Awareness of nonverbal communication

We are usually attentive to nonverbal stimuli- we purposely wear clothes that evoke a particular response (positive or negative), and we reach out and touch a friend who is unhappy to let him or her know that we are there.
We may misinterpret the nonverbal behaviour of others and they may do the same with us.

Factors that affect our interpretation of nonverbal messages:

CONTEXT

Context influences our nonverbal communication as well as our responses to other people”s nonverbal messages.
We learn appropriate context behaviours by negative reinforcement during childhood.
After much scolding and some prise, we learn to vary our nonverbal bahaviours according to whom we are with, where we are, and whether or not the situation is defined as formal or informal.
Just as context modifies own nonverbal behavior, so too it affects our response to nonverbal messages in our environment.

STEREOTYPES

Stereotypes play a large part in firs impressions. They bear any resemblance to reality, they do exist and we must consider them when analyzing interpersonal behaviour.
We have stereotypes about many aspects of behaviour other than voice.
The main point of this chapter is awareness: you cannot eliminate your stereotyped response to nonverbal messages, but you cannot disregard those stereotypes either.
Awareness improves understanding, and understanding improves communication- be it verbal or nonverbal.