TELEVISION

Understanding Nonverbal Communication

Series: Great Courses
4.2
(56)
Episodes
12
Rating
TVPG
Year
2016
Language
English

About

Vocal tone and pitch. Posture. Eye contact and blinking. Gestures. Gait. Body type and clothing choices. How much of our communication is nonverbal? In Understanding Nonverbal Communication, you'll discover that nonverbal communication is less intentional and harder to control than the words you choose to speak. Because you are less aware of it than you are of your words, it provides better clues to what you are feeling and thinking. You can deliberately decide what to say, but from the deeper subcortical regions of your brain come your involuntary nonverbal expressions, including sweat, pupil dilation, facial movements, or blushing cheeks-any of which can speak more about your intentions or emotions than your actual words might. In 12 revealing lectures, you'll explore the history, evolution, and context of both the outright obvious and the sublimely subtle nuances of personal expression. The science of nonverbal communication has revealed intriguing insights into everything from how aspects of your reactions are biologically hardwired to how you are subconsciously influenced to vote by political speakers. You'll come to realize that the invisible" world of nonverbal communication was always visible to you. You will explore the role of nonverbal communication as it relates to understanding other people's worldviews and interaction styles. With careful observation, you can capitalize on this science to further appreciate human expression, smooth social interactions, and strengthen relationships-helping to make the world a better and more accepting place.

Related Subjects

1. The Science of Nonverbal Communication

30m

Learn about the popular, and often incorrectly referenced, study from the 1960s that opened the door to the modern study of nonverbal communication. Understand why nonverbal communication matters so much, and learn how it interacts with verbal communication to reemphasize or deemphasize the message.

2. The Meaning of Personal Space

30m

Examine the biological drives, such as territorialism, that influence our nonverbal reactions. Define the three levels of territories and see how they affect our reaction. Understanding this is an inherent reaction in everyone can help reduce social conflicts.

3. Space, Color, and Mood

30m

See how you send signals by just by the colors you choose to wear, or the makeup and scent you apply. Trace the evolution of why certain colors or smells still send subtle and often unconscious messages. Study how the use of space, architecture, lighting, and other, seemingly ambiguous external factors can all have an impact on how we feel, react, and behave.

4. What Body Type Doesn't Tell You

30m

Can we predict behavior and personality based on the body or the face? Are taller people more likely to earn more money than shorter people? What makes someone's face attractive? Dr. Frank looks at the myths and facts about how age-old cultural references in seeking mates and partners have evolved into snap judgments about personality types, which can have an effect on our potential success.

5. Evolution's Role in Nonverbal Communication

30m

Unravel the long history of how nonverbal communication has evolved, how and why we originally interacted with others, and how the biological history of our bodies suggests that our ability to communicate verbally was so limited, the only way we could send messages to friends and foes was through facial expressions and body language.

6. Secrets in Facial Expressions

30m

Take a closer look at facial expressions, learning that some reactions may be superficially easy to read, while other expressions demonstrate a conflict of feelings or nuances that often get lost in the interpretation.

7. Hidden Clues in Vocal Tones

30m

Probe into the nonverbal elements of the voice: the configurations of pausing, the irregularities of speech, and vocal tone. Tone includes the amplitude (volume), timbre, resonance, and pitch of the voice. Discover how much you can-and can't-tell about a person just from their voice and speech patterns.

8. Cues from Gestures and Gait

30m

Body language communicates many things, and often contradicts messages that our words convey. Divide the body into the areas that send the clearest signals about your intent to better understand how to use your posture and gestures to communicate.

9. Interpreting Nonverbal Communication

30m

How good are we at reading people? Can we train ourselves to be better at this skill, or is it an inherent ability? This lecture explores a number of studies that measure the ability to read facial expressions, voice and tone, and body language. Get some tips for improving your own ability to read nonverbal communication.

10. Cultural Differences in Nonverbal Communication

30m

This lecture delves into the impact culture has had on nonverbal communication. Examine the nonverbal communication differences that are driven by the integration of biology and culture, including the unwritten display rules that every culture adopts.

Extended Details

  • Closed CaptionsEnglish

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