Stefanie Gonzalez
University of Phoenix
Communication paper
No matter what we do, we are communicating whether we intend to or not. Communication goes far beyond talking, nonverbal communication, in its many forms, gives off certain messages to people of different genders and cultures. When communicating, one must understand the importance of effective communication in diverse environments. People communicate in various ways but it comes down to two forms verbal and nonverbal communication. Verbal communication is spoken words among individuals. Verbal communication has three functions, task ordering, process orientation, and narrative. Task ordering ‘involves cognitive meaning that focuses on either/or choices and creates an understanding about the groups purposes and processes’ (Harris, Thomas E, & Sherblom, John C., 2008). Process orientation allows us to address successfully conflicts that arise in the group and last but not least, narrative refers to the way we speak of our group. Our verbal expressions of the group will reflect in the way we act and feel towards the group. Nonverbal communication includes facial expressions, body language, paralanguage, proxemics, and chronemics, along with many other things. Facial expressions refer to eye contact or a smile on ones face. Body language is the message we send with the movement of body parts. Paralanguage is the meaning perceived with the words used to express the message. Proxemics is the individual boundaries people draw. Chronemics is the study of the use of time. Research estimates that between 65% (Birdwhistell, 1970) and 93% (Mehrabian, 1981) of communication is nonverbal. When communicating between genders there is always some sort of challenges. Sociolinguist Deborah Tannen, who has written a book called You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation, shows that the differences between the communication styles of men and women go far beyond