Reiman (2007) defines communication as the process of information transfer from one character to another. Hence, nonverbal communication is a type in which wordless cues are sent and received between persons (Reiman, 2007). In most instances, visual cues are used in nonverbal communication. Thus, nonverbal communication is seen as a nonlinguistic transfer of information that is achieved through auditory, visual, kinesthetic and tactile channels. On verbal communication stretches beyond kinesthetic or body language. It also includes physical appearance, proxemics, hepatics, paralanguages and gazes. This paper reports some of my experiences of nonverbal communications I witnessed during a previous marriage/wedding ceremony.
Marriage ceremonies attract people of various characters, status and behavior. Usually, a marriage ceremony has a lot of nonverbal communication. During a wedding ceremony that I attended at a church, I witnessed several forms of nonverbal communication being practiced. One of them was the use and demonstration of physical communication. Under this category, facial expressions, body emotions, senses of touch and smell were evident. The Christian songs that were being sung were not only symbolic of the bride and bridegroom, but they also symbolized their faith in God teachings. Being Catholics, the bride and bridegroom had to sing the “Ave Maria” song. When this song was being sung, all those who had come to grace the occasions were rejoicing and full of jubilation. Happiness was demonstrated via facial expressions. Both the bride and the groom kept smiling at each other’s. This was a good illustration of nonverbal communication through facial expressions. As the ‘Ave Maria’ was being sung, the choir took various positions. The various arrangements and different styles of dances were a blessing to the couples in the new life ahead. The senses of touch were also felt by the various choruses that were sung. For instance, there were various categories of songs that were sung during the reception. Instruments such as pianos accompanied the songs to enrich the great gospel music. In some instances, there was solo music and at other times, the congregation joined in on the chorus. Such an organization showed warm reception of not only the couples, but also the entire church congregation. My findings are those of Guerrero and Hecht (2007), where they acknowledge that nonverbal communication can be integrated altogether to bring a better outcome. This is evident during wedding ceremony in the manner in which songs, drums and dances were integrated into one. Nonetheless, my findings may not be accurate depending on the cultural settings. It would be good to interpret each case differently depending on the cultural background and context where nonverbal communications are used
Clothing as a form of nonverbal communication was not left out in the wedding ceremony. The usage of clothing as nonverbal communication can also be referred to as objectics. The couple’s parents were in a suite attire to demonstrate their status. The priest was in a gown to demonstrate his holiness. The bride being the main focus in was not left out. As a norm, the bride was in a white expensive dress. Whispers and rumors had it that the wedding dress worn by the bride was very expensive, a simple of her social class. Additionally, the white color denoted her purity as she got into marriage life. The interpretation I had with my jeans attire demonstrated that I was a youth. I was also keen to notice that the bridesmaids clothing or dressing codes tended to attract most of the men who attended the wedding ceremony. These findings agree with those by Burgoon, Guerrero and Floyd (2009), which points when people or congregation expresses their feelings via nonverbal communications, they may enhance some of their personal skills. Some skills that can be enhanced via nonverbal communication include recognition and achievement, which can be displayed via dress code or clothing’s.
Apart from the dances and clothing’s, gestures and aesthetics were also manifested on the occasion. The reception hall was well painted to make a beautiful color scheme that corresponded to that of the bridesmaid and the couple’s dress codes. Sculptures of Jesus were present in both the church and the reception venue after the wedding. As much music was being played all through the ceremony, I noticed some uniqueness in the music choice in some instances. Instrumental music was used during the cake cutting ceremony. The cake itself was molded in a shape similar to that of a mountain. To symbolize the journey that their marriage was their high point in life just as a mountain is high. The priest used gestures in his speech to demonstrate the way of the rosary and creed recital. There was a translator who ensured that message by the priest was translated to enable the entire congregation understood the information being spoken. The translator also used gestures during the process of translation. However, my findings could be inaccurate in other occasions as people less likely to reveal discontent in public through gestures and aesthetics. It is also worth noting that my findings don’t agree with Guerrero and Hecht (2007) as I focused on the positive aspects of gestures and limiting the weaknesses. This too adds to the inaccuracy of my findings.
Sign language was also evident in the wedding theme. Sirens enhanced the wedding occasion when the bride approached the church for the service. Guitars were also played. Signal flags were initiated by the priest in most occasions. One thing I noticed is that the congregation could kneel in most instances or stand up depending on the signal executed by the priest. However, my interpretations may not be accurate when a person of a hearing disability was supposed to report. On the other hand, we observe that the priest in some instances led the congregation to ensure that the non-verbal communication was effective. My conclusions confer to those of Reiman (2009), who recommend that for nonverbal communication to be effective, a team leader who is also the manager needs to interact with all group members satisfactorily.
During the engagement and vows taking, eye contact was inevitable. The couples looked at the eyes of the other simultaneously. This was a way to show their attention, interest and involvement in the wedding occasion. TTtt reveal that eye contact is always helpful in persons who have an interest in another particularly in love matters. Eyebrows are used most often to designate interests. The bridegroom in most occasions stared at the bride. However, my findings only focused on the positive side of eye contact. This makes my findings to be less accurate by leaning on one side of the situation. www findings also reveal that eye contact is a sign of mutual gaze and goes beyond attraction. For instance, eye contact can also be used to denote deception, especially when eye aversion is done. My findings of eye contact may not be accurate because in some instances, eye contact can be influenced by other factors such as perspiration levels and pulse rates. Finally, it is hard to quantify the level of eye contact that can make one to have or reveal an interest as excess eye contact can make one to feel shy.
In summary, we realize that nonverbal communication, just like verbal communication is very important in a society. There are instances where the two may be used simultaneously. However, some loopholes that arise are due to the fact that their applications depend on the cultures. In addition, some of the nonverbal communications when overdone can lead to a negative response. A good example when eye contact can result into deception and shyness. All in all, nonverbal communication adds value to occasions and should be encouraged.
References
Burgoon, J.K., Guerrero, L.K., & Floyd, K. (2009). Non Verbal Communications. Allyn & Bacon Publishers
Guerrero, L.K. & Hecht, M.L. (2007) . The Nonverbal Communications Reader: Classic and Contemporary Readings, 3rd Edition. Waveland Press.
Reiman, T. (2007). The power of Body language: How to succeed In Every Business and social Encounter. Simon and Schuster Publishers.
