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Communication Skills-II

notes Surroundings

Our surroundings or physical environment speak their own nonverbal language. It is a vast
area. It is, therefore, worthwhile to cover only two important aspects of our physical context-
colour and layout or design for the purpose of nonverbal communication. Through our sensory
perception we get meaning from our surroundings, in the same way as through our choice of
colour and design we send out definite signals to others.

Colours

Most of us know that different colours are associated with different behaviour patterns, attitudes
and cultural backgrounds. People make serious efforts to choose the right colour for any
significant moment and indifference to choice of colour is regarded as lack of cultivation.
Some colours are universally known to be associated with gaiety, cheerfulness or pleasant
circumstances. Pink, yellow, red, purple, blue, green are gay colours. Black and gray, on the other
hand, are associated with negative feelings, melancholy or somber mood. White is generally
associated with purity or peace. All this shows that there exists what we may call a ‘colour
language’. For successful communication it is important to have the right choice of colour of our
clothing, home and office interiors, upholstery and decoration pieces.

Layout and Design

Like ‘colour language’, there is also a ‘layout and design language’ as a part of non-verbal
communication. The space arrangement of an office, carpeting or its absence, the furniture and its
design everything conveys a meaning. Everybody is impressed by a ‘tastefully’ furnished office,
the layout of a lobby/dining hall/conference room/reception desk. It is for this very reason
that so much attention is being paid to the architecture and furnishing of offices/hotels/houses
of executives in modern times. All this is aimed at conveying the mood/personality/outlook/
vision of the organization. Behind all this is the vision of the successful communicators.

time language

Time language is another type of nonverbal communication. In it we communicate with others
in terms of time by showing them, in our own cultural way, what time means to us. We do
this mostly by symbolizing time, and by sending out signals regarding the importance of time
and so on. In this connection, it is important to note that ‘time management’ is now one of the
most important parts of the overall management. TMI (Time Managers International) is one of
the most important American consultancy companies. It renders valuable advice to business
organizations in respect of optimal use of time.
Business community all over the world knows the worth of time. It has been pointed out that
“scientific managers of the late 1800’s equated the worth of time with money.” And then we are
reminded repeatedly that “time is money”. It is this consciousness of the worth or importance of
time and its crucial role in productivity that has led to the invention of many time saving devices.
In fact time pervades our thinking and dominates our communication. All communication is
meant to be suitably timed. We get/send out/covert signals about whether anybody/anything
is early or late. While people in the West are very much time conscious and attach highest
importance to punctuality, people in the East have a more relaxed attitude to it.
The way we use and structure time can send intentional and unintentional message about what
we value and whom we considered important. This is called chromatics.

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