Non –Verbal Communication

Name:

Lecturer:

University

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1 a) Person’s facial expressions

From the above picture, the two people are not necessarily talking but they are communicating. This can be alluded to the manner they shake hands, their facial expressions and their eye contact, the two are really happy. The face of the man is seemingly shows the ma trying to listen to the lady with a lot of keenness. From the handshake and the look on the man’s face, he seems to be asking the question, are you sure? This is probably trying to gauge the honesty and confidence of the lady. The mood is generally a very happy one. The other persons face has the same mood as well. She is very affirmative. The description matches the emotions of amusement listed in chapter five of the book ‘Interpersonal Skills at Work ‘

1 b) Why non-verbal communication is important to a manager

Non-verbal communication is the communication in which information (messages) are passed between two people in a face – to – face method of communication without using words. This includes use of body motions (gestures), eye movement and facial manifests to convey messages. When mangers want to get the true information from their juniors, they observe non-verbal gestures. When the verbal and non – verbal communications differ, managers go for the non-verbal communication mode. This communication does not lie. Non- verbal communication is also dynamic. This means that a lot of information can be gathered by interpreting the non – verbal messages. Managers therefore do not have to get limited verbal communication that is in most cases measured not to disclose harmful but true facts. Reading the non – verbal information gives managers information that their juniors are not willing and might never give verbally

1 c) How cultural differences affect non – verbal communication

Culture, which is the knowledge and principles of conduct preferred by a given group of people, determines how the non – verbal communication will be interpreted. To a given social group, a particular conduct means specific information to that group. Differences in culture make it hard to interpret non – verbal messages. Therefore to fully understand unconscious communication, one has to first understand the meaning of different signals in the given culture. Understanding culture makes it easier to predict the next verbal or even non – verbal action of an individual in case they stop communication before completing it.

2 a) Questions to the top guides during the phone interview.

The candidates to serve as the guide to our group need to understand our needs and be able to provide answers to them as well. The major four questions to ask them and the information to be gained from each question are:

Which language or languages do you speak? This is meant to give the group on tour an overview of how they are going to get their data from the guide. Language is one aspect of culture that is necessary for the collection of data

What is your schedule during our time of visit? The guide is able to tell is they are busy and cannot attend to the group or they are able to adjust their schedule to accommodate the group’s time

How well do you understand trees in the tropical rain forest? This helps the group assess if the guide is able to provide much needed information in the area of study.

Is there anything that the group should know about the tour or the rain forest? This is an open question which gives the guide an opportunity to explain any aspect of the tour that the group should be ready for or with during the tour.

2 b) Are these questions enough to enable us decide which tour guide to take?

These four questions are enough for the group to pick tour guide. The reason as to why they are enough is during the phone interview, other issues will come up and clarification will be sort. Tonal variations and other aspects that will be communicated by the interviewee will also be necessary to help supplement the four questions

Reference

Hayes, J. (2002). Interpersonal Skills at work, Taylor and Francis Publishers, West 35th Street,

New York.