Lauretta Smith
BCOM/275
August 22, 2011
David Walker
Most of us have heard sayings like “Say what you mean and mean what you say” or “Actions speak louder than words”. Adhering to these statements is more difficult than one may imagine. Communication is the exchange of ideas, messages, information, writing, spoken words, and behaviors. Communication can be exchanged in a number of ways. It can be verbal, nonverbal, written, and unwritten. In this essay, I am going to discuss demonstrative communication and its impact on the message intended by the sender and receiver. Demonstrative communication can be described as a process of delivering and receiving verbal and nonverbal as well as written and unwritten messages. Verbal and written messages are reinforced with demonstrative communication. The expression of “Dress for Success” can be interpreted many different ways depending on the sender and receiver. For example, a young man arrives to an interview dressed in a suit and tie. He has a tattoos slightly peeking out of the collar of his shirt and a small nose ring. The receiver who is part of the Baby Boomers Generation immediately assumes that this young man is defiant and lazy. Therefore, the young man does not get the job. The facts are this young man is an entrepreneur. He owns a lucrative computer software company, however wanted to venture out to do something different. In communication what a person does not verbalize is just as important as what is verbalized. Demonstrative communication is an integral part of communication.
Nonverbal communication is an imperative form of communication. According to Cheesebro, O’Connor, and Rios (2010), current estimates put the nonverbal messages at about 2/3 of all the messages that are delivered. Facial expressions, gestures, body language, eye contact, and tone of voice are all examples of the unspoken conversation. For example, my son comes to tell me the exciting news that his team
References: Akerman, J. (2010). Communication and indexical reference. Philosophical Studies, 149(3), 355-366, doi:101007/s11098-099-9347-0. Cheesebro, T., O’Connor, L., & Rios, F. (2010). Communication in the Workplace. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. Sommers, A. L. (2000). Everything You Need to Know About Effective Communication at School and at Work. New York, New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.