For better levels of efficiency, both verbal and nonverbal communication are directed by particular set standards.
For example, Mavridis (2015) emphasizes that the principles established for each of the two categories are relevant to all communication scenarios with little regard for context. There are five verbal communication principles. These are as follows: language has rules, language shapes our world, language is arbitrary and symbolic, language is abstract, and language organizes and classifies reality.
Nonverbal communication is defined by Kourkouta and Papathanasiou (2014) as the process of conveying messages without the use of words. The nine principles of non-verbal communication are; non-verbal communication is fluid, it is fast, it can add or replace verbal communication, it is universal, it is confusing and contextual, it could be intentional or unintentional, the messages availed communicate feelings and attitudes, it is more than verbal, and it is key in the speaker/audience relationship. The current study focuses on nonverbal communication as key in the speaker/audience relationship and the fact that language organizes and classifies reality as a principle of verbal communication based on personal and professional experiences.
Nonverbal Communication is Key in the Speaker/Audience Relationship
The audience tends to make judgments about the speaker even before the desired message is conveyed based on aspects like dressing, physique, and body posture. Similarly, the speaker creates prior perspectives of the audience even before delivering the message of intent. However, Small et al (2015) explain that some of these discernments may be accurate or inaccurate. According to Onwuegbuzie and Byers (2014), the initial nonverbal expressions established play a significant role in stirring the expectations of the audience and the two parties and the nature of relationships established. Aspects like eye contact, proper utilization of the space provided, and extents of formality go a long way in contributing to the nature of relationships created.
Examples from personal and professional lives
The first impressions of a speaker play a significant role in establishing confidence on the audience. As an intern nurse, I was assigned the role of delivering the institution's weekly maternal care speech for obese children. Having studied the effects of this condition on child growth and interactions, I approached the topic with a lot of confidence and in a professional manner. Henceforth, most of the mothers who had attended the session kept on calling me "doctor". In this case, the level of confidence created through the first impression played a significant role in establishing a positive relationship between me and the patients. On the other hand, I have learnt to make first judgments in my associations with friends and keens. The level of confidence created by any of these people in their first instance of conveying their messages guide me in judging them.
Language Organizes and Classifies Reality
Language is an instrument of creation and expression of sense (Mavridis, 2015). People tend to classify activities, objects, and creatures based on their characteristics. Therefore, Kourkouta and Papathanasiou (2014) explain that the ability of human beings to organize information is very important despite its artificial nature. On the other hand, while the systems put in place to guide people in these classifications may not be natural, they demystify their views of the real world.
Examples from personal and professional lives
In my childhood, I held the perception that any person who put on spectacles was either rich or very educated. I did not attribute ailments to such conditions. This made me develop some extents of inferiority as I interacted with the students who put on glasses. On the other hand, in my professional life as an intern nurse, I realized that most of the patients kept on referring to female physicians as nurses and the male as doctors. This is a stereotype upheld for a very long time by a vast population.
Goals
I will embrace the following goals to ensure that the two principles discussed have a positive impact on my personal and career upbringings:
To increase my levels of perfection in interpersonal relationships.
To appreciate the classifications upheld by people of varied social, political, economic, and cultural upbringings.
Improvement Plan
Nonverbal communication is a significant aspect of speaker audience relationships. For perfection, I will research the best ways of creating appealing impressions to different audiences. Further, I will look into my grooming styles to ensure that they match with occasions and audiences of interest. On the other hand, appreciation of cultural and social diversities upheld by different people will help me in realizing the classifications and organizations brought to reality by language. I will research the generalizations made by different groups of people as a way of appreciating their points of view.
References
Kourkouta, L., & Papathanasiou, I. V. (2014). Communication in nursing practice. Materia socio-medica, 26(1), 65.
Mavridis, N. (2015). A review of verbal and non-verbal human–robot interactive communication. Robotics and Autonomous Systems, 63, 22-35.
Onwuegbuzie, A. J., & Byers, V. T. (2014). An exemplar for combining the collection, analysis, and interpretations of verbal and nonverbal data in qualitative research. International Journal of Education, 6(1), 183.
Small, J., Chan, S. M., Drance, E., Globerman, J., Hulko, W., O’Connor, D., ... & Ho, L. (2015). Verbal and nonverbal indicators of quality of communication between care staff and residents in ethnoculturally and linguistically diverse long-term care settings. Journal of cross-cultural gerontology, 30(3), 285-304.
