ABSTRACT
The ‘immediacy dimension is anchored on one extreme by actions that simultaneously communicate closeness, approach, accessibility, and at the other extreme by behaviours expressing avoidance and distance’ (Hecht et al. 1989: 167). Immediacy is the degree of perceived physical or psychological closeness between people (Richmond and McCroskey 1988). Immediacy behaviours communicate warmth, closeness and availability for communication. Examples of these behaviours are smiling, touching, eye contact, close personal distance and vocal animation. Cultures that reflect immediacy behaviours or expressiveness are often called ‘high contact cultures’ (Hall 1966).
