Nonverbal Communication and Self Disclosure

Reflection

One concept that particularly stuck with me from the first five modules is nonverbal communication. The idea of nonverbal communication was prominently discussed in the textbook chapter 3 “Communicating Nonverbally,” where it talked about the various channels and functions of nonverbal communication. I found this idea fascinating, and, in fact, it was something I had always sensed but now was being given words for. I knew that facial expressions, hand gestures, posture, and body language in general had meaning—but I had never really thought about it in terms of using these aspects of the human personality and human nature to deliberately convey meaning??. In my own words, I would now say that nonverbal communication represents the conveyance of messages without the use of words. It refers to all the ways a person can communicate meaning by use of the body—the eyes, the hands, the face, the stance, the space between. It is a way of communicating and of interpreting. Basically, this concept was meaningful to me because I realized how much of our daily interactions rely on nonverbal cues, and that these cues seem to actually carry as much weight, if not more, as verbal communication. I feel that if one understands nonverbal communication, it can improve one’s ability to interpret others' emotions and intentions. I think that if I learn this well, it can make me a more effective communicator and more empathetic overall. One example that comes to my mind is, during a group presentation, I noticed that if I maintain eye contact and use hand gestures, I can engage my audience better. Overall, nonverbal communication is a good skill to acquire so that verbal messages are reinforced through nonverbal messages.

For example, I found a job posting for a Marketing Manager, which is something I’m interested in pursuing for a career. One skill needed for this job is cultural awareness, which is another concept covered in the modules. Cultural awareness refers to understanding and being sensitive about cultural differences. This skill was discussed in the context of cross-cultural communication, and the need to be open-minded and mindful of different cultural norms and all the different values that exist within these cultural areas??. In a marketing situation, cultural awareness is wanted because it helps in creating campaigns that appeal to diverse audiences in different ways on different levels. Awareness of culture can make a campaign operate more meaningfully and successfully. Cultural awareness for a Marketing Manager means making messages for uniquely different cultural contexts. For example, a campaign that works well in the United States is not going to hit the same way in China due to cultural differences and values.

Another important concept is self-disclosure, which is something I can apply in my personal and professional life because it is the act of intentionally revealing personal information to others to build up trust and strengthen relationships??. For example, in a recent team project at work, I noticed that sharing my thoughts and concerns more openly was something that encouraged my peers to do the same. All of a sudden we were talking like friends and feeling more collaborative as part of a team. My transparency helped us begin to address issues and base our way forward on this positive sense of camaraderie. Self-disclosure can help overcome conflicts, too, because of the fact that it promotes an open style of communication and leads to better understanding among people. It also just promotes a more general humility, which is good for boosting relationships at work and in my personal life, because it makes everything more authentic and less egocentric. For example, with a client I shared my experiences about a project and it helped establish good rapport with the client who appreciated my candor. Self-disclosure, therefore, is a good skill that can help in creating better connections all around and getting people to open up and feel safe around one, and want to be part of the team, whether a colleague or a client.