How often do you use nonverbal communication???

         Nonverbal communication is all communication you do without using words.  Two principles of nonverbal communication are kinesics and proxemics.  All nonverbal communication has a diverse affect for different people; factoring in the location, culture, and past experiences of an individual undergoing the nonverbal communication.  Nonverbal communication plays a role in first impressions, and even the relationships we encounter.

            Kinesics is body movements, hand gestures, and eye contact. (Wood J.T, 2010)  Our faces and stance all show language in some way.  For example if you meet someone for the first time; they have a friendly smile, their body language is laid back, and they keep eye contact.  That is someone you will more than likely not mind talking to and could turn in to a possible friend.  Kinesics is an important key for first impressions.  With this in mind, someone with a mad/nasty look on their face who didn’t look you in the face the whole time you were talking to them, would not be a good first impression.  Kinesics is only a piece of nonverbal communication.

            Another type of nonverbal communication is proxemics; the study of personal space. ("Proxemics: Interesting Thing of the Day", 2012)  When someone gets close to you it can be very uncomfortable when you don’t know them.  For example riding in an elevator is a small space that sometimes is full with people.  One must just suck it up and deal with it to get to where they need to go, even though that can be a very uncomfortable situation.  Every culture has customs that describes how personal space should be used. (Wood J.T, 2010)  The culture of an individual plays an important part in the way we use our space.  For example in Latin America people who are complete strangers may participate in very close relations.  They often kiss each other on the cheek when they meet for the first time. ("Proxemics - Proxemics and Culture", n.d)  Here in the United States that is not common because the culture is different.  So if someone from Latin America approached an US citizen and kissed them on the cheek, the US citizen would feel like there space was invaded.  In any case, different cultures have diverse views on how personal space should be used.

            Nonverbal communication has a different effect on everyone.  Playing a key factor in first impressions and relationships we encounter.  Kinesics and proxemics are only two types of nonverbal communication used every day that may even go unnoticed by the person performing them.  How often do you use kinesics and proxemics in your life?

References

Wood, J. T. (2010). In Interpersonal communication: Everyday encounters. Boston, MA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Proxemics: Interesting Thing of the Day. (2012). Interesting Thing of the Day. Retrieved November 1, 2012, from http://itotd.com/articles/620/proxemics/

Proxemics - Proxemics and Culture. (n.d.). Proxemics - Home. Retrieved from http://proxemics.weebly.com/proxemics-and-culture.html