 Nonverbal
cues can reiterate verbal
communication
 Repeating is sequential, not simultaneous


Your significant other asks if you are having an
affair. First, you shake your head no. Then you
say, “No.”
You ask a stranger in a foreign country what time
it is. The stranger doesn’t understand, so you tap
the top of your wrist with your finger.
 Nonverbal
cues can signal the opposite of
what words mean.
 We may perceive others as sending “mixed
signals.”


“Your mouth is saying no, but your body is saying
yes.”
You stifle a yawn with your hand and say to your
dinner date, “That’s really fascinating.”
 Nonverbal
cues may compliment or reinforce
words.


While scolding a child a parent points a finger at
him or her.
A teacher asks if you understand an assignment.
You nod your head up and down while saying
“Yes, I think so.”
 Nonverbal
cues may serve as substitutes or
replacements for words.
 Emblems are nonverbal gestures that are the
equivalent of words.


A basketball player makes a choke sign after a
player on the other team misses a crucial free
throw.
A motorist flips you the bird on the freeway.
 Nonverbal
cues can amplify or accentuate
language.


A parent tells a child “It’s bedtime.” The child
lays on the floor, kicking and screaming, while
saying “No, no, no, no, no.”
A guy asks a gal, “Hey, How YOU doin?”
 Making
or breaking eye contact to signal turn
taking
 Using nonverbal cues to cut in or interrupt
someone


Gus puts both elbows on the table and inhales,
indicating he is about to speak.
An argument about politics starts to erupt at a
party. A girlfriend puts her hand on her
boyfriend’s forearm to signal that he needs to
calm down.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Answers
1.
Complimenting
(If she didn’t
mouth the words
A creepy guy in a raincoat beckons with his
“call me” it
finger for a child at a playground to come
would be
over.
substituting)
At a carniceria, you say “Dos tacos, por
favor.” When the cook says “¿Cuanto?” you 2.
Contradicting
hold up two fingers.
3.
Substituting
When your fiancée asks “Will you marry
me?” you nod your head up and down like a 4.
Repeating
bobble head doll while saying “Yes.”
5.
Accenting
Your jaw is clenched when your significant
other asks if you are okay, you say, “I’m
6.
Contradicting
fine.” (curtly)
7.
Regulating
Your mother mouths the words “call me”
while making a phone sign on the way out
the door.
Your credit card is declined on a dinner
date. You say “That’s just great.”
You raise your hand in class to ask a
question.