Chapter 4

Nonverbal

Communication

Chapter Outcomes

• Describe the power of nonverbal communication

• Outline the functions of nonverbal communication

• Describe the set of communication symbols that are nonverbal codes

• Illustrate the influences culture, technology, and situation have on our nonverbal behavior

Nonverbal Communication

•The process of intentionally or unintentionally signaling meaning through behavior other than words

The Nature of Nonverbal

Communication•Nonverbal communication is– Communicative– Often spontaneous and

unintentional– Ambiguous– More believable than verbal communication (channel discrepancy)

Functions of Nonverbal

Communication•Reinforcing verbal messages– Repeating or mirroring

verbal messages– Complementing verbal

behavior by reinforcing it

– Accenting specific information in a verbal message

Functions of Nonverbal

Communication (cont.)• Substituting verbal

messages– Occurs in

situations where words are unavailable, inappropriate, or unintelligible

Functions of Nonverbal

Communication (cont.)• Contradicting verbal messages– May be unintentional or intentional

(teasing, joking, sarcasm)

•Managing impressions and regulating interactions– Interaction management occurs

throughout a relationship – Nonverbal cues regulate back-and-

forth flow of communication

Functions of Nonverbal

Communication (cont.)• Creating immediacy, or closeness, with another– Eye contact, smiling,

appropriate touching, mimicry

•Deceiving others to believe something that is false

NonverbalCommunication Codes

•Nonverbal codes are symbols we use to send messages without, or in addition to, words.

Nonverbal Communication Codes

(cont.)•Gestures and body movements

that send nonverbal messages (kinesics)– Emblems have direct verbal

translations within a group or culture.

– Illustrators help visually explain what is being said.

– Regulators help manage our interactions.

Nonverbal Communication Codes (cont.)

•Kinesics (cont.)

– Adaptors satisfy a physical or psychological need.

– Affect displays convey feelings, moods, and reactions.

Nonverbal Communication Codes

(cont.)•Facial expressions

Nonverbal Communication Codes (cont.)

• Facial expressions (cont.)

– Several specific expressions are common across all cultures.

– Masking: replacing an expression that shows true feeling with an expression that shows appropriate feeling for a given interaction

Nonverbal Communication Codes (cont.)

• Eye behavior – Oculesics is the study of the use

of the eyes to communicate.– Accepted norms

differ across cultures.

Nonverbal Communication Codes

(cont.)•Voice– Paralanguage: vocalized sounds that

accompany words; includes•Pitch (variations), tone

(modulations), volume (loudness), pauses, vocal quality, rhythm, rate

– Vocalizations: cues about emotional or physical state•Back-channel cues

include “ah,” “um,” “uh”

Nonverbal Communication Codes

(cont.)

• Physical appearance– Attractiveness has

advantages.– Artifacts

(accessories) convey different messages that may change over time.

Nonverbal Communication Codes

(cont.)• Space and environment include

– Proxemics:

the study of the

way we use and

communicate

with space• Intimate•Personal•Social•Public

Nonverbal Communication Codes

(cont.)• Space and environment (cont.)

– Territoriality: the claiming of an area through continuous or implied occupation

– Environment: arranging our surroundings to encourage or discourage interactions

Nonverbal Communication Codes (cont.)

• Touch (haptics) may include– Functional-

professional touch– Social-polite touch– Friendship-warmth

touch– Love-intimacy touch– Sexual-arousal

touch

Nonverbal Communication Codes

(cont.)• Time orientation– Chronemics: the ways people

perceive and value time, structure time, and react to time

– Sending a message using time may be confusing in certain situations.

Influences on Nonverbal

Communication• Culture

– Contact and noncontact cultures have different levels of sensitivity to touch.

– Sex and gender influence a person’s degree of touch, eye contact, or how nonverbal communication is interpreted.

Influences on Nonverbal

Communication (cont.)

•Mediated nonverbal communication– Loss of paralinguistic cues that

offer information– Emoticons and use of font sizes,

punctuation, and capitalization help convey meaning.

Influences on Nonverbal

Communication (cont.)• The situational context determines

rules of behavior and roles people must play under different conditions. – Public-private dimension:

physical space affecting nonverbal communication

– Informal-formal dimension: perceptions about personal versus impersonal situations