Non Verbal Messages

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8

!Nonverbal Messages

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Erin Brockovich

(2000)

TAebody s"ys wA"twords c-,,~~ot

-Martha Graham

Body Communication FacialCommunication Eye Communication Touch Communi,cation Para language and Silence Spatial Messages Artifactual Communication Temporal Communication

Ae sfory of" wo"",,,h's f~Af for the rjghts ofvjcUms of corporate mjsconduct js told jn Erin Brockovich. Throughout the film you see how people base thek jnWal jmpressjons of Erjn Brockovkh (JufjaRoberts) on how she looks and dresses-on her nonverbal communkaUon messages. Although she js jncredjbly competent and resourciful, many persjst jn djsmjssjng the vafjdjty of her arguments because of her flamboyant appearance. Thjs tendency js actually not uncommon; much research has shown that when verbal and nonverbal messages contradjct each other,jt js the nonverbal message that people befjeve. In tNs chapter we explore nonverbalmessages, those communjcated by the body as welI as those communjcated through touch, sound, space, and Ume.

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BODY COMMUNICATION

Generally,we can consider body communication in two parts-the withyour body and your body's appearance. Body Gestu res An especially useful classification of body movement (sometimes called kinesics) identifies five types: emblems, illustrators, affect displays, regulators, and adaptors (Ekman & Friesen, 1969). Table 8. I summarizes and provides examples of these five movements. Emblems Emblems are substitutes for words; they're body movements that have rather specific verbal translations: for example, the nonverbal signs for "OK,""peace," gestures you make

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The Five Body Movements

Can you identify similar gestures that mean different things in different cultures and that might create interpersonal misunderstandings? Name and Function Emblems directlytranslate words or phrases. Illustrators accompany and literally"illustrate" verbal messages. Affect displays communicate emotional meaning. Regulators monitor,...