Nonverbal Communication And Its Impact On Social Environment

Communication is a process in which people verbally or non-verbally share information and ideas. Nonverbal communication is generally defined as, â€Å"conveying something without words. It includes hand gestures, facial expressions and other such body language or cues that communicate something† (Mirriam-Webster 2014). It is often used to make an expression of a thought or thoughts and may make your message more appealing and interesting to whom you are speaking. This form of communication generally has a great influence over our social environment and the entire communication process. There are several types of nonverbal communication; paralanguage, body movement, facial expressions, eye messages, attractiveness, clothing, space and†¦show more content†¦The patrons of the restaurant consisted of all types of ethnic backgrounds, socioeconomic statuses and genders. There were several distinctive patterns of behavior amongst everyone and they all seemed to have different, yet distinct, sets of nonverbal communicative behaviors. I observed two different groups, the elderly and the middle-aged adults. In order to remain impartial, I observed them differently to determine the differences that age and gender play a role in nonverbal behavior rules. I found that elderly people tend stand a lot closer to people they don’t know than their middle-aged adult counterparts. They also speak slower, allow more time to process information, and will often approach people from the front. I noticed a huge difference in the middle-aged. Whether male or female, middle- aged people spoke a lot faster than the elderly men and women. They often responded without allowing the person they were speaking to, to finish their thought and stood farther away from the person they were speaking to as well. I also noticed that several middle-agers, both male and female, often approached people from the side or from behind. In addition to the types and rules of nonverbal communication, I’ve learned there are five essential functions of nonverbal communication; accentuation, contradiction, regulation, reinforcement, and substitution. These functions can complement, regulate, or