2 Think of some formal occasions when verbal language is used. If you have heard something on the grapevine, it means that you have heard about it from someone who heard it from someone else, in an informal way. Think of two examples of signs that overcome linguistic and cultural barriers. TYPES OF COMMUNICATION Formal and informal communication Communication may be formal or informal. Formal communication occurs when the exchange of information is made through pre-defined channels and follows a hierarchical and defined chain of command, for example in business contexts; informal communication is generally used for more personal communication, developing in all directions, free from all kinds of organisational formalities and conventional rules. Verbal and non-verbal communication Our verbal messages are communicated through the words (and music or pictures) that we use. The use of language to convey information is one of the most common types of communication since it is effective, and it is usually the first type of communication people tend to think about. However, there are a lot of other different ways we can use to communicate with each other, both intentionally and unintentionally: facial expressions, gestures, hands, ONLINE RESOURCES Mass and interpersonal communication touch, eye contact, body movements and posture, tone of voice. to affect: influenzare to disprove: smentire to engage: entrare in contatto hierarchical: gerarchico to occur: avvenire retainable: facile da ricordare 16 In fact, when we engage with someone, our body has a language of its own. The way we sit, the gestures we make, the way we talk, how much eye contact we make all of these are non-verbal ways of CommuniCation anD PSyCHoLogy communicating that affect reinforcing or disproving the message our words are sending. For example, crossed arms or legs or curved shoulders might display feelings like anxiety, irritation, or nervousness. Visual communication Visual communication refers to the action of distributing messages employing visual elements images, signs, posters, drawings, photographs, graphs, clip art, etc. to convey ideas and information to an audience. It offers different advantages. It is: more effective and simpler: sometimes, it is easier to understand a piece of information by looking at a graph or map; cross-cultural: symbols or pictures remove language obstacles; enjoyable: visual materials are more pleasing to the eye; more retainable: pictures and charts help people memorise information better.