Instructions are attached to the additional materials. Please use only the sources i provided or the text reading as the Sources to be cited: Knapp, M., Hall, J., & Horgan, T. (2014). Nonverbal Communication in Human Interaction (8th ed.)
I will also provided to the additional materials some of the theories/concepts that we explored during the semester to make it easier for you. All the work is mine so you can use the information but don’t copy and paste it.
Theory Research Paper
Evolution of My Understanding of Nonverbal Communication
Throughout this course, my understanding of nonverbal communication has evolved to cover the use of signals, gestures, and other non-spoken cures. Individuals send non-conscious signals and gestures through different elements such as eye contact to reinforce their messages. A significant part of communication involves factors that individuals cannot experience verbally. As such, several gestures and non-verbal signals convey both positive and negative messages that a person displays. Eye contact with the audience and speaker reflects honesty and respect. Different models and theories outline the relevance of nonverbal communication in the social environment. For this reason, nonverbal communication depends on the cultural dimensions to reinforce a message an individual gives. However, people can misunderstand some messages due to cultural orientation. For instance, frequent eye blinking when talking creates the impression that the person is lying.
Societies have laid cultural standards that encourage or discourage direct eye contact. Therefore, some nonverbal cues create the impression of honor, respect, of a sign of shyness. Several positive gestures demonstrate confidence. These include placing a lapel on the court, making sure the handshake is firm, and steeping the person’s fingers taking part in communication. In conversations with others, different nonverbal indicators show the lack of interest in the conversation. Some of these indicators include tilting the head towards the person speaking, maintaining eye contact, and sitting upright. Also, a warm hug and a smile indicate positive nonverbal curs that reflect the friendship and portray a person as caring and welcoming. Although in some societies, a hug or smile may create the impression of affection and intimacy towards people of the opposite gender, it is essential to understand the cultural principles that depict certain gestures.
The learning experience incorporated expressing my identity using nonverbal cues. Therefore, nonverbal communication helped convey messages using eye-to-eye connection, body language, and facial experience. The identity of human beings is a reflection of non-verbal communication (Knapp, Hall, and Horgan 2014). Thus, through nonverbal cues such as lifestyle and behavior, people experience their identities and personalities through interests, cultures, associations, and hobbies. For this reason, a person’s nonverbal communication reflects the individual’s identity. I developed my identity from the cultural frame. As a Jew from the Middle East, I am cautious about using hand gestures. Therefore, I explain my joys, happiness, and disappointments using significant gestures that my culture defines.
The socio-psychological traditions embody that nonverbal communication occurs due to interpersonal influence. The theory concentrates on expression, influence, and interactive elements that extensively characterize communication. Since individuals are social beings, they engage in nonverbal communication such as gestures, eye-to-eye contact, and body language (Knapp, Hall, and Horgan 2014). These are critical in reflecting their personality, attitude, beliefs, perception, feelings, and cognitions. The primary ideas in the socio-psychological model of nonverbal communication dwell on the psychological dimensions critical to human behaviors. The tenets of the theory reveal that nonverbal communication is extensively about experiencing attitudes and predicting communication behaviors.
The rhetorical theory maps nonverbal communication as a discourse of art. Different theoretical models in this tradition capture communication as a pragmatic art that focuses on the use of symbols, artifacts, and beliefs to reinforce their message. All gestures that individuals use in nonverbal communication affect their audience’s meaning and influence them by constructing their world. In essence, nonverbal communication uses strategies of persuasion to inform its audiences. The basic tenets of the rhetorical concept of nonverbal communication fall on the foundation that people communicate to address perceived problems. They engage in using nonverbal cues to influence the audience (Knapp, Hall, and Horgan 2014). Therefore, the tenets of rhetorical theory challenge the communication mechanism that passes messages without emphasizing persuasion. Through gestures, the individuals can effectively enhance the rhetorical dimensions of communication.
Socio-cultural models of nonverbal communication establish communication to create and enact social realities. Social-cultural dimensions present a constitutive process that people recreate their realities through interactions, signs, gestures, and language. From this perspective, nonverbal communication addresses how people epitomize their norms, meaning, social rules, and interactive communications. People engaging in nonverbal communication hold onto social orders to address different conflicts (Knapp, Hall, and Horgan 2014). The justification of socio-cultural tradition is that the theory focuses on patterns of interaction between people instead of their characteristics. If people engage in nonverbal communication, they create realities within their cultures, social groups, and organizations establishing social interactions. Nonverbal communication constructs reality under the influence of culture.
My assumptions have evolved throughout this course. I can use nonverbal communication to express my identity in different ways. Most of my conversations use hand gestures, facial expressions, and body gestures. The gestures aim to reinforce my message, persuade those that I am addressing, and reflect my cultural orientation. I accompany my words with a smile when experiencing positive emotions. All the gestures that I use reflect my culture as a Jew. Thus, I have shaped my understanding in appreciating the scope, form, and dimensions of nonverbal communication in my daily engagements and interactions.
References
Knapp, M. L., Hall, J. A., & Horgan, T. G. (2014). Nonverbal communication in human interaction (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
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