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Introduction

Undeniably communication is an important foundation in the success of any organizations, individuals


and even in civilizations. Even primitive people tried to find ways to communicate when things were
much simpler then and non-existence of standard verbal language. Generally there are varied forms of
communication. Each form is valuable and nonverbal communication is being one of them. The most
profound nonverbal communication is body language or Kinesics.

Body language is defined as nonverbal and mostly unconscious communication through the use of
gestures, postures and physiologic signs, which act as cues to other people. New research in the field
of cognitive and affective neuroscience suggests that even the breathing pattern is also part of body
language communication’s aspect.

Understanding Of Body Language

Interest in body language first gained popularity in the early 1970s when Julius Fast wrote the pivotal
book, appropriately titled Body Language. Many of his findings have now been backed by
neuroscience. Although the first known written work exclusively addressing body language was
published in 1644 by John Bulwer’s, Chirolgia or the Natural Language of the Hand but scientific
research only began with the 1872 publication of Charles Darwin’s: The Expression of the Emotions
in Man and Animals. Since then, nonverbal communication has been the subject of extensive research.

According to a research conducted by Professor Albert Mehrabian of the University of California, Los
Angeles, 55 per cent of the message in face-to-face communications results from the body language
(Figure 1). A person can have the right words and say everything to another person ears want to hear,
and say it in a sensuous, elegant, resonant tone. But if the facial expressions are incongruous with what
it said, that person may have well said nothing.
Total Impact Of A Message In Communication

Vocal
(Voice Dynamics)
38%
Non-Verbal
(Face & Body)
55%
Verbal
(How You Speak)
7%

Figure 1: Total Impact of A Message In Communication


Body Language & Various Forms Of Nonverbal Communication

Body Language As A Language Itself

Body language plays a key role in helping an individual to form quick impressions. Through body
language, a person can convey a host of feelings without actually speaking a single word. It also can
include any reflexive or non-reflexive bodily movements that an individual uses to convey message to
outside world. As a result, body language truly is a language in and of itself.

Human beings are genetically programmed to look for facial and behavioral cues and to quickly
understand their meaning. The body language really can reinforce or contradict verbal messages
because a person’s body discloses true feelings. Action speaks louder than words is an indicator that
body language is the literal translation to this statement.

The body language target point is a concept referring to wheel-like vortices, which, according to
traditional medicine, are believed to exist in the surface of the etheric double of man. They are very
similar to the Chakras as used in Yoga. In Yoga the Chakras are said to be "force centers" or areas
where energy permeates. They are points on the physical body, the layers of the subtle bodies in an
ever-increasing fan-shaped formation (the fans make the shape of a love heart). The Chakras are
centers of energy, located on the midline of the body. There are seven of them, and they govern our
psychological properties.

The Chakras located on the lower part of our body are our instinctual side, the highest ones, our mental
side. The Chakras can have various levels of activity. When they're "open," they're considered
operative in a normal fashion. Each one of the Chakras and one of the main body gestures relate to one
of the body language target points and ideally contribute to our being. Our senses would work together
with our feelings and thinking, anytime there is a gag between what we think, feel or say, the body
language sends a signal to us and to the environment. For example, one of the most basic and powerful
body-language signals is when a person crosses his or her arms across the chest. This can indicate that
a person is putting up an unconscious barrier between themselves and others. If you try to understand
the meaning of this gesture you will we see it is a gesture that is indicating we are protecting our chest
against a possible attack, just like in animal behavior.

Importance Of Body Language

The ability to understand body language is a powerful tool that will help us connect with others,
express what we really mean, navigate challenging situations and build better inter or intra
relationships. Researchers have succeeded in identifying a lexicon of feelings and their corresponding
postures. Anyone with enough information can effectively read people’s feelings through their body
language. Learning to interpret body language is not a hard task; you just need to know the familiar
postures in body language and their associated emotional states, and then link them together.

The ancient Greeks and Romans were well aware of the importance of immediately determining who
was a friend or foe or knowing before whom they stood. The survival of their civilization depended
upon it. Likewise, every major religious doctrine discusses this concept. The Hebrew Talmund and the
Muslim Al-Quran both discuss the value of recognizing specific traits within people that can affect an

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Body Language & Various Forms Of Nonverbal Communication

individual inter or intra personal relationships. This inscription is present in most synagogues
throughout the modern world as it was in ancient times.

Conceptualization of Nonverbal Communication & Overview of Categories

Although every day we respond to thousands of nonverbal cues and behaviors, generally it can be
derived as the following:

Facial Expressions

Facial expressions are responsible for a huge proportion of nonverbal communication. The human face
is extremely expressive, able to express countless emotions without saying a word. While nonverbal
communication and behaviour can vary dramatically between cultures, the facial expressions for
happiness, sadness, anger, and fear are similar throughout the world.

Gestures

Gestures are woven into fabric of our daily lives. Gestures can be either ambiguous or unambiguous.
Deliberate movements and signals are important way to communicate meaning without words.
Common gestures include waving, pointing, and using fingers to indicate number amounts. Other
gestures are arbitrary and related to cultures or regions.

Vocalics / Paralanguage

Paralanguage deals with vocal cues, more accurately referred to as the nonphonemic qualities of
language. These include accent, loudness, tempo, pitch, cadence, rate of speech, nasality and tone,
insofar as these convey meaning. Vocalics is sub-divided into several categories:
 Vocal characterizes include laughing, crying, yawning and so on. These can be associated with
culture, such as the different ways various cultures accept the practice of belching.
 Vocal qualifiers such as volume, pitch, rhythm and tempo also associated with cultural
distinctions. In Arab culture, for example, speaking loudly connotes sincerity, whereas in North
America it often is interpreted as aggressive.
 Vocal segregate such as “uh”, “mmmm”, “uh-huh” also differ among various cultures and time.
 Vocal rate deals with the speed at which people talk. Another factor that offers various
interpretations.

Chronemics

Chronemics deals with the use of time as an element of communication. Chronemics considers the use
of monochronemics (doing one thing at a time, emphasis on schedules and promptness, getting to the
point quickly) versus polychronemics (doing several things at a time, emphasis on people and the
whole of relationships). Monochronemics practice or conversation is common in Northern Europe and
North America. Meanwhile, Latin American, Asian and Mediterranean cultures are more likely to use
polychronemics conversation.

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Body Language & Various Forms Of Nonverbal Communication

Body Language and Posture

Posture and body movement can also convey a great deal on information. Research on body language
has grown significantly since 1970’s, but the popular media have focused on the over-interpretation of
defensive postures, arm crossing, and leg crossing, especially after the publication of Julius Fast’s
book Body Language. While these nonverbal behaviors can indicate feelings and attitudes, research
suggests that body language is far subtler and less definitive that previously believed. The body
language signals may also differ on the basis of gender, cultural and environmental influences.

Proxemics

People often refer to their need for personal space, which is also an important type of nonverbal
communication. One aspect of this is the closeness between and among people when they speak, and
the significant role that culture plays in this. A number of factors including social norms, situational
factors, personality characteristics and level of familiarity also influence these zones classifications
The father of Proxemics, Edward T. Hall, an anthropologist who described four distinct zones that
people unconsciously use as they interact with others:

 Intimate distance – 0 to 18 inches


 Personal distance – 18 inches to 4 feet
 Social distance – 4 feet to 12 feet
 Public distance – beyond 12 feet

Occulesics / Eye Gaze

Since the visual sense is dominant for most people, eye contact is an especially important factor in
nonverbal communication. Looking, staring and blinking are also an important determining factor.
When people encounter people or things that they like, the rate of blinking increase and pupils dilate.
Looking at another person can indicate a range of emotions, including hostility, interest and attraction.
People who has eye contact are viewed as confident, credible and having nothing to hide.

Haptics

Communicating through touch is another important nonverbal behavior. There has been a substantial
amount of research on the importance of touch in infancy and early childhood. Harry Harlow’s classic
monkey study demonstrated how the deprivation of touch and contact impedes development. Baby
monkeys raised by wire mothers experienced permanent deficits in behavior and social interaction.
Simple messages such as a firm handshake, a timid tap on the shoulder, a warm bear hug, a patronizing
pat on the head or a controlling grip on an individual personal can be a critical type of touch factors.

Appearance

Our choice of color, clothing, hairstyles and other factors affecting appearance are also considered a
means of nonverbal communication. Research on color psychology has demonstrated that different
colors can invoke different moods. Appearance can also alter physiology reactions, judgment and

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Body Language & Various Forms Of Nonverbal Communication

interpretations. Even adornments, body piercing and tattoos are also another form of appearance that a
reflective in nonverbal communications.

Future Expectation

Despite the cues and behaviors, the future might bring other novel modes of communication. One such
mode is already in the offing, involving what can be called brain waves. Through scientific
experimentation, that all mental processes, in both humans and animals, are accompanied by the
production of a complex pattern of minute electric currents. Each mental process is associated with its
own individual pattern of electric fluctuation. Experimenters have been able to record them. It was also
discovered that by relaying back these electric currents, it is possible to recreate in the mind of the
recipient the mental process associated with a particular set of patterns.

Dr. Jose Delgado who, using equipment to relay minute electric currents, was able to control a bull
charging at him in the ring has spectacularly demonstrated the effectiveness of this method. This
method, when developed for human use, could be called artificial telepathy and it would come under
the heading of extra-lingual transfer of information between entities, and so would classify as a means
of nonverbal communication.

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