Body Language PDF

Body Language Week 1.1, Defining Body Language, Scope and Relevance Prof. Rashmi Gaur Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Roorkee 1  The study of body language helps gauge and comprehen...

Body Language Week 1.1, Defining Body Language, Scope and Relevance Prof. Rashmi Gaur Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Roorkee 1  The study of body language helps gauge and comprehend the attitude – humble, arrogant, condescending, dominating, submissive, influences, etc. and emotions – dismal, ecstatic, depressed, anger, impatience, indifference, etc. of a person and helps decipher one’s personality, in dyadic and group situations – interviews, group discussions, presentations, interrogations, media presence Important because it alerts us to inconsistencies between what one says and what one conveys Intonation, gesture, even omission is what the interactant has in mind while assessing communication and/or providing feedback 2  Nonverbal cues include macro and micro expressions Micro expressions: Paul Ekman, Telling Lies (1985). Human faces often reveal sentiments which we want to deliberately conceal, tiny/fast Of and through touch, glance, eye contact, volume, vocal nuance, intonation, proximity, gestures, facial expression, dress, posture, smell, accessories … In a fast paced world today, it has become more significant in the realms of business, media and others Our obsession with celebrity has enhanced our awareness about it: – Magazines carry endless stories on the body language of latest celebrities – One FBI agent has even analyzed Madonna’s eyelids flutters to see if she was lying on NBC television when she denied her pregnancy (Cohen 2015) 3 Definitions Collins English Dictionary, Twelfth Edition, 2012, “The nonverbal imparting of information by means of conscious or subconscious bodily gestures, posture, etc.” Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition, 2014, “Gestures, unconscious bodily movements, facial expressions, etc. which serve as nonverbal communication or as accompaniments to speech” Hedwig Lewis describes Body Language as the “communication of personal feelings, emotions, attitudes, and thoughts through body movements – gestures, postures, positions, and distance, either consciously or involuntarily, more often subconsciously, and accompanied or unaccompanied by the spoken language” (“The Characteristic of Body Language.” Body Language: A Guide for Professionals. SAGE 2012) 4 Body Language/Non Verbal Communications Body Language can be used in addition to or independent of words: – Extroverts and introverts Reveals the truth Provides immediate feedback Can act in absence of words Significant uses in interpersonal and group interaction Mankind has always been aware of its significance 5 Literary and Artistic Awareness Shakespeare often made allusions to eyes as expression of human character: “Let me see his eyes, that when I note another man like him, I may avoid him,” Much Ado About Nothing “I see a strange confession in thine eye,” Henry IV “Look not upon me, for thine eyes are wounding”, Henry VI, Part II 6  The Cardsharps Oil on canvas by Caravaggio, the famous Italian painter of the late 16th and early 17th century Drew on kinesics to paint libelous scenes from the low everyday life 7  The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo A fresco painting, a part of the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling, painted during 1508-12 Iconic of humanity Fingers speak 8  19th Century Painting by Vishwanath Dhurandhar Scene at a Hindu wedding Each person has a distinct face, intricately detailed outfit, and dissimilar body language 9  Continuous awareness Roman orators and rhetoricians – Cicero and Quintilian particularly – emphasized on harmony of speech, gesture and face and also recognized the significance of the tone of voice Elocution movement of 18th and 19th centuries – vocalizations and body movements Charles Darwin's The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (1872) – Studied facial expressions in the context of evolutionary principles – Based on largely anecdotal data, yet many comments are still valid Codified Studies begin in the 20th century 10 Beginnings of Codified Studies University of Pensylvenia in 1940’s Anthropologist Ray Birdwhistell pioneered the original study of non-verbal communication. Used the term 'kinesics‘ (1952) George L. Trager used the term ‘paralinguistics’ in 1950s E.T.Hall used ‘proxemics’ (1959) Albert Mehrabian, UCLA They primarily studied NVCs to comprehend the structures of human interaction as a whole "Body language," the lay term for "nonverbal communication," was popularized in 1970 with the publication of Body Language by Julius Fast. 11 Significance These researchers noted and recorded almost a million non-verbal cues and signals. Albert Mehrabian suggested that the total impact of a message is a combination of: Verbal Content 7% Paralanguage 35% (tone of voice, inflection) Body Language 58% Modified later 12 Nine Components of body language 13 1. Proxemics Analyzes the communicator’s sense of physical distance with the recipient in terms of signals & codes Image: https://www.slideshare.net/HarshParmar39/proxemics-and-chronemics 14 2. Oculesics or study of Eye Movement Language of the eyes, Analyzes eyes behavior, movements and other eye- related non-verbal communication Image:https://dahliasagucio.wordpress.com/2013/10/20/nonverbal-communication/ 15 3. Haptics Language of touch/absence of touch Analyzes communication done with human touch that conveys feelings and emotions Image: https://www.slideshare.net/ajiteshsrivastava58/haptics-non-verbal-communication 16 4. Kinesics Analyzes body gestures, postures, and movements of a communicator: Emblems Illustrators Affect Displays Image: https://www.thinglink.com/scene/528115086615642114 17 5. Paralanguage Paralanguage Voice codes/ Silence which provide nuances in speech Image: https://www.difference.wiki/body-language-vs-paralanguage/ 18 6. Chronemics Analyzes the role of time in communication: Individual Social Cultural https://www.google.com/search?q=chronemics&sour ce=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjU8Ij2093hA https://thearticulateceo.typepad.com/.a/6a0128763 hUPiHAKHVNMB7UQ_AUIDigB&biw=1366&bih=637#i 842f6970c0153910febb2970b-pi mgrc=fyF4_KnxbKrDhM: 19  7. Chromatics Communication through colors, social aspects Image: https://www.slideshare.net/janetrhines/chapter-7-im-project 20 8. Olfactics Smell Positive and negative Personal and Cultural Image: https://www.slideshare.net/pratishtha_ram/non-verbal-communication-7463803 21 9. Artifacts “The Apparel Oft Proclaims the Man,” (Shakespeare) Artifacts analyze communicator’s sense of dressing, style of putting make-up, accessories on body etc. as a statement of personality and emotions Image: http://amitturnanonverbalcommunication.blogspot.com/ 22  “Nonverbal communication involves those nonverbal stimuli in a communication setting that are generated by both the source [speaker] and his or her use of the environment and that have potential message value for the source or receiver [listener]" (Samovar et al, quoted in Tidwell, 2018) Basically it is sending and receiving messages in a variety of ways with/without the use of verbal codes (words) It is both intentional and unintentional Most speakers / listeners are not conscious of this (Tidwell 2018) Two or three minutes’ control Inter-cultural aspects 24 Scope & Relevance of Body Language Highly competitive professions – – Body language renders a sense of analysis and interpretation regarding the intentions, attitudes, and orientations of the interactants in every field Patient Counselling Sessions, Physiotherapists, Rehabilitation Centers, Nurses, Treating patients afflicted with diseases like Alzheimer and Dementia Care Givers of children with special needs, School teachers People working as Information Analysts Criminologists , FBI interrogators and profilers, People working for police Practicing lawyers, Professionals working with juvenile delinquents Its knowledge averts misinterpretations, conflicts and antagonism that often occur amongst people Managing our own Body Language enables us to have maximum effect in work situations, being interviewed for a job, a promotion, everyday dealings with colleagues 25 Contextualizing Body Language Individual Differences Cultural aspects – In Japan, listeners are taught to focus on a speaker's neck in order to avoid eye contact – In the U.S., listeners are encouraged to gaze into a speaker's eyes – China – Middle East Gender based stereotypes 26  Language – so is Body Language - is made up of – Words, Sentences, Paragraphs, or their equivalents Each gesture is like a single word and one word may have several meanings – For example, in English, the word 'dressing' has at least ten meanings including the act of putting on clothing, a sauce for food, stuffing for a fowl, an application for a wound, fertiliser and grooming for a horse. (Pease 21) A sentence corresponds to observation of clusters of gestures and/or postures etc., similarity of verbal and non-verbal clues Paragraph corresponds to contexts, even though basic non-verbal signs are almost universal – For example, when people are happy they smile; when they are sad or angry they frown or scowl 27  Context matters a lot in body language, i.e. mental, physical and environmental context within which a person has passed a message through the medium of his/her body language Carol Kinsey Goman, an executive coach for corporations and government agencies, says: – “No matter what the culture at your workplace, the ability to read nonverbal signals can provide significant advantages for the way you deal with people” Lists five common mistakes which should be avoided during interactions: – Forgetting to consider the context – Trying to find meaning in a single gesture – Focusing too much on what’s being said – Not knowing a person’s baseline – Judging body language through the bias of one’s own culture 28 Positive and Negative Body Language Body language can further be classified into positive and negative types on the lines of the emotions involved of a communicator – ‘it is an extension of a human being’s ability to communicate and as such it can be used as a means of passing over positive vibes or negative vibes almost as clearly as if we were to say something in a happy or sad tone of voice.’ (Claridge 2010) Positive body language: those nonverbal movements/gestures that communicate interest, enthusiasm, and positive reactions to what some else is saying in a given set of circumstances’ (Pendergrass 2013) Negative body language: ‘any kind of movement of the body, head, eyes, any part of the visible anatomy that alludes to us as individuals being unhappy or displeased by something or someone’ (Claridge 2010) 29  Portrayal of positive body language signifies positivity in attitude, approachability, sociability, humility, and also implies openness and confidence, honesty and willingness to cooperate at the same time – A person with this type styles friendly behavior, and probably is well-suited to work in teams and welcoming committees – Positive body language ‘might not always end in positive results, but people will see you in a more positive light.’ (Stalter 2011) Negative body language conversely implies aggression, antagonistic behavior and condescendence and sends a negative message, for example, that a person is sad, bored, angst-ridden or not intimate – Signifies defensive, apprehensive, restive, nervous, a bewildered disposition or lack confidence shrugging of shoulder, sneering, frowning, flaring of nostrils, yawning, raised eyebrows, scratching of head, loose hand shake, narrowing of eyes, hunched shoulders etc. 30  References “The Armstrong Law Firm: A Professional Corporation.” [online] https://www.thearmstronglawfirm.com/Sexual-Harassment/Sexual-Harassment-Obscene-Gestures.shtml. Antai-Otong, Deborah. “Communication: It's Not What You Say, It's How You Say It.” The American Journal of Nursing, vol. 99, no. 8, 1999, pp. 24H, https://www.jstor.org/stable/3472172 Carey, Bjorn. (2014). Stanford scientists identify body language tied to creativity, learning. [online] Stanford News. https://news.stanford.edu/news/2014/july/virtual-reality-innovation-072414.html. Claridge, Jack. (2010). How Body Language Influences Daily Life, www.bodylanguageexpert.co.uk/what- negative-body-language.html. Cohen, David. Body Language: Overcoming Problems. Jaico Publishing House, 2015. Goman, Kinsey, Carol. (2018). Reading body language at work: 5 mistakes you don’t want to make. [online] Ladders. Available at: https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/reading-body-language-at-work- five-mistakes-you-dont-want-to-make Keatley, David. (2013). Body talk: how body language affects workplace morale. [online] The Conversation. Available at: http://theconversation.com/body-talk-how-body-language-affects-workplace- morale-21282  Lennard, Højbjerg. (2014). The Moving Image: Body Language and Media Context. [online] Kosmorama. Available at: https://www.kosmorama.org/en/kosmorama/artikler/moving-image-body-language-and- media-context Lewis, Hedwig. “The Characteristic of Body Language.” Body Language: A Guide for Professionals. SAGE 2012. Nordquist, R. (2018). The Role of Body Language in the Communication Process. [online] Thought Co. Available at: https://www.thoughtco.com/body-language-communication-1689031 [Accessed 29 Dec. 2018]. Pease, Allan, and Barbara Pease. The Definitive Book of Body Language. Pease International 2004. Pendergrass, Kimberley. “10 Positive Body Language Techniques to Help You Succeed.” Udemy Blog, 11 Dec. 2013, blog.udemy.com/positive-body-language. Stalter, Harmony. Employee Body Language Revealed: How to Predict Behavior in the Workplace by Reading and Understanding Body Language. Atlantic Pub. Group, 2011. Stefano, John. “Body Language and Persuasion.” Litigation, vol. 3, no. 4, 1977, pp. 31–33., www.jstor.org/stable/29758345. Tidwell, C. (2018. Non Verbal Communication. [Online] Andrews. Edu. Available at: https://www.andrews.edu/~tidwell/NonVerbal.html