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  • Essay / Achieving Success Through Nonverbal Communication

    Table of ContentsDefinitions and General InformationUse of Positive Nonverbal BehaviorsEffect of Negative Nonverbal BehaviorsConclusionCommunication is the process of sharing information between people in relationships and is considered the heart of all organizations. It is the most vital aspect of the organization since it dictates the management and dynamics of the organization. They mainly rely on effective communication at all levels and in all areas to achieve successful management and increase productivity. ​How information and responsibilities are communicated between superiors and subordinates ultimately dictates the day-to-day functioning of the organization. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on 'Why violent video games should not be banned'?Get the original essayGood communication within organizations has been shown to be a critical success factor in areas such as increasing productivity, recognition throughout the organization, and improved employee satisfaction (Graham, Unruh, & Jennings, 1991). When talking about communication, it is particularly important to focus on the non-verbal aspect of communication, as it is the primary means by which we form opinions and impressions about people. Research indicates that humans attribute relational and individual characteristics, often based on nonverbal cues (Remland, 1984). Nonverbal communication refers to the process of sending and receiving messages without using words and is becoming increasingly important in communication because our verbal communication would be completely ineffective if our nonverbal messages were incongruous with our verbal messages. ​Negative nonverbal communication between superior-subordinate relationships decreases the quality and effectiveness of performance in the workplace. These negative nonverbal behaviors are expressed through kinesics, proxemics, paralanguage and chronicle. In order to assess the impact of nonverbal communication in superior-subordinate interactions, the discussion on this topic will be divided into three different sections. The first section will discuss the different types of nonverbal communication and define what is meant by negative nonverbal behaviors. The second section will discuss the importance of using positive nonverbal behaviors when communicating information between superior and subordinate. Finally, the third section will discuss how negative nonverbal behaviors decrease quality, efficiency and deteriorate organizational relationships. Definitions and general information In this section, general information about nonverbal communication will be presented, followed by the definition of what is meant by negative nonverbal communication. verbal behavior, this information will be used in the following sections. Nonverbal communication is divided into four different types based on the different channels used to communicate nonverbal messages. The four types of nonverbal communication are kinesics, proxemics, paralanguage, and chronicles (Hickson, 2010). Kinesics refers to bodily movements, including facial expressions, eye contact/behavior, touch, gestures, and any other movements performed by the limbs or body. Posture and other physical characteristics are closely associated with kinesics. Gestures can provide a way to decipher people's feelings; people tend to gesture less when they are anxious, nervous, demoralized, or very concerned aboutthe ongoing interaction (Lunenburg, 2010). Negative gestures can vary widely, but some of the most common include clenched fists, pointing fingers, hands in pockets, hands covering mouth/face, crossed arms, and touching noses/ears /the neck. Facial expressions convey emotions, people's facial muscles are triggered unconsciously when they feel emotions. Negative facial expressions include a frown, furrowed brow, raised chin, tight lips, disgusted expression, and a blank stare. Eye contact is one of the most important kinetics performing different functions during the communication process. Eye contact can signal the beginning and end of a conversation, monitor and provide feedback during the process, reflect interest and attention, convey emotion, and even recognize the value of the other person (Lunenburg, 2010 ). Negative eye contact can include prolonged, intense eye contact as well as short, infrequent eye contact. When talking about touching, the amount and frequency of it can demonstrate a degree of liking, familiarity and closeness. Negative touching is mainly seen as touching taken to the extreme, as excessive touching; however, no contact is neither beneficial nor harmful, while light contact may be helpful depending on the situation and interaction at hand. Posture is an excellent non-verbal cue used to decipher a person's attitude. Negative posture includes leaning back, hunched back, slumped posture, bent legs, and closed postures. Proxemics refers to how people use and perceive space, particularly conversational distance and physical space. Negative nonverbal behaviors regarding the use of physical space include invading one's personal physical space, intruding into people's physical space, and behaving regardless of organizing someone's space. Negative use of conversation distance includes having very little conversation distance, disregarding a respectable conversation distance, and repeatedly changing the conversation distance. The way one person sits in relation to the other can also provide clues about the ongoing interaction. Negative ways of sitting include sitting at a 45-degree angle to the other person, facing the opposite direction of the other person, and in some cases crossing your legs while sitting. Paralanguage refers to variations in speech, such as voice quality, volume, tempo, pitch, laughter, yawning, etc. (Lunenburg, 2010). This type of nonverbal communication can convey feelings of anger, confidence, distrust, enthusiasm and nervousness. Negative paralanguage can be the constant and frequent use of non-fluencies, low volume and pitch, frequent yawning, and slow tempo. Chronology refers to the use of time and its relationship to status. In terms of superior-subordinate (manager-employee) interactions, columns convey different messages about status, interest, involvement, ambition and even level of respect. Negative use of chronicles includes arriving late for a meeting, arriving late for work, missing deadlines, and not having enough time to produce quality results. Using Positive Nonverbal Behaviors This section will discuss the use of positive nonverbal behaviors in higher-order situations. interactions between subordinates(manager-employee), particularly the effect of positive nonverbal behaviors on these interactions and relationships. This section will be subdivided into different types of nonverbal communication, with each subsection discussing the positive use of each type. Behaviors that increase productivity and help get the job done, combined with behaviors that demonstrate concern for subordinates, are associated with an effective supervisor. leadership in organizations (Remland, 1984).​ ​Nonverbal behaviors performed by superiors that reduce the perceived status gap between the superior and subordinate tend to be positive nonverbal behaviors that signal friendship, respect and personal acceptance of the subordinate. Therefore, due to these behaviors exhibited by the superior, the subordinate believes that his superior is more considerate and is therefore more likely to comply with his demands, express a more positive attitude towards work, increase his productivity and engage at a high level. -level to produce the best work possible. In kinesics terms, a superior leaning forward when interacting with a subordinate has been consistently associated with a more positive attitude expressed by the subordinate. Leaning forward may suggest to the subordinate that the superior is interested, engaged and willing to cooperate in whatever is communicated during this interaction Superiors must be aware of the amount of gestures used during the interaction, an excessive amount of gestures can be negative as well as a lack of gestures. that the gestures are positive, the superior must keep them in balance and signal the appropriate gestures according to the message conveyed, for example, a superior assigning responsibilities to a subordinate must demonstrate immediacy and cooperation so that he; clearly understands responsibilities and approaches them with a positive attitude Positive facial expressions performed by superiors, such as smiling, convey to the subordinate a level of agreement and approval. the subordinate may feel more comfortable when responding to the superior's request and be willing to cooperate with a positive attitude. Superiors should also be aware of the importance of eye contact in their interactions with subordinates. They should strive to maintain balanced eye contact to indicate interest, willingness, acceptance of the subordinate's value and positive perception. Such a balance of eye contact allows for effective communication between superior and subordinate, increased interest of the subordinate and greater cooperation which would increase the productivity of both parties. In terms of proxemics, a superior maintains an appropriate distance when interacting with a subordinate and refrains from intruding on the subordinate. personal physical space, make the subordinate understand that the superior is considerate towards him, respects him and has a high level of trust towards him. Based on this, the subordinate will place greater emphasis on the communicated message, increase immediacy if responsibilities were assigned, and cooperate more with the superior. A superior sitting strictly facing the subordinate conveys the superior's interest and willingness to cooperate toward the subordinate. Through these positive signals, the subordinate also becomes more willing to cooperate and express an overall positive attitude toward the interaction and the work being performed. In terms of paralanguage, superiors must use the correct volume, tempo, pitch, tone, language and manner depending on the current situation. Any extremes or inconsistencies with their paralanguage will signal negative characteristics to the subordinate and could result in an interactionunpleasant or a deterioration of the relationship. They should refrain from yawning at any time during the interaction as this would express a lack of interest which would have a negative effect on the subordinate. Laughter should also be kept in balance in order to convey feelings of enthusiasm, confidence and confidence to subordinates. In terms of chronicles, positive nonverbal behaviors related to chronicles should be employed by superiors as if they were subordinates. This means that superiors should not arrive late for meetings or work in order to reassure their status, but rather be considerate of their subordinates' time and treat it as if it were their own. Effect of Negative Nonverbal Behaviors In this section, the negative effect produced by the use of negative nonverbal behaviors (defined in the first section) in superior-subordinate relationships will be examined. Through this examination, the correlation between the use of negative nonverbal behaviors and decreased quality, productivity, and organizational relationships will be evident. This section will be subdivided based on types of nonverbal communication, as has been the case in previous sections. Regarding kinesics, the superior's use of negative gestures could convey to the subordinate that the superior is anxious, nervous, demoralized, or very concerned about the interaction. For the subordinate these are negative characteristics that would decrease cooperation and trust towards the superior since the subordinate would expect the superior to act differently. On the other hand, the subordinate using negative gestures and conveying the same things to the superior would indicate to the latter that the subordinate is unreliable, decrease respect for the subordinate and increase distrust. The use of a negative facial expression by the superior would indicate disapproval, disagreement, and disgust toward the subordinate and the message being communicated. As a result, the subordinate will have more difficulty meeting the demands of the superior, attaching importance to the responsibilities assigned to him and having a positive attitude. The use of negative eye contact by the superior could convey to the subordinate a lack of interest in what is being communicated, a reluctance to help or even interact, feelings of hostility and defensiveness, and a lack of recognition of the value of the subordinate. The result of this action would be very demoralizing to the subordinate, significantly deteriorate the superior-subordinate relationship and ultimately decrease work efficiency due to the negative attitude acquired by the subordinate. The use of a negative posture by the superior would suggest to the subordinate an unfavorable attitude and a lack of interest towards the communicated message, which would decrease the subordinate's cooperation, refusal to respond to the superior's request and decrease interest focused on producing quality work. Concerning proxemics. , superiors generally have no problem meeting with their subordinates, while subordinates are generally more cautious in this regard and ask permission or make an appointment before meeting with their superiors. This negative use of physical space conveys a great lack of respect towards the subordinate, which causes the latter to increase his disrespect towards the subordinate, to develop a negative attitude towards the work and his relationship and, ultimately, to ignore the requirements of the superior. A superior sitting and facing a subordinate in a negative manner will convey feelings of disinterest, disapproval, and decreased cooperation toward the subordinate. The subordinate's level of interest,.