Non Verbal Communication in Shopping Malls Essay Example

Non Verbal Communication in Shopping Malls Paper Nonverbal communication is the process of communication through sending and receiving wordless (mostly visual) cues between people. Messages can be communicated through gestures and touch, body language or posture, physical distance, facial expression and eye contact, which are all types of nonverbal communication. Speech contains nonverbal elements known as paralanguage, including voice quality, rate, pitch, volume, and speaking style, as well as prosodic features such as rhythm, intonation, and stress.Likewise, written texts have nonverbal elements such as handwriting style, spatial arrangement of words, or the physical layout of a page. However, much of the study of nonverbal communication has focused on face-to-face interaction, where it can be classified into three principal areas: environmental conditions where communication takes place, physical characteristics of the communicators, and behaviours of communicators during interaction. Importance:- Nonverbal communication is the process of communication through sending and receiving wordless (mostly visual) cues between people.It is one of the most important methods of communication in shopping malls as it needs to be communicated to a large number of people. When the other person or group is absorbing the message they are focused on the entire environment around them, meaning the other person uses all five senses in the interaction: 83% sight, 11% hearing, 3% smell, 2% touch and 1% taste. Nonverbal communication strengthens a first impression in common situations like attracting a partner or in a business interview: impressions are on average formed within the first four seconds of contact.First encounters or interactions with another person strongly affect a persons perception. The advantages of non-verbal communication are: 1) You can communicate with someone who is hard of hearing of deaf. 2) You can communicate at place where you are supposed to maintain silence. 3) You can communicate something which you dont want others to hear or listen to. 4) You can communicate if you are far away from a person. The person can see but not hear you. 5) Non-verbal communication makes conversation short and brief. 6) You can save on time and use it as a tool to communicate with people who dont understand your language.The disadvantages of non-verbal communication are: 1) You cannot have long conversation. 2) Cannot discuss the particulars of your message 3) Difficult to understand and requires a lot of repetitions. 4) Cannot be used as a public tool for communication. 6) Less influential and cannot be used everywhere. 7) Not everybody prefers to communicate through non-verbal communication. 8) Cannot create an impression upon people/listeners. In short Non-Verbal Communication needs to be concise and clear to make sure the message is communicated and understood by the receiver. Types of Non-Verbal Communication:-There are 2 main types of Non-Verbal Communication which are:- 1. Sign Language- S ign language (also signed language or simply signing) is a language which, instead of acoustically conveyed sound patterns, uses manual communication and body language to convey meaning. It can be further divided into †¢Visual Signs †¢Audio Signs 2. Body Language- Body language refers to forms of non-verbal communication, wherein a person reveals clues as to some unspoken intention or feeling through their physical behaviour. Majority of Non-Verbal communication found in shopping malls are sign language. Visual signs in shopping malls:-This is main type of non-verbal communication in shopping malls. Messages are conveyed to people by the means of visual signs and written communication as they need to be spread to a large audience of people. Some examples of them are:- 1. Him/Her- This is most common and widely used visual sign not only in shopping malls but in any building open to the public. Mainly used to differentiate between men’s and women’s toilet. 2. N o Smoking- It is denoted by a red circle with a cross and a cigarette in the middle. It is used to convey that, smoking is strictly prohibited in a particular area. 3.Danger- This is also a widely used sign to warn the people about potential dangers around them. Mainly denoted by a skull and two bones crossed below it, in malls it is mainly used to keep people out of the electricity/generator room. 4. Escalator Sign- Used to direct the public towards the escalators. 5. Elevator Sign- Used to direct the public towards the elevators. 6. Parking/No Parking- Used to show areas where cars can and cannot be parked. 7. No Pets Allowed 8. Wet Floor These are just a few examples of how visual signs are used to communicate in malls. Audio signs in shopping malls:-Audio is also an integral part of non-verbal communication in shopping malls. These messages are conveyed not through spoken words but by different noises. Some examples are:- 1. Fire Alarm- This is an universal audio sign used to wa rn people about fire being caught inside the building. 2. Anti-Theft detectors- Many shops in malls have anti-theft detectors that make noise if someone passes through it without paying for item. 3. Metal Detectors- It is mandatory to go through metal detectors before entering any mall to find out if anyone is carrying explosives or weapons inside the mall. An alarm goes off if they are detected.