COMMUNICATE WITHOUT ACTUALLY COMMUNICATING! - Implicit Communication Theory

Communication is not only about words, body language, gestures and expression but also about conveying things without using any of the above methods. At first look, one might ask how a person can communicate to another without using words or expressions. There is indeed a form of communication which we rarely delve into – implicit communication. Researchers love to include this form of communication into the Behavioural Implicit Communication (BIC) theory.

Implicit communication refers to the message(s) we ‘give off’ from our deeds/actions which may or may not be intentional. By simply performing an action, we send a message to our partner(s) in the interaction. This message may be intentional or unintentional, i.e. the sender wants that the receiver knows that he/she is performing that action or not. A classic example of this can be seen in restaurants. A customer orders an item in the menu and the chef prepares it. When the customer consumes the item, the chef, intentionally or not, is communicating with the customer and allowing him to make a positive or a negative judgement on his ability to cook.

After a lot of research and contrastive thinking, I have come up with other scenarios which will act as examples for implicit communication. For better understanding, I will divide the scenarios into ‘intentional implicit communication’ and ‘intentional or unintentional implicit communication’. Also, these scenarios are what one might like to call ‘day-to-day activities’.

Intentional Implicit Communication:

1.   When a person wears a shirt he received as a gift from his friend, he is implicitly communicating with his friend that he appreciates the gift and is grateful for it. This act is intentional because the person wants his friend to know that he is grateful for the gift.

2.   When a person leaves a coat or a hat on his seat while he leaves to the restroom, he is communicating with the people around him that he will be back and the seat is occupied.

Intentional or Unintentional Communication:

1.   When students obtain good marks, the teachers are communicating intentionally or unintentionally about their prowess to the parents. Regardless of whether it is intentional or unintentional, the mark that the student obtains is directly proportional to the perceived notion about the teachers by the parents. (Please note, this example holds good mostly in lower grades/standards of school).

2.   When Car ‘A’ moves towards the right (or left) on a highway (without an indicator), it intentionally or unintentionally communicates to Car ‘B’ which is behind Car ‘A’ that the lanes are being changed. (Please note, this kind of indiscipline of not using indicators on a highway can only be found in India!)

Implicit communication theories are often derived from animal communication. This form of communication is also based on ‘signification’ which is ‘the semiotic ability of cognitive agents’.  For example, the ability to take ‘smoke’ as a sign of ‘fire’ or to relate ‘thirst’ with a ‘drinking agent’; these notions are drilled in to us from birth and are signs of communication that goes beyond simple perception.