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 •Now that looks good on
you.
the meaning
completely •Could you move any
without doing slower?
anything to the •That was some meal.
structure of •Is this the face that
it. 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, Comprehension
even when the subjects knew the levels in speeches
person was trying to sell them at 201wpm were at
something. 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.
 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 •Now that looks good on
you.
the meaning
completely •Could you move any
without doing slower?
anything to the •That was some meal.
structure of •Is this the face that
it. 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 Comprehension
objectivity. levels in speeches
191wpm – subjects agreed at 201wpm were at
most with fastest speech; about 95%,
viewed as most intelligent dropping only
and objective, even when slightly to 90%
the subjects knew the when upped to
 …Silence…
The Functions of Silence
Your Silence
communicates just as
intensely as anything
you verbalize.(Jaworski
1993)

•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.
 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.