Non-verbal messages / 5th grade class

Have you ever tried to speak without making any kind of gesture or movement? It must be very difficult, right? In your opinion why? Try to do it for about five minutes.

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When we talk to other people we use the words to send verbal oral messages. Deaf people also send verbal messages through sign language. But in addition, we can all send non-verbal messages. To do this, we use different elements: facial gestures, hand signals, corporal expressions, external signs of personal appearance and silence.

• Facial gestures: Refers to closing, opening or closing the eyes; raise or not the corners of the lips; open, close or twist the mouth; raise eyebrows (put as bows); wrinkling the nose, the ceso or frown, etc.
  

  
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• The signs with the hands: When speaking, sometimes we gesticulate with our hands to support our words. Other times, a single gesture can mean something. For example, raise your arm with your fist closed and your thumb extended upward, to indicate that you like something..
  

  
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• The corporal expressions: The position of the body can indicate, for example, our state of mind or our way of being. For example, a person who sits around curling his legs reflects a lack of self-confidence.
  

  
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• Silence: For example, if a person in an exhibition, wants to create a climate of interest and suspense, can ask a question and be silent for a moment before giving the answer.
  

  
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• The external signs of personal appearance: Refers to clothing, accessories -such as necklaces, earrings, bracelets, purses ...- hairstyle, haircut, etc. For example; A gold ring on the ring finger may indicate that a person is married.
  

  
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The use of all the above elements reflects our cultural and social features. Thus, in the case of gestures and corporal expressions, for example, they do not gesture the same, Italians and Latin Americans (in general, very expressive with their hands and body), than English and Japanese (in general less the expressiveness). Neither does a person of a low sociocultural level gesticulate that someone whose level is higher.

Many of the gestures we make with our hands and body expressions change from one culture to another; sometimes, a harmless gesture in one part can be an insult in another.

Therefore, before traveling to other countries whose culture is very different or if we are going to talk to people from far away countries, we should find something about non-verbal communication in these places.

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Activities:

1. Observe the images and explain, in each case, what verbal message has been sent and what gestural elements have been used to send the message.
   
   Image source 1, 2, 3.

2.To draw:
a) a face with a gesture of concern
b) a face with an expression of anger.
c) a person whose body expresses happiness.

3.Challenge. Choose a chapter of a story, write the message in your notebook and replace all verbal communication with nonverbal communication. You can do it? From the point of view of a writer, is it easier for the characters to communicate verbally or non-verbally? Why?

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Reference:
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comunicaci%C3%B3n_no_verbal
https://www.milejemplos.com/lenguaje/ejemplos-de-lenguaje-verbal.html
http://www.analisisnoverbal.com/lenguaje-corporal-y-comunicacion-no-verbal/

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