The Secrets to Successful Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication

Spoken language is the medium that allows us to express ourselves and obtain information with other people. Those who can communicate well are likely to find additional success that others are unlikely to realize. A paper by Binod Mishra (2009) helps to define how both verbal and non-verbal components of language interact to create higher levels of communicative skill. 

He argues that social media interferes with our ability to communicate while writing reports and papers improve upon this ability. Social media such as texting might be more like “ttyl” or “brb”. The medium of cell phones limits full expression without significant effort and cost to the user in terms of contracts. Report writing, as seen in college, helps to encourage higher levels of expression. However, nothing compares to the verbal skills and non-verbal we use when communicating with others. 

Verbal Skills:

Verbal skills are the vocal messages we send to others. They can be figurative or literal. How loud we speak, the type of voice, pitch and pronunciation say something about us as a person as well as the message we are sharing. Most of us consciously focus on the verbal words but subconsciously pick up the non-verbal cues. 

Voice: This is the way in which we utilize our voice to give hints about our nature and attitude. 

Volume: People should be knowledgeable enough to lower or raise one’s voice based upon the audience and room acoustics. 

Pitch: Average rate of words between 120 and 175 words per minute. 

Pronunciation: The ability and skill to say the words correctly. 

Non-Verbal Cues:

Sigmund Freud once said, “He who has eyes to see and ears to hear can convince that no mortal can keep a secret. If his lips are silent, he chats with his finger tips, betrayal oozes out of him at every pore.”  The way in which we use our body impacts the other true meanings of our messages. When we align our body with our messages we make a more trustworthy communication style. 

Facial Expression: The face creates honest language based within our biological development. Feelings like pain, annoyance, and joy are common. The face also shows confusion, mischief, and many other thought processes. 

Eyes: The eyes are the “windows of our soul” and expresses truthfulness, intimacy, concern naughtiness, joy, surprise, curiosity, affection and love. Make eye contact with the target of your conversation. 

Body Movements: Gestures and postures also contribute to communication even when the speaker doesn’t know it. 

Silence and Pauses: Using pauses and silence can emphasis meanings and interest. 

In my experience, I have learned that it is more important to watch the person than it is to listen to what is literally being said. Each person comes with needs, desires, wants, and goals. Understanding them puts the message within a broader context and this could impact how you respond to such methods. If you watch closely enough and do it long enough you will learn things about people they haven’t yet recognized in themselves. 

Mishra, B. (2009). Role of paralanguage in effective English communication. The Icfai University Press; India

Non-verbal Communication from Mohamed Mahmoud

Call for Papers: IOSR Journal of Engineering

We are pleased to inform you that IOSR-JEN is going to launch its next issue (Volume 3, Issue 11, November 2013). We would like to invite you to contribute your Research Paper for publication in IOSR-JEN. Papers published in IOSR-JEN will receive very high publicity and acquire very high reputation. The journal covers all areas of computer science, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electronics engineering, Information technology, and many more (www.iosrjen.org). 

Thomas Reid’s and Thomas Pain’s Common Sense

Thomas Reid was a philosopher (1710-1796) who moved from being a pastor to professorship at King’s College in Aberdeen in 1752.  After completing his dissertation he founded the Scottish School of Common Sense with his 1764 book entitled An Inquiry into the Human Mind on the Principles of Common Sense. He eventually replaced Adam Smith at the University of Glasgow.

His philosophies didn’t die in the university but continued to spread around the world causing new structures to develop. Modern day America owes as much to Thomas Reid as it does to Thomas Pain. One European concept of Common Sense led to the American Revolution and the shot heard around the world. 

The School of Common Sense was particularly important in Scotland as an almost national philosophy. It is a philosophy which believes that most understanding is within the grasp of the common human mind.  The average human being, with some capacity to make judgments, can determine the general truths and falsehoods of arguments. Only when the information is complex and difficult to grasp does common sense fail. 

The philosophy basically states that most people have daily experiences to provide them information for survival. They have little need to dig into the finite details of arguments. These arguments are the existence of the self, the existence of real objects, and general basic religious/moral principles. We know them to be true because we experience them on a common level. 

The details of how we know we exist, why basic values work, and the nature of world objects don’t really enter the conscious nature of the average man. They take such assumptions on a basic level and rarely question the nature of existence. Spending energy on such concepts is counterproductive for those trying to eat and squeak out an existence. 

Each person exists within a societal order based within their cultural perspective. They have a difficult time questioning their personal position within that social order or the social order itself. Yet without questioning the perceived right of Kings to rule men Thomas Reid’s common sense philosophy would not have made it into Thomas Pain’s Common Sense pamphlet designed to change that social structure (1776).    

"We have it in our power to begin the world over again." -- Thomas Paine, Common Sense

Moving Online Education to a Leadership Position

Dr. Peter Shea from the University of Albany found that all the hoopla about online education being second class compared to on ground education was simply untrue. Concerned about the results of a limited study which found that those who engaged in online classes were less likely to finish college were based upon outlier information. He decided to conduct his own study but instead used national data to generate his results.  Generally, the greater the amount of information included in a study the higher its validity.

Spending on colleges has come under increased scrutiny as budget woes have reared their ugly head. Using data from a 2009 Beginning Post Secondary Student Survey, conducted by the U.S. Department of Education, it was found that those who entered online classrooms to obtain an associate’s degree were more likely to graduate. With national graduation rates low, policy makers are concerned not only about return on investment of college in general but also future preparation of the nation. 

Online education has been abused as not worthwhile with a wide range of people joining in the apple throwing. However, over the past few years other similar studies and surveys are finding that in some respects online education may actually be superior to traditional education.  According to Allen & Seaman ( 2013) nearly 70% of U.S. Academic Vice Presidents found that online learning outcomes are as good as or better than ground based classroom courses. 

The growth in online education is remarkable as transient students seek opportunities to maintain their educational goals despite changing lives and demographics. Students may change jobs, locations, and even their lifestyles but online education allows for consistency.  It also provides for very rich interactive content that is not often gained from physical settings. If online education is slightly beating odds as a disruptive technology today imagine what the field is going to look like in the next 10 years. Is there still doubt?

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Eating Turnips on the Moon-NASA Believes it is Possible

Eating turnips on the moon may someday be possible with a new government-business initiative to grow plants in outer space. The Lunar Plant Growth Habitat team comprised of NASA scientists, contractors, volunteers, and students are trying to realize an idea that died decades earlier.  With any luck they will be able to grow a small amount of food on the moon and start greater processes of experimentation.

The primary subjects include basil, sunflowers, turnips and various plants. Each will be placed within a coffee can like device with just about everything they need to grow. The scientists want to see how radiation, limited gravitation, and other space conditions impact the plants. If everything works out well it may someday be possible to grow a food source for stations on other planets.

Each canister works like an incubator. The aluminum cylinders include a camera, sensors, and other electronics. Researchers will be able to measure and view growth from Earth to see which plants are able to grow and which don’t make it. The information may be used to improve upon the canisters for future use.  

The advantage of the government and business collaborative effort reduces costs from $300 million down to a couple of million dollars. With growth in commercialized flight it is possible that many more projects can be hedged with lower costs. NASA uses their knowledge while spurring greater innovation with less risk in the process.  Companies get the advantage of developing new products and services while contributing to national development.

Other Reading:

Forbes

Singularity Hub

Gismodo