Non verbal communication

Question 1

What are the three major components of non-verbal communication?

Answer 1

1. Body language
2. Appearance
3. Manner
4. Style
5. Speech (Suprasegmental features)
6. Prosodic (Volume, Pitch and rate of speech)
7. Paralinguistic (Emphasis, timely pauses, tone, laughing, whining, moaning and other non verbal sounds (Crystal 1997)
   Non-verbal communication Includes the behaviours that accompany words Burgoon et al 2011) (Page 108)

Question 2

What are the possible effects of non-verbal communication?

Answer 2

Non-verbal behaviour regulates or refines verbal communication (Collins et al 2011, Egan 2014, Esslemont 2010) It can:
1. Substantiate or reiterate the meaning of the words (e.g. yelling Yeah! At a football game is often reiterated by throwing arms up in the air and jumping up and down)
2. Contradict or complicate the meaning of the words (e.g. stating I am OK with a faltering voice and quivering lip may indicate the opposite meaning of the words?
3. Reinforce or accentuate the meaning of the word (e.g. saying no thanks along with specific non verbal gestures, tone of voice and body positions, such as covering a cup with a hand, makes the message very clear)
4. Influence the response of the person/s regardless of words (e.g avoiding eye contact may indicate a desire to evade interactions, or holding up a hand may indicate a need to stop an interaction)
5. Decrease anxiety and facilitate expressions of opinions, feelings and concerns ( Weaver 2011)
6. Express feelings (Knapp & Hall 2009)

Question 3

Give three examples of two of the three components of non-verbal communication

Answer 3

Component one: Body language
1. Leaning into the conversation
2. Open arms
3. Relaxed face
Component two: Suprasegmental features
1. Emphasising specific points
2. Controlling pitch and tempo to establish a relaxing atmosphere
3. Frequent pauses

Question 4

Choose one aspect of the environment and explain how a health professional might us that aspect to achieve positive results when communicating.

Answer 4

Adjust seating arrangements in a way that isn’t imposing on the health professional’s front. This might involves angling the seats towards each other and paying attention to the height in which the health professional communicates to the client. ( In most cases it’s best to communicate on the same eyeline)

Don’t answer any phones or other external stimuli during your consult. This shows that you are giving the patients 100% of your attention.

Question 5

Choose two forms of body language and explain how a health professional might use those forms to achieve positive results when communicating.

Answer 5

Relaxed bodily posture conveys a sense of calm on the part of the health professional. This retroactively helps invoke a sense of calm within the client seeking help. When the client is calm their parasympathetic nervous system is active instead of their sympathetic nervous system being in a state of fight or flight.

This promotes better memory cognition and the ability to absorb new information.
Being aware of your arms/face during interactions also helps convey your attention.

The health professional should constantly be monitoring how they move to limit any miscommunications. This requires active filtering of the health professionals’ personal thoughts and feelings to avoid any inappropriate physical knee jerk reactions.

Question 6

Explain how a health professional might use two forms of the prosodic feature of the voice achieve positive results when communicating.

Answer 6

1. Changes in volume may be used to highlight specific points of which they are trying to convey. It is good to vary your volume throughout communication as people may find it hard to maintain concentration when listening to a monotone voice. It is also important to draw specific attention to key points that the health professional wants their client to know in order to promote client engagement and best therapeutic practice.
2. It is also important for health professionals to pay attention to their rate of speech. Remember that when clients are in an unfamiliar setting they are likely to be stressed and therefor struggle to actively pay attention to information being delivered. Therefor it is best to slow down the information being presented and only focus on the important parts. It is also advised that the health professional checks their clients information retention and understanding by asking them questions about what has just been discussed and having them repeat it back to you.

Question 7

Explain how a health professional might use two forms of the paralinguistic features of the voice to achieve positive results when communicating.

Answer 7

1. Timely pauses can be used when the health professional wants to draw specific attention towards the points that they are making. Pausing gives the client time to absorb the information being presented and ask any question they feel fit. The pause also allows for clarification for further clarification of points.
2. Changing the tone of your voice also helps bring attention towards specific points. Using a casual tone may put the client at ease and allow them to de stress. This may be best used during the introductory stage of consultation where important information isn’t being initially conveyed. However, when communicating important points it may be prudent to use a more serious tone of voice. This separation of tones highlights when the client should be paying full attention and when they don’t necessarily have to.