NONVERBAL Q & A
The following are two "electronic flyers," sent out from the American Anthropological Association, prepared by David Givens.
1. WHAT IS NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION?
By David B. Givens, Ph.D.
Center for Nonverbal Studies
WHAT: Nonverbal communication or "body language" is the process of sending
and receiving wordless messages by means of hand-and-finger gestures, body
postures, facial expressions and emotional tones of voice. Also included are
grooming habits, body positioning in space, and consumer-product designs
(e.g., clothing signals, fast-food tastes, artificial colors and flavors,
engineered fragrances, video images and computer-graphic displays). Nonverbal
cues include all the signs and signals--audio, visual, tactile and chemical
used by human beings to express themselves apart from manual sign languages
and speech.
WHEN: The first scientific study of nonverbal communication was published in
1872, by Charles Darwin in his book, The Expression of the Emotions in Man and
Animals. Since the mid-1800s thousands of research projects in archaeology,
biology, cultural and physical anthropology, linguistics, primatology,
psychology, psychiatry and zoology have been completed, establishing a
generally recognized corpus of nonverbal cues. Recent discoveries in
neuroscience, funded during the 1990s "Decade of the Brain," have provided a
clearer picture of what the unspoken signs in this corpus mean. Because we
now know how the brain processes nonverbal cues, "body language" has come of
age in the 1990s as a science to help us understand what it means to be human.
WHO: Each of us gives and responds to hundreds of nonverbal messages in our
personal and professional lives--and when commuting back and forth between the
two. From morning's kiss to suit-jacket lapels and tightened-lips in the
boardroom, we react to wordless messages emotionally, often without knowing
why. The boss's nod, the clerk's bow tie, the next-door neighbor's
hairstyle--we notice minute details of nonverbal behavior because they reveal
how we relate to one another, and who we think we are.
WHERE: Nonverbal messages are so potent and compelling because they are
processed in ancient brain centers, located beneath newer areas designed for
speech. From paleocenters in the spinal cord, brain stem, and forebrain,
nonverbal cues are sent and received below the level of conscious awareness.
They give our days the "look" and "feel" we remember long after words have
died away.
HOW: As primates, we are quick to imitate nonverbal signs. The popularity of
high-five gestures, Coca-Cola and Levi's jeans, for example, depend on a
nonverbal principle called "isopraxism." This reptilian neurobehavior
explains why we stand and clap in a theater when others stand and applaud. We
produce many common gestures and postures--like hand-behind-head signs and
shoulder-shrug cues--as ancient neural pathways, or "paleocircuits," release
body movements that reflect our emotions and moods.
WHY: Deciphering gestures, decoding their physical makeup and hidden
meanings, helps us identify the nonverbal triggers that shape our lives and
influence our successes--or our failures--to communicate. For despite the
prevalence of speech and words, we still live in a Nonverbal World dominated
by gesture and deed.
2. What Body Language Can Tell You That Words Cannot
U.S. News & World Report Interview With David Givens, Anthropologist
The most successful lawyers, teachers and salespeople, among others, have one thing in common: A capacity to understand nonverbal signals and use them advantageously.
Q Mr. Givens, why is it important for people to understand body
language--that is, communication by means of movements and gestures?
A The best salespeople, the best teachers, the best business managershave an innate ability to read body language and put it to profitable use. They adapt their presentation to the messages they pick up.For example, the most successful trial lawyers
are those who can look at a jury and a judge and pick up little cues that tip off what people are thinking. An observant lawyer may notice that the judge is compressing his lips into a thin line as the lawyer is speaking. This is a common sign people u
se when they disagree or are becoming annoyed. A smart lawyer will quickly try a new approach. Such signals are used constantly, even though people generally don't realize they are communicating through their movements, posture and mannerisims.
Q What kinds of information is nonverbal language likely to reveal?
A Very often it signals a person's true feelings, which may be contrary
to what is actually being spoken. For example, a person may hunch the
shoulders, angle the head to one side and compress the lips. That's a good
indication that he or she is uncertain about an idea or perhaps disagrees with
it, even without saying so in words.
Q Would you give some examples of the most common indicators of approval and disapproval?
A When people show rapport with each other, they swivel their upper
bodies toward each other and align their shoulders in parallel. They face
each other squarely, they lean slightly toward each other, and there is more
eye contact. If they disagree, they unwittingly or unconsciously turn their
bodies away from each other. Such signs are unmistakable forms of body
language.
Q Do people more often than not try to exhibit dominant behavior in the
presence of others?
A Some people do, but many also assume a submissive stance. The head,
arms, legs and feet tell the true intent. When the boss pats an employee on
the back, the employee's toes will invariably pigeon-toe inward--a classic
sign of submission--and the boss will toe out, a sign of dominance.
By contrast, people in submissive roles will tend to crouch slightly and
display self-protective stances. They may fold their arms or hug themselves,
cross their legs or reach up and touch their throats. People with a more
dominant attitude will use more-expansive gestures, spreading the arms and
legs, creating an air of openness.
Q What are some other universal nonverbal signals?
A One is an automatic raising of the eyebrows that a person does when he
or she meets someone else. It takes place very quickly at the instant when
recognition takes place, and it is a natural and universal form of greeting.
Another obvious cue is known as the "hand behind head," which signals
uncertainty or stress. When someone is disturbed or startled by something,
the first reaction is to reach up and touch the back of the head. It is a
totally unconscious reflex.
About 125 nonverbal signals of this type have been cataloged as
recognizable.
Q Where do we get mannerisms such as these? Are they learned as a part
of our culture?
A No, they are almost entirely inborn. Nonverbal behavior occurs
naturally, without being taught, and even shows up in newborn infants and in lower animals. It is firmly grounded in evolutionary development. It's something that Mother Nature provides to help us get along with each other.
Nonverbal communication is also what we call culture-free: it applies
worldwide. People can go anywhere and understand these signals, even if they don't know the spoken language.
Q Is courtship one of the situations that is strongly influenced by
nonverbal skills?
A Yes. In fact, early courtship is almost entirely made up of nonverbal
actions. Men and women unconsciously shrug their shoulders when they find each other attractive. It is an "I give up" signal, almost a childlike gesture that shows they are harmless.
Early courtship is filled with shy, juvenile, awkward behavior between
the man and the woman. A woman attracted to a man will tilt her head down and to the side, then look in his direction in a coy or coquettish way. A man at a party or at a bar will stake out his territory by putting cigarettes or cash in front of him, t
o show females his status relative to other men.
Q What if a woman decides that she isn't interested in a man's
overtures?
A The simplest gesture is simply to turn her body away from him. It's
the "cold shoulder," one of the most recognizable gestures in the entire animal kingdom. It is really one of the kindest yet most effective ways to dampen someone's ardor. And men can use it, too.
Q Would you include touching in the vocabulary of nonverbal
communication?
A Yes. And it should be used very carefully. Skin is our oldest sense
organ, and when it is touched by someone it carries a strong emotional impact. It is a very sexually loaded form of communication.
In a business or social setting, a casual touch can be almost electric,
even in a professional relationship. When someone is touched, he or she immediately stops for an instant and wonders, "What did that mean?" In such settings, "hands off" is the best policy because even a well-intentioned touch can be badly misconstrued.
[11/19/84, p. 100]
David B. Givens, PhD
Center for Nonverbal Studies (North)
204 West 23rd Avenue
Spokane, WA 99203
voice 509/459-1303
nonverbal2@aol.com
CNS (South)
7311 Eads Avenue
La Jolla, CA 92037-5035