Nonverbal Communication and Gender Perception

For 20 minutes, a conversation group of six persons of diverse genders used nonverbal cues.

This essay will examine nonverbal communication in a discussion group of three men and three women that met last week on the campus of the college and lasted for 20 minutes. Individual portraits or acts, which are typically distinct throughout verbal expression or speaking, are a part of verbal communication. The topic of conversation was how important communication is in today’s environment. Participant observation was my main strategy for gathering data. My interest during the discussion was to assess the verbal communication expression among the males and females like the facial expression, posture, the movement of the hand , arm movement, different movement of the legs and feet among others(Clarke e t al., 2005).

Matrix showing the observations from the discussion

Gender

Facial expressions

Eye contact

Hand Gestures

Space

Tone

Body language

Appearance

1

Female

P

Smiled often

Looked at each other often

Close eye contact while listening

Good handshake

Sited looking at each other

High pitch

Putting on address

2

Female

R

Looked at each other often

High contact throughout

Weak handshake

Sited looking at each other

High pitch

Kept her arm close to her body

Cross-crossed her legs

Putting on a jean

Had a lot of make ups

3

Female

K

Looked at each other often

Keen eye contact

Good handshake

Sited looking at each other

High pitch

Putting on a suit

4

Male A

Limited eye contact while discussing

Rarely smiled

Strong handshake

Sited close to each other

Inquisitive

Putting on a white shoe

Looked relaxed

5

Male B

Weak handshake

Sited close to each other

Meandering while speaking

Dressed in a jean and white shirt

6

Male c

Rarely smiled

Strong handshake

Sited close to each other

Inquisitive

Sharp and forward movement

Dressed in suit

How each member’s posture movement in the discussion convey his status and attitude

A smiling face that was shown by the first female discussant named P for privacy reasons was an indicator of the desire that women have in encouraging relationships among the different people during the discussion, Secondly, it showed the willingness of the first discussant to encourage participation and cooperation among the various discussants as than competing. It should be noted that women in most cases aim at showing empathy, love, and concern during the discussion. In most cases through smiling face, women are able to connect to various people, which are a bit contrary to the male individuals who in most cases rely on an action (Clarke e t al, 2005).

On the other hand, the third male discussant named C rarely smiled and looked more serious during the discussion this showed the desire for dominance and control that is usually exhibited by males. Secondly, it showed an unwillingness to be fired questions or any other interference that may affect his standpoint during the discussion. The cross crossing of legs by female discussant R showed the desire by the discussant to capture the attention of the audience, it also showed love, affection, and desire to create social networks. Constant of eye contact by individual k showed low levels of visual dominance a problem that majority of women suffer from during communication. It should be noted that in most cases, men dominate intersex conversations because of the high-status cues they normally apply in discussions this was showed by the level of visual dominance exhibited by male A

How verbal signs portray information

Nonverbal communication behaviors that express emotions and feeling include; eye contact .smiles hand gestures, head nodding among others. Poor body posture and lack of affirming handshake during interactions sometimes reveal nervousness on the side of the communicator. Milling reveals empathy and willingness to share information about a particular topic. Head nodding is a sign of satisfaction of what has been shared during communication (Schachner e t al, 2005).

Differences between the gestures used by male and female

During the discussion, the first female discussant named p for privacy reasons would often smile while expressing her ideas. Similarly, her movement was very fluid during the discussion. The second female discussant named R for confidential purposes kept her arms adjacent to her body and was found of cross -crossing her legs all the time throughout her presentation. Secondly, the movements of the legs revealed the true feelings of the individual and the desire to explain the topic explicitly. The third woman named k for confidential purposes, her eye contact was good while listening which showed low levels of visual dominance. The main unique feature about all the women that were involved in the discussion is that they were sited facing each other.

On the side of the male individuals, different nonverbal communications were also observed during the discussion. A male individual named A for security purposes showed a high degree of visual dominance throughout the entire presentation. His eye contact while the presentation was poor. A male individual called B for privacy purposes would not often smile during his discussion and looked more serious while emphasizing his point of view .lastly Individual named C had sharp and forward movements during his discussion. The main unique feature that is similar to all men that were involved in the discussion is that they were sited next to each other (Schachner e t al, 2005).

Relationship between research and my observations

According to research carried out on nonverbal communication among females and males focusing on posture, distance, eye contact among others. There exist various disparities in nonverbal expressions between men and women. Men and women use different verbal communication signs like eye contact, smiling body posture or orientation, contact among others differently for specific motives.

Women are more likely to use nonverbal communication techniques compared to men. In addition, women usually smile and have a good eye contact while communicating. The limited eye contact among men is a sign of social status, prestige, and dominance. According to research for some scholars, the verbal expression signals by women reveal low levels or limited social authority and power. Similarly, women normally use nonverbal communications for purposes of creating psychological linkages with people and friends. Therefore it can be concluded that the above research is in line with my findings on non-verbal communication between males and females. The available literature clearly explains that nonverbal communication differs between both males and females (Sternglanz e t al, 2004).

Inconsistencies in nonverbal communication during the discussion

Various inconstancies existed among both genders during the discussion. For instance male individual B in his opening remarks, he was asked a question and replied by shaking his head. This might have been due to limit experiencing in discussing with women

Type of observation used

The main observation that I used was participant observation which involved being involved in the discussion for purposes of acquiring data

Most challenging about interpreting nonverbal behaviours

Assessing the effect of gender on body language was a little bit complicated because some of the the non-verbal communications were being shared by both males and females. For instance, body posture majority of them looked composed and confident while airing out their standpoint on the topic of the role of communication. It was also difficult to establish emotional signals between both males and females in the discussion group.

Relevance of the assignment in improving my understanding of nonverbal communication and gender

The various non-verbal communications that were expressed during the discussion by both males and females increased understanding the behaviors and responses of males and females on specific circumstances.From the assignment; I noticed that there exists a relationship between nonverbal communication and gender. The differences in nonverbal communication signals and their various meanings among males and females improved my social awareness when engaged in cross-gender communication. Finally, the assignment is significant in preparing me for higher levels of research since I do possess a lot of interest in gender related topics

References

Schachner, Dory. Shaver, Philip.& Mikulincer, Mmario. (2005).“Patterns of Nonverbal Behavior and Sensitivity in the Context of Attachment Relationships.” Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 29(3), 141-169. 2005.

Clarke T. J., Bradshaw M. F., Field D. T., Hampson S. E., Rose D. (2005). The perception of emotion from body movement in point-light displays of interpersonal dialogue. Perception 34, 1171–118010.1068/p5203 [PubMed] [Cross Ref]

May, Sarah T. (2014). “Proxemics: The Hula Hoop and Use of Personal Space.” Communication Teacher 14.2 (2000): 4-5. Communication & Mass Media Complete.

Sternglanz, R. Weylin., (2004). & DePaulo, Bella. M. “Reading Nonverbal Cues to Emotion: The Advantages and Reliabilities of Relationship Closeness.” Journal of Nonverbal Behaviour.