LESSON 1: COMMUNICATION

COMMUNICATION

 Derived from two Latin words:

 COMMUNIS means sharing
 COMMUNICARE means make something common
 Communication is the act or process of expressing and exchanging information, thoughts, ideas, and feelings
using words, sounds, signs, and even behavior.
 Ex: tapping someone at the back when that someone is having a hard time
 Ex: asking for a favor from a friend
 Ex: looking or staring at your friend while she’s ranting about something.

MESSAGES

 Messages are the building blocks of communication events.

2 TYPES OF MESSAGES

1. VERBAL SYSTEM – it is composed of symbols that construct the words and phrases we use to speak/say.
Example: Hi, Hello, How are you?
2. NON-VERBAL SYSTEM – it is composed of nonlinguistic symbols like smiles, laughter, wink, vocal tone and
gestures or even behavior.

NOTE: Most of them are Symbolic.

SYMBOLIC/SYMBOL

 it is something that presents something else and conveys meaning (Buck and Vanlear, 2002)

Note: When we say communication is symbolic, we also describing the fact that the symbols we use – the words we
speak and gestures we use – are ARBITRARY, or without any inherent meaning (Dickens, 2003)

 Arbitrary, it is based on or determined by individual preference or convenience rather than by necessity or

the intrinsic nature of something.
 Meaning to say that the meaning is up to us, the communicators.
 The meaning is up to how we send or received the message every day.
 Because we, the communicators an actually create the meanings and different groups often develop distinct
words for the same concept. For instance, a group of girls who used to make names or call people they hate
names that is basically no-intrinsic connection to the word you use and to the particular person they want to
call that person names out of fun.
 The meanings of the messages we send or we receive is up to us, the communicators, up to the way we take
and understand the message.
NOTE: human communication is primarily symbolic, but not all verbal communication is symbolic or arbitrary.

It can also be:

1. ICONIC SIGNS
 A sign that represents the thing itself (Deacon, 1997)
 Iconic means what you see is what it is
 Example: smiley face, we use this to represent our mood in email or messages.
 Example: a photograph, an iconic representation of the events it captures.

2. INDEXICAL SIGNS
 It is a sign that reveals something beyond the thing itself. (Deacon, 1997)
 It will not give you the exact thing we are looking for but it will lead us to it. It will give us a hint
 Example: paw print – it will not give you the animal but if we follow the paw prints, it will show us where the
animal went and what animal it is.
 Example: smoke - it reveals that maybe there is a fire or someone is smoking.

Just as verbal symbols possess shared meanings, so do non-verbal symbols.

Examples:

1. Thumbs up sign – can mean like, right, agree, or okay.

2. White dove – can mean freedom, purity or even love

3. Philippine Flag – means patriotism, Filipinos’ love for the country

Note: “although words and gestures are typically symbolic, these symbols can also be material- or even have a
material consequences.

Just like verbal system, non-verbal system can also be iconic and indexical too.

GOAL OF EXCHANGING SYMBOLS: To create meaning

“We hear the same message, but we understand it differently.”

“We see the same picture, but we are seeing it differently.”

-We have our own perspectives and point-of-view

 We, the communicators are the one who creates the meaning of something or the messages we send and
we receive every day.
 When we create the meaning of the messages we receive every day, it is influence by our own beliefs/values
and experiences. It will shape the meaning of the messages we send/receive every day.
 Meaning is made even more complex, because each messages carries with it two types of meaning.

1. CONTENT MEANING – content means what is in it, somehow familiar to all

a. Denotative Meaning – concrete meaning of the message such as the definition we find on dictionary.

b. Connotative Meaning – describes the meaning suggested by or associated with the message and the emotions
triggered by it.
 EXAMPLE:

WORD DENOTATIVE MEANING CONNOTATIVE MEANING

1. Mother A female parent Loving, caring, anything that could
describe a mother

2. RELATIONSHIP MEANING

 It describes what the message conveys about the relationship between parties or communicators.
(Robinson-Smith, 2004)
 The meaning for the relationship meaning will be depending on the relationship of the two conveyers or
parties.

Example: your classmate would ask you a favor to buy her a soda at the canteen, you are hesitant or you could
refuse because she’s only your classmate but if your college professor would ask you the same favor, you will
hesitantly obey because he is your professor.

MODELS OF COMMUNICATION/ COMMUNICATION PERSPECTIVES

1. Linear Model (Communication as Action)

2. Interactive Model (Communication as Interaction)

3. Transactional Model (Communication as Transaction)

 In everyday life, people use the term communication in three ways, often without realizing the importance
of the differences between the uses. Each usage assumes something different about how communication
works and whether or not it has even really happened. (Duck & McMahan, 2009)

1. LINEAR MODEL (COMMUNICATION AS ACTION)

- The concept of a straight path of relaying information was proposed by ARISTOTLE.

- “Linear” – line

 ONE-DIRECTIONAL - The information from a sender is convey directly to the receiver.

 CLAUDE SHANNON – he is a mathematician and an electronic engineer
 WARREN WEAVER – he is a scientist and a mathematician who introduce an important concept in this
model. This model is the NOISE or BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
 DAVID BERLO – he is a professor and an author whom modified the linear model by identifying the four key
elements: source, message, channel and receiver.

4 key elements by DAVID BERLO

 SOURCE – the origin of the message

 MESSAGE – the idea, thought or a piece of information that the sender aims to express or make known.
 CHANNEL – the means or the medium by which the message is sent
 RECEIVER – he/she is the one who receives the message.

Note: the sender and the receiver are influence by the four factors: Knowledge, Attitude, Communication skills and
sociocultural system in which they belong.
2. INTERACTIVE COMMUNICATION (COMMUNICATION AS INTERACTION)

 WILBUR SCHRAMM – an expert in mass communication who introduce this model in 1954.
 This model originates from 2 sources: (1) message from the sender, (2) feedback from the receiver
 Feedback – it is the response to the message. It can also be an approval, a raise of an eyebrow or even falling
asleep during a lecture is already a feedback. It can also be a spoken words.
 Elements added in this model are:
 (1) Context – refers to the setting in which the communication takes place.
 (2) Field of experience – cultural background of either the sender or the receiver.

3. TRANSACTIONAL MODEL (COMMUNICATION AS TRANSACTION)

 DEAN BARNLUND – who developed this model in 1970

 This model shows communication as occurring continuously and simultaneously between or among people.
 This model shows communication as two-way process between participants, who are constantly sending and
receiving messages from each other.

COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWNS AND NOISES

COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWNS

- It occurs when the message or the feedback is not sent or received properly.
- It happens because of the NOISES.

NOISES

- It is a technician term used to refer to all the possible barriers to effective communication.
- Refers to any stimulus that can interfere or degrade the quality of the message

TYPES OF NOISES

1. PHYSICAL NOISE

- These are the noises that comes from the environment.

EXAMPLE: describes external signals such as the loud music or voices, humming air-conditioner or bizarre dresses or
hairstyles.

2. PSYCHOLOGICAL NOISE

- These are the noises that comes from inside of us; emotional and mental state of either the ender/receiver.

-Example: trouble in focusing on the lecture because you are thinking of a family problem.

3. PHYSIOLOGICAL NOISE

-These are bodily conditions. (Example: hunger, sleepiness)

4. SEMANTIC NOISE

-This refers to anything related to the meaning of the words that can distort the message and confuses the listeners.

-Example: speakers used words you do not know or used a familiar word in an unfamiliar way.

PERFECT STORM OF NOISES – experiencing all the types of noises at once.

Note: No matter how good the speaker or the message, when the noises are dominating in the communication
process. There will be a big tendency of MISCOMMUNICATION or COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN can happen.

Effective Listening Skills – a conscious effort not to just hear but to take it in, digest it and understand it.

“An effective communicator is the one knows how to listen and express himself or herself in whatever situation”

LESSON 2: COMMUNICATION ETHICS

COMMUNICATION

 It is the act or process of exchanging information, thoughts, ideas, and feelings through words, sounds, signs,
gestures, and even behaviors.

ETHICS

 It refers to a subject consists of a fundamental issues of practical decision-making and its major concerns
includes the nature of ultimate value and the standards by which human actions can be judged, right or
wrong.
 Although ethics has always been viewed as a branch of philosophy, its all-embracing practical nature linked
with many other areas of study including anthropology, biology, economics, history, politics, sociology, and
theology. Yet, ethics remains distinct from such discipline because it is not a matter of factual knowledge in
the way that the sciences and other branches of inquiry are. Rather, it has to do with determining the nature
of normative theories and applying the sets of principles to practical and moral problems.
 It is concerns in the creating and evaluation of goodness, or the good by responding to the general question,
“how shall we live?” “What makes any decision good/right or wrong?”

COMMUNICATION ETHICS

 This refers to how a person uses language, media, and journalism and creates relationships that are guided
by an individuals’ moral and values.
 It concerns the creation and evaluation f goodness and all aspects and manifestations of communicative
interaction because both communication and ethics are tacitly or explicitly inherit in all human interactions.
 Everyday life is fraught with intentional and unintentional ethical questions from reaching for a cup of coffee
to speaking critically in a public setting.
 Historically, communication ethics began with the concerns correlated with print, media and has advanced
towards digital technologies. Critics began assessing the harms of unregulated press in the North America
and Europe during the 1890’s, which force the creation of principles in the United States during 1920’s.

1. TRUTHFULNESS

 Plays a fundamental role in ethical communication for two reasons:

  1. EXPECTATION OF PEOPLE - Others expect messages to be truthful, because people around us, always
expect us to be truthful all the time. (Fun Fact: Human has always been born honest, we just chose not to.)
Example: a stranger asking for directions from you, that stranger is basically expecting you to tell him the
right direction. From you, who even barely know the person but its expecting you to be honest with him,
because its human nature, which is so, makes it easier to deceive the people around us. However, because
of this human nature’s expectation for honesty, discovery of deception can make a lasting impression or
worst severely damage a relationship.
 Note: the more intimate the relationship, the greater the expectation will be and the more damaging any
deceptions will be.
 2. MESSAGES HAVE CONSEQUENCES – your communication can influence the beliefs, attitudes and
behaviors of others and your communication could persuade a customer to purchase an item, a friend to
loan a money or an acquaintance to become romantically involved with you.
 The more consequential the outcome of your message, the more you will be held accountable to the truth.

2. SHARING OR WITHHOLDING INFORMATION

 A related fundamental principle of ethical communication concerns what information should be revealed
and what can be withheld.

Withholding

 Know if the information is:

1. LEGITIMATE PRIVACY

- if the other person has no right to expect an access to the information you have because basically he/she is not
involve or he/she will not be affected on whatever information you are holding.

2. INAPPROPRIATE SECRECY

- If the other person has all the right to access or to know the information but you kept it from him or her.

Sharing

 You must know that distinction is really important.

 It is ethical to maintain the privacy, but it will be unethical if you are engaging yourself in secrecy.
 Truth is sometimes revealing information can be unethical especially if there is a confidentiality about the
matter. However, if you violate the confidentiality because of a higher ethical principle, people may consider
it ethical.
 Example: if you have a duty of confidentiality to your employer, but your company engages in illegal toxic
dumping, it likely will be more ethical to break the confidentiality.
 As the communicator, we have to decide which ethical principles are most important to you.
 To determine the most ethical choice, you must also consider the benefit and harm of messages.

3. BENEFIT AND HARM OF MESSAGES

 We must consider the benefit and harm associated with our messages.
 Will you message BENEFICIAL or will it be HARMFUL?
 NOTE: a principle of honesty suggests that you should tell the truth. But once you evaluate the potential
harm of sharing versus withholding the information, you might will decide to withhold the information
 because sometimes what is beneficial to us might be harmful for others. Or what is harmful to us, might be
beneficial for others.

Many communication events are complex and the underlying ethical principles are not definitive, you will
gradually develop your own philosophy of ethical communication and apply it on a case-to-case basis.

This is a requirement of being an effective communicator.

DEVELOPING COMMUNICATION ETHICS

1. ABSOLUTISM vs. RELATIVISM

2. ETHICS OF LANGUAGE USE

3. ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF RECEIVERS

4. ETHICS OF AUTHENTIC COMMUNICATION

1. ABSOLUTISM VS RELATIVISM

ABSOLUTISM

 The Greek philosopher, PLATO and the German philosopher, IMMANUEL KANT – conceptualized the
absolutist perspective, and both believed that there is rationally correct, moral standard that holds for
everyone, everywhere, every time. – “what is right” will always be right. “What is wrong” will always be
wrong.

RELATIVISM

 JEAN-PAUL SARTE, a French philosopher who holds the view that moral behavior varies among individuals,
groups and cultures.
 What is right can be wrong and what is wrong can be right, it depends on the person on how he/she is
dealing with the situation.

In reality, few people develop an ethical standard that is completely absolute or relative. Instead, absolutism
and relativism are the opposite ends of a continuum, and most people’s standards lie somewhere along that
continuum.

The issue for you is to decide how absolute or relative your ethical standards will be. If you strongly believe
that deception is wrong, you may choose the path of deception only when you believe that the truth will cause great
harm – a standard that falls toward absolutist end of the continuum. However, if you favor a more relative view if
you consider variety of factors, in addition to harm, as you make you decisions.

2. ETHICS OF LANGUAGE USE

 Another important ethical issue related to message centers on the types of language use, particularly
language that we use to refer to others.
 For example: when we call someone or a group names, most of all the time, we forgot to think about the
names that we used to describe that someone or that group of people. We forgot to think that maybe or
 somehow, when we call them names, we might be making fun of them or insulting them. Though for us, we
may say that we are only joking but the others may take it seriously.
 Note: Unethical language prevents us from engaging in an open interaction or communication where both
allows a more complex view of the issue.

3. ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF RECEIVERS

 We, as the receiver in the communication process have this ethical responsibility to listen first, understand
the speaker, the situation and the message, in order to give appropriate feedback.
 REMEMBER: “Healthy feedback refers to the honest and ethical responses receivers provide to the messages
of others.”

4. ETHICS OF AUTHENTIC COMMUNICATION

 Authentic communication means you are open for others’ opinion or views, and it is okay for you even if
some people don’t agree with you because you know and you understand that people do have different
point of views.

In order to be a good and effective communicator, we must not involve ourselves in an INAUTHENTIC
COMMUNICATION.

INAUTHENTIC COMMUNICATION

 A communication that is closed attempts to manipulate the interaction or other communicators and denies
those who with a legitimate interest in the issue the right to communicate.

1. Topic Avoidance

 If a group or the person you are talking to discourages or even prohibits you from talking/communicating
about a specific topic, they may directly tell you not to talk about it or they may simply ignore the message
or they may use subtle method such as changing the topic.

2. Meaning Denial

 Every message contains potential meanings. Meaning denial occurs when one is “both present in the
interaction and denied as meant”
 For example: an obvious example of this occurs when your roommate stomps around your apartment, slams
doors, sighs loudly, and gives you a hostile looks. When you ask what is wrong, she or he replies, “Nothing.”

3. Disqualification

 It occurs when you as the communicator, has all the right to participate in a communication or interaction,
maybe because you involved but they did not include you in the interaction.

Conclusion:

 Ethical communication is fundamental to responsible thinking, decision-making, and the development of

relationships and communities within a cross-context, cultures, channels and media.
  According to an unknown origin says, “Be careful with you words, once they are said, they can only be
forgiven, not forgotten. “
 This saying highlights a universal truth that our words have an impact on anyone who hears or sees them.
Choose those words carefully, the art of doing so, of choosing words in a way that communicates your
concepts politely is what’s known as communication ethics. If the basic principle of communicating ethically
or understood, a person can increase the likelihood that they will be able to communicate effectively
without invalidating others’ feelings, ideas, and opinions.
 Moreover, ethical communication enhances human worth and dignity by fostering truthfulness, fairness,
responsibility, personal integrity and respect for yourself and others.
 REMEMBER: According to TONY ROBBINS, “to effectively communicate, we must realized that we are all
different in the way we perceive the world, and use this understanding as a guide to our communication
with others.”

EFFECTIVE LISTENING

Listening process

1. Sensing
2. Interpreting
3. Evaluating
4. Responding

Sensing

 Physical action of receiving sound waves. (hearing)

Interpreting

 extract the meaning from the message

Evaluating

 Judging the message based on the situation.

Responding

 Giving or sending feedback or response

THREE BASIC LISTENING MODES

Competitive / Combative

 promoting their own POV

Passive / Attentive

 understanding their POV ; you are not clarifying your own understanding

Active / Reflective

 genuinely interested to other’s POV ; active in checking your own understanding

 most useful
Sources of difficulty by the speaker

 speakers voice volume is too low

 speaker is getting lost
 speaker is paying too much attention on how the other person might react
 message is too complex
 body language is contradicting with verbal message
 speaker is using a unique code or unconventional method for delivering the message

Sources of difficulty by the listener

 listener is preoccupied
 they are more interested in what they has to say
 they are listening to their personal belief
 they are evaluating and making judgments about the speaker or the message
 not asking for clarification

Listening tips

 paraphrase and use your own words

 don’t just respond to the meaning of the words
 reflect on the person
 inhibit from immediately answering questions
 know when to quit active listening
 clarify what you heard
 active listening is a very effective first response in relationship
 use eye contact and listening body language
 be empathic and don’t judge
 become more effective listener

LESSON 3: VERBAL COMMUNICATION

“Our use of language makes us humans”

LANGUAGE

 LANGUAGE is the most common instrument of communication – oral and written.

 LANGUAGE is a syntactically organized system of signals, such as voice sounds, intonations or pitch,
gestures, or written symbols which communicate thoughts or feelings.
 Language, therefore, plays a central role in communication.

We use language so automatically that we probably don’t think about the many roles it plays. It helps us do
everything – from ordering lunch, to giving directions or even in writing love poems. Understanding the ways
language functions can help us communicate more effectively.

7 functions of Language

1. INSTRUMENTAL - Language is used to obtain wants, needs or desires

2. REGULATORY - Language is used to control or regulate the behaviors of others.

3. INFORMATIVE - Language is used to communicate information or report facts

4. HEURISTIC - Language is used to acquire knowledge and understanding.

5. INTERACTIONAL - Language is used to establish and define social relationships in both interpersonal and group
settings.

6. PERSONAL - Language is used to express individuality and personality

7. IMAGINATIVE - Language is used to express oneself artistically or creative, as in drama, poetry, or stories

QUICK FACTS:

MICHAEL HALLIDAY (1925-2018)

 In 1975, MICHAEL HALLIDAY established the seven function of languages/seven language roles for children
in their early years.
 For HALLIDAY, children are encouraged to learn a language because it meets certain objectives.
Instrumental, Regulatory, Interactional, and Personal functions allow the child to meet physical,
emotional, and social needs. Heuristic, Imaginative, and Informative functions help a child to come to
terms with his/her environment.

 VERBAL COMMUNICATION generally refers to the written or oral words we exchange; however, verbal
communication has to do with MORE THAN JUST THE WORDS people speak. It includes (1) pronunciation or
accent, (2) the meanings of the words, and (3) a range of variations in the way people speak language –
depending on their regional backgrounds and other factors.

 Verbal Communication is all about language, both written and spoken. We rely primarily on verbal
communication to exchange messages with one another and develop as individuals. Verbal Communication
is the use of words to share information with other people. The verbal elements is all about (1) the words
you choose, (2) how they are heard and interpreted.

PRINCIPLES OF VERBAL COMMUNICATION

✓MESSAGES ARE DENOTATIVE AND CONNOTATIVE

 DENOTATION has to do with the objective meaning of a term. It is the meaning that people who share a
common language assign to a word.
 CONNOTATION is the subjective meaning or emotional meaning that specific listeners or speakers give to a
word.

✓MESSAGES VARY IN ABSTRACTION

 Entertainment, Film, Filipino Film, Indie Film, Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa
 Verbal messages vary from general to abstract to specific and concrete.
 As you get more specific – less abstract – you more effectively guide the images that come to your listeners’
minds.
✓MESSAGES VARY IN DIRECTNESS

 S1: “I’m so bored; I have nothing to do tonight.” (The speaker attempts to say or do something without
committing the other person. INDIRECT)
 S2: “I’d like to go to the movies. Would you like to come?” (The speaker clearly state his/her preferences and
ask the other person if he/she agrees. DIRECT)
 Verbal messages may be DIRECT or INDIRECT.
 DIRECT may favors statements as more honest and more open, but INDIRECT allows you to express a desire
without insulting or offending anyone.

✓MESSAGE MEANINGS ARE IN PEOPLE

 Everyone has a unique worldview and style of communicating.

 Words can have multiple meanings and it is up to the message receiver to choose a meaning (interpretation)
for the message.
 When we interpret a message, the message is filtered through our beliefs, values, morals, and the way we
see the world.

✓MESSAGES ARE INFLUENCED BY CULTURE

 Your culture teaches you that certain ways of using verbal messages are acceptable and certain ways are not

1. THE PRINCIPLE OF COOPERATION

 The principle of cooperation holds that in any interaction, both parties will make an effort to understand
each other. We assume cooperation if the following is applied:
 A. MAXIM OF QUALITY – only say what you know or assume to be true.
 B. MAXIM OF RELATION – speak inly what is relevant to the conversation.
 C. MAXIM OF MANNER – speak clearly, briefly and concisely.
 D. MAXIM OF QUANTITY – give the same amount of information as given.

2. THE PRINCIPLE OF PEACEFUL RELATIONS

 The principle of cooperation holds that when you communicate, your primary goal is to maintain peaceful
relationships. This means that you would never insult anyone

3. THE PRINCIPLE OF FACE-SAVING

 Face-saving messages are those that preserves the image of the other person and do nothing to make them
appear negative. The principle holds that you should never embarrass anyone, especially in public.

4. THE PRINCIPLE OF SELF-DENIGRATION

 The principle that advises you to avoid taking all the credit and minimize talking about yourself when
interacting.

5. THE PRINCIPLE OF DIRECTNESS

 The principle that advises you to learn when to use Direct or Indirect statement in every situation.

6. THE PRINICIPLE OF POLITENESS

 The principle that follows: in its negative form “minimize (other things being equal) the expression of
impolite beliefs” and in the corresponding positive form: “Maximize (other things being equal) the
expression of polite beliefs”.
✓MESSAGES ARE INFLUENCED BY GENDER

 Verbal messages reflect considerable gender influences on how a person communicates with other

LESSON 4: NON-VERBAL VOMMUNICATION

NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION is the interpersonal process of sending and receiving information, both
intentionally and unintentionally, without using written or spoken language. It is a kind of communication that
occurs as a result of appearance, gesture and posture, eye contact, facial expressions, and other nonlinguistic
factors.

 “People trust their ears less than their eyes.” - -Greek Historian Herodotus

When a speaker’s body language is INCONSISTENT with his/her words, listeners tend to believe the body
language rather than the words.

MAJOR ASPECTS OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

✓PERSONAL APPEARANCE

✓BODILY ACTION

✓GESTURE

✓POSTURE

✓EYE CONTACT

✓FACIAL EXPRESSION

✓VOCAL CHARACTERISTICS

✓TOUCH

✓TIME AND SPACE

✓PERSONAL APPEARANCE

 “Listeners always see you before they hear you.” A number of studies have confirmed that personal
appearance plays an important role in speechmaking. Just as you adapt your language to the audience and
the occasion, so should you dress and groom appropriately. Regardless of the speaking situation, you should
try to evoke a favorable first impression – an impression that is likely to make listeners more receptive to
what you say.

✓BODILY ACTION

 “Communication involves more than just words.” The way we stand, or sit or walk, the very positioning of
our body can speak loudly for or against us whenever we communicate. Body Language, as long as it is in full
harmony with our ideas, does not merely help rather it makes intentions clearer in our speeches. It also adds
richness and personal intensity to the very expression of those thoughts and feelings we are trying to
communicate.

✓GESTURE

 Skillful gestures can add to the impact of a speech. The primary rule is: “whatever gestures you make
should not draw attention to themselves and distract you from your message. They should appear natural
and spontaneous, help to clarify or reinforce your ideas and be suited to the audience and occasion.”
  1. DESCRIPTIVE GESTURES - Gestures WHICH AID WORDS IN DESCRIBING ANYTHING.
 2. SUGGESTIVE GESTURES - Gestures which are REPRESENTATIVE or FIGURATIVE rather than literal.
 3. LOCATIVE GESTURES - Gestures which are used to locate things. It points to PLACE, POSITION, and OR
DIRECTION.
 4. EMPHATIC GESTURES - Gestures which are used when WORDS OR IDEAS need to be STRESSED OR
REINFORCED.
 5. DRAMATIC OR IMITATIVE GESTURES - Gestures which CONVEY IMPERSONATION OF ANOTHER
PERSON’S ACTION OR “ACTING OUT” PART OF A NARRATIVE.

✓POSTURE

 “Posture could be an indicator of speaker’s confidence.”

 Posture may be described as how the speaker stands and moves around. The proper posture for the speaker
is one that gives him the feeling of relaxation and makes him appear controlled, self-possessed, at ease, with
reserved energy at his fingertips, and in command both of himself and the speaking situation. Such a posture
provides a base for effective movement and gestures.

✓EYE CONTACT

 “it isn’t enough to just look at your listeners: how you look at them counts”
 In most circumstances, one of the quickest ways to establish a communicative bind with your listeners is to
look at them personally and pleasantly. There is a great deal of research to show that speakers who refuse to
establish eye contact are perceived as tentative or ill at ease and may be seen as insincere and dishonest

✓FACIAL EXPRESSION

 “Face reflects what is in the heart of the person and it is in the face that the audience could read what
emotion the speaker conveys.”
 Facial expression should reflect the speaker’s thinking and emotional attitudes. The facial muscles should be
flexible permitting expressions of the speaker in varying moods. The speaker’s facial expression can be a
great aid in reinforcing and clarifying meaning, conveying moods, and giving emphasis.

✓VOCAL CHARACTERISTICS

 “Voice carries both intentional and unintentional messages.”

 A speaker can intentionally control pitch, pace and stress to convey a specific message. Unintentional vocal
characteristics can convey happiness, surprise, fear, and other emotions.

✓TOUCH

 Touch is an important way to convey warmth, comfort, and reassurance as well as control. Touch is so
powerful, in fact, that is governed by cultural customs that establish who can touch whom and how in
various circumstances.
 Best advice: when in doubt, don’t touch.

✓TIME AND SPACE

 Time and space can be used to assert authority, imply intimacy, and send other nonverbal messages. For
instance, some people try to demonstrate their own importance or disregard for others by making other
people wait; others show respect by being on time. Similarly, taking care not to invade private space, such as
standing too close when talking, is a way to show respect for others.

USING NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION EFFECTIVELY

Paying attention to nonverbal cues will make you a better listener. When you’re talking, be more conscious of the
nonverbal cues you could be sending. Also, consider the nonverbal signals you send when you’re not talking. When
you listen, be sure to pay attention to the speaker’s nonverbal cues. Nonverbal signals are powerful, but they aren’t
infallible, particularly if you don’t know a person’s normal behavior patterns.