Non-Verbal Communication
By Prof. Shilpi Kalwani
IIM Sambalpur
Theory of Non- Verbal
Communication
One of the early contributors to the concept was Ray Birdwhistell
1. Proxemics
2. Chronemics
3. Kinesics
4. Posture
5. Gesture
6. Haptics
7. Eye Contact
8. Sign Language
Proxemics
Proxemics, coined by anthropologist Edward T. Hall in 1966
amount of space that people feel necessary to put between themselves and others as they
interact
The area of the personal territory is further sub-grouped as:
Public Space (ranging from 12–25 feet between people)
Social Space (ranging from 4–10 feet between people)
Personal Space (2–4 feet of separation)
Intimate Space (a foot or less of separation). The physical distance between them is related to
their social distance.
Proxemics
Chronemics
Chronemics is a field of study examining the utilization of time
in nonverbal communication.
For example, a slight pause before finishing an announcement
can help to build a sense of anticipation in one’s audience.
Cultures are divided into two main groups based on the way
that members of that culture generally perceive time:
monochronic cultures and polychronic cultures.
Monochronic
Cultures
• Monochronic cultures are societies made
up of people that appreciate doing one task
at a time without interruption or tardiness.
• People in these cultures tend to believe that
time is linear.
• Foe Example: People in the U.S. tend to
keep very rigid schedules and usually value
punctuality, brevity, and adherence to plans
made in advance.
• In the U.S., time is viewed as a resource, as
is illustrated by the common expression
“time is money.”
• Monochronic cultures like the U.S. look
down upon being late and as a
consequence social respect is sometimes
lost.
Polychronic Cultures
• Polychronic Cultures tend to see time
as fluid and malleable. Characteristics
of polychronic cultures include
interrupted meetings, flexible
schedules, and higher values placed
on people and relationships over
punctuality and deadlines.
• For example: Culture of modern Mexico
and Egypt. People of these cultures
tend to keep open schedules, often
altering plans without notice.
• In monochronic cultures such as the
United States, Germany, and Great
Britain, these behaviors are thought to
be inefficient and improper.
• Kinesics is defined as a study of how body
movements and gestures serve as a means
of nonverbal communication
Example: Visual and Vocal Kinesic
Kinesics, • Posture is used to determine a participant’s
degree of attention or involvement, the
Gesture difference in status between communicators,
and the level of fondness a person has for
and Posture the other communicator.
• Gestures can range from full-body
expressions such as dancing or hugging, to
smaller gestures in the hands or arms such
as a slap across the face, or facial gestures
such as scrunching of the face to convey
discomfort or disgust.
Haptics
• Haptic communication is the way that people
communicate based solely through touch.
• Jones and Yarbrough (1985) explained 7 different
types of touch:
• Positive Touches
• Playful Touches
• Control Touches
• Ritualistic Touches
• Hybrid Touches
• Task-related Touches
• Accidental Touches.
Haptics
• Haptic Technology
It is a technology that interfaces with the user
through the sense of touch. Example: Touch-
screen cell phones
• Haptic Perception
Haptic Perception is used when we recognize an
object by touching it.
An example of this would be using your hand to
dig around in your bag looking for a particular
object, like a cell phone or a pen.
It involves the combination of the senses in the
skin, the position of the hand, and conformation.
Haptics
• Ethnographic Haptic
Ethnographic Haptic in different cultures
depends on what is socially acceptable. For
example, in the United States it is usually a
form of positive touching when you pat
someone’s head, but in the Thai culture, it is
rude to touch someone’s head.
Haptics
• Ethnography
• Ethnography is a type
of qualitative research that
involves immersing yourself
in a particular community or
organization to observe their
behavior and interactions up
close.
• Ethnography is a
flexible research method that
allows you to gain a deep
understanding of a group’s
shared culture, conventions,
and social dynamics.
However, it also involves
Eye Contact
• For example, in America, someone
who is unable to maintain eye
contact is seen as unconfident, shy,
or submissive. I
• In some Arab countries, a person
who is unable to maintain eye
contact is seen as disrespectful.
• Some cultures, such as South Asia,
might view extended eye contact
as challenging, rude, and
aggressive.
Sign Language
Sign language is a formal language using a system of hand gestures and movements, typically
replacing vocalization.
90% of the deaf community have hearing parents, sign language is mostly learned in schools, sign
language is not their mother tongue.
American Sign Language, used primarily in North America, English-speaking parts of Canada and
Mexico, and small countries
Indian Sign Language (ISL)
French Sign Language, used in France, Switzerland, Mali, Rwanda, Congo, Togo, Vietnam
Ethiopian Sign Language, used in Ethiopia
Spanish Sign Language, used in many parts of Spain
Arabic Sign Language, used across the Middle East
Related Concepts
Synaesthesia
Synesthesia is a phenomenon that causes sensory crossovers
Some people describe it as having “wires crossed” in their brain
because it activates two or more senses when there's only a reason
for one sense to activate.
Example: Synesthesia is when you hear music, but you see shapes.
Or you hear a word or a name and instantly see a color.
Related Concepts
Kinaesthesia
• Bodily movements
• Kinesthesia examples
include walking without
looking at one's feet, typing
without looking at one's
hands, or moving limbs with
one's eyes closed
Related Concepts
• Mimesis
The word is Greek and means “imitation” (though in the sense of “re-
presentation” rather than of “copying”)
• Sensory/ Naive Realism
The idea that our senses allow us to perceive objects directly and
without any intervening processes. Our emotions, past experiences,
or cultural identity do not affect the way we perceive the world
• Body Memory
Body memory (BM) is a hypothesis that the body itself is capable of
storing memories, as opposed to only the brain.
Body Memory
•Intercorporeal: Physical
•Intercorporative: Non-physical
•Olfactory: Sense of smell
•Gustatory: Sense of taste
Image Source: Kolter [Link], 2012
Four Theories of Learning
Case: The
Power of 1. Classical Conditioning
Talk 2. Operant Conditioning
3. Cognitive Learning
4. Social Learning
Classical
Conditioning
• Ivan Pavlov, a Russian psychologist
(Nobel Peace Prize)
developed classical conditioning
theory of learning based on his
experiments to teach a dog to
salivate in response to the ringing
of a bell.
• Pavlov concluded that the dog has
become classically conditioned to
salivate (response) to the sound of
the bell (stimulus).
• Stimulus-response (SR)
• Operant conditioning argues that behaviour
is a function of its consequences. People
learn to behave to get something they
want or avoid something they don’t want.
• Operant behavior means voluntary or
Operant learned behavior.
Conditionin
g • The tendency to repeat such behaviour is
influenced by the reinforcement or lack of
reinforcement brought about by the
consequences of the behaviour.
• Operant Conditioning is concerned
primarily with learning as a consequence of
behaviour
• Response-Stimulus (R-S).
• Behaviourists such as Skinner and
Watson believed that learning through
operant and classical conditioning would be
explained without reference to internal
mental processes.
Cognitive • Role of mental processes
Learning • Broaden the study of learning theories to
include cognitive processes as thinking,
knowing, problem-solving, remembering
and forming mental representations.
• Social learning theory, introduced by
psychologist Albert Bandura, proposed that
learning occurs through observation,
imitation, and modeling .
Social • Learnings from the theory
People can learn through observation.
Learning Notion that internal mental states are an
essential part of this process.
Theory recognizes that just because
something has been learned, it does not
mean that it will result in a change in
behavior.
Thank You !
