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Chapter 5
Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2008
1
What is nonverbal
communication?
“He that has eyes to see and ears to hear
may convince himself that no mortal can
keep a secret.
If his lips are silent, he chatters with his finger
tips; betrayal oozes out of him at every pore.”
--Freud
Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2008
2
Nonverbal Communication
Behaviors, attributes, or objects (except
words) that communicate messages that
have social meaning.
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3
What is the relationship
between
verbal and nonverbal
communication?
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Agree or Disagree?
 Knapp and Hall found that most people
rely more on nonverbal messages.
 Nonverbal behaviors are 12-13 times more
powerful in impact compared to the
accompanying verbal message.
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What are the characteristics of
nonverbal communication?
 Occurs constantly
 Depends on context
 More believable than verbal
 A primary means of expression
 Related to culture
 Ambiguous
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So, why study
nonverbal
communication?
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Functions of Nonverbal
Communication
 Complementing verbal behavior
 Repeating verbal behavior
 Regulating verbal behavior
 Substituting for verbal behavior
 Deceiving
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Telling the Truth
 Why is it or isn’t it ethical to make
assumptions about other’s truthfulness
based on nonverbals?
 What can we do to prevent premature
judgment about the truthfulness of other’s
nonverbal messages?
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Types of Nonverbal Communication
 Facial expression, body movement
 Physical characteristics
 Touch
 Space
 Time
 Paralanguage
 Silence
 Smell
 Artifacts
 Environment
Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2008
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Eye Behavior - Oculesics
 45% of interaction time looking at eyes
 We establish relationships with our
eyes
 Eye behavior:
 influences attitude change and persuasion
 indicates degree of interest
 expresses emotions
 regulates interaction
 indicates power and status
 forms impressions in others
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Facial Expressions
Facial management
techniques
 Intensifying
 Deintensifying
 Neutralizing
 Masking
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Body Movements
 Emblems
 Illustrators
 Regulators
 Affect displays
 Adaptors
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Physical Characteristics
Body type, attractiveness, height, weight,
hair color, skin tone
What is the role of physical appearance in
communication in our culture?
How does physical attractiveness
influence communication?
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Touch - Haptics
 Functional – professional touch
 Social – polite touch
 Friendship – warmth touch
 Love – intimacy touch
 Sexual – arousal touch
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It’s All in the Hands
 What can you learn from a handshake?
 What does it mean to give a “proper”
handshake?
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Space - Proxemics
 Proximity Zones
 Intimate: 0-18”
 Personal: 18” - 4’
 Social: 4’-12’
 Public: 12’ plus
 Territoriality
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Some thirty inches from my nose
The frontier of my Person goes
And all the untilled air between
Is private, if you know what I mean
Stranger, unless with bedroom eyes
I beckon you to fraternize
Beware of rudely crossing it:
I have no gun, but I can spit!
--Auden
Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2008
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Time - Chronemics
 Study of how people perceive, structure,
and use time as communication
 Time expectations
 Time approaches
 Looking to the future
 Living in the present
 Longing for the past
Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2008
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Paralanguage - Vocalics
 What is
paralanguage?
 Used more than the
words themselves for
interpretation of
messages
Uh .. .. .. umm . . .
Uh . . . umm
likeknow
. . . you know
like . . . you
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Silence
 What role does silence play in
communication?
 How comfortable are we with silence in
U.S. culture?
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Smell - Olfactics
Agree or Disagree?
Americans are the most smell-aversive
culture in the world.
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Artifacts
 Personal adornments or possessions that
communicate information about a person
 Clothes, perfume, makeup, eyeglasses,
hairstyles, beards, autos, etc.
 Artifacts should be consistent with and reinforce
our intended messages.
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Environment
 Psychological and physical surroundings
in which communication occurs
 Furniture, architectural design, lighting
conditions, temperature, smell, colors,
sounds of the location, and the attitudes
and perceptions of the participants
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Interpreting Nonverbal
Communication
Why do we have such difficulty interpreting
nonverbals?
 Nonverbal cues have multiple meanings
 Nonverbal cues are interdependent
 Nonverbal cues are subtle
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How do we improve our
nonverbal communication
effectiveness?
 Be observant of nonverbal messages
 Don’t jump to conclusions
 Use descriptive feedback
 Practice self-monitoring
Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2008
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Implications? So what?
 If verbal and nonverbal contradict, people
believe nonverbal: reflect and consider your
nonverbal communication
 Audience: think of what your nonverbal
communication says to the speaker
 Speaker: read your audience and adapt
 Since so much communicative meaning is
transmitted through nonverbal behaviors –
consider the implication!
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