary for people to clearly understand each other. Naturally, nonverbal manifestations relate only to oral communication. Since the external nonverbal expression of emotions and feelings performed by the body is also a certain set of symbols and signs, it is often called “body language.”
Nonverbal expressions are very important in human interaction. Their main functions are as follows:
In nonverbal communication, some elements can be distinguished:
It is important to balance verbal and nonverbal forms of communication in your speech. This will allow you to convey your information to your interlocutor as fully as possible and understand his messages. If a person speaks unemotionally and monotonously, his speech quickly becomes boring. Conversely, when a person actively gestures, frequently inserts interjections, and only occasionally pronounces words, this can overload the perception of the interlocutor, which will push him away from such an expressive communication partner.
Each of us uses verbal and nonverbal behavior when communicating. We convey information not only through speech, but also through a variety of means. In this article we will take a closer look at verbal and non-verbal behavior. You will learn a lot interesting facts about communication, and also receive a number of valuable tips.
Verbal behavior involves communicating using words. From early childhood we are taught to express our thoughts logically, so an adult usually does not have problems expressing them. Ornate speech and eloquence are acquired with experience. However, only 7% of what we say is perceived by others through the meaning contained in the words. The rest is through non-verbal reactions and intonation. In business communication, oddly enough, the most important factor It is considered the ability to listen, not to speak. Unfortunately, not many of us have learned to pay attention to what our interlocutor says.
Listening to emotions and facts is listening to the message fully. By doing this, a person increases the likelihood that the information conveyed to him will be understood. In addition, by doing this he shows that he respects the message conveyed by the speaker.
Professor Keith Davis has outlined the following 10 rules for effective listening.
In addition to the ability to effectively listen to your interlocutor, there are other ways to improve the art of communication. Before communicating ideas, you need to clarify them, that is, you should systematically analyze and think about the issues, ideas or problems you plan to communicate to another. If you want to achieve success in your career or personal life, it is very important to consider various features interpersonal interaction. Researchers say that, along with verbal (verbal) communication, it is necessary to take into account the non-verbal language that people use.
It should be noted that this concept presupposes not only control of one’s behavior, the ability to interpret facial expressions and gestures of a partner, but also the zone of a person’s personal territory, its mental essence. In addition, this concept includes national characteristics behavior of interlocutors, their mutual arrangement in the process of communication, the ability of partners to decipher the meaning of using such aids like cigarettes, glasses, lipstick, umbrella, mirror, etc.
When we think about communication, we think first of all about language. However, it is only part of the means of communication, and perhaps not the main one in such a process as communication. Nonverbal behavior often plays an even larger role. When communicating, we use many ways to convey our feelings, thoughts, aspirations and desires to the people around us. Such means of communication are called non-verbal. This means that no words or sentences are used in them. Communication, considered in a broad sense, occurs not only verbally.
They can be divided into two categories. The first is nonverbal behavior, and the second is characteristics unrelated to it.
“Nonverbal” behavior includes all types of behavior (except the utterance of words) that take place in the process of communication. This includes:
Thus, nonverbal behavior includes both what we usually associate with active self-expression and what relates to more subtle and less striking manifestations.
As for non-behavioral, it covers many signals and sources of messages that cannot be inferred directly from behavior. It is interesting that interpersonal communication is influenced by such little things as the type of clothing we use, the time of day, the architectural structures where we work and live, and the cosmetic changes we make to our appearance. All this is defined as hidden. Such non-behavioral moments in the communication process convey information to the interlocutor along with non-verbal behavior and language. Verbal and nonverbal communication when we perceive a person constitute a single whole.
Nonverbal behavior is a rather complex and deep topic in psychology. However, some points are not at all difficult to remember and take into account in Everyday life. Below are some features of nonverbal behavior, the ability to interpret which is very important for
Body and hand movements convey a lot of information about a person. In particular, they reveal the immediate emotional reactions of the individual and the state of his body. They allow the interlocutor to judge what kind of temperament a person has, what kind of reactions he has (strong or weak, inert or mobile, slow or fast). In addition, body movements and various postures reflect many character traits, a person’s degree of self-confidence, impetuosity or caution, looseness or tightness. Social status the individual is also manifested in them.
Such expressions or “stand half-bent” are not just descriptions of poses. They determine what psychological state an individual is in. It should also be noted that gestures and posture are non-verbal human behavior in which the cultural norms acquired by the individual are manifested. For example, if a man is well-mannered, he will not talk while sitting if his interlocutor is a woman and she is standing. This rule applies regardless of how a man evaluates the personal merits of a given woman.
Signs that are transmitted by the body are very important during the first meeting, since aspects of the personality of the interlocutor’s character do not appear immediately. For example, if you are applying for a job, you should sit up straight during the interview. This will demonstrate your interest. You should also look your interlocutor in the eyes, but not too persistently.
The following is regarded as an aggressive body position: a person is in tension, he is ready to move. The body of such a person is moved slightly forward, as if he is preparing to throw. This pose seems to signal that aggression is possible on his part.
Gestures play a very important role in communication. To attract attention, you can wave your hand invitingly. You can make an irritable dismissive gesture, twirl your hand at your temple. Applause means gratitude or greeting. A handclap or two is a way to get attention. Interestingly, clapping was used to attract the attention of the gods in a number of pagan religions (before sacrifice or prayer). Actually, modern applause came from there. The arsenal of meanings that were and are transmitted by hand clapping is very wide. This is understandable, because this gesture is one of the few that produce sound, and quite loudly.
Facial expressions are nonverbal behavior of a person, which consists in a person’s use of his face. We are able to isolate and interpret the most subtle movements of the facial muscles. Sign features have the position or movement of various features of the face. For example, we raise our eyebrows in surprise, fear, anger or greeting. It is known that Aristotle studied physiognomy.
It should be noted that not only humans, but also higher animals have facial expressions as non-verbal communicative behavior. Although the grimaces of apes are similar to those of humans, they often express different meanings. In particular, grinning, which humans might mistake for a smile, conveys threat in monkeys. The animal raises its gums to show off its fangs. Many mammals (wolves, tigers, dogs, etc.) do the same.
By the way, this sign of threat, apparently, was once characteristic of humans. This confirms that a grin among a number of primitive peoples is not only a smile, but also a sign of bitterness or threat. For these peoples, fangs subconsciously still serve as military weapons. By the way, in modern culture the memory of this meaning of such a grimace has been preserved: there is a phraseological unit “show teeth”, the meaning of which is “to demonstrate a threat or resistance.”
Signals sent by the eyes also relate to facial expressions. Women are known to shoot their eyes when flirting. You can say “yes” by blinking your eyelashes. An open, direct look into the eyes of the interlocutor is considered a sign of a free and strong man. This view has its biological roots. Among primitive peoples, as well as in the animal world, it is often a challenge. Gorillas, for example, tolerate people near them, but a person should not look into the eyes of the leader, since the latter will regard this as an encroachment on his leadership in the herd. There are known cases when a cameraman was attacked by a male gorilla, because the animal thought that the flashing camera lens was a challenge, a direct look into the eyes. And today in human society such non-verbal behavior is considered courageous. It is known that when people are unsure of themselves, when they are timid, they look away.
This includes patting, touching, etc. The use of such elements of communication indicates status, mutual relations, as well as the degree of friendship between the interlocutors. Relationships between close people are expressed in stroking, hugging, kissing. Relationships between friends often involve pats on the shoulder and handshakes. Teenagers, like baby animals, sometimes imitate fights. So they fight for leadership in game form. Such relationships between teenagers are expressed in kicks, pokes or grabs.
It should be noted that the signs conveyed by nonverbal means of communication (touch, posture, facial expressions, etc.) are not as unambiguous as the words we pronounce. Most often they are interpreted taking into account the situation, that is, the conditions in which they are observed.
In communication between people, some other methods of non-verbal communication are known. For example, these include jewelry and clothing. For example, if an employee came to work at elegant clothes, we can assume from this sign that today is his birthday or he has an important meeting ahead. The use of clothing as a means of communication is often practiced in politics. For example, the cap of Luzhkov, the former mayor of Moscow, announced that he was a mayor “of the people,” a “hard worker” mayor.
Thus, nonverbal behavior of a person in psychology can be considered in many aspects. This phenomenon is of interest not only to scientists, but also to ordinary people. It is not surprising, because the culture of nonverbal behavior, like the culture of speech, is used in everyday life. The ability to correctly interpret words and gestures is useful to everyone. A deep understanding of the meaning of people's verbal/non-verbal behavior contributes to effective communication.
Communication is carried out by different means. Highlight verbal and non-verbal means of communication.
Verbal communication(sign) is carried out using words. Verbal means of communication include human speech. Communication specialists have calculated that a modern person pronounces approximately 30 thousand words per day, or more than 3 thousand words per hour.
Depending on the intentions of the communicants (to communicate something, to find out, to express an assessment, an attitude, to encourage something, to come to an agreement, etc.), various speech texts arise. In any text (written or oral) a language system is implemented.
So, language is a system of signs and methods of connecting them, which serves as a tool for expressing thoughts, feelings and expressions of people’s will and is the most important means of human communication. The language is used in a wide variety of functions:
- Communicative. Language acts as the main means of communication. Thanks to the presence of such a function in language, people have the opportunity to fully communicate with their own kind.
- Educational. Language as an expression of the activity of consciousness. We receive most of the information about the world through language.
- Rechargeable. Language as a means of accumulating and storing knowledge. A person tries to retain the acquired experience and knowledge in order to use them in the future. In everyday life, notes, diaries, and notebooks help us out. A " notebooks» of all humanity are various kinds of monuments of writing and fiction, which would be impossible without the existence of a written language.
- Constructive. Language as a means of forming thoughts. With the help of language, a thought “materializes” and takes on a sound form. Expressed verbally, a thought becomes distinct and clear to the speaker himself.
- Emotional. Language as one of the means of expressing feelings and emotions. This function is realized in speech only when a person’s emotional attitude to what he is talking about is directly expressed. Intonation plays a big role in this.
- Contact making. Language as a means of establishing contact between people. Sometimes communication seems to be aimless, its information content is zero, the ground is only being prepared for further fruitful, trusting communication.
- Ethnic. Language as a means of uniting the people.
Speech activity refers to a situation where a person uses language to communicate with other people. There are several types of speech activity:
- speaking - using language to communicate something;
- - perception of the content of spoken speech;
- writing - recording the content of speech on paper;
- reading - perception of information recorded on paper.
From the point of view of the form of existence of language, communication is divided into oral and written, and from the point of view of the number of participants - into interpersonal and mass.
Any national is heterogeneous; it exists in different forms. From the point of view of social and cultural status, literary and non-literary forms of language are distinguished.
The literary form of a language, otherwise known as a literary language, is understood by speakers as exemplary. Main feature literary language- presence of stable norms.
Literary language has two forms: oral and written. First - spoken speech, and the second is graphically designed. The oral form is original. Non-literary forms of language include territorial and social dialects, and vernacular.
For and behavior special importance represent nonverbal means of communication. In non-verbal communication, the means of transmitting information are non-verbal signs (postures, gestures, facial expressions, intonation, glances, spatial location, etc.).
To the main non-verbal means communication relate:
Kinesthetics - considers external manifestations human feelings and emotions in the process of communication. These include:
- gesture;
- facial expressions;
- pantomime.
Gesture. Gestures are various movements of the hands and head. Sign language is the most ancient way achieving mutual understanding. In various historical eras and different peoples had their own generally accepted ways of gesturing. At present, attempts are even being made to create dictionaries of gestures. Quite a lot is known about the information that gestures convey. First of all, the amount of gestures is important. Different peoples have developed and entered into natural forms expressions of feelings different cultural norms of strength and frequency of gestures. Research by M. Argyll, which studied the frequency and strength of gestures in different cultures, showed that within one hour, Finns gestured 1 time, the French - 20, Italians - 80, Mexicans - 180.
The intensity of gesticulation can increase with the increase in a person’s emotional arousal, as well as with the desire to achieve a more complete understanding between partners, especially if it is difficult.
The specific meaning of individual gestures varies across cultures. However, all cultures have similar gestures, among which are:
Communicative (gestures of greeting, farewell, attracting attention, prohibitions, affirmative, negative, interrogative, etc.)
Modal, i.e. expressing assessment and attitude (gestures of approval, satisfaction, trust and mistrust, etc.).
Descriptive gestures that make sense only in the context of a speech utterance.
Facial expressions. Facial expressions are movements of the facial muscles, the main indicator of feelings. Studies have shown that when the interlocutor's face is motionless or invisible, up to 10-15% of information is lost. There are more than 20,000 descriptions of facial expressions in the literature. The main characteristic of facial expressions is its integrity and dynamism. This means that in the facial expression of the six basic emotional states (anger, joy, fear, sadness, surprise, disgust), all movements of the facial muscles are coordinated. The main informative load in facial expressions is carried by eyebrows and lips.
Eye contact is also an extremely important element of communication. Looking at the speaker not only shows interest, but also helps us focus on what we are being told. Communicating people usually look into each other's eyes for no more than 10 seconds. If we are looked at a little, we have reason to believe that we are treated poorly or what we say, and if we are looked at too much, it can be perceived as a challenge or a good attitude towards us. In addition, it has been observed that when a person lies or tries to hide information, his eyes meet his partner's eyes for less than 1/3 of the conversation.
Partly, the length of a person’s gaze depends on what nation he belongs to. Residents southern Europe have a high gaze frequency, which can be offensive to others, and Japanese people look at the neck rather than the face when speaking.
According to its specifics, the view can be:
- Business - when the gaze is fixed in the area of the interlocutor’s forehead, this implies the creation of a serious atmosphere of business partnership
- Social - the gaze is concentrated in the triangle between the eyes and mouth, this helps create an atmosphere of relaxed social communication.
- Intimate - the gaze is not directed into the eyes of the interlocutor, but below the face - to chest level. This look indicates a great interest in each other’s communication.
- A sideways glance is used to convey interest or hostility. If accompanied by slightly raised eyebrows or a smile, it indicates interest. If it is accompanied by a frowning forehead or drooping corners of the mouth, this indicates a critical or suspicious attitude towards the interlocutor.
Pantomime is gait, posture, posture, general motor skills of the whole body.
Gait is the style of movement of a person. Its components are: rhythm, step dynamics, amplitude of body transfer during movement, body weight. By a person’s gait one can judge a person’s well-being, his character, and age. In psychologists' studies, people recognized emotions such as anger, suffering, pride, and happiness by their gait. It turned out that a “heavy” gait is characteristic of people who are angry, and a “light” gait is characteristic of joyful ones. A proud person has the longest step length, and if a person suffers, his gait is sluggish, depressed, such a person rarely looks up or in the direction where he is going.
In addition, it can be argued that people who walk quickly and swing their arms are confident, have a clear goal and are ready to realize it. Those who always keep their hands in their pockets are likely to be very critical and secretive, as a rule, they like to suppress other people. A person with his hands on his hips strives to achieve his goals in the shortest way in the least amount of time.
Posture is the position of the body. Human body capable of taking about 1000 stable different positions. The pose shows how this person perceives his status in relation to the status of other persons present. Individuals with higher status adopt a more relaxed posture. Otherwise, conflict situations may arise.
Psychologist A. Sheflen was one of the first to point out the role of human posture as a means of nonverbal communication. In further research conducted by V. Schubz, it was revealed that the main semantic content of the pose consists in the individual’s placement of his body in relation to the interlocutor. This placement indicates either closedness or a willingness to communicate.
A pose in which a person crosses his arms and legs is called closed. Arms crossed on the chest are a modified version of the barrier that a person puts between himself and his interlocutor. A closed posture is perceived as a posture of distrust, disagreement, opposition, criticism. Moreover, approximately a third of the information perceived from such a position is not assimilated by the interlocutor. Most in a simple way The way out of this position is to offer to hold or look at something.
An open pose is considered to be one in which the arms and legs are not crossed, the body is directed towards the interlocutor, and the palms and feet are turned towards the communication partner. This is a posture of trust, agreement, goodwill, and psychological comfort.
If a person is interested in communication, he will focus on the interlocutor and lean towards him, and if he is not very interested, on the contrary, he will focus to the side and lean back. A person who wants to make a statement will stand straight, tense, with his shoulders turned; a person who does not need to emphasize his status and position will be relaxed, calm, and in a free, relaxed position.
The best way to achieve mutual understanding with your interlocutor is to copy his posture and gestures.
Takeshika - the role of touch in the process of nonverbal communication. Handshakes, kisses, stroking, pushing, etc. stand out here. Dynamic touch has been proven to be a biologically necessary form of stimulation. A person’s use of dynamic touches in communication is determined by many factors: the status of partners, their age, gender, and degree of acquaintance.
Inappropriate use of tactical means by a person can lead to conflicts in communication. For example, a pat on the shoulder is possible only under the condition of close relationships and equal social status in society.
Shaking hands is a multi-talk gesture known since ancient times. Primitive people, when meeting, extended their hands to each other with open palms forward to show their lack of weapons. This gesture has undergone changes over time, and its variants have appeared, such as waving the hand in the air, placing the palm on the chest and many others, including a handshake. Often a handshake can be very informative, especially its intensity and duration.
Handshakes are divided into 3 types:
- dominant (hand on top, palm turned down);
- submissive (hand from below, palm turned upward);
- equal.
The dominant handshake is the most aggressive form of it. With a dominant (powerful) handshake, a person communicates to another that he wants to dominate the communication process.
A submissive handshake is necessary in situations where a person wants to give the initiative to another, to allow him to feel like he is the master of the situation.
A gesture called the “glove” is often used: a person clasps the hand of another with both hands. The initiator of this gesture emphasizes that he is honest and can be trusted. However, the “glove” gesture should be applied to people you know well, because at first acquaintance it can have the opposite effect.
A firm handshake, even to the point of cracking your fingers, is distinctive feature aggressive, tough person.
A sign of aggressiveness is also shaking with an unbent, straight hand. Its main purpose is to maintain distance and prevent a person from entering your intimate area. Shaking the fingertips serves the same purpose, but such a handshake indicates that the person is not confident in himself.
Proxemics - determines the zones of the most effective communication. E. Hall identifies four main areas of communication:
- Intimate zone (15-45 cm) - a person allows only people close to him to enter it. In this zone, a quiet, confidential conversation is conducted, and tactile contacts are made. Violation of this zone by outsiders causes physiological changes in the body: increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, rush of blood to the head, adrenaline rush, etc. The invasion of an “alien” into this zone is regarded as a threat.
- Personal (personal) zone (45 - 120 cm) - a zone of everyday communication with friends and colleagues. Only visual contact is allowed.
- Social zone (120 - 400 cm) - an area for holding official meetings and conducting negotiations, conferences, and administrative conversations.
- Public zone (more than 400 cm) - an area of communication with large groups of people during lectures, rallies, public speaking etc..
When communicating, it is also important to pay attention to vocal characteristics related to nonverbal communication. Prosody is the general name for such rhythmic and intonation aspects of speech as pitch, volume of the voice, and its timbre.
Extralinguistics is the inclusion of pauses and various non-morphological human phenomena in speech: crying, coughing, laughter, sighing, etc.
The flow of speech is regulated by prosodic and extralingual means, saving language means communication, they complement, replace and anticipate speech utterances, express emotional states.
You need to be able not only to listen, but also to hear the intonation structure of speech, evaluate the strength and tone of the voice, the speed of speech, which practically allow us to express our feelings and thoughts.
Although nature has endowed people with a unique voice, they themselves give it color. Those who tend to change the pitch of their voice sharply tend to be more cheerful. More sociable, more confident, more competent and much nicer than people who speak in a monotone.
What the speaker experiences is reflected primarily in the tone of voice. In it, feelings find their expression regardless of the words spoken. Thus, anger and sadness are usually easily recognized.
The strength and pitch of the voice provides a lot of information. Some feelings, such as enthusiasm, joy and distrust, are usually conveyed in a high-pitched voice; anger and fear are also conveyed in a rather high-pitched voice, but in a more wide range tonality, strength and pitch of sounds. Feelings such as grief, sadness, and fatigue are usually conveyed in a soft and muffled voice with a decrease in intonation towards the end of each phrase.
Speed of speech also reflects feelings. A person speaks quickly if he is excited, worried, talks about his personal difficulties, or wants to convince or persuade us of something. Slow speech most often indicates depression, grief, arrogance or fatigue.
By making minor mistakes in speech, for example, repeating words, choosing them uncertainly or incorrectly, breaking off phrases mid-sentence, people involuntarily express their feelings and reveal their intentions. Uncertainty in word choice occurs when the speaker is unsure of himself or is about to surprise us. Typically, speech impediments are more pronounced when nervous or when a person is trying to deceive his interlocutor.
Since the characteristics of the voice depend on the work of various organs of the body, their condition is also reflected in it. Emotions change the rhythm of breathing. Fear, for example, paralyzes the larynx, the vocal cords become tense, and the voice “sits down.” At good location the spirit's voice becomes deeper and richer in shades. It has a calming effect on others and inspires more confidence.
There is also a reverse connection: with the help of breathing you can influence emotions. To do this, it is recommended to sigh noisily, opening your mouth wide. If you breathe deeply and inhale a large number of air, the mood improves, and the voice involuntarily decreases.
It is important that in the process of communication a person trusts the signs of non-verbal communication more than verbal ones. According to experts, facial expressions carry up to 70% of information. When expressing our emotional reactions, we are usually more truthful than in the process of verbal communication.
