Communications Chapter 4 Homework Types Nonverbal Communication Environment Environments Have Considerable Impact How People Communicate Environment

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Duck, Communication in Everyday Life: The Basic Course Edition With Public Speaking, 3e

SAGE Publishing, 2021

Lecture Notes

Chapter 4: Nonverbal Communication

Learning Objectives

1. Explain common misconceptions about nonverbal communication.

4. Identify common types of nonverbal communication.

Annotated Chapter Outline

I. Introduction

A. Nonverbal communication: Any symbolic activity other than the use of language.

B. Nonverbal communication has many associated functions.

i. It regulates our everyday interactions.

C. The absence of nonverbal communication has been proven to give rise to difficulties

in human interactions.

D. This chapter discusses the misconceptions, functions and types of nonverbal

communication.

II. Misconceptions about Nonverbal Communication

A. Misconception 1: 93% of Meaning Comes From Nonverbal Communication

i. This statement is usually provided by instructors and textbook authors to convey

ii. This misconception arose out of the findings of an experiment conducted by

Albert Mehrabian way back in 1967.

Instructor Resource

Duck, Communication in Everyday Life: The Basic Course Edition With Public Speaking, 3e

SAGE Publishing, 2021

iii. His experimental inference was that only 7% of meaning came from the spoken

word.

iv. The main problem with Mehrabian’s experiment was that it consisted only of

B. Misconception 2: Some Nonverbal Communication Is Universally Understood

i. While some nonverbal symbols may be universally recognized (such as the

ii. Cultural differences also influence meanings of nonverbal communication.

C. Misconception 3: Deception Can Be Accurately Detected Through Nonverbal

Communication

i. Can lead to distractions. Sometimes, people are so focused on attempting to spot a

D. Misconception 4: People Read Nonverbal Communication

i. The expression “reading people like a book” will always make us feel better about

our ability to understand another person.

ii. Many exploit this misconception for personal profits.

III. What Is Nonverbal Communication?

A. Nonverbal communication shares some common characteristics with verbal

B. Symbolic

i. Fundamental difference is that verbal communication makes use of language,

which is not true of nonverbal communication.

C. Decoding and Encoding

D. Dynamic and Static

Instructor Resource

Duck, Communication in Everyday Life: The Basic Course Edition With Public Speaking, 3e

SAGE Publishing, 2021

i. Nonverbal communication is both changeable and unchangeable.

ii. Dynamic: Elements of nonverbal communication that are changeable during

E. Guided by Rules

i. Nonverbal communication, just like its verbal partner, is guided by rules that

ii. The rules of nonverbal communication, as opposed to those of verbal

communication, are learned indirectly, primarily through interactions with others.

F. Cultural

i. Meanings assigned to nonverbal symbols depend on their cultural

appropriateness.

ii. Appropriateness varies from one culture to another.

G. Personal

i. Just as in verbal communication, we tend to develop our own personal meanings

H. Multichanneled

i. Similar to verbal communication, there are many different types of nonverbal

communication.

ii. Multiple types used at the same time.

iii. Different types used in different combinations.

I. Ambiguous

i. The same nonverbal symbols and behavior can mean a lot of different things.

J. Less Controlled

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Duck, Communication in Everyday Life: The Basic Course Edition With Public Speaking, 3e

SAGE Publishing, 2021

i. We are less in control of nonverbal communication than we are of our verbal

ii. We are not always fully aware of nonverbal communication

iii. Leakage of internal feelings makes nonverbal communication generally more

believable.

iv. Leakage: Unintentional betrayal of internal feelings through nonverbal

communication.

K. Continuous

i. Unlike verbal communication, nonverbal communication is a continuous and

IV. The Functions of Nonverbal Communication

A. Nonverbal communication serves different functions in everyday life.

B. Interconnects With Verbal Communication

i. Our interpretations of verbal meanings are often framed by accompanying

nonverbal symbols.

ii. Nonverbal communication helps to reiterate verbal messages.

C. Regulates Interactions

i. Verbal communication is usually regulated through the use of nonverbal symbols.

ii. Nonverbal communication indicates whether a verbal communication may be

started or not.

D. Identifies Individuals

i. Nonverbal communication aids in identifying specific individuals based on facial

expressions and other physical cues.

ii. Clothing also helps in identification.

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E. Transmits Emotional Information

i. Nonverbal communications helps in conveying three types of emotional

information.

a. Attitude toward the Other.

F. Conveys Relational Meaning and Information

i. Nonverbal communication plays a crucial role in interpersonal relationships by

conveying relational meaning and information.

V. Types of Nonverbal Communication

A. Environment

i. Environments have a considerable impact on how people communicate.

ii. Environment: The natural or human-made surroundings in which

communication takes place.

iv. Perceptions of Environment

a. Formality

1. The extent to which an environment is perceived as formal or informal.

b. Warmth

1. The extent to which an environment is perceived as welcoming, inviting,

c. Privacy

1. The extent to which an environment is perceived as secluded.

d. Familiarity

1. The extent to which an environment is perceived as known.

e. Constraint

1. The extent to which an environment is perceived as restricting movement.

f. Distance

1. The extent to which an environment is perceived as enabling a person to

2. Distance has a considerable bearing on how people behave.

B. Proxemics

i. Proxemics: The study of space and distance in communication.

ii. Conveys messages about control, acceptance, and relationships.

iii. Territoriality

a. Territoriality: The establishment and maintenance of space that people claim

for their personal use.

b. Irwin Altman has distinguished three different types of territory.

3. Public territory is space open to everyone but available for your sole

temporary occupancy once established as such.

4. Cultural variations exist in the use of such territories.

iv. Territoriality and Relationships

a. The nature of use of a territory is an indicator of relationships.

C. Personal Space and Distance

i. People usually carry preconceived notions of space during an interaction.

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ii. Factors such as social status, sex and personal likes and dislikes dictate this notion

of space.

iii. Personal space: Space legitimately claimed or occupied by a person for the time

iv. Body buffer zone: A kind of imaginary aura around you that you regard as part

of yourself and your personal space.

v. E.T. Hall, a pioneer in personal space research identified four types of distance.

a. Intimate distance

b. Personal distance

vi. There is a fifth type of distance, which is cultural distance, not specified in Hall’s

research.

vii. Space, Distance, and Relationships

a. The meaning and use of space and distance are framed by interpersonal

D. Kinesics

i. Kinesics: The study of movements of the face and body that take place during an

interaction.

ii. Categories of Kinesic Behavior: Paul Ekman and Wallace Friesen identified five

types of kinesic behavior.

a. Emblems: Nonverbal face and body movement represent feelings or ideas not

necessarily being expressed verbally.

e. Adaptors: Nonverbal behaviors used to satisfy personal needs.

E. Facial Expression

i. Our faces convey emotional information to others, sometimes naturally, or

through modifications depending on the situation.

ii. Paul Ekman and Wallace Friesen identified four types official management.

a. Deintensification: A form of facial management in which the intensity of an

emotional display is lessened.

F. Physical Appearance and Artifacts

i. Physical appearance: Physical characteristics of one’s face and body.

ii. Artifacts: Physical adornments or accessories in one’s possession which are

G. Eye Contact and Gaze

i. Eye contact: Extent to which someone looks directly into the eyes of another

person.

H. Vocalics

i. Vocalics (paralanguage): Vocal characteristics that provide information about

how verbal communication should be interpreted, about how the speaker is

feeling; it even provides basic information about a person.

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iii. Rate (of speech): How fast or slowly a person speaks, generally determined by

vi. Vocalics and Relationships

a. Howard Giles has demonstrated how people use vocalics to indicate

I. Chronemics

i. Chronemics: The study of use and evaluation of time in interactions.

ii. It is the presence of chronemics in nonverbal communications that influences our

J. Haptics

i. Haptics: The study of the specific nonverbal behaviors involving touch.