Nonverbal behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nonverbal behaviour - Essay Example Eye contact is a non-verbal behavior that is important in our culture and other because it confirms a person’s credibility. Eye contact is a non-verbal behavior that could indicate love, hostility or friendliness towards another individual. Hence, the way a person makes eye contact may indicate his intentions, which may be good or bad.  The non-verbal behavior that I once violated was eye contact; it was when I was dropped out of school, it was very difficult for me to make an eye contact to my family that includes my parents’ and siblings. When I initiated conversation with my parents’ and siblings telling them about the school incident, I was continuously staring at the ground without making any eye contact due to fear and confusion. The responses I expect from my family vary a lot. My parent’s reaction was different as compared to my siblings. My parents were angry and sad, but my siblings found my behavior funny or full of lies. Hence, I got two diff erent reactions from my family. According to the expectancy violation theory, no verbal communication is the exchange of messages, which can violate the expectation of another individual, which can be taken negatively depending on the strength of ratio ship between the two people who are communicating. Thus, through my behavior I do violate the expectations of my parents and siblings. As a result, of my attitude, the outcome of my communication is perceived negatively. Because, â€Å"we learn what we consider being appropriate through our interactions with others and our culture"(Burgoon, 1993). Eye gaze is one of the most important variables in American as well as, other cultures. Eye contact is considered bad between a boy and a girl in many societies; however, in some cultures it is regarded as highly offensive if a person does not make an eye contact during a conversation. Consequently, this rule varies from culture to culture. A person working for a business should possess str ong non verbal communication skills, or it will be regarded as highly inappropriate. In the similar way, if we do not make eye contact with our teachers at school or college level, it will be regarded as a sign of weakness in a person’s personality. Eye contact is a strong way of communicating, a quick glance and an aggressive stare both are form of eye contacts but send different messages. One should be extremly careful as to when, how and where to use eye gaze as different cultures perceive it differently and could build a lot of misunderstanding between people. In business, one should not continuously stare another person while talking, instead staring, nodding and smiling would send appropriate messages to a business partner. Moreover, blinking fast and not making a proper eye contact could show feelings of nervousness and lack of confidence. Furthermore, in our culture long and stern stares send messages of animosity and hostility. In the same way, staring a stranger in some European countries is depicted as showing interest; on the other hand, in our society it would be taken as being disrespectful. In Asian countries in particular, brief eye contact is acceptable especially while talking to teachers, parents or business environments it shows kindness and respectfulness. Similarly, in Muslim cultures, communicating with a lower eye gaze is

Is There a Union Revitalisation in Europe and North America Essay

Is There a Union Revitalisation in Europe and North America - Essay Example It cannot be assumed that union revitalization will happen hassle-free. There have been signs of worker self- aggrandizement in certain areas, but there have also been instances of total relapse into passivity in certain spheres. But a new phenomenon that is emerging is the structural changes that have been happening on the union front, and if viewed from the backdrop, it can be argued that there is union revitalization in a new form in Europe and UK. The global alliances that are emerging in labor sector, the increased presence of women, and ethnic minorities in the global workforce, and the new forms of workers organizations like the ‘worker centers’ of USA, have been some indicators of change. Taking into account all these new factors and influences, we can argue that there is a non-traditional kind of union revitalisation in Europe and North America. North America and the European Union have been depending more and more on immigrant laborers to meet their workforce n eeds. There are also attempts going on to assimilate these migratory workers into the host country’s mainstream workforce. In the United States, one in five people is from another nationality (Ohlemacker, 2007). In 2006, the BBC reported that 70,000 people were waiting to get citizenship in the UK (BBC News, 2006). The European Union has made it mandatory for its member nations, â€Å"a ‘duty of equality’ in regard to pay† (Healy and Heery, 2004: p.4). This has opened up a whole lot of equal opportunities and has thus increased the social diversity of the workforce (Healy and Heery 2004: p.4). Women and migrant workers from developing countries have been getting better representation in the wok force in Europe, as a result of this. As this phenomenon alters the social landscape of the work force, it has influenced the general state of towards trade unionism as well. For example, â€Å"the creation of low-paid, insecure, temporary and part-time jobs, which are disproportionately filled by women, minority ethnic citizens and young people† has resulted in a weakening of the bargaining power of the workers and also an increase in â€Å"poverty and†¦ unemployment† among such vulnerable groups (Healy and Heery, 2004, pp.17). In such a scenario, the question is whether the conventional trade unions are waking up to face the new challenges and organize the totally changed work force. There are divergent opinions on this issue. Johnson and Jarley (2004) have drawn attention to the re-emergence of â€Å"social movement unionism in the United States with rhetoric centering on demands for ‘work place dignity’ and ‘social justice’† (543-44). Ongoing rejuvenation efforts inside the trade unions are supposed to aim at reforms that will change the attitude of trade unions â€Å"from passive service organizations, bulti largely on an economic exchange logic with members, to active organising-driven unions, built on a logic of social exchange† (Johnson and Jarley 2004: 544; Heery 2001; Turner and Hurd 2001). In the UK, it has been observed that decentralization of public sector enterprises into local level management, has led to new feelings of insecurity among the workers and has become a â€Å"catalyst for union revival† (Calveley and Healy 2003: 98).