Non-Verbal
Communication
Communicating without language
Types of non-verbal
communication
• There is really no part of the day that we are
not emitting & receiving messages from
others in a non-verbal form.
• In N.A only about 10% of what we
communicate is verbalized.
• Those who study non-verbal communication
have identified several ways in which humans
convey messages without speaking.
Locomotion
• How you walk & the speed of your
movement can speak volumes about
your intent, interest, as well as your
emotion
Adornment
• How accessorizing your clothing & body
sends messages to the receiver that
may or may not be intended - Changing
fashion trends can often be
misunderstood by those of different
generations.
Silence
• Not speaking or responding during
conversation can send a variety of
messages to those that observe this
behaviour
Volcalics
• When you speak you inflect, carry a
tone, sometimes speak quickly, and
other times very slowly - even though
these are vocalized it falls under the
category non-verbal communication
Chromenics
• Pausing or waiting while conversing
with someone
• The silence can have many meanings for example you are pondering or
disagreeing.
Eye Contact
• An indication of interest or involvement
in what is being said - the length of time
you gaze at someone, the number of
times you look at someone, and how
many times you blink can send a
number of different messages
Haptics
• Touching as a form of communication this may include shaking hands, a pat
on the back…
Proxemics
• The distance that you leave between
you & someone else - distance changes
depending on your relationship with the
other person - culture also plays role in
determining the distance
Olfactics
• Smell can send a message to someoneNorth Americans tend to go out of the
way to mask body order.
Sounds Symbols
• Grunts or pausing with an “ah”sound
sends clear messages to the receiver they are not formal words therefore they
are considered non-verbal
communication.
Posture
• How you present yourself while
speaking to someone can send many
mixed messages.
• Slouching or leaning on something
while conversing may indicate to a
receiver a lack of interest
Misunderstood
• Did you ever get into trouble for looking at an
adult or a friend the “wrong way”?
• It is not surprising that non-verbal messages
are misinterpreted seeing as you spend very
little time perfecting them.
• Look at the following pictures and identify the
emotion you believe to be the message the
model is attempting to convey.
• Is this woman happy?
• Is this woman angry?
• Is this woman frightened?
Why is our non-verbal
communication so important?
• Just think how difficult it would be to talk
when meeting someone for the first time if the
person did not move, kept a straight face, and
spoke with no change in voice.
• You would never get a “feeling” for the person
and you might get the impression that the
person was very formal and remote, which
could be opposite to the impression the
person is trying to give you.