Actions Speak Louder Than Words: Nonverbal Communication

Overload of political issues, statements, and opinions made by candidates can send the average American into a tailspin. For many voters, heavy investigation of every detail about every candidate in a campaign is not of top-priority. “Many US voters’ lack political knowledge and interest in the political process, yet, large numbers of citizens still go to the polls” (Kopacz, 2006, pg. 7). Humans rely on non-verbal communication, in politics and in other situations of communication, as a tool for understanding the intended context of a message. (Kopacz, pg 14) In Maria Kopacz (2006), Nonverbal Communication as a Persuasion Tool: Current Status and Future Directions, the impact of nonverbal communication is explored, as it relates to electoral votes.

Members of the political field are well-known for their general reputation for being dishonest and manipulative, so it is easy to understand the implications of Kopacz (2006) assertion that “nonverbal displays inconsistent with accompanying verbal messages may signal deception” (as cited by Kopacz, pg 3). If one expects an individual in politics to be dishonest, they may look for non-verbal cues as a source of revealing dishonesty. So often, through television, where most Americans derive their campaign information, (Kopacz, pg. 4) voters are inundated with political commercials, or segments from campaigns, displaying internally conflicting information coming from political candidates. It seems that the right to change one’s mind is exercised thoroughly in elections resulting in the destruction of candidate’s credibility. “It’s no surprise that so many presidential candidates choose to use a “nonverbal consultant” to prepare for their big televised debates” (personal communication, P. Hamilton, October 13th, 2007). With the prominence of television as the basis for one’s decision to cast a vote for one candidate over another, “It becomes evident that nonverbal communication should be viewed as a critical aspect of the US political process” (Kopacz, pg. 4).

There are theories and models of persuasion based on nonverbal communication that are explored by Kopacz (2006). Among these models, the elaboration likelihood model of persuasion maintains that “there are two routes of information-processing that lead to judgment and attitude formation” (Kopacz, 2006, pg. 6). These routes are as follows: the central route which entails careful analysis of communication and often occurs when one is motivated and able to process information, and the peripheral route which is a low-effort way of processing information by way of “The characteristics of the message source” (Kopacz, pg. 6). This model of persuasion is the most relevant to exploring how nonverbal communication affect voters because, in the words of Kopacz, (2006) “None of the findings obtained by nonverbal research were inconsistent with the ELM framework” (Kopecz, pg. 12). The ELM, although not proving Kopacz (2006) assertion, acts as the umbrella for the other theories explored in this article.

Four other perspectives of nonverbal behavior were reviewed by Kopacz (2006) and include the following: Chance’s ethological theory of attention structure, Masters and Sullivan focus on facial gestures, Duck’s similarity theory, and Burgoon, Birk, and Pfau’s dominance-credibility theory. (Kopacz, pp. 4-5) Each of these theories analyzed, failed to completely support the idea that candidates’ nonverbal communication directly affects electoral votes.

To explore the above four theories further, Kopacz (2006), outlined four empirical findings, as they relate to each theory and the relevance to nonverbal displays and election outcomes. These findings include the importance of the following: facial expressions, physical appearance, paralanguage, and visual focus. (Kopacz, pp. 8-10) When referring to B.B. & P.’s dominance/credibility and Duck’s similarity theory, although not proven by researchers, Kopacz (2006) states that “assessment would be relatively easy to perform by means of self-report measures” (Kopacz, page 12). In my work experience, I have accepted offers of employment in the past for companies based on the dominance and credibility, as well as the similarities in personality and character traits, displayed by my potential superiors during the interviewing process.

I had to go through a series of interviews to obtain the position I currently hold. My third and final interview was with John, the president of the company. When I walked in, he took the time to greet me openly and look me directly in the eyes, actions that made me feel comfortable and confident in his credibility as a leader. Direct eye contact is an example of the importance of “gaze”(Kopacz-, 2006 pg. 11), a subpoint of the point of “visual focus” (Kopacz, pg. 10) in nonverbal communication. In a relatively short time, John also exemplified behaviors that made me feel as though we were similar, and this greatly affected my decision to join his team. Under the assumptions of Duck’s similarity theory, “People are especially likely to identify with amicable personalities, the hedonic (affiliative) behaviors like handshakes, smiles, and open body posture, may contribute…to success” (Kopacz, pg. 5).

The same important nonverbal behaviors outlined in Kopacz (2006) would be expected of any leader of a department, a company, or a nation. Since “Nonverbal decoding requires a different type of processing and perhaps less mental effort than does verbal communication,” (Kopacz, pg. 7) it can be assumed that nonverbal communication has been used by humans before the ability to speak. “Scholars demonstrate that it takes less time and effort to comprehend audiovisual messages, than is needed to comprehend verbal messages alone” (as cited in Kopacz, 2006 pg. 7). This would imply that nonverbal communication is of utmost importance when it comes to political campaigns and any other situation in business when judgment is involved.

In the 21st century, with technology expansion and new mediums for communication, the context of messages must be clarified to heighten understanding. If an individual is saying one thing with words, yet contradicting the meaning of their verbal message with nonverbal communication, instead of the intended message being communicated, deceitfulness is conveyed. It is the responsibility of every leader, especially a potential leader of our nation, to have the integrity to do what they say, and with the help of articles such as Kopacz (2006) regarding nonverbal communication, have the sense to make sure their nonverbal and verbal communication is in alignment with their intended meaning.

References

Kopacz, M. (2006). Nonverbal communication as a persuasion tool: Current status and future directions. Rocky Mountain Communication Review, 3(1), 1-19. Retrieved October, 11th, 2007 from:
http://0-web.ebscohost.com.olinkserver.franklin.edu/ehost/pdf?vid=4&hid=104&sid=9a2d0c89-ca0e-408f-943a-b6e91102da60%40sessionmgr103.

Hillary Cartoon. Retrieved October 13, 2007 from:
http://www.ibdeditorials.com/Cartoons.aspx#cartoon276120137442615

Motivation Article Summary

While surfing the internet, there are many forms of advertising or flashy animation that may appear in an attempt to evoke one to click to explore further. This exemplifies the initiation of motivation, as defined by K. and P. Shaw as a need stimulated by urgency leading to the “creation of tension, which urges the person to forget everything else and cater to the aroused need first” (n.d.). Internet advertising can be so flashy and annoying; however, that one may choose to ignore what may have been compelling information to that individual, if only another motivational tactic had been applied. The way individuals are motivated to act is different from one person to another. Therefore, understanding what type of motivation compels one to perform any desired task can greatly improve any business. Professionals in the marketing and communication field can especially benefit from investigating related articles, such as K. and P. Shaw’s Motivation, to learn how to access the basis of motivation in a perspective customer.


There are seven types of motivation described in the article Motivation. Among these motivation types are the following: Achievement, Affiliation, Competence, Power, Attitude, Incentive, and Fear (Shaw, n.d.). The definition of each motivation type can expose one’s own or other individual’s basis for action. In relation to my motivational type, I would classify myself as being motivated by a combination of “Achievement Motivation” (Shaw, n.d.), and “Incentive Motivation” (Shaw, n.d.). I wish, in the words of Shaw on Achievement Motivation, “to achieve objectives and advance up the ladder of success” (n.d.). I know that this does not guarantee a pay raise or a higher position, however, I agree that the “accomplishment is important for its own sake” (Shaw, n.d.). My motivation to earn my master’s degree is not only to have the intrinsically gratifying experience of achievement; I also know that I have a very good chance of reaping great financial benefit which would maintain that my motivation is of the Incentive type. In addition to the seven types of motivation that can be helpful in determining proper motivational strategies, Shaw outlines fourteen theories of motivation that can be studied in order to develop one’s own definition of motivation.


Among these theories, Jeremy Bentham’s age-old “The carrot and the stick approach,” outlined by Shaw, was particularly applicable to a professional situation for me. In the words of Shaw, Bentham’s theory maintains, “whether managers are first-level supervisors or chief executives, the power of their position to give or withhold rewards or impose penalties of various kinds gives them an ability to control, to a very great extent, the economic and social well-being of their subordinates” (n.d.). This theory can be demonstrated by a situational event I incurred in my work experience. I held a position as project manager for a very small new media, interactive company. The company had a culture revolving around having minimal hierarchy between positions. The CEO believed that everyone, regardless of position, should be equal. This meant that no one was able to discipline, or in this case, motivate. This “low context” (Barrett, 2008) culture created an adverse situation for anyone in a managerial position. In my situation, my subordinates would come in to work, several hours late everyday without punishment. They did not have any incentive, or “carrot” (as cited by Shaw, n.d.) to be on time, nor punishment, or “Stick” (as sited by Shaw, n.d.) for tardiness. Employing management without authority disabled productivity, and it did create the tension necessary for me to be motivated to search and obtain a position elsewhere. Shaw would refer to the motivation I experienced to depart from the company as “Power Motivation” (Shaw, n.d.), defined as “the drive to influence people and change situations” (Shaw, n.d.). I knew that I could not make an impact on my subordinate employees or on the company’s bottom-line, so I was motivated to leave.


K. and P. Shaw conclude Motivation with seven suggested ways to be “A Motivating Manager” (n.d.). These ideas, stated by Shaw, include the following: “Treat staff well,” “Think like a winner,” “Recognize the difference,” “Set realistic goals,” “Prevent Demotivation,” “Job-financial enrichment and small job changes are handy,” and “Non-financial rewards” (n.d). Shaw’s Motivation can help communication and marketing professionals, as well as managers, better understand the complexity of motivation, while fostering knowledge of the importance of using the proper type of motivational method for productivity in individuals.

References

Shah, K. & Shaw, P. (n.d.) Motivation. Retrieved October 3, 2007, from http://www.laynetworks.com/Motivation.html.

Barrett, D. J. (2008). Developing emotional intelligence and cultural literacy to strengthen leadership communication. Leadership communication (pp. 222 – 234). New York: McGraw- Hill/Irwin.

Hamilton, Cheryl (2008). Effective Listening. Communicating for results: A guide for business

and the professions. Eighth edition. (pp. 101-103). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth.