Oral Communication Chapter 4

Paralanguage

The vocalized but not verbal part of a spoken message.

Gestures

Non-vocal and nonverbal since most of them do not refer to a specific word.

Ambiguity in Nonverbal Communication

Can be linked to multiple meanings and do not have any specific meaning.

Credibility of Nonverbal Communication

We trust people more from their actions than words.

Language Barriers

When a person has not yet learned to speak or loses the ability to speak.

Mixed Messages

When verbal and nonverbal communication contradicts each other, leading to uncertainty and confusion on the part of receivers.

Deception

Typically thought of as the intentional act of altering information to influence another person, which means that it extends beyond lying to include concealing, omitting, or exaggerating information.

Identities

Conveyed nonverbally through the way we set up our living and working spaces, the clothes we wear, the way we carry ourselves, and the accents and tones of our voices.

Artifacts

The objects and possessions that surround us also communicate our identities.

Adaptors

Touching behaviors and movements that indicate internal states typically related to arousal or anxiety, targeted toward the self, objects, or others.

Emblems

Gestures that have a specific agreed on meaning within a cultural context.

Oculesics

Study of eye behaviors and movements in communication.

Facial Expressions

Help set the emotional tone and can communicate a range of emotions.

Vocalics

The study of paralanguage which includes the vocal qualities that go along with verbal messages. Accenting, substituting, regulating, contradicting, repetition, complementing are way to express your voice.

Proxemics Distances/space

The study of how space and distance influence communication.

Public Space

More than twelve feet from a person, formal and least personal.

Social Space

Four to twelve feet away, for casual conversation and professional interactions but not intimate.

Personal Space

One and a half to four feet, friendly but not intimate.

Intimate Space

None or 1.5 feet, for closest friends, family, and romantic partner.

Chronemics

The study of how time affects communication.

Nonverbal Communication

Affects our interactions and can regulate conversations.

Listening

Form of head nods, eye contact, and posture can signal that a listener is paying attention.

Impression Management

Being able to control nonverbal expressions allows us to better manage our persona.

Kinesics

The study of movement and the creation of movement with the body.

Haptics

The study of communication by touch, can be positive or negative.

Territoriality

Claiming a place to let people know it is your space.