Demonstrative Communication

Demonstrative Communication

A study performed in 1994 found that about 2/3 of society’s communication was nonverbal (Cheesebro, O’Connor, Rios 2010) meaning most of the communicating was done without speaking or writing to one another. The nonverbal communication is conveyed by at least one of six ways each sending one type of message or another.

The first of the nonverbal communication types is chronemics, a type of communication with time (Cheesebro, O’Connor, Rios 2010). Chronemics is focused on how one may be in a rush during a discussion or trying to deal with multiple tasks simultaneously. An example would be if a manager and an employee are communicating, and the manager is rushing through the communication because he or she is working on multiple tasks. This type of behavior may express lack of interest on the manager’s part (the sender) making the employee feel unappreciated (the receiver).

Then there is proxemics, which is focused on the distance one keeps while carrying on a conversation with others. The distances can range from physical contact to about 18 inches for intimate conversations and can exceed 12 feet for public communication (Cheesebro, O’Connor, Rios 2010). Of course this can all change based on the culture in reference. An example is how Eastern Europeans maintain a much closer proximity than Americans do during discussions. It is important to know the differences between not giving enough space as it could send the wrong message to the receiver.

The more physical nonverbal communication types focus on both body language and touching. The first is kinesics, a form of communication that refers to body movements, hand gestures, posture, etc (Cheesebro, O’Connor, Rios 2010). Smiling is a form of kinesics as a facial expression that shows happiness, but the meanings are not the same worldwide. An example would be in America curling ones index finger as if calling another to come closer is perfectly normal; however, in the Philippines...