MCA - ELCS - NOTES - VERBAL & NON VERBAL COMMUNICATION

MCA - ELCS - NOTES
Verbal and Nonverbal Communication

Communication is an indispensable part in people’s activities. It falls into two categories, namely, verbal communication and nonverbal communication. When it comes to communication, people tend to view it as verbal communication. Yet besides the language, non-language communication plays a dispensable role in people’s daily life. Both depend on each other.

Verbal Communication

In general, verbal communication means that people communicate with each other by means of language. Through verbal communication, people will learn who they are, and what the world around them is like. Furthermore, verbal communication expresses one’s thought and feelings to others, and to satisfy one’s emotional and material needs. In human’s daily life, communication is something that they do every day. Verbal communication is human’s main communicative form, in which language is its communicative tool.

Non-Verbal Communication

In a broad sense, nonverbal communication refers to all communicative means except verbal communication. nonverbal communication may divide into two categories: non-language information sent by body like body language, facial expression, eye contact, physical touch, smell and para language, and nonverbal information connected to environment such as time, space and silence. In a narrow prospect, definitions of nonverbal communication differ from one expert to another. Nonverbal communication may convey richer information than that of verbal communication. Sometimes, it can send messages independently, and in many situations it is employed in combination with verbal actions to transmit meanings.

Comparison of Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication

In social communication, verbal and nonverbal communication are not absolutely separate each other. Both are indispensable and interactive. Verbal communication sends information only in a way—language. Such information may be repeated, explained, complemented and reinforced with the accompaniment of nonverbal behaviors like tone of voices, smiling, nodding, eye movement, facial expression, etc. During people＇s face- to -face activities, verbal communication is a principle communicative means, but once verbal and nonverbal communication happen to conflict, nonverbal messages are more powerful in that it may reflect one＇s true thinking and feelings. Why is nonverbal communication more forceful than verbal communication when they conflict? The real value of these two kinds of communications lies in their differences.

Direct vs. Indirect

Verbal communication directly sends information through language, while nonverbal communication indirectly conveys messages through some non-language cues such as body languages, physical touch, spatial use and so on .When communicating through human language, people receive direct information. Then, in a conversation, the topic, the content, the direction and the purpose are obvious. Communicators are able to directly gain necessary information and they will reach an agreeable idea. Nonverbal communication, however, may indirectly bring a great variety of messages. Although nonverbal communication differs in different cultures, some basic emotions reflected by behaviors such as smiling, frowning, laughing and crying have common meanings in human communication. A smile signifies happiness, greeting, and welcome; Frown may display disagreement, unhappiness, discouragement, dissatisfaction, anger and so on. On the other hand, people in different culture have different attitude towards physical contact, spatial use and so on. Such indirect information without the aid of language is more effective than that of verbal language.

MCA - ELCS - NOTES - Informal Conversations Vs Formal expression

MCA - ELCS - NOTES

Informal Conversations Vs Formal expression

Conversation

What is conversation? As a starter we can think of it as two or more people talking and listening. They may be doing this either face-to-face or at a distance. It can be done via the spoken word or via sign or symbol (the most obvious case here is the use of chat rooms on the internet). This may sound a bit obvious, but as soon as we begin to think about conversation we can see it is a sophisticated activity that we often take for granted. Here we will start by listing some important qualities.

Conversation is a social activity. Apart from talking to ourselves, or to animals, we engage in it with others. To do this we need to think about their feelings, thoughts and needs. In turn, they too must think of us. We have to consider, for example, whether our words could upset or offend others; or whether they will help us in dealing with the matter in hand. Thus, if two or more people are to communicate, then they must:

Co-operate.

Think about others' feelings and experiences.

Give each other room to talk.

In other words, talking - conversation - is a reciprocal process.

Informal conversations happen in multiple ways.

1. Sometimes they are between two people (or sometimes a small group) that just happen as the opportunity presents itself. Let's say, for example, that a small group of parents/guardians are having a small get-together. During the course of conversation, someone brings up the fact that the police department recently busted up an underage drinking party in the neighborhood. That's a teachable moment -- a time at which a person is attuned to a topic and more likely to take away from the scenario key points about an issue or concern. That is, awareness can be raised, and new concepts can be learned.
2. Sometimes they are more deliberate--planned events where a small group of individuals come together for the purpose of discussing the issue. Let’s say, for example, that the community has just passed a social host ordinance and a few parents come together to discuss the implications that it has for property owners in the community. Or, an employee might choose to hold a brown-bag lunch at work on the issue of underage drinking as a way to lower employee benefit costs related to adolescent substance abuse treatment.
3. There area multitude of other scenarios and one thing they all have in common is a single individual--someone willing to bring up the topic.

Formal and Informal English

The difference between formal and informal English is not a difference between correct and incorrect, but a difference of what is known as register. A register is a variety of language related to a particular subject matter or area of activity, a set of words and expressions as well as syntactical features that may be said to characterise that specific area of language. There are many registers: technical, academic, mathematical, scientific, etc. Very broadly speaking, we can also speak of a “formal” and “informal” register in English. In writing academic reports and the like, it would be normal to draw most of the vocabulary and expressions from the formal register, and few, if any, from the informal. This entails avoiding colloquial (everyday) or slang expressions in your writing assignments. The question of register is far more complicated than indicated here; for example, there are many degrees of formality and informality. However, below are listed a few examples which may be of practical assistance.

Informal They did an experiment Then the Drive Manager goes through some steps to install the programme One after the other They found out what the important things were You can find out all about the survey on page 7 We think you should discuss the research findings at the next departmental meeting Doctors have come up with a new method of…. Safety officers are looking into the problem The cost of cleaning services has gone up 25% over the last three years Informal We do not think it is a good idea to do anything at the moment Many thanks to the staff at “Computers R Us” for their help on the technical side You need to get the patient’s help when doing these hearing tests There were no big differences between the three different groups we tested A lot of This seemed to fix the problem Enough This shows that … Numbers are going up They put the plan into action This let them keep the same temperature during the whole experiment These results are because of factors like weight, age …

Formal The experiment was carried out / performed The Drive Manager then performs / executes a series of functions / operations in order to install the programme At regular intervals They determined / discovered / established / identified the important properties / characteristics / issues Details of the survey are to be found on page 7 It is recommended that the research findings are discussed at the next departmental meeting Doctors have created / established a new method of…. Safety officers are investigating the problem The cost of cleaning services has risen by 25% over the last three years Formal It is suggested that no action should be taken at this stage Thanks are extended to the staff at “Computers R Us” for their technical support (Slightly less formal: We would like to thank ….) When conducting these audiological tests, the active participation of the patient being tested is required. No significant differences emerged between the three different groups tested Many / much / a great deal of This appeared to rectify the problem Sufficient This demonstrates… Numbers are increasing The plan was implemented / carried out This allowed / permitted / resulted in / ensured a constant temperature throughout the experiment / for the entire experiment These results are dependent on factors such as weight, age …