Communication Studies: Non-Verbal Communication, Communication Barriers, and Academic Listening & Note-Taking

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering non-verbal communication codes and functions, sender/receiver and external communication barriers, and active listening and note-taking strategies.

Non-Verbal Communication (NVC)

Information communicated without using words, consisting of symbols that are not words, including non-word vocalizations.

Culture-Bound and Ambiguous (NVC)

The characteristic of non-verbal communication meaning it does not have fixed meanings and is subject to different interpretations across various cultures.

Kinesics

A category of non-verbal communication that includes posture (sitting position), body movement, gestures, facial expressions, and eye contact.

Posture

A kinesic cue involving body position, such as sitting while leaning forward or backwards, which communicates different meanings and engagement levels.

Gestures

Kinesic body movements such as head nodding, head shaking, beckoning, finger-pointing, and hand waving that convey various meanings.

Oculesics

Non-verbal communication involving eye contact, including looking someone straight in the eye, eye gaze, and eye avoidance.

Proxemics

The study of proximity, space, or distance between communicating individuals, categorized into intimate, personal, social, and public distance.

Chronemics (Temporal Communication)

The way people organise and make use of time, including task duration, time spent with others, punctuality, and lateness.

Haptics (Tactile Communication)

Communication through touch (e.g., warmth, affection, consoling, or sealing a deal), governed by cultural rules regarding who, where, and when to touch.

Paralanguage (Vocalics)

Vocal features accompanying speech, including tone, volume, speed, pitch, non-word vocalizations (e.g., 'ah', 'eh', 'eish'), and silence.

Silence

A paralanguage element that can communicate agreement, disagreement, contentment, fear, arrogance, respect, contemplation, or emotional states.

Olfatics

Non-verbal communication through smells that human beings deliberately or accidentally produce, such as perfumes.

Repeating (Non-verbal Function)

A non-verbal function where a physical cue mirrors the verbal message visually, such as pointing right while saying 'head to the right'.

Complementing (Non-verbal Function)

A non-verbal function that reinforces the verbal message, such as smiling warmly while stating 'I am so glad to see you'.

Substituting (Non-verbal Function)

A non-verbal function where a cue directly replaces a spoken message, such as nodding for 'yes' or shrugging for 'I don't know'.

Contradicting (Non-verbal Function)

A non-verbal function where non-verbal signals convey a meaning opposite to the spoken words, such as saying 'I am fine' in a flat tone.

Regulating (Non-verbal Function)

A non-verbal function used to govern conversational turn-taking, such as raising a finger to request speech or breaking eye contact to conclude a thought.

Accenting (Non-verbal Function)

A non-verbal function that emphasises a specific point or spoken word, such as using hand gestures for emphasis.

Communication Barrier

Any factor or situation that interferes with the communication process, hampers the smooth flow of information, and causes breakdowns or distortions.

Perceptual Barriers

Communication obstacles arising from differences in outlook, background, education, intelligence, technical jargon, culture, age, gender, or religion.

Attitude (as a Barrier)

A tendency to respond mentally, emotionally, or actively in a specific way; despising or disliking the sender prevents objective listening.

Stereotyping

Painting a group of people with the same brush by classifying them based on previously formed opinions that may not be true.

Poor Encoding

A sender-side failure to structure a message clearly, caused by inappropriate vocabulary, incorrect language, poor grammar, spelling errors, or ambiguity.

Poor Decoding

A receiver-side failure to attach the correct meaning to a received message, often caused by linguistic ambiguity.

Perfunctory or Marginal Attention

Listening superficially due to preoccupation, wandering thoughts, social media distraction, or formulating a response while the sender is talking.

Hoarding (Gatekeeping)

When an individual who is expected to transmit information deliberately holds onto it to experience a personal sense of power and prestige.

Omission

Deleting certain parts of a message during onward transmission, frequently seen when middle managers water down messages from subordinates.

Information Overload

Supplying so much information or unnecessary detail that the receiver becomes confused and the core message is distorted.

Physical Barriers

External obstacles to communication, including environmental noise, physical distance, bad weather, mountainous terrain, and technological failures.

The $7\text{ C's}$ of Effective Communication

Principles for overcoming communication barriers: Clarity, Conciseness, Completeness, Concreteness, Coherence, Courtesy, and Correctness.

Active Listener (in Academic Contexts)

A student who identifies verbal, visual, and postural cues (e.g., vocal inflections, repetition, gestures) to discern main points from minor details.

Pre-Lecture Note-Taking Strategy

Reviewing past notes, checking the course outline for upcoming topics, and formulating anticipatory questions to answer during class.

Post-Lecture Note-Taking Strategy

Reviewing promptly to avoid forgetting, reorganizing, coding margins with key topics, clarifying ambiguous concepts, and reducing notes.