Nonverbal Communication
• Communication
without words;
communication by
means of space,
gestures, facial
expressions, touching,
vocal variation, and
silence for example
(DeVito)
Importance of Nonverbal
Communication
• “It is estimated that NVC most often conveys a
larger share of social information(65% or more)
while verbal communication plays a less salient
role(35% or less). So much information is
communicated nonverbally that frequently the
verbal aspect is negligible.”
• The Proceedings of The 1993 International
Symposium on LTM, Beijing-Hohhot, Oct.4 13,1993
Importance of Nonverbal
Communication
• “Communication of
information is essential to
support the infrastructure
of society. This basic need
has not changed since the
first picture signs were
incised on clay tablets in
the Near Middle East
some 6,000 years ago in
order to record business
transactions”
• Rosemary Sassoon
“Signs, Symbols and
Icons” 1997
What are the different types of
Nonverbal Communication?
Types of Nonverbal
Communication
• Body Gestures and
Facial Expressions
(Jeremy Wilson)
• Touch (Sarah Kearns)
• Sound (Michael
Jenkins)
• Space (Laura Chady)
Body & Facial
Kinesics
• The study of the communicative dimensions
of facial and bodily movements
- Includes: body movement (body language),
gestures, facial expression, eye contact,
posture, and speaking volume
Body Gestures
• Emblems
• Illustrators
• Affect
Displays
• Regulators
• Adaptors
Emblems
• Emblems are limited by
both time and culture.
Posture
1) Slumped posture = low spirits
2) Erect posture = high spirits, energy
and confidence
3) Lean forward = open and interested
4) Lean away = defensive or
disinterested
5) Crossed arms = defensive
6) Uncrossed arms = willingness to
listen
7) Hands on hips=impatient
Facial Communication
• Facial Management
• Facial Feedback
• Facial Expressions and
Culture
Facial Management
Techniques
• Intensifying – to exaggerate a feeling
• Deintensifying – to underplay a feeling
• Neutralizing – to hide a feeling
• Masking – to replace or substitute the
expression of one emotion or another
Body and facial communication
are important in interpersonal
communication!
It is especially important to pay
close attention to accepted
nonverbals in other cultures!
Sources
• Warfield, A. (2001) Do you speak body language?.
Training and Development, 55(4), 60.
• Devito, J. A. (2001). The Interpersonal
Communication Book. Hunter College of the City
University of New York: Longham.
• Swenson, J. & Casmir, F.L. (1998). The impact of
culture-sameness, gender, foreign travel, and
academic background on the ability to interpret
the facial expression of emotions in others.
Communication Quarterly, 46(2), 214-217.
Nonverbal Messages: Touch and
Eye Communication
Presented by Sarah Kearns
Occulesics
• Study of the way eyes
are used during a
communication
exchange
3 Characteristics of Eye
Messages:
• Duration
• Direction
• Quality
Functions of Eye Contact
1) Monitor Feedback
2) Secure the Attention and Interest of
Audience
3) Regulate or Control conversation
4) Signal Nature of Relationship
5) Compensate for Increased Physical
Distance
Eye Avoidance
• Civil Inattention
• Signal lack of interest
• Unpleasant Stimuli
• Heighten Other Senses
Culture and Occulesics
• Singh, McKay, and Singh (1998)
• Holistic cultures vs. Western culture
• Status and Confrontational
Power and Occulesics
• Aguinis, Simonsen, and Pierce (1998)
• Power is the ability to influence
• Visual Dominance is (+)-related to
credibility power
Visual Dominance
• The use of your eyes
to maintain a superior
or dominant position
(Devito 2001)
Credibility Power
• The objectively determined truthfulness,
follow-through, and accuracy of a power
source (Aguinis et. Al 1998)
Pupil Dilation
• Attractiveness
• Interested
• Emotionally Aroused
HAPTICS
• The study of touch as
a means of nonverbal
communication
• Most primitive form
of communication
Functions of Touch:
1) Positive Emotions
2) Playfulness
3) Control
4) Ritualistic
5) Task Related
Touch Avoidance
• Communication
Apprehension
• Self Disclosure
• Gender Variation
Gender Differences and Touch
• Mothers vs. Fathers
• Same sex vs. Opposite Sex
Cultural Differences and
Touch
• Contact Culture
• Noncontact Culture
Haptics and Cooperation
•
•
•
•
•
Kurzban (2001)
Group Context
Social Dilemmas
Closeness
Touch increases compliance or cooperation
Conclusions
• Both eye contact and touching have a
variety of functions and meanings
• Both are subject to gender variability
• Both are subject to cultural variability
PARALANGUAGE
• Paralanguage cues
are used for
forming
impressions, for
identifying
emotional states,
and for making
judgments of
credibility,
intelligence, and
objectivity.
Paralanguage is the vocal (but nonverbal) dimension
of speech. It refers to the way you say something,
rather than what you say.
By stressing
different words in
a sentence, you
can change the
meaning completely
without doing
anything to the
structure of it.
•Now that looks good on you.
•Could you move any slower?
•That was some meal.
•Is this the face that
launched a thousand ships?
Persuasion, Comprehension, and How Fast We Speak.
Levels of agreeableness, intelligence
and objectivity.
111wpm – least amount of
agreeableness, objectivity and least
intelligent
140wpm –average intelligence,
agreeableness and objectivity.
191wpm – subjects agreed most with
fastest speech; viewed as most
intelligent and objective, even when
the subjects knew the person was
trying to sell them something.
Comprehension levels
in speeches at 201wpm
were at about 95%,
dropping only
slightly to 90% when
upped to 282wpm
…Silence…
The Functions of Silence
•Time To Think:
Time to formulate responses.
•Weapon To Hurt Others (the silent treatment)
•Response to Personal Anxiety:
Remaining silent around
strangers.
•Prevent Communication:
A defense mechanism against
saying things that you cant take back in the heat of the moment.
•Communicate Emotional Responses:
Pouting, Anger,
Annoyance, Long Stares into another’s eyes; love.
•Achieve Specific Effects:
Strategically placing pauses
after or before sentences to imply importance or seriousness.
•Nothing To Say:
to say.
Sometimes you just don’t have anything
Non-verbal Communication
Space and Territory
Every cubic inch of space is a miracle. --Walt Whitman
(Leaves of Grass, "Miracles")
Proxemics
• Proxemics is the study of spatial communication
and how we use it (Devito)
• Termed coined by founder, Edward Hall, in
1968 in his book The Silent Language
• Hall’s research concluded that there are four
distances we utilize in everyday interpersonal
communication and these are culturally defined
• There are also five dimensions used to assign the
importance of space in status
Distances
• Intimate Distance-actual
touching to 6-18 inches
• Personal Distance-18 inches
to 4 feet
• This includes the “hidden
dimension” or your
“personal bubble”
• Social Distance- 4 to 12 feet
• Public Distance-12-25 feet
•
Definitions by Devito
Dimensions of Space (Athos)
• More is better than less
• Assign importance or status based on
how much space a person has
• Private is better than public
• It is better not to have to share space
• We desire to exclude people to mark
boundaries of our space
• Closing doors is an important signal that
a conversation is both intimate and
important
Dimensions of Space (con.)
• Higher is better than lower
• Imagery is often in terms of up and down
• Houses that are on higher land are often more
expensive
• Near is better than far
• It is more valued to have a office near the boss
• It is also more valued to be at a position near
the host at a dinner party
• In is better than out
• Home field advantage in sports teams
Territory
• Territory is the possessive reaction to a particular area
or objects (Devito)
• Primary territory—belongs to you
• Boundary markers
• Secondary territory—not belonging to you, but
associated with you
• Central markers
• Public territories—areas like parks that belong to all
people
PARALANGUAGE
• Paralanguage cues are
used for forming
impressions, for
identifying emotional
states, and for making
judgments of
credibility,
intelligence, and
objectivity.
Paralanguage is the vocal (but nonverbal) dimension
of speech. It refers to the way you say something,
rather than what you say.
By stressing
different words in
a sentence, you
can change the
meaning completely
without doing
anything to the
structure of it.
•Now that looks good on you.
•Could you move any slower?
•That was some meal.
•Is this the face that
launched a thousand ships?
Persuasion, Comprehension, and How Fast We Speak.
Levels of agreeableness,
intelligence and objectivity.
111wpm – least amount of
agreeableness, objectivity and
least intelligent
140wpm –average intelligence,
agreeableness and objectivity.
191wpm – subjects agreed most
with fastest speech; viewed as
most intelligent and objective,
even when the subjects knew the
person was trying to sell them
something. (DeVito 2001)
Comprehension levels
in speeches at 201wpm
were at about 95%,
dropping only
slightly to 90% when
upped to 282wpm
…Silence…
Your Silence communicates
just as intensely as
anything you
verbalize.(Jaworski 1993)
The Functions of Silence
•Time To Think:
Time to formulate responses.
•Weapon To Hurt Others (the silent treatment)
•Response to Personal Anxiety:
Remaining silent around
strangers.
•Prevent Communication:
A defense mechanism against
saying things that you cant take back in the heat of the moment.
•Communicate Emotional Responses:
Pouting, Anger,
Annoyance, Long Stares into another’s eyes; love.
•Achieve Specific Effects:
Strategically placing pauses
after or before sentences to imply importance or seriousness.
•Nothing To Say:
Sometimes you just don’t have anything
Theories
• Protection theory—people establish a buffer zone
around themselves as protection against unwanted
touching or attack, if threatened they want more
space around them (Devito)
• Equilibrium theory—greater the intimacy, the
closer the distance and vice versa (Devito)
• Expectancy violation theory—people expect
others to maintain certain distances, when these
are violated the actions are questioned (Devito)
Sources
• Athos, A.G., Gabarro, J.J. (1978). Interpersonal Behavior.
New Jersey: Prentice Hall Inc.
• Bakker, C.B., Bakker, M.K. (1973). No Trespassing!
Explorations in Human Territoriality. San
Fransciso: Chandler and Sharp Publishers Inc.
• Devito, J.A. (2001). The Interpersonal Communication
Book. Addison Wesley
Longman, Inc.
• Jimenz, A.C. (2003, March). On space as a
capacity.
Journal of the Royal
Anthropological Institute, 9(1),
137-154.
• http://www.members.aol.com/doder1/proxemi1.htm
•DeSantis, A. (2001). Communications 101, (2nd
Edition).Boston, MA: Pearson Custom Publishing.
•DeVito, J.A. (2001). The Interpersonal Communication
Book, (9th Edition). New York: Longman.
•Jaworski,A. (1993). The Power of Silence: Social and
Pragmatic Perspectives. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.