"Perception is the process of selecting, organising and interpreting information in order to give personal meaning to the communication we receive."
Seiler & Beall,
Communication Making Connection, 1999:31
In the world we live in, one of the best examples which fit the above statement perfectly is the use of printed-advertisements. As I passed by the MRT station on my way home, I saw these ads along the pathways.
These print-ads (as attached) which serve educational purposes easily catch the attention of the people walking pass by applying a few of the organisational principles. One of them is figure and ground, in which the figure refers to the comic-based drawings and ground would be the station. The vast contrast between the real world and cartoon increases the chances of passers-by selecting this particular stimuli.
This is a rather brilliant way to convey a message because as we know, most people walk in and out of stations quickly. By using large-sized graphics instead of lengthy words, it would take only a mere few seconds to fully understand what these ads are trying to tell us.
Another organisational principle used is closure. Just like most comics, it is impossible to sketch out every movement of the characters. This allows people to use their tendency to fill in the gaps by using their own imagination so as to make sense of it. Since the ads use clear-cut illustrations, one could easily conclude that they are about safety precautions people should practice at the boarding platforms without misinterpretation or encounter language-based barriers. These ads, just like most print-ads, involve the usage of verbal and non-verbal communication alongside with each other, as parts of a whole. We often hear the saying, "A picture speaks a thousand words.", moreover, there is more than one picture in each poster. In this case, non-verbal communication beats verbal communication hands down! People are able to get the message even without reading the description of the pictures, not mentioning young children or foreigners who can't read at all. This is a good way to show how important non-verbal cues can be in our lives as it makes up 60 to 70% of our daily communication.
Here are a few other examples of print-ads which I found on newspaper, The Straits Times, 9 Sep:
As you can see, words (verbal communication) is unnecessary for such ads for the graphics (non-verbal communication) are sufficient to bring out the whole meaning of it. Sadly saying, non-verbal communication is neglected most of the times or miscommunication occurs frequently with the use of it. People should be more aware of the different ways of communicating and not just favour the use of words and speech.
13 comments:
sometimes what you do not say, says the most.
in this time and age, where more people 'feel' than 'think', communications has evolved to be spoken more with the heart than with words.
and that is why i feel the Double Major of Communications and Psychology go well together. most of us can speak with easy, but do we know what to say and when to say it?
location of the ad is itself an important factor in determining what kind of stimuli that should be used. in crowded places such as bus interchanges or MRT stations, the use of figure and ground tend to capture the attention of the passers-by and thus rendering it effective.
And people always wonder why I am so quite.Like the old adage "If you got nothing nice to say,shut up!"LOL.
Non verbal communication ,in my humble opinion,is certainly far more powerful than verbal communication.The hilarious comics certainly do work in sense that,they are funny but the real subjective test would be.
Are they all effective?Are people only reading them for shits and giggles instead of truly seeing the lessons in them?
I got a feeling most people ,personally can't give a shit either way.
Unless its an add involving lingerie.Men...typical!
Just like the social constructionist perspective, it is impossible to communicate. That is how giving people the 'cold shoulder' arise! Very often, not speaking is also a form of communication but there are some thick-skulled people who just do not get it.
By keeping quiet most of the time, people might get the wrong idea that you are an arrogant or eccentric person. And yes, that may be prototyping but that is the perception most people have unconciously.
By the way, most comics have no serious lessons in them but only serve as an entertainment source. The best solution is to enjoy life by knowing what serves for what purpose and try not to read too much between the lines.
But arare, the way you express your ideas really doesn't reflect your declared-'quiet' personality.
Yes, non-verbal communication are all effective, though some miscommunications do occur, well, logically.
By saying most people doesn't give a damn about non-verbal communication, you're actually communicating non-verbally. The reason is you study and read human's reaction when they (or you yourself) 'read' the comics. And then assume that no one cares about the true essence of non-verbal communication.
Nevertheless, by actually reacting to the comics, even slight giggles, no matter the main function of the comics is to provide entertainment or not, non-verbal communication is already doing its job.
Cultures play a part in communication too, I thought. Different country's people presumes a totally different meaning to a given, let's say, body-language, which is a type of non-verbal communication. For instance, Arabians interpret the 'OK' hand-signal (for us) as a vulgar representation.
Another thing is, non-verbal communication won't have any effect on people with disabilities, particularly the blinds. Likewise, verbal's couldn't affect the deafs. Though they are in minority, their existence are not to be abolished.
so can we live with either form of communication?
in my opinion, it is difficult to discern whichever is more important. it really depends on each situation, and differs from case to case. there is no fool-proof guide to emply whatever form of verbal or non-verbal communication skills.
it simply boils down to - does action really speak louder than words?
I say that verbal & non-verbal communication are equally important.
In our present world today I would think that whatever ideas one wants to convey would be perceived differently by different people. Some
get the message better with verbal than non-verbal & vice-versa. So it's all in the mentality of the receiver.
-aels
that is for sure, both verbal and non-verbal communication are equally important. however, like i said in my post, each has its advantage over the other in different cases. you cannot expect to score high with mere words in an art paper or use only pictures for an essay assignment.
i agree that it depends on the receiver but i strongly feel that people need to be more sensitive about non-verbal cues. for instance, i was at the rice and dish stall at school and the stall tender asked if i wanted gravy on my food. i shook my head right in front of him but he poured a ladle-full of gravy unto my plate anyway! i was quite pissed off by that! so yeah, they should be more alert when communicating with another person.
A picture paints a thousand words. Such comics ads are really great examples of non verbal communication. By look at it for a short amount time, we can immediately infer and interpret a lot from it.
While it is also possible to add in verbal cues, would their presence change anything? Would people read the words?
Agreed. people need to be more aware of the fact that if by chance we cross path with one another, we have already inevitably entered into a form of communication.
a nod, a shake of the head or hand, a smile, a hostile look, etc speak volumes for one without uttering a single word.
-aels
Perhaps the problem with non verbal communication portrayed in print ads is that it is easy to ignore if you don't want to read the message. Personally, I only skim through it when i'm bored. But having said that, it is indeed an effective form of communication whenever my eyes fall on the colourful images beceause thety are very easy to understand and interpret. Should the images not be so clear to understand, verbal communication will trump non-verbal communication because of its clarity - words can be phrased more clearly and precisely than pictures sometimes.
I feel its hard to decide whether non-verbal or verbal communications is better . Each have its pros and cons when it comes to different situations . Some people are just really really really really really slow in picking up non verbal cues . So it would be better to tell them straight in the face hahah .
haha, yes. we need to tell what we want to convey straight into the faces of certain people. like what kristy said, both verbal and nonverbal communication has its own strengths and weaknesses. it depends on the situation itself for which works better for the receiver.
sometimes pictures alone do not convey the whole meaning, so it serves as an aid for people who are slow with nonverbal cues. as said in my entry, both forms of communication complements each other and should be use appropriately to achieve maximum effectiveness.
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