INTRODUCTION TO VERBAL AND NON-VERBAL CUES
Cues are signals that accompany communication. Verbal cues accompany the spoken word e.g stress, intonation, tone, pitch, audibility, pronunciation and tempo.
Non-verbal cues are signals that do not accompany the spoken word but add meaning to the spoken word e.g eye contact, posture etc.
VERBAL CUES
1. Stress
Stress is the force (prominence) with which we say a word, a part of a word (syllable) or certain parts of the sentence. It involves loudness, length and higher pitch in articulation. There are two major levels of stress: word stress and clausal stress.
Word stress
Every word in English has one stressed syllable. This is referred to as primary stress e.g
a) ‘Cat
b) ‘Convict / Con’vict
c) ‘Beautiful
NB: Word stress can distinguish words into parts of speech and therefore, the meaning of the word.
Clausal stress
At clausal level, words that carry higher information content (content words) e.g verbs, nouns, adverbs and adjectives, are normally stressed than those carrying less information (functional words).
Examples
a) Tonic stress
Usually found at the end of an utterance as shown below
a) I am going
b) I am gong to Mombasa
c) I am going to Mombasa on holiday
b) Emphatic stress
Emphatic stress is stress placed on a content word depending on what the speaker perceives to be important e.g
a) He ate all the food
b) He ate all the food
c) He ate all the food
d) He ate all the food
c) Contrastive stress
This is where we employ stress in order to bring out contrast e.g
a) Do you like this pen or that one
d) New information stress
New information is naturally stressed over aforementioned information e.g
a) What is your name?
b) My name is Njeri
c) I am from Kiambu
2. Intonation
Intonation refers to the rise and fall in pitch as we speak. We have rising intonation, falling
intonation, rise-fall intonation and fall-rise intonation. Intonation indicates whether a speaker wants to proclaim, agree, disagree, question, refer, continue to speak or stop speaking.
A falling intonation signals finality, completion, belief in what is said. It normally occurs in declarative sentences, exclamation sentences, wh- questions and imperative sentences e.g
a) The sun rises from the east.
b) Sit down
c) Who are you?
d) What a beautiful dress!
Rising intonation occurs in Yes/No questions e.g
a) Are you hungry?
Fall-rise intonation occurs in statements with question tags
a) You ate the food, didn’t you?
b) Though you like him a lot, he is mean and arrogant
3. Pitch
Pitch is concerned with the volume and depth of the voice. A higher pitch is more louder than a low pitch. Pitch can be high, mid or low.
a) High pitch is used for emotionally charged intonation units and expresses emotions such as excitement, surprise, irritation, fury, cheer, merriment etc.
b) Mid pitch is used in every day conversation.
c) Low pitch is used to convey co-referential, additional or supplementary information.
Stress, tone and pitch combine to give rise to intonation. Tone is a quality of the voice and it suggests the attitude of the speaker towards the subject matter or who is being referred to. Speech without intonation features is devoid of emotions and may fail to communicate. Check this example:
• You like him
Depending on how you say it, this utterance is capable of being a question ( if the last word has a rising intonation) or a statement (if the last word has a falling intonation)
4. Tempo
This is the speed (pace) at which words are said. The speed should be dictated by the mood one
wants to create when speaking e.g when one is performing a poem that talks of an exciting event, one will use a relatively fast pace. On the other hand, a relaxed mood would be defined by a slow pace.
5. Pronunciation
Pronunciation is an aspect of speech. Pronouncing words carefully makes communication clearer and meaningful. Poor pronunciation interferes with communication. A radio presenter relies on pronunciation and intonation related features.
a) Pause is very important in speaking. It has the following functions:
b) A pause may be used to allow listeners reflect on what has been said.
c) Allow a message communicated to sink
d) Help the speaker recollect their thoughts before moving on to the next point
e) Build anticipation in the audience as they wonder what will come next.
f) Pausing after asking a question. This allows the audience to think and mentally involves them in your speech.
g) Allow people to laugh after a humerous remark
NB: Do not pause for too long or the audience might think you have lost it or are confused.
6. Mimicry
Mimicry is the action or skill of imitating someone or something, especially in order to entertain or ridicule.
A performer can imitate a character in a story or a poem to create authenticity, entertain or ridicule.
NON-VERBAL CUES
We can communicate volumes without speaking a word. This is possible by reading a person’s body language e.g when a person is bored, he / she tends to be fidgety, inattentive or simply stares into space.
A person who is impatient may drum a table with his fingers or even shuffle his feet restlessly. These are examples of non-verbal communication. What a person does communicates a message across.
1. Facial expressions
We can change our facial expressions to reflect our changing moods e.g we wince when in pain, gloomy when sad, smile when happy, grin when amused.
• Scowl - An angry or bad tempered expression
• Frown -. Show anger or seriousness by lines on the face
• Grimace - Show hurt, anger or disgust using an ugly expression on the face
• Sneer - An expression on the face that shows contempt
• Winking - close and open one eye quickly, typically to indicate that something is a joke or a secret or as a signal of affection or greeting..
2. Eye contact
Eyes reveal the innermost feelings. Eyes can relay all types of emotions be it sadness, joy, nostalgia, anger, frustration, anger etc. This underscores the importance of eye contact in performance.
Eye contact holds the attention of the audience and makes the presenter appear confident and in total control of the presentation.
NB: Remember staring is not eye contact!
3. Gestures
This entails using the head and the hands to communicate. Used appropriately, they can emphasize a point or even create vivid mental pictures in he listener’s mind e.g when agreeing to a point you can nod your head, when describing a short person, you can use your hands to indicate height, shaking the head may show disapproval, shock or disbelief. While employing gestures in performance, do not exaggerate.
4. Body movement
The body in motion is a source of information. Every change in body posture and position communicates a message. The way one moves also communicates a message e.g
• Stride - Walk with long steps showing confidence and determination
• Strut - Walk proudly with head up and chest out to show that you think you are important.
• Shuffle - Walk slowly without lifting your legs off the ground
• Slouch - Stand, sit or move in a lazy way with shoulders and head bent forward.
• Skulk - Hide or move around secretly.
Moving away from a person may show rejection while moving closer to a person may show intimacy. Moving to and fro with quick steps reveals anxiety, impatience or restlessness.
5. Posture / poise
The way you hold yourself in front of an audience says a lot about your personality and state of mind. Holding yourself upright, head held high and shoulders relaxed communicates confidence.
On the other hand, drooping shoulders, fumbling with hands and clothes reveals one is nervous and self-conscious. Your confidence is further boosted if you are well groomed.
6. Personal space
A personal space is an imaginary area between a person and their surrounding area. This space makes the person feel comfortable and should therefore not be encroached. The distance can exist at work, at home and in our social circles.
The personal space varies depending on factors such as:
(a) Gender
(b) Trust
(c) Relationship
(d) Familiarity with the person.
Why Respect People’s personal Space?
1. To make them feel comfortable.
2. To maintain good relationships.
3. To enhance listening. Especially during a talk.
General Personal Space Rules
The personal space guidelines below will help enhance listening and speaking:
1. Respectfully keep your distance if you walk into a room and see two people in private
conversation.
2. Pay attention to your volume when you speak, whether on the phone or in person, to ensure you don’t distract attention of others.
3. Maintain physical space at table and chair rows so the people around you have enough room to write, raise their hands, etc.
4. Be mindful of amount of perfume or cologne you wear as if it is in excess it might distract others.
5. Never lean on the other person’s shoulder unless invited to.
6. Don’t eavesdrop on another person’s phone conversation. In case you overhear details of the conversation, keep it confidential.
Dealing with Space Intrusion
Depending on the nature of the intrusion, you would deal with space encroachment in different ways. Here are the steps of dealing with a person who leans on your shoulder:
1. Lean away or take a step back away from the person hoping they would take a hint.
2. Come right out and say you feel discomfort being too close.
3. Explain why you need more space. You can for example tell them you need more space to write.
7. Bowing / curtsying
a) A curtsy is a polite gesture of respect or reverence made chiefly by women and girls.
b) It is the female equivalent of males’ bowing.
When to Bow or Make Curtsy
a) To end a performance.
b) To show respect.
How to Curtsy
a) Lower your head.
b) Hold your skirt at the edges with both hands.
c) Place your right foot behind the left.
d) Bend your knees outward
8. Appearance and grooming
How you look when speaking in front of an audience or when going for an interview is very crucial. It both boosts your confidence level and build respect. Your appearance involves the clothes you wear as well as how you groom. Grooming on the other hand involves what you do to your body other than the clothing. Your personal hygiene is the simplest term that can replace the term grooming.
Clothing
The kind of clothe you wear will depend on such factors as:
(a) Your occupation;
(b) Weather;
(c) Location; and
(d) Your preference.
Guidelines for Clothing
1. Your cloth should fit comfortably.
2. The cloth should also be neat and clean.
3. Wear the right cloth for appropriate occasion.
Grooming
Read the grooming checklist below.
1. Your hair should be lean, trimmed and neatly arranged.
2. If you are a man, ensure your facial hair is freshly shaved.
3. Fingernails should be neat, clean and trimmed.
4. Teeth should brushed and with fresh breath.
5. Body should be freshly showered.
6. If a woman, use make up sparingly and be natural looking.
7. Use perfumes/aftershave/colognes sparingly or even use non at all.
9. Touch
When we touch people there are many messages we may be sending depending on the nature of the touch. A weak handshake may communicate indifference, a firm warm grip communicates friendship, a warm bear hug means acceptance and excitement, a timid tap on the shoulder may mean fear, holding of hands means affection, holding shoulders expresses affection and friendship.