Q. What do you mean by Body Language ? Discuss the types and significance of body language.
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Q. What do you mean by Kinesics or Body Language ? Discuss the types and importance of body language.
Ans. Meaning of Body Language: Body language is a prominent and an important medium of non-verbal communication. It communicates very rapidly even the most suitable ideas. Body language expresses internal feelings very clearly. Effect of motions, ideas, thoughts, attitudes and feelings is reflected in human behaviour.
Non-verbal means like body movement, gesture, posture, eye contact, pitch variation, etc. communicate ideas and messages in an effective manner.
Body language is also called Kinesics. In it a person transmits message by the movement of different parts of his body, such as, face, eyes, shoulders, head, hands, etc. For instance, nodding head up and down conveys agreement; shaking head from side to side means disagreement; movement of hand is a mark of greeting or good bye, affection or annoyance can be expressed by eyes.
Thus, kinesics is a study of body movements and gestures.
Types of Body Language: Body language may be classified into the following types :
(1) Postures: Posture refers to way of sitting and standing. Physical structure of everybody is nature-bestowed. It can be made more attractive and agile by regular exercise and yoga, etc.
Since posture is less well controlled than voice, it may serve as a clue to emotional states which otherwise might be successfully disguised. While to some extent posture like facial, legs communicate non-verbal messages. Posture and movement can convey self-confidence, status or interest. A confident executive may have a relaxed posture and yet may stand more erect than a timid subordinate. An interesting listener may lean forward toward the speaker, one who is bored may lean away, slump or glance at the desk.
(2) Gestures: Gestures are physical movements of our arms, legs, hands, torsos and head nods. Through the movement of each of these body parts, we can assert and reinforce our verbal messages. And we can observe how others punctuate their verbal efforts with gestures.
Gestures have a role of their own in communication. In oral communication proper co-ordination of speech and gestures render communication effective manifold. Ordinarily, however, gestures express emotion or describe objects of special shape and appear to be closely coordinated with speech.
According to Murphy, hand and arm gestures are used for several reasons : (i) To Emphasize; (ii) To Point; (iii) To Reject; (iv) To Describe.
In fact, gestures change with person and place. With change of time or person, meanings of gestures also undergo a change.
(3) Facial Expressions: The facial expression or the expression of the face is the most important feature of body language. We look at the face to determine much of the meaning behind body language and non-verbal communication. Argyle observes that facial expressions are used in close combination with speech to emphasize or modify meanings and to provide feedback. Vine has observed that a listener signals his responses to what is being said by small movements of the eyebrows and mouth, expressing surprise, pleasure, puzzlement, disagreement and other reactions. Similarly, a speaker signals through appropriate expressions the context which his speech is to be interpreted – whether it is serious, funny, friendly or cold.
Darwin believed that there is a small number of universal emotions and associated with these emotions are universal facial expressions. Subsequent research generally identified six basic emotions (happiness, surprise, sadness, fear, disgust and anger), from which more complex or blended emotions are derived. Basic emotions are associated with quite distinctive patterns of facial muscle activity: for instance, surprise is associated with raised eyebrows, dropped jaw, horizontal wrinkles across the forehead, raised upper eyelid, and lowered lower eyelid show posed versions of the six basic emotions.
Some facial expressions are associated with basic emotions appearing to be fairly universal.
(4) Eye Contact: Eye contact, an older term for non-verbal channel refers more precisely to mutual gaze.
The amount and pattern of gazing is a rich source of information about people’s feelings, their relative status, their credibility and honesty and their competence and attentiveness.
An old cliche says, “Look a person in the eye when you talk to him.” This simply means that when you are communicating with others, try looking them in the pupil and let the pupils tell you their real feelings. Under certain conditions, the pupils may dilate or contract as per the attitude and mood of the individual. For example, when one is excited the pupils can dilate up to four-times their normal size. Whereas during ire, frustration, depression or any other negative mood, they are contract.
In fact, the way you establish eye contact with someone speaks about your attitude or the situation in which you are communicating with him.
Some studies divide gaze behaviour into three categories:
(i) Formal Gaze: This is appropriate for boardrooms, business meetings, job interviews, project presentation, public speaking etc. Here, one should look at the imaginary triangle on the other person’s forehead above the area between the eyes. With this kind of gaze, one will be able to control the interaction to an extent.
(ii) Informal Gaze: This is suitable for interacting with friends and associates. In this case, let your gaze casually drop between the other person’s eye zone forming an imaginary triangle downward on thr area between his eye and chin. This will add a congenial to the interface.
(iii) Lateral Gaze: This type of gaze is used to convey either your interest or hostility towards the other person or situation. Interest towards the other gender, especially in courtship, can be expressed by smiling and slightly raising the eye-brows.
North Americans whites see eye contact as a sign of honesty. But in many cultures, dropped eyes are a sign of appropriate respect to a superior.
Puerto Rican children are taught not to meet the eyes of adults. The Japanese are taught to look at the neck. In Korea, prolonged eye contact is considered rude. The lower-ranking person is expected to look down first. In Muslim countries, women and men are not supposed to have eye contact.
Eye movement and eye contact with complete facial expression convey their messages more effectively.
(5) Bodily Contact: Bodily contact includes hitting, pushing, holding, striking, shaking hands, embracing, touching and a variety of other activities. Their use varies with the type of relation and situation.
Touch is perhaps the earliest form of communication we learn. Long before we learn language, we give and receive information by touch. There are many different types of touch of different parts of the body. The meaning of attach parries as a function of the type of touch, the context within which the touch occurs. From analysis of fifteen hundred bodily contacts between people, Jones and Yarbrough identified five discrete categories of touch :
(i) Positive affect: to communicate appreciation, affection, reassurance, nurturance or sexual interest.
(ii) Playful: to communicate humour and playfulness.
(iii) Control: to draw attention or induce compliance.
(iv) Ritualistic: to satisfy ritualised requirements (for example, greetings and departures).
(v) Task-related: to accomplish tasks (for example, a nurse taking one’s pulse or a violin teacher positioning one’s hand).
To these can be added, negative affect (gently pushing an annoying hand away) and aggressive touches (slaps, kicks, shoves, punches).
(6) Appearance: Appearance covers non-verbal impressions that affect receiver’s attitudes. Appearance may be of two types :
(a) Personal Appearance: Clothing, hairstyles, neatness, jewellery, cosmetics, posture and stature are part of personal appearance. They conveys impressions regarding occupation, age, nationality, social and economic level, job status.
Terms such as smart, casual or business casual are symbols for appearance. It is important that you know what they mean in your particular environment.
(b) Appearance of Surroundings: Aspects of surroundings include room size, location, furnishings, machines, architecture, wall decorations, floor (carpeted or bare), lighting, windows, view and other related features wherever people communicate orally. Surroundings will vary according to status and according to country and culture.
(7) Silence: Silences are a natural and fundamental aspect of communication, often ignored. Silences are not absence of communication. They are an integral part of interpersonal communication. In fact, effective communication between people depends heavily on silences because people take turns at talking and at being silent when listening. Silence forms a fascinating part of communication.
There are different types of silences, each with a meaning of its own and different implications and consequences for communication. For example : (i) Silence when we are worrying about a problem on hand, is different from (ii) Silence, which occurs when we are listening attendively to a speaker or watching a movie.
Silences cannot be lumped (mixed) all together. Each must be interpreted on its own. Reaction to each of these silences is different because each means something different.
Our silence stems (comes/arises) from different causes which is reflected in our actions, expressions and movements.
Silence may be appropriate or inappropriate depending on the situation. Responding silently to a situation which requires talking and not being silent when we should, is inappropriate.
Importance/Significance of Body Language: Lesikar is of the opinion that the importance of body language is revealed by the fact that much of what we say to others without using words is sent through the physical movement of our body. The following facts reveal the importance of body language:
(1) Reveals the Working of Emotions: When we wave our arms and fingers, wrinkle our foreheads, stand erect, smile, gaze at another, wear a coat and tie and so on, we convey certain meanings and others convey meaning to us in return. In particular, the face and eyes, gestures, posture, and physical appearance reflect the inner workings of emotions in our bodies.
The face and eyes are the most important features of body language. We look to the face and eyes to determine much of the meaning behind body language and non verbal communication. For example, happiness, surprise, fear, anger and sadness usually require definite facial expressions and eye patterns. Thus, you should be aware of these two aspects of body language as you speak and listen to others.
(2) Reveals the status: The relative status of interactants can be very evident from body language. Higher-status individuals adopt a relaxed, open posture with arms and legs asymmetrically positioned and a backward lean (bent for support) to the body. Lower status individuals adopt a more rigid, closed and upright posture with arms close to the body and feet together.
(3) Replaces Verbal Communication: When verbal communication breaks down, non-verbal communication may serves as a substitute.
(4) Sustain (to support, to keep alive, to encourage) Verbal Conversation: Once a conversation starts, body language helps sustain it by providing a steady (fixed) stream (direction) of feedback information concerning the other person’s responses. Body language from posture and gestures may also help sustain communication by emphasizing or illustrating points made in the verbal message. Nods of the head, graunts and shifts of gaze or tone of voice are crucial.
(5) Reveals a Person’s Attitudes and Traits: Body language provides cues to a person’s attitudes and traits and to his identity as a person. It shows intra-cultural differences.
(6) Reveals the Truth: Body language reveals the truth. In the words of Nancy Austin, “When people do not know whether to believe what they are hearing or what they are seeing, they go with the body language — it tells the truth. You can play fast and loose with words, but it is much more difficult to do with gestures”.
(7) Practical Application: Body language is a very important tool of practical application in real life. According to Marilyn Mapie, “When you can consciously ‘read’ what others are saying unconsciously, you can deal with the issue – at work and at home – before they become problems.
(8) Proxemics or Space Language, Time Language: The proxemics is the study of how we use space, time and surroundings in communication. Proxemics involves space and time and how they communicate in speaking and listening.
