Vocabulary notes

gesture

posture

overt

placid

state

contradict

nonverbal behavior

to convey the meaning

to conduct business

tolerant

a sour expression

stare

competence

composure

clue

threaten

Influence

deception

reveal

to rely on nonverbal cues

facial expression

- жест

- поза

- открытый, очевидный

- спокойный

- состояние

- противоречить

- невербальное поведение

- передавать значение

- вести дело

- терпимый

- угрюмое выражение

- пристально смотреть

- компетенция

- спокойствие

- ключ

- угрожать

- влияние

- обман, хитрость

- выявлять

- полагаться на невербальное поведение

- выражение лица-

You have probably heard someone say that we communicate more with our bodies than with words. Do you think it is true? In one way, it probably makes a lot of sense. Our faces, gestures, posture, and movements help us express emotions that accompany our verbal statements as well as form a substitute for such statements. Sometimes, a frowning stare can change the inappropriate behavior of a child or even an employee.

There are some general principles, though; research has shown that nonverbal communication functions primarily to convey interpersonal feelings of like or dislike, degree of interest in the communication process, and the relative status of the communicator.

Nonverbal communication is the way we express ourselves, not by what we say but by what we do. Nonverbal communication contributes a great deal to conveying meanings. It stands to reason, then, that the ability to understand nonverbal messages is an important part of communicative competence.

Cultures have different nonverbal languages as well as verbal ones. Some nonverbal behaviours have different meanings from culture to culture. The "okay" gesture made by joining thumb and forefinger to form a circle is a cheery affirmation to most Americans, but it has less positive meanings in other parts of the world. In France and Belgium it means "You're worth zero". In Greece and Turkey it is a vulgar sexual invitation, usually meant as an insult.

Whereas Americans are comfortable conducting business at a distance of roughly four feet, people from the Middle East stand much closer. Communicators become more tolerant of others once they understand that unusual nonverbal behaviors are the result of cultural differences.

Like distance, patterns of eye contact vary around the world. A direct gaze is considered appropriate for speakers in Latin America, the Arab world, and southern Europe. On the other hand, Asians, Indians, Pakistanis, and northern Europeans gaze at a listener peripherally or not at all. In either case, derivations from the norm are likely to make a listener uncomfortable.

Despite differences like these, many nonverbal behaviors are universal. Certain expressions have the same meanings around the world. Smiles and laughter are universal signal of positive emotions, for example, while sour expressions convey displeasure in every culture.

Although nonverbal expressions like these may be universal, the way they are used varies widely around the world. Some cultures discourage the overt demonstration of feelings like happiness or anger. In other cultures the same feelings are perfectly appropriate. Thus, a Japanese might appear much more controlled and placid than an Arab, when in fact their feelings might be identical.

People often simultaneously express different and even contradicting messages in their verbal and nonverbal behaviours. A common example of this sort of "double message" is the experience we've all had of hearing someone with a red face and bulging veins, yelling, "Angry? No, I'm not angry!"

Usually, however, the contradiction between words and nonverbal clues isn't so obvious. At times we all try to seem different from what we are. There are many reasons for this contradictory behavior: to cover nervousness when giving a speech or in a job interview, to keep someone from worrying about us, or to appear more attractive than we believe we really are. As we grow older we become better at interpreting these contradictory messages. We rely more on nonverbal cues to form many impressions. For example, audiences put more emphasis on nonverbal cues than on words to decide whether speakers are honest. We also use nonverbal behaviors to judge the character of speakers, as well as their competence and composure: and differences in nonverbal behavior influence how much listeners are persuaded by a speaker. Deception is perhaps the most interesting type of double message. Signals of deception can occur in every type of nonverbal behavior. Some nonverbal channels are more revealing than others, however. Facial expressions are less revealing than body cues probably because deceivers pay more attention to controlling their faces. Even more useful is the voice which offers a rich variety of cues.

Nonverbal communication is ambiguous.

Imagine two possible meanings of silence from your companion after a funfilled evening. Or suppose that a much admired person with whom you've worked suddenly begins paying more attention to you than ever before. What could some possible meanings of this behavior be? Although nonverbal behavior can be very revealing, it can have so many possible meanings that it's impossible to be certain which interpretation is correct. Despite the ambiguity of nonverbal messages, some people are more skillful decoders than others. Those who are better senders of nonverbal messages are also better receivers. Decoding ability also increases with age and training, though there are still differences in ability because of personality and occupation. For instance, extroverts are relatively accurate judges of nonverbal behavior, whereas dogmatists are not. Women seem to be better than men at decoding nonverbal messages.

EXERCISE 1.

Match the definitions with the words below:

to stare; body orientation; gesture; deception cues; nonverbal communication

1. Messages expressed by other than linguistic means;

2. Nonverbal behaviors that signal the untruthfulness of a verbal message;

3. Motion of the body, usually hands or arms, that have a communicative value;

4. Type of nonverbal communication characterized by the degree to which we face forward or away from someone;

5. To look fixedly.

EXERCISE 2.

Find English equivalents to the following expressions:

Выражать (передавать) значение (смысл); эмоциональное влияние сообщения (высказывания); коммуникативная компетентность (способность); противоречивое поведение; открытое проявление чувств; отклонение от нормы; выражение лица.

EXERCISE 3.

Fill in the missing verbs:

conduct, express, vary, contribute, tighten, understand

1. Nonverbal communication is the way we ___________ ourselves.

2. The ability to ___________ nonverbal messages is very important.

3. It ___________ a great deal to conveying meanings.

4. Americans often ___________ business at a distance of roughly four feet.

5. Distance and patterns of eye contact ___________ around the world.

6. People usually ___________ up when threatened.

EXERCISE 4.

Gather the words into 3 groups to describe:

a) verbal communication;

b) nonverbal communication;

c) both types of communication

to stare at smb; to express ourselves by what we do; body cues; the emotional impact of the message; to conduct business at different distance; to express ourselves by what we say; patterns of eye contact; to control one’s face; to emphasize one’s mask.

EXERCISE 5.