Non-verbal communication.
Why do I think non-verbal communication is such an interesting topic?
I think it's one of those things that are so crucial to our everyday lives but at the same time it's one of those things which we so use so frequently everyday that we begin to take it for granted. Most of us fail to see how essential this form of communication is to our everyday lives. Mostly of the time, we are probably unaware of the instances where we decide to communicate non-verbally.
Take the Baby Blues cartoon strip from this Saturday's Life section as an example.
The slamming of the door, kicking his shoes off (and creating a big ruckus in the process) and burping, were all Hammie's ways of communicating (non-verbally) with everyone else in the house to let them know that he had come home. Non-verbal ques such as Hammie's burp are examples of paralinguistics while body language such as the slamming of doors are examples of kinesics. These are all very simple actions, ones that we too probabably use everyday, and yet it serves to convey the desired message to the receiver, who then attaches a meaning to these non-verbal cues.
I think that the most amazing thing about non-verbal cues is how sometimes, the right ques are able to effectively convey not only messages, but strong emotions as well.
(i know this short film is almost 6mins long but DO watch it if you have the time I ASSURE you that you will not regret it!)
"Signs", one of the 2009 Cannes Lions winners, is a very simple and short film about communication. It is a silent film, so it essentially has to rely on mostly non-verbal actions and cues to connect with the audience. The director Patrick Hughes does a brilliant job in capturing emotions on film, making this simple short film so powerful. He makes use of almost all the types of non-verbal communication we covered in class last week. He makes use of kinesics, oculesics, paralinguistics, proxemics as well as physical appearances. We feel his loneliness at the beginning of the film, we feel his growing excitement as he begins to communicate more with the girl in the next building and when they begin the establish a connection, we feel his disappointment and sadness when he thinks he's lost her, and we feel his relief when he realises that that he has not lost her after all. At the end of the film, I think everyone goes "AWW..." and walks away feeling like the world is a better place with love in it. now THAT'S what you call effective communication.
"orange adultery"
(HAHAHA this one is one of my personal favorites)
The image above shows a series of photos which, when put together, tell a story.
(it might take you guys some time to make sense of the pics but I HOPE YOU EVENTUALLY DO HAHA)
I think this is a very good example (as well as a creative and non-conventional one) of non-verbal communication.
The inanimate objects (the fruits) take on specific roles as people. And the photographer gives them faces. It is through the time sequence that the series of photographs creates (chronemics) as well as the use of facial expressions and the use of space and distance (proxemics) that create a story out of the six pictures.
p.s. Feel free to share your views on the short film/comic strip/photo collage.
Do you think non-verbal communication is important in today's context?
hey alicia!
ReplyDeletei must say.. i really LOVE this entry and this particular topic! :)
both examples are indeed so cute.. who would have thought to incorporate a baby blues strip into this topic! i dunnoe abt all this fancy schmancy words such as paralinguistics or kenesics but i agree that non verbal communication is indeed impt.. in fact its the only one we have for the first few years of our lives.. and being the complicated human beings we are, most of what we truly feel or mean is through non verbal communication. behind a smile there could be so many meanings.. a slight droop in shoulders or just lookin at the eyes or the way a person's body language behaves could tell us so much more than mere words..
signs is indeed such an amazing video.. i have never been so moved by a clip without words so far... in fact i dun think i have been even this moved by anything else.. just goes to show how such non verbal communcation goes a long way into reaching out to ppl eh... i guess if the actore voiced out his feelings in that video.. he might have seemed whiney or pretentious.. but just seeing his raw emotions have made us develop a sense of care and concern over this character.. whetehr he would find his love again and so happy when he got reunited with her.. ALL IN JUST 12 MINS! <3 this vid! :)))
ORANGE adultery is one of ur FAV? i can see why! i <3 it too! the photographer's a genius.. certain ppl might not get it(colour pencil buddy :P) but its so brilliant the way the photographer has created a story, depth, character and emotions for A FREAKING ORANGE and ALL IN SIX PICS! WOWEE! simply astounding... i just love this entry.. so insightful and interesting! can't wait to see more!
:DDDD
hey alicia.
ReplyDeletei share the same views as you mentioned in this entry.
non-verbal communication is certainly something that we use alot but something which we hardly take notice of and take for granted. It is indeed equally important as verbal communication is.
good entry!
Thought the oranges were cute. Maybe I should do something like that.
ReplyDeletewell i think body language and non-verbal communication tell more than the words actually do. Its basically because our expressions and emotions cannot cheat what we really want to say. Therefore, even if somebody is saying something he may actually mean something totally different if he's saying it in a sarcastic manner, or if its said in a demeaning way. For example, presenting well has a lot to do with the person's use of his positioning and hand signs sometimes more so than the words he actually says. If a person totally ignores non-verbal communication, nobody would probably want to listen=P
ReplyDeleteMM! good examples-analysis of non verbal cues. But I think we all know how important non verbal cues are in real life.
ReplyDeleteSince you posted numbers on mine, 40% of emails sent are interpreted the wrong way due to the lack of ability to transmit tone, non verbal cues etc. the invention of emoticons i reckon haven't done much to help.
Today when this baby sitting opposite me on the train checked me out (cos im sexy duh) I made random funny faces at her. that eventually led to her playing peek a boo with me. which escalated into her taking out her hello kitty toy handphone and telling me how she has 3 cats on her phone and trying to nonverbally blue toothing it into my phone. she then said she would call me. (She doesn't speak english or chinese at all.)
I'm still waiting.
all of that with the baby was non verbal. that ish is powerful yo!
ReplyDeleteHi all!
ReplyDeleteThanks for you comments!
Ravin : I totally agree with you!in some instances actions definitely speak louder than words!
Paveena : Yes. Non-verbal communication is an important part of everyday life for all of us!
Quetzabrats : hahahaha. YES YOU SHOULD.that would be lovely! (:
Nathan : Definitely agree with you on how we might say one thing but our actions aand body laguage might contradict what we say. This only highlights the importance of paying close attention to non-verbal cues. Not only will paying close attention allow us to recognise these cues, it would also prevent us from misinterpreting these cues as well.
ReplyDeletemr ong : HAHAHAHAHAHA cheng!
ReplyDeletethanks for the figures and that example.
I think non-verbal comm (actions/body language/etc) are especially important for children to express themselves, especially when they are still at that age where they are not able to fully articulate their thoughts and feelings!
Hey alicia.
ReplyDeleteFUN FACT: Do you know only 30 % of what humans perceive is based on verbal language? The other 70% is based on body language.
so power to the non-verbal communication!
and the signs short film is my all time favourite short film.
Serena
hehehe i remember watching this the last time when i was looking at your article but totally forgot to comment. i LOVE the video :) and i totally agree with non verbal communication. i find it soo much easier to read people's non verbal communication than actual verbal communication. the saddest thing is that my nonverbal is very clear. apparently my face reacts too quick for my mind to catch it.. hehehe.. one day when i become a spy, ill be the best ever cos of reading non verbal communication :)
ReplyDeleteps: did you know that when you lie, you tend to look to the left, but if youre trying t recall something, you tend to look tot he right? tahts how cops know if youre lying:)
Hey again!
ReplyDeleteMy friend, a comms student from another school, once told me that non-verbal communication is the best form of communication. I agree to a certain extent. To me, even though non-verbal communication is much more powerful, it does not always convey the same message, or the intended message due to its subtlety, or perhaps the other party's ignorance.
I liked your entry! It was very personal and insightful (: it touched on a topic that I enjoy reading about.
Regards,
Daryl!
I personally non-verbal cues is a very powerful tool because it can tell you someone's true feelings communicated by his or her body language, eye movements and such. Because by words people can craft sentences that they think the other party may want to hear but for non-verbal cues, most of the time you cannot really control it, so it has that essence of honesty in it!
ReplyDeletehey ali,
ReplyDeletei feel that nonverbal communication plays a vry important role in our everyday life. however, nonverbal communication can be said to be dangerous too because it is receiver-oriented and if interpreted the wrong way, may result in unwanted miscommunications.