Paraverbalism is a branch of linguistics that studies the transmission of sound information through non-linguistic means. That is, all sounds that a person makes in addition to the words themselves can be classified as paraverbalism. The word comes from the Greek words para (about) and verbal (speech), that is, it turns out about verbal means of communication. In ancient Greece, oratory was highly valued, studied, and even considered the “queen of the arts.” Even then, people began to understand the huge role of nonverbal and paraverbal communication.
What does paraverbal communication consist of?
Paraverbal means of communication include:
- Pace and rhythm of speech
- Timbre of speech
- Speech volume
- Filling of pauses with sounds (uh, mmm, etc.)
- Voice intonation
- Accent
Based on these characteristics of speech, a person at a subconscious level makes a conclusion about who he is communicating with - gender, age, social status, nationality and religion, mood, self-esteem, attitude towards the interlocutor and what the conversation is about. In addition, through paraverbal communication, the mood is transmitted between people. Therefore, the art of paraverbal communication has a large role in the life of public people and, naturally, sellers.
Paraverbal communication: essence and means
In the process of communication, the spoken word is never neutral, and is often even more important than the content of the message. The meaning of a statement may change depending on what intonation, rhythm, timbre, phrasal and logical stress were used to convey it. All these sound elements of information transmission are called paralinguistic means. Researchers identify the following acoustic means that accompany, complement and replace speech sounds: tempo, pitch, volume, speed, timbre, rhythm, pauses, intonation, sighs, groans, coughing, etc.
Voice characteristics are among the most important factors in the perception of others, since speech tones affect the meaning of a statement, signal emotions, a person’s state, his confidence or uncertainty, etc. Therefore, along with verbal and nonverbal means of communication, paraverbal means - a set of sound signals that accompany oral speech, introducing additional meanings into it . An example of this kind is intonation, signaling the interrogative nature of the sentence, sarcasm, disgust, humor, etc. In other words, with paraverbal communication, a certain part of the information is transmitted through vocal tones, which are given a certain meaning in different languages.
Although individual characteristics of the voice cannot serve as a reliable indicator of a person’s personal qualities, nevertheless, in the process of communication one should remember the important feature of perceiving a person by voice. Listeners tend to assign higher merits to people with more perfect-sounding speech (pleasant timbre, intonation), attribute to them not only high intellectual and psychological qualities (charm, intelligence, friendliness), but also significantly higher partner and business qualities (competence, reliability, confidence, etc.).
Using your voice you can convey basic emotions - fear, anger, joy, surprise and emotional states - goodwill, anxiety, confidence, interest. For example, the emotion of sadness is expressed by a slow rise and fall in the strength and pitch of the voice, increased duration of syllables, and a drop in the strength and sonority of the voice. Fast speech evokes the idea of an active, energetic person, while a low, dull voice is associated with a purposeful, strong-willed, decisive person, etc.
The purpose of paraverbal communication is to evoke in the partner the appropriate emotions, sensations, and experiences that are necessary to achieve certain goals and intentions. Such results are usually achieved with the help of paraverbal means of communication, which include: prosody - rate of speech, timbre, pitch and volume of the voice; extralinguistics - pauses, coughs, sighs, laughter and crying (i.e. sounds that we reproduce with our voices).
The following characteristics of the human voice are the means to achieve effective communication:
- speed of speech, which can be very slow, slightly slow, fast and very fast. The degree of perception of the speaker by communication partners depends on the speed of speech. A lively, lively manner of speaking, a fast pace of speech indicate the impulsiveness of the interlocutor, his confidence in his abilities. On the contrary, a calm, slow manner of speech indicates equanimity, prudence, good mood of the interlocutor, and the richness of his feelings. Noticeable fluctuations in speech rate reveal a lack of balance, uncertainty, and slight excitability. It is believed that the normal speech rate of a person is 140-150 words per minute;
- the volume of speech, which is an expression of a person’s feelings. In terms of volume, a person’s speech varies in the range from very quiet to screaming. Loud speech usually indicates a sincere motivation or arrogance and complacency, while quiet speech indicates restraint, modesty, tact or a lack of vitality, weakness of a person. Noticeable changes in volume indicate emotion and excitement in the interlocutor. As communication practice shows, the lack of logical arguments contributes to the increased emotionality of speech in other cases. In normal communication situations, you should speak at a normal volume, since a calm and respectable voice relieves tension and arouses interest in communication;
- articulation. Clear and distinct pronunciation of words indicates the speaker’s internal discipline and his need for clarity. Unclear, vague pronunciation speaks of compliance, uncertainty, and lethargy of will;
- pitch of voice. Voices also differ in their ability to influence other people. The pitch of the voice depends on the age, gender and individual personality characteristics of a person. Women and children have shorter and thinner vocal cords than men, so their voice pitch is about an octave higher. Falsetto is often characteristic of a person whose thinking and speech are based more on the intellect. A chesty voice is a sign of increased natural emotionality. A high, shrill voice is a sign of fear and excitement;
- speech mode. Rhythmic speaking means richness of feelings, balance, good mood. Strictly cyclical speaking indicates a strong awareness of what is being experienced, tension of will, discipline, and pedantry. An angular, abrupt manner of speech serves as an expression of sober, purposeful thinking.
Thus, paraverbal communication is based on the tonal and timbre features of language and their use in culture. On this basis, quiet and loud cultures can be distinguished.
For example, in Europe, Americans are criticized for speaking too loudly. This trait of theirs is born of the fact that very often for sociable Americans it does not matter whether their speech is listened to or not. It is much more important for them to show their competence and openness. In contrast, the British have a completely different point of view: they believe that they should not interfere in matters other than their own. Therefore, they have a particularly developed ability to direct their speech directly to the desired partner and at the same time take into account not only the noise level, but also the distance.
Paradoxically, silence plays a very important role in communication. In different cultures, the idea of how much silence is necessary for adequate communication has its own national specifics.
For example, Americans cannot stand long pauses and always try to fill them with talking. Therefore, when foreign journalists or businessmen travel to the United States to obtain the necessary information, they are instructed: take long pauses and the Americans will tell you everything themselves.
In intercultural communication, the intonation of verbal communication is important, which often determines the meaning and content of the transmitted information.
For example, in European languages, significant information is highlighted using contrastive stress. In South Asian languages, it is the other way around: new information is communicated more quietly than what is already known. In some Arab and African cultures, speaking volume is used as a means of regulating the speaker-listener role reversal. In European cultures, speaking loudly and simultaneously means an argument or quarrel.
The culturally specific features of paraverbal communication are also reflected in the speed of speech.
For example, Finns speak relatively slowly and with long pauses. This linguistic feature gave them the image of people who think for a long time and act slowly. In the culture of North American Indians, pauses lasting several minutes within one speech message are considered normal. Fast-speaking cultures are represented by speakers of Romance languages (French, Romanians, Moldovans, Gypsies), who practically do not pause between segments of speech. According to this indicator, Germans occupy a middle position, but speaking speed is higher in Berlin and lower in northern Germany.
Another means of paraverbal communication is the manner of speech: in some cultures they speak a lot, while in others they speak laconicly and in few words. In a number of cultures, the content of what is said is often of secondary importance.
For example, in the language and literature of the Arabs, the content and meaning of what is said are not the main thing. There, preference is given to wordplay. Different words can be used with the same meaning. Arabs love to express the same idea in different words.
Paraverbalism in sales.
Paraverbals, as well as nonverbal communication with the client, are not always given due attention when training salespeople. Although a person receives about 90% of information through these methods of communication. Many managers notice a drop in the results of many salespeople 2 months after employment, the main reason is a drop in the salesperson’s motivation and, as a result, the salesperson conveys less positive emotions to the client. For many sellers, the intonation of their voice changes greatly, the work begins to weigh on the seller, and he passes on these emotions to the buyer. Therefore, when working with experienced salespeople, you need to pay more attention to motivation and incentives for work and training in paraverbal and nonverbal communication.
Types of Verbal Communication
Verbal means and methods of communication have a very ramified structure. For example, a distinction is made between external and internal speech. External, in turn, is divided into written and oral, and the latter into monologue and dialogic. Inner speech is called preparation for oral or written communication, since a person, as it were, “says” to himself what he is going to express to his interlocutor. Speaking about such a verbal means of communication as speech, it is worth noting that it can be immediate (exchange of notes at a meeting or lecture) or delayed (exchange of letters by mail). In addition, speech activity is divided into other types:
- Hearing;
- Speaking;
- Reading;
- Letter.
How to teach paraverbal communication.
Recently, various programs for teaching paraverbal communication have begun to appear more and more. Their essence boils down not only to an explanation of the role of paraverbals in sales, but also to practical training. For example, you are given the task of reading a poem in a cheeky voice, and your listener, who does not know about the task, must understand the intonation. With such training, you can achieve the seller’s ability to change his intonation depending on the situation.
The seller must be able to control his voice during a dialogue with the client and, if necessary, be able to adjust it. Using your voice, you can focus attention on the important properties of the product during the presentation, establish trusting contact at the stage of establishing contact and identifying the client’s needs (by the way, the active listening technique is also useful at this stage). Finally, voice can be very helpful in closing a deal because voice can give confidence.
The seller must, first of all, master such intonations as: business intonation, friendly, ingratiating, positive, cheerful, confident, interested.
Actual level of communication
Photo by SHVETS production: Pexels
Among other things, people naturally convey pure information. For example, they exchange content and verbalize observations. This is also necessary in everyday life: this creates orientation for oneself and others, since messages work in both directions.
So far, so good. If that was all, there would probably be no more nervous meetings or arguments with colleagues. Let's look at an example: a married couple is sitting in a car, the woman is driving, the man is in the front passenger seat. The husband says: “The traffic light is green.” How could the wife understand this statement?
? Of course, at the factual level, a statement is made about what color the traffic light shows. But this is said completely differently. You might think that the device itself is green.
Chest voice.
The chest voice deserves special attention when training your speech. The chest voice sounds much lower and stronger, people begin to associate the owners of such a voice with success and strength, such people are treated with great respect and sometimes even fear. On the contrary, many people do not take people with a thin, weak voice seriously. For a seller, a chest voice is an excellent tool for influencing clients; from experience, we can say that a chest voice helps increase sales by 20-30%, and by developing skills in using the voice, sales can be increased several times.
It is important to note that the chest voice is not a “gift of God”; it can be easily trained. Moreover, you can do this yourself without using any complex techniques. To increase personal sales, sellers are recommended to conduct short voice training sessions daily. It has also been noticed that in the morning the voice is always lower than in the evening, even professional singers note this, so try to conduct important negotiations in the first half of the day.
Paraverbal plan
The meaning of a statement largely depends on the signals that a person sends to his interlocutor. Of course, this is not always as exaggerated as in the examples above. In most cases, he is not even aware of the signals he is sending. It may happen that he connects the statement with a different facial expression than he actually intended - and the perception turns out to be distorted.
As if that wasn't challenging enough, another layer is added: paralanguage. This refers to the individual characteristics of the speaker. These are reflected, among other things, in the pitch of his voice, speaking behavior such as articulation, volume, speed of speech and melody of speech.
This is easy to understand if you imagine a person who speaks very slowly and monotonously. It’s quite difficult to get carried away by such a monologue. Consequently, a seller who says this is unlikely to have high incomes.
The difference between verbal and nonverbal communication
The main differences between verbal and non-verbal communication are as follows:
- Verbal communication is realized by the individual and controlled by him, in contrast to non-verbal communication, the signs of which appear automatically and are almost beyond control.
- Nonverbal communication can have a large number of interpretation options ; it is not always clear and unambiguous, and is also less often regulated by the rules of communication.
- Through verbal communication the meaning , the essence of information is conveyed, through non-verbal communication - the attitude towards the subject of communication, the interlocutor.
The essence of successful communication lies in the combination of verbal and non-verbal communication, as they complement each other.
Verbal communication: its main types
Basically, people communicate on 4 levels: intuitive, logical, ethical and physical.
The first 2 types involve conveying information in words and assume that the interlocutor will use logic. The other two types relate to physical contacts, as well as manner of speaking (intonation, timbre of voice). At the same time, verbal means of communication include:
- Oral speech. It represents a dialogue between two people, as well as a monologue addressed to the audience.
- Written. The interlocutors correspond in real time or respond to letters and messages after some time.
- Reading. Receiving information occurs through prepared text.
- Hearing. Speech is perceived using audio or video materials.
The means of verbal communication also include 3 important factors: the sound phenomena of speech, the expressiveness of the interlocutor’s voice and the meaning of the chosen words in a given language spectrum.
Each of these types of speech communication can be either formal or free. However, in all cases the topic is regulated by either external or internal factors. Thus, a conversation may not have a clearly defined direction, but its participants can choose the topic of discussion.
In turn, it is necessary to distinguish between several types of dialogues:
- conversation, conversation - exchange of thoughts in a relaxed atmosphere;
- interview - communication in order to obtain a certain idea about a person;
- discussion (dispute) - discussion of issues, problems in search of ways to solve them;
- meeting - consideration by a group of people of a social, scientific or religious topic;
- dispute - building a conversation based on differences in opinions (the goal is to defend your position by convincing the interlocutor).
Understanding the essence of each of the above dialogues, the participant in verbal communication will be able to take an advising position. In addition, he will be able to choose the appropriate behavior model. However, such knowledge may not be enough to reach mutual agreement.
Nonverbal Communication
Nonverbal communication occurs through body language. This concept includes distance between people, touching and postures. Much attention is paid to facial expressions and gestures. It is important to pay attention to the fact that this form of communication is less conscious. Most people are unable to take complete control of their own body. That is why movements of the eyes and lips can make it clear to the interlocutor about the veracity of the speaker’s words.
Gestures serve as the main complement to the verbal transmission of information. This means that in certain cases, gestures can completely replace words. Movements of the arms, shoulders, body and head are manifestations of gesticulation. In human psychology, gestures are classified into the following categories:
- Communicative - gestures with which a person greets or says goodbye to another person, attracts attention, asks a question or denies something. There are more than several dozen varieties of communicative gestures.
- Modal - gestures that evaluate and express relationships. This category includes approving gestures, gestures demonstrating trust or distrust in the words of the interlocutor.
- Descriptive - such gestures acquire meaning only in conjunction with speech.
- Facial expressions are the movement of facial muscles that reflect a person’s emotions. It should be noted that for representatives of different cultures, facial gestures are universal. People exhibit emotions such as anger, joy and sadness equally all over the world. According to scientists, it is almost impossible to completely control your gaze and facial expressions.
There is a special classification for the look. During business communication, people concentrate their gaze on the forehead of the interlocutor. This action uniquely emphasizes the seriousness of the reigning atmosphere. Social gaze – directed towards the nose area. It is this look that allows you to create an atmosphere of ease during communication. An intimate gaze is directed towards the neck of the interlocutor. Such a look can demonstrate an interest in closer communication.
The peculiarities of verbal communication are such that some views can be assessed in two ways. A sideways glance can mean both interest in the interlocutor’s words and express hostility. This is why it is very important to be able to decipher additional emotions. A smile and raised eyebrows can be an expression of interest in the conversation. The downturned corners of the lips and a frowning forehead clearly demonstrate a critical attitude towards the interlocutor.
Conversation is a way of exchanging information between people and making connections
Nonverbal means of communication include pantomime. The position of the interlocutor’s body in space can clearly demonstrate the person’s attitude to the situation that has arisen. There are two specific types of postures: closed and open. The first pose involves crossed arms or legs, which clearly indicates an attempt to isolate oneself from communication. An open posture, on the contrary, indicates a readiness to continue the conversation.
A person's style of movement can say as much about a person as their speech. The amplitude, rhythm and dynamics of a step are a reflection of the human soul. A confident person walks easily, and each step pushes his body off the ground, as if springs were attached to his legs. To a person who knows how to understand body language, a person’s gait can tell about the character, age and mood of its owner.
Posture, like gait, is regulated by reflexes. It is with the help of posture that you can understand the mood of your interlocutor, since it clearly demonstrates his sense of the world. To some extent, poor posture can cause a repulsive effect. In order to achieve effective and fruitful communication, you should learn to adopt the correct position of your back and neck. You should also pay attention to gross motor skills of the body. Increased fussiness, nervous and crumpled movements not only irritate the people around you, but also clearly demonstrate your lack of confidence in yourself and your words. That is why you should keep your body under strict control during important conversations.
Touching can be regarded as an attempt to invade the personal space of the interlocutor. The appropriateness of touch depends on how our speech sounds. Business etiquette only includes a handshake. Other forms of touching in such a situation are unacceptable. Psychologists say that there are three forms of a handshake:
- Dominant - your hand rests on top, but is directed downwards.
- Submissive - your hand goes from below.
- Equal - the palm is directed with the edge towards the ground.
The distance between people clearly demonstrates the degree of trust between them. There is a certain number of zones, each of which has its own characteristics. The intimate intersubjective zone is about half a meter and only close people communicate in this zone. The personal zone does not exceed one and a half meters. Informal conversation takes place in this area. The social zone varies from one and a half to three and a half meters. In this zone, formal relations between employees of a certain enterprise are carried out. There is also a public intersubjective zone, where the distance between interlocutors is more than three and a half meters.
In human society, communication can be carried out by both verbal and non-verbal means.
