BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES - Universitatea de Medicină şi Farmacie

Social Distance (Distance: 4 to 12 feet). Impersonal business or
casual conversations can be carried on in this space. People are very much
aware of the presence of one another, but they neither interfere with each
other nor are they oppressively near;
Public Distance (Distance: 12 to 25 feet, or farther). A person at
this distance is outside the circle of involvement. This is the distance
reserved for public speakers and/or public officials or for anyone on public
occasions.
Note that this distance can vary significantly. Extraverts, for
example, may have smaller distances whilst introverts may prefer to keep
their distance. People who live in towns and cities are used to squeezing
closer to people so have smaller spaces, whilst country people stand so far
apart they have to lean forwards to shake hands. Also the distance varies
greatly across cultures and different settings within cultures.
The distance between communicators will also depend on sex,
status, and social role.
The time language
Chronemics is the study of the use of time in nonverbal
communication. The way we perceive time, structure our time and react to
time is a powerful communication tool, and helps set the stage for
communication. Time perceptions include punctuality and willingness to
wait, the speed of speech and how long people are willing to listen. The
timing and frequency of an action as well as the tempo and rhythm of
communications within an interaction contributes to the interpretation of
nonverbal messages. Gudykunst & Ting-Toomey (1988) identified 2
dominant time patterns.
Monochronic time schedule (M-time): Time is seen as being very
important and it is characterized by a linear pattern where the emphasis is
on the use of time schedules and appointments. Time is viewed as
something that can be controlled or wasted by individuals, and people tend
to do one thing at a time.
Polychronic time schedule (P-time): Personal involvement is more
important than schedules where the emphasis lies on personal relationships
rather than keeping appointments on time.
Studies show that the monochronemic conversation (talking about
one thing at a time) is common in Northern Europe and North America.
Meanwhile, Latin American, Asian, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean
cultures are more likely to use polychronemic conversation (multiple
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