Question

Explain why the use of head movements often creates communicative misunderstandings.

Answer 1

Communication is a two-way process of exchanging information. It is about understanding the emotion and intentions behind the information. Communication can be verbal as well as nonverbal. Verbal communication is the spoken or written conveyance of a message. Nonverbal communication is the process of conveying information in the form of non-linguistic representations that is generating meaning using behavior other than words. Nonverbal communication is governed by the right side of the brain. All our five senses take part in this form of communication. The nonvocal elements of nonverbal communication include body language such as gestures, facial expressions, hand movements, physical space, touching, eye contact, and physical postures.

Head movements is a nonverbal form of communication widely used in many cultures. A head nod is a universal sign of acknowledgement in cultures where the formal bow is no longer used as a greeting. Another innate and universal head movement is the headshake back and forth to signal "no". This nonverbal signal begins at birth, even before a baby has the ability to know that it has a corresponding meaning. We also move our head to indicate interest. For example, a head up typically indicates an engaged or neutral attitude, a head tilt indicates interest and is an innate submission gesture that exposes the neck and subconsciously makes people feel more trusting of us, and a head down signals a negative or aggressive attitude.

Nonverbal communication should reinforce what is being said and not contradict it. If you say one thing, but your body language says something else, your listener will likely feel you are being dishonest. For example, you can't say "yes" while shaking your head no. People from different countries and cultures tend to use different nonverbal communication gestures. In many cultures in the Middle East and Bulgaria, the head movement for "yes" is just the opposite of the head movement for "yes" in almost any other culture. This itself shows how confusing it can be to see that somebody is all smiles but his or her head movement means "no" to you. In such cases saying "yes" or "no" with words is enough to avoid confusion. Therefore this form of nonverbal communication we consider to be fine in our culture can get us into trouble in other parts of the world or when working with people from other countries at home.

In conclusion, head movements like head lowering, raising, tilting, nodding and shaking are nonverbal stimuli in a communication setting that are generated by both the source and his or her use of the environment that have potential message value for the source. Considering 80%of a conversation is based around indirect communication, with only 20% being nonverbal, it is important to understand differences in communication styles so as to minimise miscommunication, conflict and offence.