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Lecture Notes
Chapter 5: Nonverbal Communication
Outline and Key Terms
I. Nonverbal Communication
A. A. Nonverbal communication is any symbolic activity that communicates a
message but does not include words.
B. Nonverbal communication is used differently by different cultures.
C. Nonverbal communication is always present during face-to-face interactions and
carries messages over and above the words you speak.
D. Nonverbal communication can frame other people’s assessments of judgments of us
and our identity, status and power, and sincerity.
II. Misconceptions About Nonverbal Communication
A. Misconception One: 93% of Meaning Comes From Nonverbal
Communication
1. Nonverbal communication is important, but it is impossible to put a number on
it.
2. In some cases, more meaning comes from nonverbal communication, and in
other cases, more meaning comes from verbal communication.
B. Misconception Two: Some Nonverbal Communication Is Universally Understood
1. Some nonverbal behaviors and symbols are perhaps universally recognized, but
they do not necessarily have universal meaning in the same contexts.
2. Within and across cultures, nonverbal behaviors can have different meanings.
C. Misconception Three: Deception Can Be Accurately Detected Through Nonverbal
Communication
1. No nonverbal behavior consistently reveals deception.
2. People have nearly as good of a chance of determining deceit by simply
guessing as they would by trying to determine it by focusing on nonverbal
communication.
D. Misconception Four: People Read Nonverbal Communication
1. People do assign meaning to nonverbal communication.
2. However, because nonverbal communication does not involve language, it
cannot be read.
III. What Is Nonverbal Communication?
A. Nonverbal communication is symbolic.
1. Nonverbal and verbal communication are both symbolic.
2. Verbal communication involves using language.
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3. Nonverbal communication involves other symbolic activity.
B. Decoding and Encoding
1. Decoding is the act of assigning meaning to nonverbal symbols from
something you observe.
2. Encoding is the act of using nonverbal symbols to convey meaning—to put
your feelings and other information into behavior.
C. Dynamic and Static
1. Dynamic nonverbal communication includes those nonverbal messages that
can change during the course of the interaction (e.g., body movement, facial
expression, tone of voice, use of touch, etc.)
2. Static nonverbal communication includes those elements present during
interaction that do not change during its course (e.g., a fixed piece
of furniture in a classroom)
D. Guided by Rules
1. Nonverbal communication is guided by rules.
a. Nonverbal messages are rule guided in ways similar to language:
1) how we are to construct a nonverbal message
2) when it is appropriate to use a nonverbal message
3) how we are to interpret a nonverbal message in a given context
b. Rules guide the choice of symbols that should be used in
specific situations and with certain people.
2. Rules guiding nonverbal communication are learned indirectly and
primarily though interactions with others.
E. Cultural
1. Nonverbal communication is linked to cultural appropriateness.
a. Cultures vary on the meanings and appropriateness of nonverbal
behaviors.
b. Eye contact in United States is more direct.
c. Eye contact in other countries may be more indirect.
d. Many gestures are acceptable in some cultures but are impolite
or offensive in others.
e. Cultural differences exist in space, touch, time, and other
nonverbal behaviors.
2. There are no universally understood nonverbal behaviors.
a. Some nonverbal behaviors and symbols may be recognized
across cultures, but the meanings are not necessarily universal.
b. There may be subtle differences among different cultural
groups.
F. Personal
1. Nonverbal forms of communication can also be quite personal in nature. 2.
Individuals can be idiosyncratic in their nonverbal behaviors despite overarching
cultural norms that guide nonverbal behaviors.
G. Multichanneled
1. There are a number of channels through which nonverbal communication can
be conveyed: sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste.
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2. Multiple nonverbal messages can be received simultaneously through multiple
sensory channels.
H. Ambiguous
1. Meanings of nonverbal messages are even more ambiguous in nature than the
meanings of verbal communication.
2. Ambiguity can be advantageous (flirting).
3. Although nonverbal communication is ambiguous, meanings can still be
determined.
a. Recognizing that it occurs as part of a system
b. Recognizing that it is related to other parts of an interaction
c. Four clues to assigning meaning of nonverbal communication:
1) Verbal communication
2) Other nonverbal communication
3) Physical/situational context
4) Relationship
I. Less Controlled
1. Nonverbal communication is less controllable than verbal communication.
2. We are not always fully aware of what our nonverbal behaviors are
communicating and they sometimes reveal how you really feel or hidden
information.
3. Leakage is a betrayal of our internal feelings.
4. People are more likely to believe nonverbal over verbal messages,
especially when they are contradictory.
J. Continuous
1. Nonverbal communication is continuous and ongoing.
2. We are always communicating nonverbally through our physical
appearance.
3. When interacting face-to-face, we begin communicating before we
speak and continue to communicate after we have stopped talking.
4. We can stop communicating verbally, but not nonverbally.
IV. The Functions of Nonverbal Communication
A. Interconnects With Verbal Communication
1. Nonverbal messages are often intertwined with verbal messages and help create
meaning in a variety of ways.
a. Repeat: Nonverbal communication can repeat verbal communication.
B. b. Substitute: Nonverbal messages can substitute, or be used in
place of, verbal messages.
C. c. Emphasize: Nonverbal communication is often used to
emphasize or highlight the verbal message.
D. d. Moderate: Nonverbal communication is used to moderate
verbal communication; it essentially tempers the certainty of a verbal
message.
E. e. Contradict: Nonverbal communication can contradict verbal
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F. communication both intentionally to create sarcasm and
unintentionally.
B. Regulates Interactions
1. Nonverbal communication helps regulate interactions.
a. Nonverbal communication can indicate whether you will actually
engage in conversation.
b. Nonverbal communication assists in turn taking, which keeps
interactions flowing and helps people avoid talking over one another.
c. Nonverbal communication signals the end to an interaction.
C. Identifies Individuals
1. Physical cues such as another person’s facial appearance, muscles, beards, skin
color, breasts, and hair color can be used to identify other specific people.
2. Clothing conveys sex or gender identity, personality, favorite sports team, and
job.
3. We can also distinguish others’ scents.
a. Perfume or cologne
b. Smoker or nonsmoker
c. Drinker or nondrinker
B. D. Transmits Emotional Information
C. 1. Nonverbal communication allows us to convey three different kinds of
emotional information.
a. Attitude Toward the Other
1) Nonverbal communication conveys our attitude toward the other
person.
2) Anxiety, comfort, caring, talking inappropriately
b. Attitude Toward the Situation
1) Rapid movement and anxiety
2) Fidgeting and eye contact
c. Attitude Toward Yourself
1) Arrogance—facial expressions, tone of voice, eye contact, body
posture
2) Confidence—standing up straight, facing directly
3) Low self-esteem—slouching, staring at the ground
G. E. Relational Meaning and Understanding
H. 1. Nonverbal communication is a silent relational regulator.
2. Relationship inform everyday communication, and everyday communication
develops relationships.
3. Regulation of interactions serves to regulate issues that are relational.
a. Engagement
b. Politeness
c. Coordination of action
d. Sense of pleasure in the interaction
4. The appearance of others enables us to distinguish and make
judgments about them.
a. Appearance forms the basis of relational attraction.
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b. We are often attracted to people with facial and bodily
features similar to our own.
5. We become aware of and promote changes in our relationships based on
changes in nonverbal communication.
V. Types of Nonverbal Communication:
A. Environment
1. The environment includes natural or human-made surroundings in which
communication takes place.
2. Perceptions of Environment
a. Perceptions of an environment influence how you feel, how you behave,
and how you interact with other people.
b. There are six dimensions of environments that influence our
perceptions:
1) The formality dimension deals with the extent to which an
environment is perceived as serious and proper or relaxed and
casual.
2) The warmth dimension deals with the extent to which an
environment is perceived as welcoming, inviting, and comfortable.
3) The privacy dimension deals with the extent to which an
environment is perceived as secluded.
4) The familiarity dimension deals with the extent to which
an environment is perceived as known, which leads to comfort.
5) The constraint dimension deals with the extent to which an
environment is perceived as restricting movement.
6) The distance dimension deals with the extent to which an
environment is perceived as enabling a person to be near to or far
from another person or object.
B. Proxemics
1. Proxemics is the study of space and distance in communication.
2. The occupation of space and distance maintained conveys messages
about control, acceptance, and relationships.
3. Territoriality is the establishment and maintenance of space that you claim
for your personal use.
a. There are three types of territory:
1) Primary—space we own or control
2) Secondary—ours through repeated use
3) Public—space open to everyone but available for our sole
temporary occupancy once established as such; cultural variations
exist in the use of public territory.
b. Our use of territory can be used to indicate and perform relationships.
c. Our use of territory can also be used in the construction of leadership or
power roles.
d. People use markers to establish and announce their territory.
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1) Markers are common when using public territory that is open
and unrestricted.
2) Markers are often used to indicate privacy and control.
4. Personal Space and Distance
a. Personal space refers to the space legitimately claimed or occupied by
a person for the time being.
1) Affected by status, sex, and liking for the other person
2) Also affected by the situation
b. People have a body buffer zone, which is an imaginary aura around us
that people regard as part of themselves.
1) People differ in the size of their body buffer zone.
2) Stepping into someone’s body buffer zone is a perceived
invasion of their space and may lead to issues.
3) Friends and family can enter our zone more freely than can
others.
c. Hall’s Personal Space Distances
1) Intimate distance—contact to 18 inches
2) Personal distance—18 to 48 inches
3) Social distance—48 to 144 inches
4) Public distance—12 to 25 feet
5. Space, Distance, and Relationships
a. Meaning of space or distance is framed by our relationships with others.
b. The use of space and distance enacts relationships.
c. Space and distance allow relational negotiation to occur.
d. Space and distance guide interactions with others.
C. Kinesics
1. Kinesics refers to the movement of the face and body that takes place during an
interaction.
2. Movement of the face and body can involve
a. arm and hand movements
b. walking
c. sitting
d. standing
e. facial expression
3. Categories of Kinesic Behavior
a. Emblems are used to represent feelings or ideas not necessarily being
expressed verbally
b. Illustrators are directly related to what is being spoken and are used to
visualize or emphasize verbal communication.
c. Affect displays are used to express emotions.
d. Regulators are used to indicate to others how you want them to behave
or what you want them to do.
e. Adaptors are used to satisfy personal needs such as increasing comfort
or managing tension.
4. Facial Expression
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a. Faces convey emotional information to others.
b. Sometimes emotional displays are natural and sometimes they are
modified based on appropriateness of the situation.
c. Four types of facial management
1) Deintensification is a form of facial management in which the
intensity of an emotional display is lessened.
2) Overintensification is a form of facial management in which
the intensity of an emotional display is increased.
3) Neutralization is a form of facial management in which
displays of emotion are nonexistent or quickly erased.
4) Masking is a form of facial management in which the emotion
displayed is the opposite of that being experienced.
5. Eye Contact and Gaze
a. Eye contact is looking directly into the eyes of another.
b. Gaze is looking at another person.
1) Gaze is generally seen as positive, but some
cultures see eye contact as disrespectful.
2) Most eye contact is positive but can be seen as
negative.
3) Gaze can be seen as threatening and negative.
4) Some people decrease eye contact to cut our
negative input from others.
5) Reduces information they can gather while
listening.
6) Eye contact is used to regulate interactions.
7) Eye contact patterns go along with talk to regulate its flow
8) Look at listener when beginning and ending
sentences
9) Listener who wishes to speak may look hard at
the present speaker.
10) Listeners look at speakers more consistently
than speakers look at listeners.
11) Interaction is regulated by eye contact to manage turn
taking.
12) Eye contact may be used to end or yield a turn.
13) Eye contact may be used to request a turn.
D. Vocalics
1. Vocalics, sometimes called paralanguage, refers to vocal characteristics that
indicate how verbal communication should be interpreted or how one is feeling.
a. Pitch refers to the highness or lowness of the voice.
1) The frequency of sound waves
2) Higher pitches produce more sound waves than lower
pitches.
3) We often use pitch changes for emphasis.
b. Rate refers to how fast or slow we speak.
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1) We average around 150 words per minute.
2) Differences exist among individuals.
3) When relaxed, speech rate tends to be lively and
fluent.
4) When stressed, speech rate may be hesitant or
uneven.
c. Volume refers to the loudness or softness of the voice.
1) Some people speak naturally louder than others.
2) Volume changes can add emphasis or convey
emotional feeling.
d. Silence is the meaningful lack of sound.
1) The acceptance of silence is based on culture, context, and
relational factors.
2) Silence is often uncomfortable.
3) Silence can indicate embarrassment, anxiety, or lack of
preparation.
4) Can also indicate shyness, confusion, or disrespect.
5) Can also indicate anger or frustration.
6) Can also indicate relational comfort.
2. Vocalics and Relationships
a. People can indicate their membership in a particular group by the way
they use vocalic nonverbal behavior.
b. When people want to maintain a distance from the person they are
talking to, they will diverge, or hang on to differences in vocal
characteristics.
c. When people want to become closer to another person, they will tend to
converge, or match their way of talking to the other person’s.
E. Chronemics
1. Chronemics encompasses the use and evaluation of time, including
the location of events in time.
a. Also includes the duration of events
b. Cultural differences in attitudes toward time exist.
1) Timely completion of tasks over attention to relationships,
respect, or status
2) Others reverse priorities
F. Haptics
1. Haptics is the study of the specific nonverbal behaviors involving touch.
a. Touch is used as a greeting to begin an interaction.
b. Touch is used in ceremonies.
c. Different cultures have different frequencies of touch.
d. Touch has many different functions:
1) Functional-professional: touch behaviors permitted by a
particular context (e.g., a hair stylist washing your hair)
2) Social-polite: formal uses of touch (e.g., a handshake)
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3) Friendship-warmth: touch that shows positive regard (e.g., a
hug)
4) Love-intimacy: touch that is special and permitted only under
certain circumstances (e.g., a kiss)
e. Touch is associated with many different meanings:
1) Positive affect: conveys support, appreciation, inclusion, sexual
attraction, and affection
2) Playful: involves playful affection or playful aggression
3) Control: used to gain compliance, gain attention, or invoke a
response from someone
4) Ritualistic: used when greeting someone or when departing
from someone
5) Hybrid: used when greeting someone or when departing from
someone, while also expressing affections
6) Task-related: used to get something done, often in the process of
providing a service
7) Accidental: unintended and potentially meaningless