Page 343 - Between One and Many The Art and Science of Public Speaking

310 Part 3 Putting Theory Into Practice

Trek’s Mr. Spock makes the Vulcan V sign while saying,
“Live long and prosper.” Other examples include nodding
your head up and down while communicating agreement
and shaking your head from side to side when communi-
cating disagreement.

Substituting for a Verbal Cue

Have you ever seen entertainers and politicians raise their
hands and motion in the attempt to stop an audience’s
continued applause? They are using a nonverbal cue as a
substitute for a verbal one. In many circumstances, such
a nonverbal cue is both more appropriate and more effec-
tive than a verbal one. An icy stare shot in the direction
of someone talking as you speak is likely to be less disrup-
tive, for example, than politely asking the person to be
quiet. Shrugging your shoulders, reaching out with open
palms, and raising your eyebrows, moreover, may more
clearly communicate your bewilderment than actually
saying you’re puzzled by something.
This referee holds out two fi ngers to repeat
his message that the shooter gets two free
throws. Increasing the Perception of Immediacy

Nonverbal behavior can also increase the perception of
immediacy between you and your audience. Immediacy
concerns how psychologically close or distant people per-
ceive each other, as well as the degree to which they per-
ceive each other as approachable. 22
Generally, the perception of immediacy between peo-
ple is desirable because people who are perceived as im-
mediate are also perceived as friendly and approachable,
stimulating, open to dialogue, and interpersonally warm.
Because public speaking normally takes place in a set-
ting that arbitrarily puts physical distance between speak-
ers and their audiences, speakers usually have to reduce
this physical distance psychologically. You can do this in
at least two ways. The fi rst, which we discussed at length
Reaching out with open palms can substitute
for a verbal message. in Chapter 10, involves the use of immediate language.
The second is to make your delivery more nonverbally
immediate.
The easiest and most effective way to make the deliv-
ery more immediate is through nonverbal channels. Eye contact is the perfect
medium. Even when people are separated by substantial physical distance, eye
contact enables them to bridge this distance in a psychological sense. The best
public speakers, for example, are often the ones who make you feel as if they are
speaking to you, and only you, with their eyes as well as their voices.
Eye contact is not the only medium, however, through which you can achieve
greater immediacy with your audience. Immediacy can also be achieved with
facial expressions such as a smile, with a conversational rather than condescend-