Demonstrative Communication

Demonstrative Communication

August 8, 2013

Demonstrative Communication

Tie a string between two empty vegetable cans and walk the distance between the string until there is no slack in the line, one places the can to his ear while the other speaks into the opposite can, there lies the beginning of line communication.  After missing a free throw, the basketball player, turns to the fans puts both hands around the neck in a choking gesture. After being asked a question, a child responds by dramatically shrugging his shoulders, which effectively communicates “I don’t know” to the sender.  A smiley face comes across the wireless line of communication in the form of a text; indicating happiness, affirmation, or pleasure to the receiver.  There are a plethora of manners, modes, and methods of communication; to include land line phones, mobile phones, e-mail, text, face-to-face, letter writing, and teleconferencing, to name a few.  “Communication involves at least two, a sender and a receiver; yet there are times when one is the sender and receiver, a transceiver (Cheesebro, O'Connor, & Rios, 2010).  In 1967, Albert Meherabian, professor at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), completed research determining the role and influence of nonverbal communication.  According to Professor Meherabian, 55% of meaning in communication is drawn from the simultaneous analysis of verbal, vocal, and facial attitude with 38% of meaning extraction hailing from the voice, leaving 7% of the meaning occurs through word choice (Cheesebro, O'Connor, & Rios, 2010).  There have been subsequent researches completed on the percentage of nonverbal cues in effective communication, each yielding a variety of results but all determined nonverbal communication to be a major component.  Demonstrative communication can be displayed in a multitude of mechanisms and cues from oculesics to vocalics.  Nonverbal communication is subject to misinterpretation, yet it is a vital component to effective communication because it has the unspoken power to complement or contradict, act as a substitute, amplify or accentuate, and regulate spoken words.

A teenager comes home after curfew, the parents emotions are vacillating between anger and worry.  The child walks through the front door and father points his finger as he verbally scolds.  However, mother embraces him and pats him on the back while saying how happy she is to see him.  In this example, the father clearly demonstrates the complementary nonverbal communication message to the receiver by pointing his finger.  The pointed finger effectively reiterates his anger, worry, and frustration.  However, the mother’s response to the child as he enters the door is one of contradiction.  Her embracement sends a mixed signal to the teenager; the message being everything is comfortable, further implying that she is not angry.  The nonverbal communication was ineffective in delivering the message of her anger.

There are instances that use demonstrative cues act as substitutes.  A vehicle is traveling north on Interstate 15.  The six-lane Interstate is under construction resulting in a reduction from the normal speed limit of 65 miles per hour to 45 miles per hour and the lanes are down to three.  The driver of a cobalt blue convertible Chevy Corvette is speeding, weaving in out of lanes, and driving recklessly in heavy 5:00 p.m. traffic.  Several cars on the road begin to honk at the motorist in hopes that the car would begin to slow down and maneuver carefully.  However, the motorist in the cobalt blue convertible Chevy Corvette fully extends his right arm, folds all fingers down, except the middle finger and flips the bird as he speeds by compliant careful drivers.  The substitution of words in this case was a derogative signal or gesture.