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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Firstly, I owe my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Nguyen Thi Phuong Lan
M.A, without whose valuable comments and guidance, my thesis would not have
been accomplished.
I am immensely grateful to all the teachers of Faculty of Foreign Languages for
their wholehearted education and support.
My special thanks go to English major students from Course 35 in the academic
year of 2011-2012. They filled in my survey questionnaires, classroom observation
sheet and involve in video capture.
I give my thanks to my close friends and my classmates for their warm support and
enthusiasm, which have greatly contributed to the development of the thesis.
Finally, I should acknowledge my indebtedness to my parents and my younger
sister for their non-stop encouragement and support during the research’s
finalization.
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ASTRACT
For years, scholars and researchers have done many studies on non-verbal
communication. They have found that non-verbal communication not only plays
a vital role in communication but also presentation. Indeed, many studies show
that good use of non-verbal communication can contribute to bring a successful
presentation. Despite the great importance of non-verbal communication, many
students are confused in using its subtypes in their class presentations. This
seriously affects their improvement of presentation skills.
With the hope of helping the students develop their presentation skills in general,
and self-improve their use of non-verbal communication in presentations in
particular, this thesis was conducted. The thesis not only focuses on finding the
most common non-verbal communication subtypes used in the presentations and
how these types are used by students of Faculty of Foreign Languages, but also
stresses on giving some guidelines to improve the students’ utilization of nonverbal communication.
The data was collected by using questionnaires,
observation sheet and videotapes.
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STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP
Title:
A STUDY ON HOW TO IMPROVE THE EFFECTIVENESS IN USING
NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION IN CLASS PRESENTATION FOR
THE 3RD YEAR ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT HANOI
PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY No.2
(Submitted in partial fulfillment for Degree of Bachelor of Arts in English)
I certify that all the materials in this study which are not my own work have been
identified and acknowledged, and that no material is included for which a degree
has been conferred upon me.
Date submitted: May 2012
Student
Supervisor
Uong Thi Hang
Nguyen Thi Phuong Lan, M.A.
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LIST OF ABBREVIATION
NVC: Non-verbal communication
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgment ................................................................................................ i
Abstract .............................................................................................................. ii
Statement of authorship ..................................................................... ..... ....... . iii
List of abbreviation ............................................................................................ iv
Table of contents ................................................................................................ v
PART ONE
INTRODUCTION
I. Rationale ......................................................................................................... 1
II. Research presupposition ............................................................................... 2
III. Research objectives ...................................................................................... 2
IV. Research scope ............................................................................................. 3
V. Research task ................................................................................................. 3
VI. Research methods ........................................................................................ 3
VII. Significance of the proposed research ....................................................... 4
VIII. Design of the research work ..................................................................... 5
PART TWO
DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER ONE: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
I.1. Literature review in brief ............................................................................ 6
I.2. Communication ............................................................................................ 8
I.2.1. Definitions of communication ..................................................................... 8
I.2.2. Types of communication ............................................................................. 9
I.3. Non-verbal communication ......................................................................... 10
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I.3.1. Definitions ................................................................................................. 10
I.3.2. Functions ................................................................................................... 12
I.3.2.1. Expressing meaning ................................................................................. 13
I.3.2.2. Modifying verbal messages ...................................................................... 14
I.3.2.3. Regulating verbal interactions .................................................................. 15
I.3.3. Characteristics .......................................................................................... 15
I.3.4. Classification ............................................................................................. 16
I.3.4.1. Paralanguage ............................................................................................ 17
I.3.4.2. Extra-language ......................................................................................... 19
I.3.4.2.1. Body language ..................................................................................... 19
I.3.4.2.1.1. Eye contact ......................................................................................... 19
I.3.4.2.1.2. Facial expressions .............................................................................. 21
I.3.4.2.1.3. Gestures ............................................................................................. 22
I.3.4.2.1.4. Postures .............................................................................................. 23
I.3.4.2.1.5. Hapstics.............................................................................................. 24
I.3.4.2.2. Object language................................................................................... 25
I.3.4.2.2.1. Physical appearance ........................................................................... 25
I.3.4.2.2.2. Visual aids .......................................................................................... 25
I.3.4.2.3. Environmental language ..................................................................... 27
I.3.4.2.3.1. Conversational distance/ Proxemics ................................................... 27
I.3.4.2.3.2. Time/ Chronemics .............................................................................. 28
I.3.5. Overview on presentation ......................................................................... 29
I.3.5.1. Definitions of presentation ....................................................................... 29
I.3.5.2. Elements of an effective presentation ....................................................... 29
I.3.5.3. Non-verbal communication’s involvement in presentation ....................... 31
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CHAPTER TWO
METHODOLOGY
II.1. Survey questionnaire (Appendix A and B) ............................................... 33
II.1.1. Rationale for the use of survey questionnaire ............................................. 33
II.1.2. Population of the survey ............................................................................ 34
II.1.3. Construction of the survey questionnaires .................................................. 34
II.1.3.1. Construction of the survey Pre-questionnaire (Appendix A) .................. 34
II.1.3.2. Construction of the survey Post-questionnaire (Appendix B) .................. 35
II.1.4. Administration of the try-out ..................................................................... 35
II.1.4.1. Preparation of the try-out ........................................................................ 35
II.1.4.2. Try-out .................................................................................................... 35
II.1.5. Steps of data analysis ................................................................................. 36
II.2. Classroom observation .............................................................................. 36
II.2.1. Rationale for the use of classroom observation .......................................... 36
II.2.2. Classroom observation sheet (Appendix C) ............................................... 37
II.3. Video capture.............................................................................................. 38
II.3.1. Rationale for the use of video capture ........................................................ 38
II.3.2. Preparation of video capture ...................................................................... 38
II.3.3. Video capture............................................................................................. 39
CHAPTER THREE
THE RESULTS
III.1. Results of survey questionnaires .............................................................. 40
III.1.1. Results of Pre-survey questionnaire ..................................................... 40
III.1.1.1. Students’ awareness of non-verbal communication ............................... 41
III.1.1.1.1. Lacking knowledge of non-verbal communication concept ................ 41
III.1.1.1.2. Misunderstanding of the functions of non-verbal communication ....... 42
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III.1.1.2.The rate of using some common kinds of non-verbal communication of
students ................................................................................................................ 42
III.1.3. Quality of students’ utilization of non-verbal communication .................. 43
III. 1.2. Results of Post-survey questionnaire ................................................... 45
III.1.2.1.The rate of students’ use of some common non-verbal communication
types ..................................................................................................................... 45
III.1.2.2. Quality of students’ utilization of non-verbal communication ............... 46
III.2. Results of classroom observation and video capture .............................. 47
III.3. Suggested ways for better use of some common types of non-verbal
communication used in class presentation ........................................................ 49
III.3.1. Eye contact ............................................................................................... 51
III.3.2. Facial expressions..................................................................................... 51
III.3.3. Gestures.................................................................................................... 52
III.3.4. Postures .................................................................................................... 52
III.3.5. Visual aids ................................................................................................ 53
III.3.6. Paralanguage ............................................................................................ 54
PART THREE
CONCLUSION
I. Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 55
II. Limitations and suggestions for further study............................................. 56
II.1. Limitations ................................................................................................... 56
II.2. Suggestions for further study ........................................................................ 56
References
Appendix A: Pre-survey questionnaire
Appendix B: Post-survey questionnaire
Appendix C: Observation sheet and checklists
Appendix D: Rubric for evaluating NVC
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PART ONE
INTRODUCTION
I. RATIONALE
Communication is a great present that the Creature gives to human. We
communicate with each other not only verbally but also non-verbally.
According to some studies, non-verbal communication outweighs verbal
communication in terms of the proportion of the messages conveyed. This can
be illustrated by a study of Koneya, M. and Barbour, A.(1976) done in the US. It
proved that 93% of messages were conveyed by the speaker’s body language and
only 7% of the speaker’s attitude was transmitted by words. There is no doubt that
non-verbal communication is a vital part of our communication.
It cannot be denied that non-verbal communication is very important in many
aspects of communication. One of these is public speaking or presentation.
Nowadays, with the integration into the world, many fields of life need to give
presentations like politics, economics, education and so on. Thus, improving
communication skills and presentation skills are the issue which is especially
concerned. Many studies show that good use of non-verbal communication can
bring about the success to the presentation. Therefore, the presenters should pay
more attention to their non-verbal communication when delivering a presentation.
The students at many universities in general and at Faculty of Foreign Languages
at Hanoi Pedagogical University No.2 in particular also have awareness of
cultivating their presentation skills. However, in classes, most students seem to pay
their attention to what knowledge is used, not how it was transferred to their friend
and teachers. They almost take no notice of non-verbal communication. Therefore,
they fail to make an effective presentation. Meanwhile, the suitable utilization of
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non-verbal communication can have a great effect on transferring information as
well as attracting the audiences to the presentation.
With the purposes of helping the students to improve their non-verbal
communication when giving presentations, this thesis is conducted, which focuses
on ways to improve the use of non-verbal communication in class presentation for
third-year English major students of Faculty of Foreign Languages at Hanoi
Pedagogical University No.2 in the academic year 2011-2012.
II. RESEARCH PRESUPPOSITION
With regard to improve the third-year English major students’ utilization of nonverbal communication, some questions are raised:
1. What are the most common non-verbal communication types utilized in class
presentation by third-year English major students of Faculty of Foreign Languages
at Hanoi Pedagogical University No 2 in the academic year 2011- 2012?
2. How are these most common non-verbal communication types utilized in class
presentation by third-year English major students of Faculty of Foreign Languages
at Hanoi Pedagogical University No 2 in the academic year 2011- 2012?
3. What are the effective ways to improve the effectiveness in using non-verbal
communication of third-year English major in their class presentations?
III. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
The study is carried out to work out the students’ limitations in using non-verbal
communication in their class presentations and then to find out the effective ways
to improve the effectiveness of their using non-verbal communication in
presentations.
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IV. RESEARCH SCOPE
The research focuses on investigating the most common types of non-verbal
communication in class presentations, and assessing students’ use of these nonverbal communication types.
The population involved in the study is fifty English major students of Course 35
of Faculty of Foreign Languages at Hanoi Pedagogical University No. 2
V. RESEARCH TASKS
The study involves fulfilling the following tasks:
To study the definition, the characteristics, the functions, the classification
and the involvement of non-verbal communication in presentation.
To study the definition and the elements of an effective presentation.
To investigate the most common types of non-verbal communication used
by students in their class presentations
To conduct surveys, video capture and observations
To propose some ways for the students to utilize the common subtypes of
non-verbal communication more effectively in their class presentations
VI. RESEARCH METHODS
In order to set up a firm theoretical background for the study, relevant publications
are critically reviewed. To achieve the objectives of the study, the following
methods have been applied:
Questionnaire survey is the first method used in this study. The analysis is
mainly based on the data collected through the survey questionnaires.
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Observation is the second method. The analysis of this method is chiefly
depended on the information collected from observation sheets and
videotapes.
Besides, the consultation with the supervisor and discussion with friends are also
the main supporting methods.
VII. SIGNIFICANCE OF PROPOSED RESEARCH
In the context of Foreign Languages Faculty at Hanoi Pedagogical University No.2,
the study was carried out to give a clear picture about non-verbal communication.
It helps to work out the common subtypes of non-verbal communication used in
class presentation and to provide some ways to improve the students’ utilization of
these mostly used non-verbal communication subtypes. Therefore, hopefully, the
thesis is beneficial to both students and teachers in using and teaching non-verbal
communication.
To teachers, this thesis not only figures out the subtypes of non-verbal
communication which are mostly utilized by the third-year English major students
of Foreign Languages Faculty but also evaluates the quality of students’ utilization
of non-verbal communication in their presentation. Hence, it helps the teachers
recognize which types of non-verbal communication that the students need to
improve. Then, they will have the strategy to educate and provide the students
guidelines to progress their use of these non-verbal types.
To students, this thesis provides a full look on the definition, characteristics,
functions and classifications of non-verbal communication. Therefore, the students
will have deep understanding on this term. More importantly, the findings of the
study are believed to be helpful for students to find the ways to self-improve their
use of non-verbal communication in their class presentation.
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This study is also beneficial to anyone who is interested in developing their
presentation skills in general and improving their non-verbal communication in
particular.
VIII. DESIGN OF THE RESEARCH WORK
The study consists of three main parts: Introduction, Development and Conclusion.
Part one: INTRODUCTION outlines the rationale, the presupposition, the
objectives, the scope, the task, the method, the significant and the design of the
study.
Part two: DEVELOPMENT consists of three chapters.
Chapter one: LITERATURE REVIEW briefly presents theoretical
background on non-verbal communication.
Chapter two: METHODOLOGY presents the methods used in the study.
Chapter three: RESULTS shows the detailed results and analysis on the data
collected from survey questionnaires, classroom observation and video
capture.
Part three: CONCLUSION provides a review, limitations of the study as well as
suggestions for further studies.
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PART TWO
DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER ONE: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
I.1. Literature review in brief
Non-verbal communication is an important part of human communication. It has been the
objective of many linguistics and scholars, for example, Knapp & Hall (2002), Cleary, S.
(2004), Remland, M.S (2000), Mehrabian, A. (1981), Quang, N.(1998) and so on. Each of
them has their own ways to approach this area of communication. However, most of them
pay their attention to the definition, the classification, functions and applications of nonverbal communication.
Knapp & Hall (2002) in the book Non-verbal communication in human interaction
explores the role of non-verbal behavior in the system of human communication by
examining the different effects of body movements and postures, facial expressions
and physical appearance in various social contexts.
Cleary, S. (2004) focuses on the important role of non-verbal communication in
the creation of meaning and the use of non-verbal codes varies across cultures.
Leathers, D. G & Eaves, M.H. (2008) demonstrate how knowledge of non-verbal
messages can affect how one communicates successfully in the real world. This
extensive revision describes non-verbal cues and their functions as well as original
tests for measuring and developing non-verbal communication skills.
Mehrabian, A. (1981) deals with all facets of non-verbal communication, including
body positions and movements, facial expressions, voice quality and intonation
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during speech, volume and speed of speech, subtle variations in wording of
sentences that reveal hidden messages in what is said, combinations of messages
from different sources (e.g. face, tone of voice, words), and general descriptions of
individual communication styles or mannerisms. The book also helps to enhance
one’s awareness of many subtle aspects of interpersonal communication, and to
improve one’s communication skills.
Sharing some similarities to Mehrabian, A. (1981), Remland, M. S (2000) presents
the balancing theory and practical applications of non-verbal communication in
daily life. This book offers a comprehensive introduction to the field of non-verbal
communication, focusing on the roles of physical appearance, gesture, touch, facial
expressions, voice, eye contact, and special relations in face-to-face interactions.
The author places an emphasis on non-verbal communication as a key to
understanding diversity, communicating in personal and social relationships,
interacting in the workplace, and speaking to inform or persuade. This book also
presents a different aspect of communication, concluding with examples of nonverbal codes present in everyday life.
In the book Intercultural communication, Quang, N. (1998) deals with the cultural
differences in non-verbal communication and suggests the ways to understand
some common body language signs.
Overall, most scholars focus on studying non-verbal communication in general
communication. Some scholars while studying presentation skills stress on the
vital roles of non-verbal communication in presentation, Verderber, R.F,
Verderber, K,S, & Sellnow, D.D (2011) in the book Challenges of effective
speaking, for example. However, they generally pay their attention to the
significance of using non-verbal communication in achieving the success when
delivering public or business speeches. They have not delved into examining non-
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verbal communication enhancing class presentation. Therefore, it is essential to
have a study on the importance effects of non-verbal communication in class
presentation.
I.2. Communication
I.2.1. Definition of communication
We, human beings, communicate all our life for our own purpose. Hybels, S. and
Weaver II, R.L. (1992) claim that “Communication, then, is our vital to our lives.
To live is to communicate.” Therefore, communication has become the object of
many studies. However, to give a full definition to communication is not easy at
all. Each scholar looks communication in their own view. That is the reason why
there are many definitions for communication. It is estimated that there exist about
276 definitions for the term Communication.
Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines communication as “activities or
process of expressing ideas and feelings or of giving people information”
Communication, according to Allen, L.A. (1958) is “the sum of all the things a
person does when he wants to create understanding in the mind of another. It is a
bridge of meaning. It involves a systematic and continuous process of telling,
listening and understanding.”
Davis, K. (1981) has another look at communication. He considers communication
as the process of delivering information and understanding from one person to
another.
Chappell, R.T and Read, W.L (1979) define “communication is any means by
which thought is transferred from one person to another.
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Hybels, S. and Weaver II, R.L. (1992) give a different definition of
communication, which says “communication is any process in which people share
information, ideas, and feelings that involve not only words but also body
language, personal mannerism and style, the surrounding and things that add
meaning to a message.”
Levine and Adelman (1993) describe communication as “the process of sharing
meaning through verbal and non-verbal behavior.”
For the purpose of the study, the definitions of Hybels, S. and Weaver II, R.L.
(1992) and Levine and Adelman (1993) are the most useful ones. The definition of
Hybels, S. and Weaver II, R.L. (1992) gives us an overview on not only the nature
but also the content of communication. Both Hybels, S. and Weaver II, R.L. (1992)
and Levine and Adelman (1993) add the forms of communication into their
definitions. Levine and Adelman (1993) claim that human shares messages through
verbal and non-verbal communication.
I.2.2. Types of communication
Based on the forms of communication, Hybels, S. and Weaver II, R.L. (1992)
provide four main types of communication. They are intrapersonal, interpersonal,
interview, and public communication.
Intrapersonal communication, also called “self-talk”, is communication that
occurs within us. It involves thoughts, feelings and the way we look at
ourselves.
Interpersonal
communication
is
communication
occurs
when
we
communicate face to face. This kind of communication mostly occurs
between two people, though it includes more than two.
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Interview is a series of questions and answers, usually involving two people
whose primary purpose is to obtain information on particular subjects. Job
interview is the common type of this communication.
Public communication is communication in which the speaker sends a
message to an audience.
In view of the manner of communication, Levine and Adelman (1993) and
Quang, N. (1998) find that there are two main types of communication:
verbal and non-verbal communication. To get better view, communication
can be illustrated by the following diagram.
Communication
Verbal communication
Non-verbal communication
As can be seen from the diagram, communication includes verbal
communication
or
communication
with
words,
and
non-verbal
communication or simply communication without words. Also, non-verbal
communication – objective of the study is one type of communication. Thus,
in this study, non-verbal communication will be researched basing on the
foundation of communication.
I.3. Non-verbal Communication
I.3.1. Definition
Scholars have had many studies on non-verbal communication and each of them
has their own ways to define non-verbal communication. Therefore, the scholars’
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views on the definition of this term still remain divergent. However, most scholars
agree that non-verbal communication is understood as a way of communicating
without the use of written or spoken language.
In the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, non-verbal communication is
communication “not involving words or speech.”
According to Knapp & Hall (2002), non-verbal communication refers to
communication that is produced by some means (eye contact, body language or
vocal cues…) other than words. Having the same view, Quang, N. (1998) in the
book “ Intercultural communication” states that non-verbal communication is “
“silent” communication, including gestures, facial expressions, eye contact, and
conversational distance.”
Wayne W., Margaret A.L., Dana S.D, and Elizabeth Y.H. (2008) write that “nonverbal communication is the transmission of meaning from one person to another
through means or symbols rather than words.”
From the cultural view, Lary A.S, Richard E.P. and Edwin R.M.( 2009) propose
another definition: “non-verbal communication involves all nonverbal stimuli in a
communication setting that are generated by both the source and his or her use of
the environment and that have potential message value for the source or receiver.”
It can be seen that though covering most common non-verbal behaviors, the above
mentioned definitions fail to give a comprehensive account of the term we are
discussing. As looking the issue from different views, scholars couldn’t agree on
how communication should be considered non-verbal. Their definitions are either
confusingly general or insufficiently specific. The suggested criteria are also not
clear, so many non-verbal behaviors unfortunately omitted. It is desirable to seek a
better way of defining.
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From the view of researcher, the most impressive definition is the one by
Verderber, R.F. (1984), which says “non-verbal communication refers to how
people communicate by non-verbal means, that is through the use of body motions,
paralanguage, self-presentation, and environment.” This definition incorporates
most elements of definitions cited previously and mentions more critical aspects of
non-verbal communication.
It also points out four classes of non-verbal
communication: body motions or body language, paralanguage, self-presentation
or physical appearance and environment or environmental language. With the
depth in the definition, Verderber R.F(1984) extends the road to understand the
true essence of non-verbal communication. This definition provides an overview of
non-verbal communication.
I.3.2. Functions
In 1970, Arglyle produced a hypothesis that whereas verbal cues are normal used
for communicating information about events external to the speakers, non-verbal
behaviors are used to establish and maintain interpersonal relationships. It is
considered nicer or more polite to express attitude non-verbally rather than
verbally, and non-verbal means is also used in order to avoid embarrassing cases.
According to Arglyle (1988), there are five fundamental functions of non-verbal
communication including expressing emotions, expressing interpersonal attitudes,
accompanying speech in managing the cues of interaction between speakers and
listeners, and presenting one’s personality and greeting. It is clear that non-verbal
communication plays an important role in communication. Without using nonverbal communication, our communication may be less effective. Although we can
send, receive and exchange information by verbal means, we still continuously
express our emotions through our facial expressions, our gestures, ect. Besides, we
can judge one’s personality through the way he or she stands, sits, moves, looks at
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