CHAPTER FIVE: MANAGING NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION IN
THE
WORKPLACE
Objectives
Assess nonverbal functions
Create more effective understanding between you and another employee
Organize meetings for improving attitudes of liking and similarity
Clarify uncertainty of nonverbal cues with people and enhance meanings
Practice improved message interpretation
Develop skills that will add clarity and enhance your verbal communication
Key Words
Nonverbal communication, rules, functions, personal and organizational space, body movement,
touch, vocal characteristics, timing, objects, nonverbal behaviors in the workplace
Chapter Teaching Notes
I. Definition of Nonverbal Communication
A. Communication without words Remland
B. Definitions suggest a number of complexities
II. Why Nonverbal Communication is Important in the Workplace
A. It conveys meaning – Anywhere from 65-93% of the meaning of a message lies in the
nonverbal aspect Mehrabian
B. It reflects the unspoken – Nonverbal behaviors can true feelings
III. Functions and Rules of Nonverbal Communication
A. The functions: complete, contradict, regulate, substitute
B. The rules of nonverbal communication: rule governed, although the rules are not necessarily
written dependent on cultural and social context
IV. Elements of nonverbal communication
A. Space
2. Fixed and semi-fixed space
3. Other space issues
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B. Kinesics and gestures the study of body movement
1. Gesture types:
a. Emblems have a direct verbal counterpart and can take its
place
b. Illustrators – are gestures that complement the spoken word
2. Posture reveals:
a. Relationships and status
b. Gender differences and emotional state
3. Facial expression characterized by culture, gender, and age
C. Facial and eye movement – Oculesics
1. The study of eye behavior
2. Eye movement
a. Culture, gender, and age
b. Conveys interest
c. Regulates conversation
d. Establishes credibility
D. Touch Haptics: the study of touch as used to communicate
1. What are the touch norms at your university or college?
2. How do you express emotions through touch?
3. How is touch used in a business and professional context?
E. Vocal Characteristics Vocalics: the study of the use of the voice
2. Helps interpret oral communication
F. Time Communicates Chronemics: the study of time usage in communication
5. How we treat others
6. How we prioritize
G. Objectics- the study of how objects influence communication
IV. Nonverbal Communication in the Workplace
A. Actions sell louder than words!
B. Important nonverbal behaviors in sales contexts – Rosenthal:
2. Eye contact and smiling
4. Using the voice effectively
6. Nod your head
8. Stop taking and listen
9. Pace toward and
Case Study
The Case of the Lying Coworker
What do you believe: a co-worker s words or your of what the co-working means? What
leads you to that in the following scene? Is there a role of nonverbal communication in
this situation?
You enter your office after a meeting to leave your notes on your desk before going to
lunch. Your co-worker is sitting with her head in her hands as you walk by the office. You visit
briefly about the meeting and then leave. Your co-worker says something about how the day is
going OK and mentions she is feeling fine. But as you leave, you feel the whole truth is
not
coming
out. She said she felt fine, and the conversation seemed pleasant. But you feel differently.
Later you may find that she was feeling distress because of falling market sales and you learn
about some family problems.
The cognitive content of this encounter consists of what was said openly by the
interactants. The affective content is the conveyance of feeling. This communication is done
primarily through nonverbal behavior. How would you assess yourself in this situation? Would
you correctly the distressed condition? What would you say or do?
Class Exercises
1. Objective: Facilitate and understanding of what constitutes nonverbal communication.
Time: 20 minutes (broken into two class periods)
Directions: Before discussing the chapter, have students make a list of all of the behaviors
that they consider part of nonverbal communication. After discussion of the material, ask
them to go back and reevaluate their lists. Which components of nonverbal did they not
originally have on their list? Why not? Did they list anything that is not a part of nonverbal
communication? Why might this be?
2. Objective: Grasp the functions of nonverbal communication more clearly.
Time: 35 minutes
Directions: Pick a scene of a movie (perhaps a business or organizational setting) in which
there is a conversation going on between 2-5 people. Ask students to raise their hands
and
note
every time they see an actor using nonverbal behaviors to complement, contradict,
3. Objective: Increase comprehension of the impact of nonverbal rules on society.
Time: 30 minutes outside of class, 15 minutes in class
Directions: Ask students to do this project before they come to class the next time. Have each
student pick a nonverbal to break. Then have them experiment with both a female and
a male friend. They can do things such as invade personal space by standing too close while
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4. Objective: Create a link between proxemics theory and every day experiences.
Time: 60-80 minutes outside of class, 30 minutes in class
Directions: Have students research proxemics in relation to merchandizing. After this, ask
them to evaluate a section of their local grocery store. What messages does the store send
through the placement of products, aisles, etc? Lead a class discussion about the findings.
5. Objective: Create a link between oculesics theory and everyday experiences.
Time: 60 minutes outside of class, 20 minutes in class
Directions: Retry an experiment mentioned in the textbook. Have students go out in groups.
When students are stopped at a stoplight (best done in a busy, safe area of town), have them
6. Objective: Create a link between haptics theory and every day experiences.
Time: 45 minutes out of class, 60 minutes in class
Directions: Ask students to retrieve two articles each from communication journals relating to
infant touch studies and ask them to write a short summary of them. Have them discuss the
articles in groups. Afterwards, have each group present a short presentation on two aspects of
the studies that they found the most interesting. Do they agree with the findings?
7. Objective: Create a link between vocalics and every day experiences.
Time: 15 minutes
Directions: Have students say one phrase as many different ways as they can think of by
8. Objective: Create a link between chronemics and every day experiences.
Time: 20 minutes
Directions: Ask students to outline what they did with their time yesterday. What did they
spend most of their time accomplishing? What might this schedule convey to other people?
9. Objective: Facilitate understanding of appropriate sales interview introductions.
Time: 25 minutes
Directions: After discussing the importance of the initial greeting in a sales interview, ask
students to role-play. Have each student greet each other appropriately. Discuss appropriate
handshaking methods and greetings. Are the students comfortable with this?
10. Objective: Nonverbal role-play. Create knowledge of how nonverbal behaviors create
meaning. (Worksheet available)
Time: 30 minutes
Directions: Divide students into pairs in order to role-play. Give each student a piece of paper
with directions for what they are to do.
a. In the first situation, student A is to talk to about what they did yesterday and
how they felt about their day. During this time, student B is to listen to student A,
but they ARE NOT to give any kind of nonverbal feedback no head nodding,
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c. In the third situation, B is to talk about his/her major and what this person plans
Afterwards, discuss how each student felt. Discuss the nonverbal behaviors of each
participant and how each person affected the conversation.
Discussion Questions
1. How would you define nonverbal communication? Does a nonverbal message need to be
consciously sent and/or consciously received in order to be considered communication?
2. Discuss Albert belief that as much as 93% of the emotion and meaning of a
message is in the nonverbal behaviors not the verbal. Do you agree? Why or why not?
3. When was the last time that you noticed How did you know that the
nonverbal and the verbal messages did not match? Which behavior did you first notice
seemed incorrect the verbal message or the nonverbal message?
4. If nonverbal rules are not written down like verbal rules, how do people know how to
act? Ask the class how many people they think will take a class on nonverbal
communication. How many do they think will take a class on verbal communication?
5. Has anyone in the class visited another country or had contact with someone of a
different culture in which the personal space zones were different? How did they differ?
How did the difference make you feel? How did you react?
6. Ask students to evaluate the seating arrangement of their classroom. What does it say
about the situation? How might it be changed in order to send different messages? What
about seating arrangements in the workplace what messages do they send?
7. Ask students to freeze just how they are sitting. What does their posture (and facial
expression) right now convey to the teacher? What is the teacher s posture conveying to
the class?
8. Can you think of any gestures that mean different things in different cultures? What are
some gestures that should not be used in other cultures? (The gesture in North
9. What kind of eye contact do you generally use? Do you stare at the ground, look around
at other people while you talk, stare into the eyes of others? What might people construe
about you from your eye behavior?
10. What touch expectations do you have of the person next to you? The teacher? Your
parents? Your roommates? Does everyone agree in the room as to the touch roles of all
these people? What could be the consequences of people having different expectations of
these roles?
11. How do vocal characteristics convey meaning?
12. How do you view time? How might your use of time relate to other s uses of time? Can
you think of a recent situation in which you and another person s views clashed?
13. Evaluate the objects of the person sitting next to you. Discuss honestly with that person
the messages that you feel they are trying to send. Are they accurate? Would these
14. Why is providing nonverbal feedback important in interactions?