What is the verbal character of a person. Verbal communication and non-verbal communication

Verbal communication is the main form of human communication. It is carried out with the help of speech - written or oral. The verbal exchange of information requires the speaker to have clear diction, well-thought-out statements, and the availability of sent messages. People speaking to the public must also be proficient in oratory.

Dressing thoughts in the clothes of words is the primary and most common way of human communication. Many languages ​​of the world have a developed system of information codes and have an extensive conceptual apparatus. They are able to express the most sophisticated ideas and subtle experiences. This allows them to play the role of a means of knowledge, rapprochement, mutual understanding.

However, for all its versatility, verbal communication is not perfect. Not all people can speak clearly and clearly. Not all listeners are able to adequately perceive someone else's speech. Often the meaning of what is said or written does not reach the addressee of the speech or is perceived by him incorrectly. The same word or expression can be interpreted in different ways. Language barriers often stand in the way of contactees from different countries.

Barriers in verbal communication can be age, gender, social, religious, intellectual differences between speaking people. One cannot discount such nuances of verbalism as style, context, double meaning. Without understanding these things, it is difficult to grasp the essence of the statements.

In addition to speech, in human society there are other - non-verbal - communication tools. These are facial expressions, gestures, intonation, disposition of the speaker, the symbolism of his clothes, interior. According to researchers, this communicative arsenal accounts for 70% of information. Non-verbalism is usually not controlled by a person's consciousness, and therefore betrays his true thoughts and feelings.

Verbal and non-verbal communication usually complement each other. They act as a single inseparable complex of semantic signals. Gesticulation without words resembles monkey language. And speech loses its emotional charge without rhythm and intonation.

There are the following variations of spoken and perceived by ear statements:

1. Dialogue - a communicative activity of two or more persons, during which the translator of information and the recipient alternately change roles.

Dialogic speech is realized in several forms. Here are the main ones:

Conversation - a relaxed exchange of thoughts and feelings on topics of interest to participants in communication; involves live contact, spontaneity of remarks, posing any questions, expression of attitude to the words of the communicator;
interview - a specially organized speech process designed to identify the professional or socio-political competencies of its participants;
dispute - verbal resolution of the conflict between two opposing parties;
discussion - a public discussion of burning, often ambiguous, socially acute problems in order to develop a common position;
dispute - a scientific or social verbal duel with the promotion of fundamentally different opinions.

2. Monologue - continuous speech of one subject, voiced by him or uttered to himself. The latter is called "inner monologue".

A monologue speech prepared for public speaking has the following variations:

Lecture - a logically related message on a scientific or social topic;
report - a detailed presentation of important material with the involvement of documents and links to the research conducted by the author;
report - a short and clear message, supported by figures and facts, summing up some analytical activity;
speech at a meeting - an arbitrary or pre-prepared statement by a member of a certain team on a significant issue for all those present;
artistic performance - a game stage number that evokes vivid emotions and has an aesthetic orientation.

Communication between the writing translator and the reading recipient may have different time frames.

Depending on this, two forms of written speech are distinguished:

1. Direct - free exchange of notes containing intimate, official or scientific information. During a lecture or report, questions to the speaker are usually drawn up in this way.
2. Delayed - involving a pause in communication. So, in normal correspondence, its initiator can wait several weeks for an answer. But the authors of books - scientific, philosophical or artistic - sometimes send their works to future generations. Quite often such texts become monuments of writing of a certain epoch.

A special form of communication - embodying elements of both oral and written speech - is tactile communication. It serves the deaf and the visually impaired. During contact, they form words from the letters of the "manual alphabet", reproduced by them with their fingers.

The verbal form of information transfer is the most ancient and most voluminous human communicative resource. Apart from him, no earthly creature owns verbal communication. This is explained by the fact that speech is a conscious act, possible at a certain stage of mental development, which only homo sapiens has achieved.

In addition to this main feature of verbal communication, it has the following features:

The multi-level structure, including several language styles - colloquial, scientific, official, journalistic, artistic - which are selected depending on the situation of communication;
uniqueness: words can express any sign system, say, road signs or Morse code;
the lexical units of the language, being fixed in the mass consciousness, can form ideologemes and mythologems - markers of a particular culture or social environment; such semantic complexes are such words as "democracy", "fascism", "narcissism", "hedonism", "nihilism";
the manner of speech of any individual gives the most accurate and complete picture of him: his status, level of intelligence, education, upbringing, character traits;
mastering all the tools of verbal communication is an integral part of the personal and professional self-realization of the individual.

Our speech, in the apt expression of Seneca, is "the decoration of the soul." However, it reaches its maximum effect only in tandem with non-verbal communication tools. This is how messages are born that absorb all the brilliance of the intellect and come from the very heart.

Verbal means of communication

Who owns the information, as they say, owns the world. And the one who knows how to competently transmit information, owns the one who owns the world. Competent speech at all times was valued in human society and significantly exceeded the status of the one who possessed it. Information is always transmitted in two ways: verbally and non-verbally. And if not everyone can read your gestures and facial expressions, then almost everyone will notice mistakes in how you write and in what you say. Therefore, let us consider in more detail what verbal means of communication are.

Speech is the main means of verbal communication. It is divided into written and oral, listening and reading, as well as internal and external speech. In simple words, verbal means of communication include our ability to speak and write, the ability to listen and perceive information, as well as our internal dialogues with ourselves and external ones with others.

The verbal side of communication lies in the language in which communication is carried out. For example, not every foreigner is able to understand Russian with all our interjections and diminutive suffixes. That is why, so that the interlocutors can always understand each other, there are general rules of verbal communication, types of verbal communication and generally accepted forms of communication. And since the verbal form of communication takes place in Russian, we should not forget about the styles with which we convey information.

There are five in total:

Scientific - this verbal way of communication is based on scientific terminology. Speech in a scientific style is distinguished by its logicality, the connectedness of various concepts and generalization;
official business - known to many as the language of laws. This style of speech has informative and commanding functions. Texts written in an official business style, as a rule, are standard and impersonal, have dry expressions and precise statements;
journalistic - the main function of this style is the impact on the audience. It differs in emotional coloring, expression and does not have a specific standard;
Speaking. Not exactly a conversational style, but in literature it can often be found in the form of dialogues and monologues on everyday topics;
artistic literary language. The style with the most vivid means of expression. In addition to the standard forms used in other styles, this type of non-verbal communication can include dialects, jargon, and vernacular.

Communication barriers

The verbal form of communication is the main one in business relations. Knowing the rules of the native language is more important than ever when conducting business meetings and negotiations.

However, here the interlocutors may face a problem in the form of communication barriers:

1. Phonetic barrier. It may arise due to the characteristics of the speaker's speech. This includes intonation, diction, accent. To avoid this barrier, you need to speak loudly and clearly with the interlocutor.
2. Logical barrier. It can occur if the interlocutors have different types of thinking. Intelligence levels, for example, can lead to misunderstanding and this barrier.
3. Semantic barrier. Occurs between representatives of different countries and cultures. The problem here is the different semantic load of the same words.
4. Stylistic barrier. Occurs when the message construction is violated. To avoid this barrier, you must first draw attention to your message, then generate interest in it, move on to the main points, discuss questions and objections, and then let the interlocutor draw conclusions. Any violation of this chain will cause misunderstanding.

Features of verbal communication are not only in the generally accepted rules of writing and speech. When communicating, it is worth remembering the distance at which you are from the interlocutor.

The psychology of verbal communication consists of four levels of communication:

Intuitive - occurs when, having heard information from afar, or reading it, a person suddenly realizes the true reason for the news or what was said, the same applies to subtle hints during the conversation;
ethical - this includes: intonation in the voice, facial expressions, gaze and gestures. People with good intuition can easily read such signals;
logical level - in which there is a clear exchange of information, in text or speech form;
physical - this includes all sorts of touches. This level occurs only at a close distance between the interlocutors, and people who can read emotions, breathing and heartbeats find a lot of additional information in this level.

The verbal side of communication allows us to determine the social status of the interlocutor and the level of his intelligence. Our speech is able to influence other people and promote career growth. It happens that you are impressed by the appearance and demeanor of a person, but as soon as he starts talking, all positive impressions instantly collapse. Remember that you can be in the place of this person at any moment. Therefore, if you want to be understood and accepted, speak correctly.

Verbal communication of children

Speech performs two main functions - communicative and significative, thanks to which it is both a means of communication and a form of existence of thought, consciousness. The formation of speech is closely connected with the development of mental processes: sensations, ideas, thinking, memory.

A visually impaired child experiences difficulties in the mental operations of comparison, generalization, classification, which are formed in him much longer and at a later age than in normally developing children. Since human thinking is closely connected with speech, the generalizing role of the word compensates for the depleted sensory experience and helps to go beyond the organic defect.

Verbalization of sensory experience allows a visually impaired child to find the most intensive way of developing cognitive and communicative activity. Both factors - activity and speech - are converted, creating the basis for the perceptual progress of children.

Speech in visually impaired children is formed on the same fundamentally identical foundations as the speech of normally seeing children. Just like in children who normally see speech, with visual inferiority, it develops and is assimilated in the process of communicative activity, but it has some peculiarities - the pace of development changes, the vocabulary and semantic side of speech is disturbed, “verbalism” appears, due to the lack of visual impressions in speech it is rare extended statements are used. The reasons for the underdevelopment of speech are the lack of images of perception due to a visual defect, as well as impaired communication of children with the microsocial environment.

Speech and its expressive possibilities are a necessary and for many children the only accessible and familiar form of receiving and transmitting information. Therefore, reaching the stage of establishing relationships initially at the verbal level is the psychological content and result of their communicative activity.

Thus, speech is the most important means of communication. Since non-verbal manifestations of character, mood, emotional state are hardly caught by preschoolers with visual impairments.

Speech makes it possible to improve the process of education, which allows the child to learn a system of norms of behavior and moral attitude towards people around him. Their implementation takes place in the activity that is leading for a given age, namely, in the game.

Objective, communicative, and play activities are the leading activities of preschool children; they are organized and proceed due to the connections of the impaired visual analyzer with the intact ones. They are included in the structure of the stages of visual defect compensation. In middle and older preschool age, one of the main means of compensation is speech. Vision and speech are a mechanism for mastering communication, since their close relationship is the basis for the transfer of all images of any modality to visual schemes (the tendency to visualize sensory experience) and the development of the significative function of speech through the abstracting and generalizing work of thought.

The verbal and non-verbal, social and emotional components of communication are closely intertwined with cognitive activity, which is concentrated in children with an extra-situational-personal form of communication on the social aspects of the world around them. However, a decrease in cognitive abilities due to a visual defect causes a limitation in the scope of ideas about the surrounding world, and negatively affects the mechanism and dynamics of operating with its images in an imaginary plane.

Thus, visual impairment provokes inadequate development of non-speech and speech means of communication, affecting the volume and quality of communication, and also makes it difficult for the child to enter the social environment in which he lives and forms as a person. The versatility of theatrical activities will awaken the need for the main luxury in older preschoolers with visual impairment - “the luxury of human communication”. What will form one of the components of psychological readiness for learning at school - communicative.

In the development of communication as a type of specific human activity, the importance of vision is great. It is vision:

Makes communication more free, allows you to find the right person among others in a large space;
- acts as a feedback channel and makes it possible to see the reaction of others to the actions, words that a person addresses to a partner or audience;
- allows you to master the means of communication by imitation;
- a normally seeing person has the opportunity to express his emotional state with a large number of means and signs, especially non-verbal - expressive-mimic (for example, squint his eyes, lower his eyelids, etc.);
- with the help of vision, a person learns to perceive the world around him and the inner world of another person through visual means: paintings, illustrations in books, films, television programs, etc.

Obviously, visual impairment in children affects communication, both direct and indirect.

It is natural that children with visual impairments in many areas of non-verbal communication are significantly limited. But limitations in children manifest themselves in different ways and depend on the degree and nature of impaired vision, the possibility of distant perception (perception at a distance) of facial expressions and pantomimics. Difficulty in distant perception of facial and pantomimic manifestations of the interlocutor leads to inadequate perception of the real characteristics and states of the subject, and also causes difficulties in the formation of speech function. In children deprived of the possibility of visual, distant perception of the surrounding reality and not trained in compensation methods, the ideas about facial expressions, gestures, pantomime are very fragile, vague, which greatly complicates the process of interpersonal communication. In a number of typhlopedagogical publications, the influence of the lack of formation of non-speech means of communication on the assimilation of the curriculum is noted. The reason for this is ignorance and a low level of mastery of preschoolers with visual impairments in expressive-mimic and subject-effective means of communication.

A visually impaired preschooler, compared to his peers with normal vision, is less proficient in non-verbal means of communication. Children practically do not use expressive movements, gestures, facial expressions in communication with adults and peers, rarely catch a change in their partner's mood. Doubts about the correctness of the decision, as a rule, are resolved with the help of speech forms - questions, statements, clarifications. If a normally seeing child perceives and reflects the world around on the basis of a whole complex of sensations, ideas, then the violation of such an important analyzer as the visual one causes a mismatch of "digital and analog signals". This can cause visually impaired children to misinterpret information from adults and peers and, in turn, make it difficult for others around them to understand the behavior of visually impaired children. An unambiguous interpretation of the chain of communicative acts, as isolated from each other, is impossible, since the verbal components of interaction carry (on average) 35%, and non-verbal - 65% of the information.

Thus, the communication of visually impaired children relies primarily on speech capabilities, while normally seeing children actively improve communicative activity in practical and "theoretical" cooperation with an adult through the development of a system of verbal and non-verbal means of communication.

Since children with impaired and normal vision live in the same society and they need to communicate, it should be borne in mind that normally seeing children and adults closely observe people with visual impairments, their gestures and facial expressions. And often, because they are not aware of the inadequacy of the expression of their feelings by the visually impaired, they have a false, false idea of ​​​​their inner world. A visually impaired child does not have a response, which makes it possible to compare his facial expressions and posture, gesture with the facial expressions, posture, gestures of the people around him, and correct them. An example is the reception of gifted children in the Kremlin by President Vladimir Putin, where an interested conversation took place, which was broadcast on television. Among those invited was a boy with severe visual impairment. Twice the TV camera showed this boy: the child was hunched over, buried in his plate of cakes - in a typical "blind" pose. Outwardly, the boy looked absolutely indifferent to what was happening, did not show the slightest interest, and it is quite possible that he had something to say to the President and peers sitting at the table. But the stereotype worked, which for years was formed and consolidated in the family and in a special educational institution: children sit at the table, at the desk with their heads bowed low, or even often “lying on the desk”. Such a pose “does not interfere” with either parents or teachers, they do not pay attention to it. On the contrary, many believe that, being in this position, children will not spill clothes while eating, will not stain the table, etc. None of them suspects how difficult it will be for an adult to unlearn this position or how difficult it will be to live, knowing that you are sitting at the table "not like all people."

A child with visual impairments can develop a correct, adequate posture for a given situation if he has clear, vivid ideas about objects and partners in this situation. Otherwise, the child, not knowing what to do, chooses from the non-speech means familiar to him those that he used earlier, not caring whether the selected gestures, posture, facial expressions correspond to the given moment, since the child does not even suspect that he is doing something. doesn't do it the way it's supposed to.

It is necessary to prevent the appearance and consolidation of obsessive movements already at the earliest period by including the child in active motor activity - the collective motor activity of peers in a special institution or in the family. And for this you need to establish mutual understanding between the child and the adult. Both parents and teachers should take care of the formation of a positive image of their "I" in the child, based on adequate ideas about their qualities and capabilities. At the same time, adults should help the child see their strengths, as well as tactfully point out shortcomings and help correct them.

Difficulties in communication by non-verbal means in children with visual impairments are explained not only by the degree and nature of their impairment.

The development of speech and non-speech means of communication of older preschoolers can be significantly influenced by external objective reasons:

Conditions for early education in the family, kindergarten;
- the initial level of readiness of the child to participate in all types of non-verbal activities;
- lack of motives for communication as a result of a depressive mental state;
- the nature of the personality itself (introvert, extrovert);
- isolation and monotony of the circle of communication in the family and preschool institution;
- features of the national character, etc.

Thus, non-verbal means of communication of older preschoolers with visual impairments can and should be taught and taught purposefully, making the most of the sensitive period of its development.

Verbal language of communication

Speech influence is the control of human behavior through speech information. The purpose of speech influence is to induce to some activity that is beneficial from the point of view of the speaker, but does not violate the interests of the listener.

The scheme of speech influence is as follows: the message of any information; formation on its basis of interests and needs; motivation for action.

The result of speech influence can be not only persuasion, but also empathy, sympathy, the response behavior of listeners planned by the speaker.

The following methods of speech influence are distinguished: order (requirement), suggestion (sermon), showing, persuading, begging, coercion.

The fundamental factors of speech impact are singled out, the observance of which is necessary for the effectiveness of the impact.

One of the most important factors of speech impact is the observance of the communicative norm, which includes the norms and requirements of speech etiquette and speech culture.

The speech culture of the individual, her organizational and communicative abilities are the basis of the social status of a person.

The success of communication largely depends on whether the topic of conversation is well chosen, whether it seems relevant and interesting to the interlocutors, to what extent the subject of discussion is known to each speaker.

It should also be taken into account that due to the inability to listen to each other, communication turns into some kind of ridiculous dialogues, when everyone speaks about his own, not taking into account the words of the other.

Psychologists name 5 situations in which it is advisable to remain silent:

1) the interlocutor is eager to speak;
2) a person is worried, offended, which is why he experiences negative emotions;
3) it is difficult for the interlocutor to express his thought, to put it into words;
4) talking to shy, insecure people;
5) during a job interview to learn more about the applicant. Silence of this kind refers to reflective listening. To establish a trusting relationship with the interlocutor, it is recommended to use the techniques of reflective listening.

You can contact the interlocutor for clarification, using phrases such as: "I did not understand you"; "Won't you repeat it again?"; "What do you have in mind?".

It is advisable to formulate the interlocutor's thoughts in your own words in order to clarify the message. Paraphrasing usually begins with the words: "As I understand you ..."; “In your opinion…”, “In other words, do you think…”.

Sometimes it is necessary to understand and reflect the feelings of the interlocutor: “It seems to me that you feel ...”; "Don't you feel a little…"; "You are probably upset..."

Show kindness to the interlocutor, do not notice small mistakes in communication, look and smile friendly, often refer to the interlocutor by name, speak courteously and courteously. Use hidden compliments, this is how replicas like: “You noticed correctly” or “You said correctly”, “But I didn’t know” are perceived this way.

But no matter what methods the speaker uses, his speech must be conclusive, his judgments and positions must be convincing.

Message volume

Speech should be concise and short. But the brevity of speech does not consist in the brevity of the time during which it is pronounced, but in the absence of everything superfluous.

In addition, each specific act of speech influence requires very specific means of expression. Speakers must ensure that the words they use are homogeneous in their stylistic properties, so that there is no stylistic discord, and the use of stylistically colored words is justified by the purpose of the statement.

Bookish, colloquial, colloquial words, correctly introduced into the fabric of the statement, give speech a special flavor, increase its expressiveness, expressiveness.

Communication style

As you know, each person has his own style of communication, which is also an important factor in speech impact.

The totality of individual features of speech and non-speech behavior of a person, affecting the originality of the flow of communication, is called the style of communication. It depends on the temperament of a person, his character, worldview.

The predominant motive of communication (interaction, self-affirmation, emotional support of the interlocutor);
attitude towards oneself (narcissism, recognition of one's shortcomings, imposing one's opinion);
attitude towards other people (gentleness, benevolence, tolerance or cruelty, rationalism, self-centeredness, prejudice);
the nature of the impact on people (pressure, coercion, manipulation, cooperation, personal example, non-intervention).

According to the degree and nature of interference in the activities and behavior of another person, the following styles of communication can be distinguished:

Altruistic - a person seeks to please people, helps them in achieving their goals;
manipulative - in communication, means of manipulation, pressure and coercion of a partner are used for their own purposes;
missionary - the interlocutor seeks to maintain a distance in communication, observes non-interference in the affairs and judgments of the interlocutor, influence by personal example.

There are several typical communication styles:

Communication-intimidation (the authority of one of the interlocutors rests on the fear that he inspires in his partners);
communication-flirting (the interlocutor seeks to please, removing the necessary distance between himself and the participants in communication);
communication with a clearly defined distance (the interlocutors move away from each other, do not reveal themselves, which negatively affects their relationship);
communication - a joint enthusiasm for cognitive activity.

Location Information

The speaker needs not only to convince the interlocutor of something, but also to influence him accordingly, to cause a response, a desire to act in a certain direction. Therefore, when working on a composition, one should think over a system of logical and psychological arguments used to confirm the put forward provisions and influence the interlocutor.

Logical arguments are addressed to the mind of the listeners, psychological - to the feelings.

Arranging arguments in a certain way in his speech, the speaker should not forget about such an important principle of composition as the principle of amplification.

Its essence lies in the fact that the significance, weight, persuasiveness of the arguments gradually increase, the strongest arguments are used at the end of the argument.

Speech recipient

The success of a speech largely depends on whether it is possible to immediately find an approach to the interlocutor, to establish contact with him. It is very important to think over your image, appearance, demeanor, intonation.

The basis of communicative success is the following ethical attitudes of the subjects of speech:

Goodwill to interlocutors, the ability to reason in such a way as not to humiliate the interlocutor;
- prudence - able to foresee the consequences of speech behavior in a given situation, the ability to pose problems that listeners are able to understand, and in the formulation that will contribute to speech impact;
- politeness - as the ability to preserve one's own dignity and emphasize the dignity of the interlocutor.

You should also take into account such characteristics of the listener as age, gender, nationality, social status, level of education, professional interests, mood, etc.

A skillful and subtle speaker should have an idea about gender differences that affect people's behavior (gender - associated with either male or female issues). Men and women have different types of questions; men have more coarse words, incoherent but sharp constructions; women's questions can be worldly naive and women are very sensitive to the form of the answer, the intonation in which it is presented; women are more emotional and sincere; a man is told about the facts in a generalized version, women - in an eventful one; representatives of different sexes manifest themselves in conflict situations in different ways, they object differently, disagree with something with varying degrees of categoricalness; tactics are important for women, strategy is important for men; women are more likely than men to admit their miscalculations, mistakes, they have a different arrangement of accents in the interpretation of events (spectacular interpretation of events, for men - detached-generalizing) and much more.

The effectiveness of the impact also increases with the coincidence (certain homogeneity) of the speaker and the listener. For example, for a story about the dangers of drug addiction to a student audience, it is better to invite a former drug addict of the same age than a policeman or doctor, whose level of trust in the message will be lower.

In order for the interlocutor to understand what was said, it is necessary to establish personal contact with him. Understanding, benevolence, attention, politeness, as a rule, evoke reciprocal feelings.

Cognitive contact is also important, in which only intellectual interaction is possible.

The knowledge that each person has a certain priority channel of perception makes us more tolerant, and the ability to determine it allows us to find an adequate language of communication with a particular interlocutor, to make contact not only conflict-free, but also effective. Therefore, it is very important to take into account the temperament of the interlocutor.

A mobile interlocutor (sanguine extrovert) thinks quickly, speaks quickly, jumps from one topic to another, because everything seems clear to him. It is recommended to let such an interlocutor speak to the end and only then clarify something or return to the beginning of the conversation.

A rigid interlocutor (an extrovert-choleric) likes to lead in a conversation.

A passive interlocutor (an introvert-melancholic) does not show his reaction. In a conversation with him, you should use the technique of active listening: ask questions, paraphrase, etc.

Verbal communication process

Communication - "the transfer of information from person to person", a complex multifaceted process of establishing and developing contacts between people (interpersonal communication) and groups (intergroup communication), generated by the needs of joint activities and including at least three different processes: communication (information exchange) , interaction (exchange of actions) and social perception (perception and understanding of a partner) Communication is carried out by different means. Distinguish between verbal and non-verbal means of communication.

Verbal communication is communication with words, speech, the process of exchanging information and emotional interaction between people or groups using speech means. Verbal communication is distinguished from non-verbal communication, where the main thing is conveyed not by speech, but by intonations, gaze, facial expressions and other means of expressing relationships and emotions.

Verbal communication is a verbal interaction of the parties and is carried out with the help of sign systems, the main among which is language. Language as a sign system is the optimal means of expressing human thinking and a means of communication. The language system finds its realization in speech, i.e. language is present in us constantly in a state of possibility. Verbal communication uses human speech as a sign system, natural sound language, that is, a system of phonetic signs that includes two principles: lexical and syntactic. Speech is the most universal means of communication, since when information is transmitted through speech, the meaning of the message is least of all lost. True, this should be accompanied by a high degree of common understanding of the situation by all participants in the communicative process.

Non-verbal communication is a side of communication, consisting in the exchange of information between individuals without the help of speech and language means, presented in any sign form. Such means of non-verbal communication as: facial expressions, gestures, posture, intonation, etc. perform the functions of supplementing and replacing speech, conveying the emotional states of communication partners. The instrument of such “communication” is the human body, which has a wide range of means and methods of transmitting or exchanging information, which includes all forms of human self-expression. A common working name that is used among people is non-verbal or "body language". Psychologists believe that the correct interpretation of non-verbal signals is the most important condition for effective communication. Knowing the language of gestures and body movements allows not only to better understand the interlocutor, but also (more importantly) to foresee what impression the heard will make on him even before he speaks on this issue. In other words, such wordless language can alert you to whether you need to change your behavior or do something else to achieve the desired result.

Speech is always a specific process of using linguistic signs by the informant. But since this process is always two-way, involving another communication partner, different roles in the communication process - passive or active, different sensory mechanisms and different participation of paralinguistic means such as speech rate, handwriting features, pronunciation features, speech mechanisms turn out to be diverse and hierarchically subordinated. First of all, it is necessary to single out the central control departments, concentrated in the left hemisphere of the brain, which is sometimes called speech. With various injuries of the left hemisphere, for example, with strokes, surgical interventions, injuries, a person loses the ability to speak, read, write, and understand the speech addressed to him. Without appropriate medical intervention, this damage can be irreversible and turns into a real social tragedy, as the victim loses the main instrument of communication. In the left hemisphere of the brain there are special zones responsible for the motor functions of speech (Brock's motor speech center, named after the French surgeon who discovered it) and sensory functions (Wernicke's sensory speech center, named after the German neurosurgeon Wernicke who discovered it).

The executive departments of the speech mechanism primarily include the articulation department, which provides a person with the opportunity to articulate (pronounce) a variety of speech sounds. The articulation department, in turn, consists of the larynx, laryngeal part of the pharynx, oral and nasal cavities, vocal cords that generate sound with the help of air flow coming from the lungs. The more various speech sounds a person’s articulation system is able to create, the more opportunities he has for designating various objects and phenomena of reality using phonetic means (from the Greek phone - sound). The Russian language has a fairly rich system of phonetic means - 41 independent sound-types with the allocation of soft and hard consonants, sonorants, pronounced with the participation of the voice (M, N, L), hissing. When pronouncing Russian sounds, the larynx and the guttural part of the pharynx are practically not involved (compare the specifics of the Caucasian languages) and dental-labial combinations, typical of the English language, as well as diphthong sounds, double vowels, the middle between A and E (for example, typical for the Baltic languages ). However, if we take into account that there are languages ​​with a very laconic system of speech sounds (for example, 15 sounds in the languages ​​of some African peoples), then the Russian phonetic system can be considered quite rich.

It should be noted that mastering the skills of articulatory movements is a fairly large part of the overall speech development. Sometimes, especially with congenital physical anomalies, for example, a cleft lip or a short frenulum of the tongue, medical help is required, sometimes correction with the help of defectologists, speech therapists is enough. Some features of pronunciation skills remain for life in the form of an accent, by which it is so easy to determine the dominant language, the so-called mother language - the mother language.

Human speech arose and developed on the basis of the auditory system. For speech, hearing is so important that in its absence, for example, deafness or hearing loss, a person becomes dumb. Deafness leads to mental retardation, various communication difficulties, and personality changes. Even in ancient Greece, the deaf and hard of hearing were forbidden to hold leadership positions. There are quite a few methods of general and speech audiometry that allow for early psychodiagnostics of speech auditory function, which helps to master the language using compensatory methods, for example, using sign languages ​​(sign language). It is assumed that the sign language includes a lot of supranational features, which ensures the relative universality of its use. A deaf-mute from Africa using sign language will understand a deaf-mute from Russia faster than an ordinary speaker of a normal spoken language.

The visual system takes very little part in the development of speech functions in a child. Blind children and blind adults are guided by acoustic channels of speech information, sometimes by tactile ones (Braille for the blind). Difficulties arise in the transition to those types of speech that are focused on the active work of the visual analyzer, associated with the selection of small distinctive details of graphemes (letters) or with mastering the skills of repeating these details in one's own activity (written speech). In general, the visual modality of speech processes is largely optional, more conscious and involves a mandatory stage of learning in special classes, for example, at school in calligraphy and reading lessons. The acoustic modality of speech processes is more spontaneous, vital and arbitrary. In any human community, first of all, a system of acoustic speech communication, which ensures the rapid exchange of information, for example, in cases of general illiteracy or in specific living conditions - with poor lighting, difficulties in eye contact, etc.

Types of verbal communication

Distinguish between external and internal speech. External speech is divided into oral and written. Oral speech, in turn, is divided into dialogic and monologue. In preparation for oral speech and especially for writing, the individual "pronounces" the speech to himself. This is inner speech. In written speech, the conditions of communication are mediated by the text. Written speech can be direct (for example, exchange of notes at a meeting, at a lecture) or delayed (exchange of letters).

Dactyl speech is a peculiar form of verbal communication. This is a manual alphabet that serves to replace oral speech when deaf and blind people communicate with each other and persons familiar with fingerprinting. Dactyl marks replace letters (similar to letters in block type).

The accuracy of the listener's understanding of the meaning of the speaker's statement depends on the feedback. Such feedback is established when the communicator and the recipient alternately change places. The recipient, by his statement, makes it clear how he understood the meaning of the received information. Thus, dialogue speech is a kind of sequential change in the communicative roles of the communicants, during which the meaning of the speech message is revealed. Monologue speech continues for a long time, not interrupted by the remarks of others. It requires advance preparation. This is usually a detailed, preparatory speech (for example, a report, lecture, etc.).

The constant and effective exchange of information is the key to the achievement of any organization or firm of its goals. The importance of verbal communication, for example in management, cannot be overestimated. However, here, as shown above, it is also necessary to pursue the goal of ensuring the correct understanding of the transmitted information or semantic messages. The ability to accurately express one's thoughts, the ability to listen are the components of the communicative side of communication. Unskillful expression of thoughts leads to a misinterpretation of what was said. Poor listening distorts the meaning of the information being conveyed. Below is a methodology for the two main ways of listening: non-reflective and reflective.

In speech, language is realized and through it, through utterances, language performs its communicative function. The main functions of the language in the communication process include: communicative (the function of information exchange); constructive (formulation of thoughts); appellative (impact on the addressee); emotive (direct emotional reaction to the situation); phatic (exchange of ritual (etiquette) formulas); metalinguistic (interpretation function. It is used when it is necessary to check whether the interlocutors use the same code).

Through observation of non-verbal means of communication, we manage to glean a huge amount of information about a partner. However, the information received may not be entirely reliable, since, firstly, there is a possibility that we could not quite correctly interpret the received signals, and secondly, our interlocutor may try to hide the truth by deliberately using his knowledge of non-verbal signals. That is why, for completeness of information, it is necessary to analyze both non-verbal and verbal means of communication. Verbal (or verbal) communication is "the process of establishing and maintaining purposeful, direct or indirect, contact between people using language."

According to the authors of the book "Interpersonal Communication" (ibid.), speaking people can have speech flexibility to varying degrees. So, some of them pay minimal attention to the choice of speech means, talking at different times with different people, in different circumstances, mostly in the same style. Others, in an effort to preserve their stylistic appearance, are able to perform different speech roles, using a different stylistic speech repertoire in various situations. However, in addition to the individual characteristics of participants in verbal communication, the choice of the style of speech behavior is also influenced by the social context. The role situation dictates the need to turn to poetic, then to official, then to scientific or everyday speech.

Thus, holding a scientific conference for parents requires the teacher to be able to operate with strict scientific terms (which, nevertheless, must be deciphered in speech in order to exclude misunderstanding of the insufficiently prepared part of the audience and thereby prevent possible aggressive attacks or "self-elimination" of listeners in such cases).

In cases of conflict with parents, it is better to adhere to the official manner of communication. The authors of the monograph mentioned above give the following principles for constructing speech communication.

The principle of cooperation (“the requirement for interlocutors to act in a way that would be consistent with the accepted purpose and direction of the conversation” - suggests that verbal communication should:

The principle of politeness, which implies expression in speech:

tact;
generosity;
approvals;
modesty;
consent;
benevolence.

Pedagogical practice shows that an incorrectly built verbal message can lead both to misunderstanding between partners and to open conflict. That is why, basically, the literature devoted to the problems of constructive behavior in conflict is aimed at optimizing verbal communication. Verbal communication can be disruptive and is a channel for finding relationships.

Development of verbal communication

Man is the only creature on Earth that uses verbal communication in his speech, that is, he contacts with other representatives of his own with the help of words. There are prerequisites to believe that this quality is also developed in animals, but if this is so, then the level is very low. The first people living on the planet communicated non-verbally, that is, with gestures. But then the first sounds appeared, denoting this or that action. Strictly speaking, today humanity is developing rapidly because it mainly uses words in colloquial speech. Although some people communicate their ideas non-verbally. If you have met such, then know that this is not a bad habit, just your interlocutor is trying to express his own thoughts more accessible.

As ancient people used to say, the level of a person's Mind is evidenced by the clarity of his speech. This is probably true, because even today people who can voice their ideas without any problems are highly valued in society. This suggests that their verbal communication is very well developed. Most of these inhabitants of planet Earth work in the media. After all, they communicate with intelligent people, therefore they must behave appropriately.

With the advent of man on the Blue Planet, speech was direct, the voice was rough. Over several thousand years, the ligaments in humans have become more elastic. Therefore, today we have the opportunity to parody, change the pace of speech and perform many other procedures. Studies show that it is most pleasant to communicate with a person who has a calm and smooth manner of presenting information.

Who owns the information, as they say, owns the world. And the one who knows how to competently transmit information, owns the one who owns the world. Competent speech at all times was valued in human society and significantly exceeded the status of the one who possessed it. Information is always transmitted in two ways: verbally and non-verbally. And if not everyone can read your gestures and facial expressions, then almost everyone will notice mistakes in how you write and in what you say. Therefore, let us consider in more detail what verbal means of communication are.

Verbal communication and its types

Speech is the main means of verbal communication. It is divided into written and oral, listening and reading, as well as internal and external speech. In simple words, verbal means of communication include our ability to speak and write, the ability to listen and perceive information, as well as our internal dialogues with ourselves and external ones with others.

The verbal side of communication lies in the language in which communication is carried out. For example, not every foreigner is able to understand Russian with all our interjections and diminutive suffixes. That is why, so that the interlocutors can always understand each other, there are general rules of verbal communication, types of verbal communication and generally accepted forms of communication. And since the verbal form of communication takes place in Russian, we should not forget about the styles with which we convey information. There are five in total:

  • scientific - this verbal way of communication is based on scientific terminology. Speech in a scientific style is distinguished by its logicality, the connectedness of various concepts and generalization;
  • official business - known to many as the language of laws. This style of speech has informative and commanding functions. Texts written in an official business style, as a rule, are standard and impersonal, have dry expressions and precise statements;
  • journalistic - the main function of this style is the impact on the audience. It differs in emotional coloring, expression and does not have a specific standard;
  • Speaking. Not exactly a conversational style, but in literature it can often be found in the form of dialogues and monologues on everyday topics;
  • artistic literary language. The style with the most vivid means of expression. In addition to the standard forms used in other styles, this type of non-verbal communication can include dialects, jargon, and vernacular.
Communication barriers

The verbal form of communication is the main one in business relations. Knowing the rules of the native language is more important than ever when conducting business meetings and negotiations. However, here the interlocutors may face a problem in the form of communication barriers:

  1. phonetic barrier. It may arise due to the characteristics of the speaker's speech. This includes intonation, diction, accent. To avoid this barrier, you need to speak loudly and clearly with the interlocutor.
  2. logical barrier. It can occur if the interlocutors have different types of thinking. Intelligence levels, for example, can lead to misunderstanding and this barrier.
  3. semantic barrier. Occurs between representatives of different countries and cultures. The problem here is the different semantic load of the same words.
  4. stylistic barrier. Occurs when the message construction is violated. To avoid this barrier, you must first draw attention to your message, then generate interest in it, move on to the main points, discuss questions and objections, and then let the interlocutor draw conclusions. Any violation of this chain will cause misunderstanding.

Features of verbal communication are not only in the generally accepted rules of writing and speech. When communicating, it is worth remembering the distance at which you are from the interlocutor. The psychology of verbal communication consists of four levels of communication:

The verbal side of communication allows us to determine the social status of the interlocutor and the level of his intelligence. Our speech is able to influence other people and promote career growth. It happens that you are impressed by the appearance and demeanor of a person, but as soon as he starts talking, all positive impressions instantly collapse. Remember that you can be in the place of this person at any moment. Therefore, if you want to be understood and accepted, speak correctly.

What primarily distinguishes us from other biological species? Drives social and personal progress? Allows you to get to know the world more, making us who we are - creatures with a developed intellect and thinking?

Of course, this is communication - the exchange of information and interactions between two or more individuals.

Communication is divided into two groups: verbal and non-verbal. And also - on the individual and mass. The interaction of verbal and non-verbal means of transmitting information helps to diversify the conversation, to give it the desired character. Both of these forms are equally important in live communication.

This group includes the transmission of information using words - speech. There are two types of speech interactions:

Oral conversation:

  • listening - perception of the speaker's speech;
  • speaking is the use of speech to convey messages to the listener.

Conversation in writing:

  • reading - perception of information from the carrier;
  • writing - fixing thoughts / knowledge on paper or electronic media.

Speech is possible thanks to the main tool of communication - language. A language is a system of signs and symbols, various combinations of which convey information about a particular object/phenomenon. The use of language requires thinking and intellect.

The peculiarities of the language are that it is diverse and multifaceted. So, there are non-literary and literary forms and types of it that are used by people depending on a specific life situation.

  • Literary speech implies clear rules that must be followed. It is considered an exemplary language classic.
  • Non-literary speech is freer and not constrained by conventions. It includes dialects and colloquial forms of the language and those words that we use in everyday life.

Language Features

  • Emotional. People tend to express their feelings and get emotional release through speech in communication. The emotional function is also performed by non-verbal means.
  • Communicative. When we talk about communication or the transfer of information, we most often mean language.
  • Cognitive. Language gives the individual the opportunity to join the knowledge of others and to transfer this knowledge to someone else. Learning a foreign language develops intelligence and logical thinking.
  • Ethnic. Language is needed to unite people into groups based on nationality.
  • Accumulative. Thanks to the knowledge of the language, we can accumulate and store information about the world around us. This is information gleaned from books, films, received from other people, etc.
  • Constructive. Language helps a person to competently express his own thoughts, giving them a clear tangible form, to structure thought processes.
  • Contact setting. Language also plays a role when communication in it does not carry useful information for the interlocutors - in this case, it helps to establish contact for further relationships.

Mastering the skills of verbal communication is the key to successful interpersonal communications. It is necessary to develop not only intelligence, correctness and literacy of speech, reading classical literature and studying native and foreign languages. It is important to be able to speak in the sense in which it is presented by psychology - to learn to be an interlocutor, to remove barriers and fear of contact with other people, to express understanding and sympathy. A person who skillfully uses the skills of verbal communications will easily find a common language with any person, even the most difficult in character.

Non-verbal communication

Non-verbal form of communication is also called "body language" or "gesture language". It includes all the information that we transmit to the interlocutor or interlocutors without the participation of speech, as well as interactions with them that carry a certain emotional coloring. For example, a handshake (expresses friendliness and willingness to cooperate), a kiss (love), a pat on the shoulder (a familiar friendly gesture), etc.

Features of non-verbal appearance

Non-verbal communication occurs only when talking face-to-face. Conversation in social networks through private messages is devoid of this communicative component.

Psychology pays special attention to this form of communication - it says more about a person than verbal can tell.

Non-verbal means are very important for pedagogical communication. They help the teacher to attract and hold the attention of students, develop his teaching style. With the active and appropriate use of gestures and facial expressions in the process of pedagogical communication, students learn the material better and use thinking, they become more open and easier to make contact.

Means of nonverbal communication

  • Gestures. They play an important role in combination with words. They also serve as an independent means of communication: we give a thumbs up when we praise or express approval. The number of gestures during a conversation is an indicator of a person's temperament. For different peoples, this number varies greatly: the most emotional are the inhabitants of hot countries, while the northerners are much more restrained. We gesticulate a lot in the process of informal communication. In business situations, this is not appropriate.
  • Mimic. The movements of the facial muscles carry a lot of information - after all, they help to understand the true feelings of the interlocutor, his personal characteristics, the nature of thinking, the level of intelligence, serve as an expression of his plans. You can say anything with your face. All parts of it are amazingly precisely coordinated with each other in the process of expressing emotions. The greatest semantic load falls on the lips and eyebrows - you should pay attention to them when talking.
  • Sight. Determines the interest of the individual in the conversation. If a person, without taking his eyes off, listens to the speaker, it is clear that this information is really important to him. Also, prolonged eye contact sometimes expresses hostility or defiance. Constant looking away means boredom, a possible desire to end the conversation, or is a kind of lie detector - it has been established that a person who tells a lie looks into the interlocutor's eyes for less than a third of the conversation.
  • Posture and gait. Psychology determines the character, self-esteem, age, mood, well-being according to these indicators. Relaxed postures are characteristic of self-confident people with high social status. The movements of uncommunicative and closed-in personalities are especially constrained, indecisive.

A heavy gait is typical for people who are overwhelmed by anger or other negative emotions, light, airy - indicates a cloudless mood of a person.

Functions of non-verbal communication

  • Underline the information given. Thus, a person who has expressed a strong protest may shake his head indignantly. We also nod, expressing full agreement with the interlocutor - one of the manifestations of the interaction of verbal and non-verbal means of transmitting information.
  • Complete what has been said. When we describe a tiny object, we bring the fingers of the hand together a short distance.
  • Show the true state of mind of a person or attitude towards the interlocutor. Sometimes people behave and talk as usual in a company, although their hearts are heavy. Attentive comrades notice this by facial expression or movements.
  • Replace words. The shrug gesture that means "I don't know" doesn't need any further verbal explanation.
  • Make an accent. Mentioning weighty information in the course of the story or showing something important in a prepared presentation, we raise our index finger up, drawing additional attention of the interlocutors to the spoken phrase.

This is how the interaction of verbal and non-verbal means of transmitting information is manifested.

People monitor their speech and what they communicate to their interlocutors. It is much more difficult to constantly control facial expressions, gestures, gait. Not all of us succeed. Nevertheless, it helps to understand the true feelings and motives of a person, which is used in psychology.

Psychology tells us that in communication it is important to maintain the correct balance of means of verbal and non-verbal communication. The audience is unlikely to be imbued with a monotonous unemotional reading of a report or presentation without paying due attention to the speaker. But there is no need to rush to extremes either: there are people whose thoughts and emotions are ahead of the capabilities of the speech apparatus. They gesticulate violently, swallow words, forcing the interlocutor to get tired of such expressiveness.

In addition, it is worth considering the situation in which one or another form of communication is appropriate, as well as the characteristics and intelligence of the interlocutor.

Communication- this is the interaction of two or more people, which is the exchange of information of a cognitive or emotional-evaluative nature. This exchange is provided by non-verbal and verbal means of communication.

It seems that it could be easier to communicate through speech? But in fact, this process is not easy and ambiguous.

Verbal communicationis the process of exchanging information between people (or groups of people) using speech means. Simply put, verbal communication iscommunication through words, speech.

Of course, in addition to the transmission of specific “dry” information, during verbal communication, peopleinteractwith each other emotionally andaffecteach other, conveying their feelings and emotions in words.

In addition to verbal, there are alsonon-verbalcommunication (transmission of information without words, through facial expressions, gestures, pantomime). But this distinction is conditional. In practice, verbal and non-verbal communication are directly related to each other.

Body language always complements, “illustrates” speech. Pronouncing a certain set of words and trying to convey some idea to the interlocutor through them, a person speaks with a certain intonation, facial expression, gesticulating, changing posture, and so on, that is, helping himself in every possible way and supplementing speech with non-verbal means of communication.

Althoughspeech- it is a universal, rich and expressive means of information exchange, very little information is transmitted through it -less than 35%! Of these, only 7% falls directly on the words, the rest is intonation, tone and other sound means. More65% information is transmitted using non-verbal means of communication!

The priority of non-verbal means of communication is explained by psychologists by the fact that the non-verbal communication channel is simpler, evolutionarily more ancient, spontaneous and difficult to control (after all, non-verbalunconscious). And speech is the result of workconsciousness. Human awarethe meaning of your words as you speak them. Before you say something, you can always (and should) think, but controlling your facial expression or a spontaneous gesture is an order of magnitude harder.

The Importance of Verbal Communication

At personal, emotional-sensory communication is dominated (they are more priority and important) non-verbal means of communication. INbusinessinteraction, the ability to correctly, clearly, clearly convey one’s ideas verbally is more important, that is, the ability to competently build one’s monologue, conduct a dialogue, understand and correctly interpret in the first placespeechanother man.

The ability to competently express yourself, your personality through speech is very important in a business environment. Self-presentation, interviews, long-term cooperation, resolving disagreements and conflicts, finding compromises and other business interaction requires the ability to communicate effectivelythrough words.

If personal relationships are impossible without emotions and feelings, then business communication is for the most partemotionless.If emotions are present in it, then they are either hidden or expressed in the most restrained, ethical form. The literacy of speech and the culture of verbal communication are valued mainly.

But in matters of the heart, the ability totalk and negotiate! Long-term love, friendships and, of course, a strong family are built on the ability to speak, listen and hear each other.

Verbal means of communication

Oralspeech is the main and very important means of verbal communication, but not the only one. Speech is also distinguished as separate verbal means of communication.written And internalspeech (dialogue with oneself).

If you don’t need to learn non-verbal skills (these are innate skills), then verbal means of communication involve the development of certainskills, namely:

  • perceive speech,
  • listen and hear what the interlocutor says,
  • speak competently (monologue) and conduct a conversation (dialogue),
  • write well,
  • conduct an internal dialogue.


especiallysuch communication skills are valued How:

  • the ability to speak concisely, clearly formulating an idea,
  • the ability to speak briefly, to the point,
  • the ability not to deviate from the topic, to avoid a large number of “lyrical digressions”,
  • the ability to inspire, motivate, convince, motivate speech,
  • the ability to interest in speech, to be an interesting interlocutor,
  • honesty, the habit of telling the truth and not uttering unverified information (which may turn out to be a lie),
  • attentiveness during communication, the ability to accurately retell what was heard,
  • the ability to objectively accept and correctly understand what is said by the interlocutor,
  • the ability to “translate” the words of the interlocutor, determining for themselves their very essence,
  • the ability to take into account the level of intelligence and other individual psychological characteristics of the interlocutor (for example, not to use terms whose meanings the interlocutor probably does not know),
  • mood for a positive assessment of the speech of the interlocutor and his personality, the ability to find good intentions of a person even in negative words.

There are many other communication skills that are important for anyone who wants to be successful in their profession and happy in their personal lives.

Barriers to Verbal Communication

What a wonderful interlocutor it would not be possible to become, it must be borne in mind that human speechimperfect.

Verbal communication is the mutual exchange of information in whichAlwaysthere are several barriers. The meaning of words is lost, changed, misinterpreted, deliberately changed, and so on. This is because the information coming from the mouth of one person, coming to the second, overcomes several barriers.

Psychologist Predrag Micic in the book "How to have business conversations"described a scheme of gradual impoverishment of information during verbal communication.

The complete information (all 100%) that needs to be conveyed to the interlocutor is contained only in the mind of the speaker. Inner speech is more varied, richer and deeper than outer speech, therefore, already during its transformation into external speech, 10% of information is lost.

This is the first barrier to verbal communication, which Mitsich called"The Limit of the Imagination".A person cannot express everything he wants through words because of their limitations (compared to thoughts).

The second barrier is"Barrier of Desire"Even a thought that is ideally formulated to oneself is not always possible to express out loud the way one wants for various reasons, at least due to the fact that one has to adapt to one’s interlocutor and take into account the situation of communication with him. At this stage, another 10% of information is lost.

The fourth barrier is purely psychological -"Relationship Barrier". What and how one person hears, listening to another, depends on his attitude towards him. As a rule, out of 70% of the information heard, the interlocutor understands only 60% precisely for the reason that the need to logically comprehend what is heard is mixed with a personal attitude towards the speaker.

And finally, the last barrier -“memory capacity”. This is not so much a barrier to direct verbal communication as human memory. In memory, on average, only about25-10% information received from another person.

This is how out of 100% of the information that was originally in the mind of one person, only 10% is transmitted to another.

That is why it is so important to convey your thought as accurately and fully as possible, to convey it clearly and unambiguously, to express it in words understandable to the interlocutor, to try to make him hear, understand and remember what was said.

Every person is a social being. We cannot live without communication. Being born, the child already falls into a social group consisting of medical staff and mother. Growing up, he communicates with relatives, friends, gradually acquiring all the necessary social skills. It is impossible to live a quality life without communication. But this is not such an easy process as it seems at first glance. Communication has a multi-level structure and features that must be taken into account when transmitting or receiving information.

Communication as a way to carry out life activities for a person

Well-known psychologists have determined that a person in his life makes two types of contacts:

  1. With nature.
  2. With people.

These contacts are called communication. There are many definitions for this concept. Communication is called:

  • a special form of interaction between people and their interpersonal relationships;
  • friendly or business relationship of a person with another person;
  • interaction of a group of people (starting from 2 people) for the exchange of information, knowledge of the world, which can be affective-evaluative in nature;
  • the process of conversation, conversation, dialogue;
  • mental contact between people, which is manifested through a sense of community, the implementation of joint actions, the exchange of information.

What is the difference between communication and communication

Communication covers all aspects of human contact. These are contacts with nature, and with neighbors, and at work. Communication is subject to certain requirements and rules. This concept implies specific goals for communication that at least one of the parties to the communication process has. Verbal communication (speech is its main means) is subject to strict rules, depending on its type. The communicator (the person who takes an active part in the communication process) has specific tasks that are designed to influence the other participant in the conversation. This process is more appropriate in business communication. That is why there is the concept of "verbal business communication, which is applicable only in official communication and involves a verbal exchange of information.

Two main types of communication

The process of exchanging information and influencing all participants in communication is divided into two large groups. In these groups, all the functions of communication must be carried out, otherwise it will not be productive.

Verbal communication involves the verbal transmission of information. In this process, someone is talking and someone is listening.

Non-verbal communication occurs due to the implementation of the optokinetic system of signs. Gestures, facial expressions, pantomime are appropriate here, special attention is paid to tone and intonation, eye contact occurs. This way of communication outwardly expresses the inner world of a person, his personal development.

Verbal communication - what is it?

We use verbal communication almost every minute of our interaction with people. We constantly exchange information, teach someone, listen to the flow of words ourselves, and so on. Verbal communication involves listening and speaking. In the process of such communication, its own structure is determined, it is attended by:

  • "What?" - message.
  • "Who?" - communicator.
  • "How?" - specific transmission channels.
  • "To whom?" - the object of communication.
  • "What effect?" - the influence of interlocutors on each other, who pursue certain goals for communication.

The means of this type of communication

Verbal means of communication include speech, language, word. Language - as a way of communication for people and the transfer of information - appeared a very long time ago. It is a communication tool. The word of the language is a symbolic symbol that can have several meanings at the same time. Verbal communication cannot do without speech, which can be oral and written, internal and external, and so on. It should be noted that inner speech is not a means of transmitting information. It is not accessible to other people. Therefore, verbal speech communication does not include it in its system of means.

Speech helps a person to encode certain information and transmit it to the interlocutor. It is through her that the informant influences his interlocutor, inspiring him with his point of view. While the interlocutor in his own way can perceive it. This is where the main functions and verbal means of communication begin to work.

Her forms

The forms of verbal communication include oral and written speech, as well as such forms of interaction as monologue and dialogue. Depending on the development of events, oral speech may acquire signs of a dialogue or monologue.

Forms of verbal communication include different types of dialogues:

  • actual - the exchange of information with the recipient for only one purpose - to support the conversation, sometimes it is perceived as a ritual (for example, when the question "how are you" does not involve listening to the answer);
  • informational - an active process of information exchange, presentation or discussion of any important topic;
  • debatable - occurs when there is a contradiction in two or more points of view on the same problem, the purpose of such a dialogue is to influence people to change their behavior;
  • confessional - a confidential type of dialogue, which involves the expression of deep feelings and experiences.

Monologues in everyday life are not as common as dialogues. Verbal and non-verbal communication can be present in a monologue, when during a report or lecture a person not only provides information, but also accompanies it with facial expressions, gestures, raised tone and changing intonation. In this case, both words and gestures become a specific code of the message being transmitted. For the effective perception of these codes, it is necessary to understand them (it is difficult for a Russian person to understand a Chinese, just as certain gestures are incomprehensible to a simple layman).

Types of verbal communication

Speech communication has its own types. We have already listed the main ones - this is speech in all its manifestations, dialogue, monologue. Features of verbal communication are that it contains more private types of communication.

  1. A conversation is a verbal exchange of opinions, thoughts, knowledge. This process can involve two or more people who communicate in a relaxed atmosphere. Conversation is used when a problem is highlighted or an issue is clarified.
  2. An interview is a little different from a conversation in a formality. The topics of the interviews are narrow professional, scientific or social issues.
  3. Dispute - a dispute on scientific or any socially important topics. This type is also included in the concept of "verbal communication". Communication within the dispute between people is limited.
  4. The discussion, in turn, is also public, but the result is important in it. Different opinions on a particular issue are discussed here, different points of view and positions are presented. As a result, everyone comes to some one opinion and a solution to the controversial issue.
  5. A dispute is a confrontation of opinions, a kind of verbal struggle in order to defend one's opinion.

Features of the processes of speech communication

The processes of verbal communication can take place with certain difficulties. Since two or more people take part in such communication, with their own interpretation of the information, unforeseen tense moments may arise. Such moments are called communication barriers. Both verbal and non-verbal means of communication are subject to such barriers.

  1. Logical - a barrier at the level of the logic of information perception. It occurs when people with different types and forms of thinking communicate. The acceptance and understanding of the information provided to him depends on the intellect of a person.
  2. Stylistic - occurs when the order of the information provided is violated and its form and content do not match. If a person starts the news from the end, the interlocutor will have a misunderstanding of the purpose of its presentation. The message has its own structure: first, the attention of the interlocutor arises, then his interest, from him there is a transition to the main provisions and questions, and only then there is a conclusion from everything that has been said.
  3. Semantic - such a barrier appears when people with different cultures communicate, the meanings of the words used and the meaning of the message do not match.
  4. Phonetic - this barrier arises with the features of the informant's speech: fuzzy speaking, quiet intonation, shifting logical stress.

Means of non-verbal communication

Non-verbal communication is an external form of manifestation of the inner world of a person. Verbal and non-verbal means of communication are correlated in one message to varying degrees. They can complement each other, accompany, contradict or replace. It has been proven that the transmission of information is carried out with the help of words by only 7%, sounds occupy 38%, and non-verbal means occupy 55%. We see that non-verbal communication occupies a very important place in human communication.

The main means of communication without words are gestures, facial expressions, pantomime, eye contact systems, as well as a certain intonation and tone of voice. The main means of non-verbal communication also include human postures. For someone who knows how to interpret them, postures can say a lot about a person's emotional state.

Features of non-verbal communication

In communication without words, everything is important: how a person holds his back (posture), how far he is, what gestures, facial expressions, postures, views, and so on. There are certain areas of non-verbal communication that determine the effectiveness of communication.

  1. Public - more than 400 cm from the informant, such communication is often used in classrooms and during rallies.
  2. Social - 120-400 cm distance between people, for example, at official meetings, with people whom we do not know well.
  3. Personal - 46-120 cm, conversation with friends, colleagues, visual contact takes place.
  4. Intimate - 15-45 cm, communication with loved ones, you can not speak loudly, tactile contact, trust. With a violent violation of this zone, blood pressure may increase, the heartbeat may become more frequent. This phenomenon can be observed in a heavily filled bus.

Verbal and non-verbal communication are processes that will help to achieve efficiency in negotiations, if these zones are not violated.

Sign language

Gestures are usually called socially practiced movements that can convey the emotional mood of a person. There are a very large number of gestures, and they are all classified according to the purpose of transmitting information by a person and his internal state. Gestures are:

  • illustrators (complement the message);
  • regulators (you can see the attitude of a person);
  • emblems (common symbols);
  • affectors (transmission of emotions);
  • estimates;
  • confidence;
  • uncertainty;
  • self-control;
  • expectations;
  • denials;
  • location;
  • dominance;
  • insincerity;
  • courtship.

By how a person behaves during a conversation, one can determine his internal state, how interested he is in the exchange of information, and whether there is sincerity.

Human facial expressions

Human facial expressions are also a way of informing. With the immobility of the face, 10-15% of all information is lost. If a person is lying or hiding something, then his eyes meet the eyes of the interlocutor for less than a third of the time of the entire conversation. The left side of a person's face more often gives out emotions. With the help of the eyes or the curvature of the lips, accurate messages about the state of the person are given. This happens due to the behavior of the pupils - their contraction and expansion is beyond our control. When we experience emotions of fear or sympathy, the pupils change characteristically.