Paralinguistic skills and Body Language= effective communication?
So, this week in class, we talked about non-verbal skills as well as verbal non-verbal cues. that is also known as paralinguistic skills. and since I had already written on body language (which I dearly regret since I would have been able to write a little more on this entry instead) I would like to share this interesting mode of communication. As we know, (or at least as the COMM students know) paralinguistic skills is the study of verbal non-verbal cues which focuses on the quality of voice ie. tone, pitch, volume. Vocalics, which is communication via the sound other than the words, Non-fluencies- filled pauses and silence.
I was fortunate enough to stumble over this video while trying to de-stress myself from thinking of what to blog about this week, in the ever infamous blog space, http://www.xiaxue.blogspot.com/. yes. I'm sure many have heard of her or even became avid readers of her very honest opinions and thoughts on everyday issues. I could almost hear a LOUD RINGING sound when i watched this video and decided that this should be my topic for this week.
So, in this video, KayKay (guys, don't start denying you don't know her okay...FHM ring a bell?) and Paul (-nods- yes, the emo guy from Singapore idol) are competing at being the better persuader. It is indeed interesting to compare their approaches as they are not able to direct a person to do what they want by instructing them. instead they have to be creative in their body language, or manipulation of words to get the idea across to the unsuspecting passerby.
I would say that in general, Paul has better persuasive skills compared to Kay Kay. In my humble opinion, a pretty young girl, would obviously have upperhand in persuasions compared to a guy. (and a not so attractive guy at that). Notice how KayKay whines a lot? Her pitch gets a lot higher when she's attempting to ask for a favour. and that most of the favours she asked from are guys! clever indeed. sexual attraction can create favourable answers. KayKay relies most of her persuasive skills by appearing helpless, and submissive. bringing it back to body language, notice her posture, stance and movement when she asks for favours. she's always slightly hunching, making herself appear smaller than she is, touching her neck, probably using a little of flirtation skills and also, she's constantly smiling which is well, requires no explanation when you want to ask for favours. As for voice power, her high pitched voice made her seem like a little helpless girl. Looking at when she wanted an ice-cream from an old man, she constantly whines and says,"i dont like to share" and proceeded to pout her lips a bit making the old man feel like he needed to buy her an ice cream to appease the inner child within her. that was one way how body language, as well as paralinguistic skills is an effective way of communication!
Coming to a more interesting point, was how Paul dealt with the challenge. Being slightly less attractive than his competitor, he has to work alot harder. his first task was interesting as he needed to ask a guy to kiss him on the cheeks. His first score, was to get an ang-moh (okay..you all know the slang) to do this. why? simple. ang-moh guys are more open minded about such things as compared to conservative Singaporean!(culture plays a big difference in effective communication) Also, he used many "errrrm" to fill in the pauses, indicating that he is feeling rather awkward of the situation or unwilling to proceed with the challenge. you can see the non-fluencies on the ang-moh side as well. when Paul asked him "how open are you" and he replied "errrrrrrrr, it depends". indicating that he is scared of the consequences if he answers truthfully. THEREFORE, when you are trying to convince someone, try to not have so many non-fluencies in your speech. having many errrm and ahhhh creates an impression of lack of confidence or knowledge, making you appear less credible. Paul also used body language to hint on the idea of kissing by pouting his lips. this can be seen clearly when the ang-moh said "oh yea? you want a kiss? i had that impression". see how body language is vital to sending your idea across?
Apart from that, you can't always believe the videos to show you GENUINE reaction from the public on the persuasive skills of these two celebrity. because environment also affects communication (remember people?). Them being aware that it is recorded and that they would be on a website for millions of viewers,of course, tendencies of them to be more sociable, nice, and open minded to some of their crazy ideas would be more likely. i mean, in a REAL situation, with no cameras and no celebrities, would you entertain them? highly likely, NO. good example would be people who pester you to do surveys along Orchard road. tsk tsk. they're a bunch of people i'd recommend a class on persuasion.
i tend to favour body language rather than paralinguistic skills. but it does not mean that paralinguistic aren't useful at all. In negotiations, voice and the words you use also play an important role. just like body language, sounds create impressions. supposing you say "you are not fat!" in an angry tone of voice, very serious, and saying out each word sharply and fast paced. what would the impact of the speech be? compared to saying, "you are sooooooooooo not FFFat..hahahaha". how would the difference in voice tones, pace and other sounds (ie laughter) affect the meaning of your speech?
So people, the next time you ask for a favour,take not of your phrasing, your tones, your fluency as well as your body language to achieve that desired effect!
FACT OF THE DAY:
Seven out of ten people cross their left arm over their right arms. =)
I do concur with your observations in regard to the different strategies deployed by both Paul and Kaykay in achieving their desired goals.
ReplyDeleteBy virtue of biological differences, Kaykay was more able to leverage on the 'damsel in distress' strategy and making the men who helped her seem more 'macho' (don't think i meant macho-macho, recalling how the men really looked like but I resorted to this adjective due to lack of a better word).
In addition though, I found the competition a little one-sided because all the strangers Kaykay approached were male, while Paul had to approach both sexes.
Lastly, the quest could have been better done with a spy/hidden camera.
PS: The 'angsa' is so hot!
Adry
Paralinguistics is definitely definitely very important in persuasion. But sadly, those two in the video dont really show a good illustratation os persuasion.
ReplyDeleteNo no. A good example would be of a guy actually picking up a girl. That would be a true test of skill and example of of linguistics play a vital role in persuasion or seduction. As much as having the skill to distinguish a potential target, a good player should be able to have the gift of the gab. In sync with body language, he has to be able to create comfort and build trust through what he say to the girl.
I would to highlight that Paul is a fine example of how NOT to approach a moving target. Chasing up to the person. Its harder than gg to up to a person who is already stationary. So why bother with someone who is on the move? Go with people who are stationary dude.
Hahaa KayKay is either whining or flirting her way out of every challenge. As my brother (he was in the room when i played the vid) puts it, ''that's one damn annoying voice.'' One would refer her to the cesspools of persuasion. Sadly, it works on the hormonal, young and old alike. I guess persuasion starts with choosing the right targets and utilising appropriate (or inappropriate) methods to get by.
ReplyDeleteAs of Paul, he ropes in his prey by dropping hints (some pretty obvious) and leaves his target guessing and believing that they are in control. With that in mind, the target will be more open to anything that's remotely similar to what one'd expect. With a somewhat humble and patronizing approach, paul scores.
Both lack fluency, peppered with several uhrms and ahhhs and periodic silence. But this is not to their disadvantage. They are in fact using Vocal Non Verbal cues along with kinesics (body laguage) and oculesics (eye) that have brought upon the desired effects. Hence, one may succeed despite not being eloquent, but able to snare the right targets and somewhat manipulate their minds.
*nods sagely*
:D
i am 3 out of the 10 people. paralinguistic or body language. as long as u get what u want, who cares.
ReplyDeleteTrue that they might be lacking in fluency but informality itself is very much a persuasion factor.
ReplyDeleteIt creates a sense of ease in the minds of their subjects. Notice how both the celebrities enter conversations through the use of small talk. Kaykay : "Very hot day right today?"
Firstly, she is adopting the linguistic style of what a typical uncle might have - informality. The uncle immediately feels at ease as it seems as though both of them share similar communication styles.
Kaykay also commented about the weather being hot which is indeed a common ground in both parties. This further enhances the ease in the uncle as he feels as though they are on the same side.
Although persuasion styles may vary from person to person, this fundamental hurdle of lowering the guard of the target must first be achieved. Otherwise, it is very much like firing your arsenal of weapons at an armoured wall; it deflects most of your attack and even if some manage to get through, they would be significantly weakened.
Send a Trojan Horse past the gates of Troy, and the city is defenseless.