Chapter 6: Verbal and Nonverbal Communication March 12, 2008

1. Chapter 6:Verbal and Nonverbal CommunicationMarch 12, 2008 Ellie Miranda

2. Verbal and Nonverbal Communication • Small group communication is a combination of verbal and nonverbal communication. • Small groups build expectations about what these verbal and nonverbal communication characteristics will be like. • Group and personal meanings are established through the interaction of verbal and nonverbal communication.

3. Functions of Verbal Communication • Task Ordering • Involves cognitive meaning that focuses on either/or choices and creates an understanding about the group’s purposes and processes. • in other words, task ordering is WHAT we say. • Provides backbone of the group interaction. • Process Orientation • Is HOW we say something . • Frequently as important as what we say (task ordering). • Allows us to gently and diplomatically address issues that can create great difficulties if left to a limits or controls task orientation.

4. Functions of Verbal Communication Continued • Narratives and Group Fantasies-how we talk about our group determines how we feel and act toward the group. • Narrative- combines both myth and reality. • When a team leader tells the group they were picked because they are “the best and the brightest,” it can be an excellent motivational statement. (wishful thinking/partial truth) • Fantasy- “creative and imaginative shared interpretation of events that fulfills a group’s psychological or rhetorical need to make sense of their experience and to anticipate their future.” • can be either positive or negative and destructive. • Provides sense making and values for group members. • Ex. Delta Airlines-”We love to fly and it shows.”

5. Structures of Meaning in Verbal Communication • Denotative and Connotative Meaning • Denotative meaning-is what the word literally means or represents; the dictionary meaning of the word. • Connotative meaning-the context and associations we hold for the word(s) being used. • Semantics-the study of meaning construction in language. • Three communication principles help us understand how verbal communication functions: 1.) Meanings are in people, not words. 2.) Language is symbolic. 3.) Language conveys meaning about observations, inferences, and judgments. • Observations- • Inferences- • Judgments-

6. Structures of Meaning in Verbal Communication Continued • Group Talk -in the process of using language that addresses the perceived issues each member also plays a role in offering meanings. • Problem- • Role-assumption talk- • Consciousness raising talk- • Encounter talk- • Humor-is based on our ability to take advantage of inconsistencies and incongruencies. • Humor uses the power of verbal communication to: • share messages, • relieve stress • support group fantasies • integrate ideas • support common values • convey messages and meaning to people

7. Nonverbal Communication While verbal communication directs the task and process aspects of the group discussion, nonverbal communication forms the context in which we discuss them. • By definition, all behaviors that are not consciously verbal and that are assigned meaning by one or both of the parties in a communication interaction are nonverbal communication. • Research has estimated that between 65% and 93% of a messages' meaning is nonverbal.

8. Nonverbal Communication Continued Nonverbal Communication-Principles and Impact Table 6.2 Page 114 • It impacts the quality of relationships. • It is more likely to be believed than verbal communication. • One or both parties can assign meaning. • Behaviors are guided by context and power relationships. • Cultural norms and expectations guide the group. • Things we notice lead to meaning. • Women are more sensitive than men to nonverbal cues. • We should concentrate on improving our own actions.

9. Nonverbal Communication Continued Types of Nonverbal Communication • Facial Display-we judge a person’s willingness to interact by his or her facial display. • restricting our facial communication suggests a lack of involvement and interest • smiling is considered a positive communication behavior that indicates to others that we are honest, intelligent and worth joining in some venture • Eye contact is critical to and indicative of small group interpersonal communication but is also full of complex and context-based assumptions. • Paralanguage- is the meaning that is perceived along with actual words used to deliver a message. It is how we say something. • Includes: dialects, accents, pitch, rate, vocal quality, pauses, and silences. • Paralanguage

10. Types of Nonverbal Communication Cont. • Body Language- kinesics-the study of body language consists of our physical appearance and by our movements and gestures. • Proxemics- the ways we structure, use and are affected by space. • Chronemics- the study of use of time.

11. Pay attention to your verbal and nonverbal communication.