Help with Nonverbal communication

Discussion Thread Replies: Nonverbal Communication

2 replies of at least 200 words each. Each reply must incorporate at least 1 biblical citation.

Reply 1 (JD)

I found the topic of ‘chronemics’ to be of particular interest. It is defined as the way “people in different cultures structure, interpret, and understand the dimension of time.”[1] In other words, it has to do with how we think about ‘time.’ Chronemics is divided into two primary categories: monochronic-time schedule (MT) and polychronic-time schedule (PT). Cultures who trend toward MT tend to be from individualistic societies, live by a schedule, will often be task-oriented, and see time as a substance to be controlled or managed. Those from PT cultures are more people-oriented, they value group harmony, are often from collectivist societies, and believe time is something to be experienced rather than controlled.[2]

Chronemics could create problems in intercultural ministry primarily through a lack of CQ on the matter. Frankly, I do not think I was fully aware of this concept until reading this chapter. I am enthusiastically a monochronic kind of guy and I interpret ‘being late’ or ‘staying too long’ as a rude and frustrating offense. I am sure that others have thought I was rude, impersonal and offensive for being so time-conscious. These judgments – lazy, rude, impersonal, inconsiderate – may often be formed by a failure to understand each other’s time-orientation. Ultimately, these negative judgments will hinder our ability to communicate with each other and minister effectively.

However, with an awareness of chronemics, an intercultural minister can minimize these frustrations and misunderstandings. Whether on the receiving end or the giving end, he or she can flex their view of time and adapt to the other person. On the receiving end, the MT Christian minister who has been inconvenienced by someone of a PT persuasion will be less flustered and more understanding. I have been challenged to think that what I have perceived as a disrespect of my time may actually be a sign of love and respect for me as a person. On the giving end, I think we have to try to recognize whether the person we are going to be interacting with is MT or PT and act accordingly. Either we show up on time and leave on time. Or we plan to stay longer than we might ordinarily be accustomed, valuing the relationshipover the tasks we are not getting to.

So, I think a healthy way forward is to exercise forethought and consideration before the personal interactions of ministry. I realize that one cannot always plan things ahead of time. But often we can. We need to think about whom we are about to go visit or have over to our house. Then, we will need to mentally prepare accordingly in order to minimize frustration and negative judgments.

[1] Stella Ting-Toomey and Leeva C. Chung, Understanding Intercultural Communication. 3rd ed. (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2022), 184.

[2] Ibid., 185-187.

Reply 2 (CE)

Nonverbal communication can be more powerful than verbal communication. Nonverbal communication cues tell our emotions, thoughts, and feelings without ever saying a word. The text defines nonverbal communication as the message exchange process involving the use of nonlinguistic and paralinguistic cues that are expressed through multiple communication channels in a particular sociocultural setting.[1] These nonverbal messages provide context for how accompanying verbal messages should be interpreted and understood.[2] There are seven forms of nonverbal communication and include physical appearance, paralanguage, facial expressions, kinesics, haptics, oculesics, and proxemics.[3]

Kinesics is a type of form that is the study of body movements and encompasses posture, gestures, and facial expressions.[4] I think of it as body language. With facial expressions, it appears there is some consistency across cultures in how we recognize at least seven emotions in an individual’s facial expressions which is explained by the acronym SADFISH (sadness, anger, disgust, fear, interest, surprise, and happiness).[5] However, some cultures are better at distinguishing facial expressions than others. Japanese students learn to suppress their facial emotions at an early age because this display can be threatening to others and create disharmony in relationships.[6]

I found gestures to be an interesting type of kinesics. Gestures consist of four categories of hand gestures and body movements that can give nonverbal information in a situation. The first of these four are emblems, or gestures that substitute for words and phrases.[7] A familiar example of this would be using the shoulder shrug to nonverbally say, “I don’t know” or “I’m not sure.” Another example would be saying yes or no with a simple head nod or shake. These are all easy and positive ways to communicate with someone within the same culture where these gestures mean the same thing. However, emblems can contribute to intercultural misunderstandings or conflicts.[8] This is the negative aspect of using gestures because in other cultures, a gesture/emblem may mean something different. For example, making a zero with your index finger and thumb while holding your other three fingers straight means “OK” to an American. Using this gesture in other cultures means something different. To Japan it means money, in France it means zero or worthless, and in Venezuela and Turkey it implies someone is homosexual.[9] Using a gesture incorrectly in a culture can cause offense and misunderstanding.

Another type of gesture is illustrators. These are nonverbal hand gestures that we used along with the spoken message, or put another way, they literally illustrate the verbal message.[10] Someone who talks with their hands is likely someone who enjoys illustrators. As someone who does talk with my hands, it is important to pay attention and be conscientious of my hand gestures when I am talking to someone from another culture. The text actually states that people are so used to making spontaneous nonverbal movements that it is difficult to reverse these gestures.[11] This highlights the importance of really paying attention to the gestures you are making. The third gesture is regulators. These are described as nonverbal behaviors used in conversation to control, maintain, or regulate the pace and flow of the conversation.[12] Similar to emblems these are considered culturally specific. They are also the most rule-governed kinesics behaviors.[13] Regulators can also be expressed somewhat verbally such as when we verbally agree with someone during a conversation by saying “mmhmm” or “really.” However, saying “really” during a conversation in China is considered rude and inappropriate. These are typically learned at a very young age and we use them somewhat subconsciously.

The fourth and final gesture type is adaptors. These are habits or gestures that fulfill some kind of psychological or physical need.[14] Examples of adaptors include covering your mouth when you cough/sneeze and even scratching your head when it itches.[15] These are mostly not used, or intended, to communicate a message but some of these types of gestures can be considered rude in the context of another culture.[16]

The adaptor of crossing your arms over your chest because you are cold can cause those in certain cultures to think you are not approachable and assume you do not want to talk. My current job is teaching and orienting new nurses into the hospital and this is actually an example I use when teaching about professionalism and communication with patients and families. Gestures, like other body language and nonverbal communication, can be both positive and negative depending on the situation. Using them in the appropriate context can indicate comfort when communicating with someone who understands your culture. However, using them inappropriately can cause offense to someone from another culture and be considered rude. When we are preparing to minister to those from other cultures, part of our research of that culture should include nonverbal communication and looking at what different gestures mean within that culture.

[1] Stella Ting-Toomey and Leeva C. Chung, Understanding Intercultural Communication (New York: Oxford University Press, 2012), 133.

[2] Ibid., 132

[3] Ibid., 135

[4] Ibid., 138

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Ibid., 141

[8] Ibid.

[9] Ibid.

[10] Ibid.

[11] Ibid., 142

[12] Ibid., 143

[13] Ibid.

[14] Ibid.

[15] Ibid., 144

[16] Ibid.