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Chapter 3: Communicating Nonverbally
Chapter Objectives and Integrator Guide
After reading and thinking about this chapter, students should be able to:
Objective
Resources
1. Define nonverbal
communication.
Key Terms: Nonverbal
communication.
In the Text:
Page Reference: page 44
Study Question 1 (p. 57)
IM Resources:
Discussion Starter 1: The Power of Nonverbal Communication
Activity 3.1: Nonverbal Rules
2. Explain the relationship
between verbal and
nonverbal communication.
Key Terms: Repetition, emphasis,
complementing, contradiction,
substitution, and regulation.
In the Text:
Page Reference: pages 44-45
Table 3.1: Relationships Between Nonverbal and Verbal Cues
Study Question 2 (p. 57)
IM Resources:
Discussion Starter 2: Contradicting Verbal and Nonverbal
Messages
Activity 3.2: Violating Nonverbal Rules
Mini Prezi: Relationships Between Nonverbal and Verbal
Communication (http://tinyurl.com/mhzalaz)
3. Define and describe the
seven nonverbal codes:
bodily movement and facial
expression, physical
attractiveness, space, time,
touch, vocal cues, and
clothing and other artifacts.
Key Terms: Nonverbal codes,
space, intimate distance, personal
features, vocal cues, pitch, rate,
inflection, volume, quality, nonword
sounds, pronunciation, articulation,
artifacts.
In the Text:
Page Reference: pages 45-54
Table 3.2: Categories of Movement Based on Functions,
Origins, and Meanings.
Connecting Globally: Privacy and National Security in the
Global Village (p. 48)
Figure 3.1: The Four Distances
Table 3.3: Vocal Cues.
Challenge Yourself: What should I know about body language,
clothing, and accessories, so I don’t make a fool of myself
Study Question 3 (p. 57)
Activity 3.4: Ambiguous Dialogue
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4. Explain why nonverbal codes
are difficult to interpret.
In the Text:
Page Reference: page 54
Study Question 4 (p. 57)
IM Resources:
Discussion Starter 4: Nonverbal Codes Communicate Several
Meanings
Activity 3.5: Nonverbal Observations
5. Explain how you can improve
your nonverbal
communication.
Key Terms: Context.
In the Text:
Page Reference: pages 55-56
Skill Builder: Learn to Improve your Nonverbal Sensitivity (p.
55)
Study Question 5 (p. 57)
IM Resources:
Discussion Starter 5: Nonverbal Communication in the
Mediated Context
Activity 3.6: “Reading” Nonverbal Cues
Activity 3.7: Nonverbal Meeting
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Chapter Outline
I. What Is Nonverbal Communication?
A. Nonverbal communication is the process of using wordless messages to
generate meaning.
II. How Are Verbal and Nonverbal Communication Related?
A. Both verbal and nonverbal interactions are essential for effective
communication.
B. Nonverbal and verbal communication works in conjunction for…
i. Repeating messages: Repetition occurs when the same message
is sent verbally and nonverbally, like looking confused and asking
for help.
ii. Emphasizing messages: Emphasis occurs when we use nonverbal
cues to strengthen a message, like when you touch a friend’s arm
when telling them you are available for support during a time of
difficult adjustment.
iii. Complementing messages: Complementing goes beyond
duplication of the message in two channels, the verbal and
nonverbal codes add meaning to each other and expand the
meaning of either message alone.
III. What Are Nonverbal Codes?
Nonverbal codes are nonword symbols, gestures, or vocalizations that
communicate meaning.
A. Bodily Movement and Facial Expressions
i. Kinesics is the way we interpret nonverbal behavior related to
movement, such as body language and facial expressions.
ii. These types of nonverbal codes can be used to convey liking,
status, and responsiveness.
1. Liking is expressed by forward leaning, a direct body
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iii. Categories of movement organized by functions or meanings.
2. Illustrators: nonverbal movements that accompany or
reinforce verbal messages.
4. Regulators: nonverbal movements that control the flow or
pace of communication.
5. Adaptors: nonverbal movements that you might perform fully
in privacy but only partially in public.
B. Physical Attractiveness: generally, people who are physically attractive are
privileged over those who are not. The bias is stronger for women than
men. Physical attractiveness affects both credibility and the ability to
persuade others.
C. Space: Proxemics is the study of the human use of space and distance.
i. Territoriality refers to your need to establish and maintain certain
spaces as your own.
ii. Personal space: is the distance you maintain between yourself and
others; the amount of space you claim as your own.
iii. Intimate distance: extends from your body outward to 18 inches; it
is used by people who are relationally close.
iv. Personal distance: ranges from 18 inches to 4 feet, and it is the
distance most Americans use for conversation and other
nonintimate exchanges.
D. Time: Chronemics refers to the way people organize, relate to, and use
time and the messages that result.
E. Touch: Tactile communication, also known as haptics, is the use of touch
in communication. Women value touch and are touched more than men
are.
F. Vocal Cues
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ii. Vocal cues: all of the oral aspects of sound except words
themselves.
G. Clothing and Other Artifacts
i. Objectics or object language refers to the study of the human use
of clothing and other artifacts as nonverbal codes.
IV. Why Are Nonverbal Codes Difficult to Interpret?
A. One code communicates a variety of meanings
B. A variety of codes communicate the same meaning
V. How Can You Improve Your Nonverbal Communication?
A. Context: pay attention to how the occasion, the setting, and the situation
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Discussion Starters
1. The Power of Nonverbal Communication: Consider a time when the nonverbal
2. Contradicting Verbal and Nonverbal Messages: It can be very frustrating when
what people say does not match up with the nonverbal messages being conveyed at
the same time. Can you think of an example when someone’s nonverbal messages
3. Artifacts Convey Meaning: Think about your own place of residence now or the
home that you grew up in. How might the artifacts help others who do not know you
extract important information about either you or your family? What immediate
things would someone observe if they walked into your home? What might they
convey about you or your family? Share your reflections with the class. For
4. Nonverbal Codes Communicate Several Meanings: Identify a nonverbal code
that you use that might be interpreted differently by someone else. How is your use
of the nonverbal code related to the relationship that you have with the person?
5. Nonverbal Communication in the Mediated Context: The context of interaction
often helps us interpret nonverbal communication. For example, a hug between
close friends at lunch would be interpreted differently than a hug between a boss
and employee at work. One context that makes nonverbal communication difficult is
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Activities
ACTIVITY 3.1 NONVERBAL RULES
Purpose: Students should be able to identify rules or norms that govern our nonverbal
Procedure: Divide the students into groups of three or four. Instruct the students to
write at least three rules for nonverbal behavior for each of the nonverbal areas
discussed in the text: artifact cues, vocal cues, kinesics, space, and touch. The groups
should then share their lists with the class. It may be helpful to offer several examples of
nonverbal rules to the class, such as:
2. When talking in a room with other people, lower your voice.
4. Wear black or dark colors at funerals, white or bright colors at weddings.
5. Raise your hand for permission to speak in class.
After the groups have shared their lists, have the students relate the rules to the
principles of nonverbal communication. For example, we move to the corners of the
elevator because we wish to maintain a social distance from strangers. The discussion
should also examine the ways in which we learn the rules of nonverbal communication.
Point out the influence of culture, mass media, family background, and peer pressure.
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ACTIVITY 3.2 VIOLATING NONVERBAL RULES
Purpose: Students should be able to demonstrate the effect of violating nonverbal
norms; to explain the reasons for other people’s responses to nonverbal behavior that
breaks the rules; and to discuss their personal reaction to the violation of nonverbal
rules.
Procedure: Divide the students into groups of three or four. Tell the groups to go
somewhere on campus where there are other students (for example, the student union,
library, central campus, and dormitories) and violate some of the nonverbal rules. At
causes and effects of the observed reactions. The students should also identify their
personal feelings and behavior as they attempted to break the rules. Normally, the
students disclose that they felt as uncomfortable breaking the nonverbal rules as did the
persons who were the subjects of the experiment.
ACTIVITY 3.3 NONVERBAL QUICKIES
Purpose: Students should be able to describe the feelings, emotions, and behavior that
result from engaging in unaccustomed nonverbal behavior and discuss the ways in
which they normally behave in each of the areas of nonverbal behavior.
Space: As you discuss personal space, walk around the room, and stand as close as
possible to the students. You may even kneel beside one or two students to illustrate
the meaning of vertical space. Then divide the students into groups of three or four.
Have them discuss a topic of their choice as they experiment with different spatial
Movement: In groups of four, the students should play emotional charades. Pass out
notecards or pieces of paper with names of emotions printed on them. A sample list of
emotions might include:
disgust depression boredom sadness
fear happiness silliness nervousness
Touch: Have the students sit or stand close to each other in groups of two. They should
discuss any topic they choose for five minutes, during which they should touch each
other at least twice. (You might leave the room during this activity so that the students
on their behavior.
Vocal Cues: Using a nonsense poem (for example, “Jabberwocky,” by Louis Carroll) or
a list of unrelated words (dog, run, hunter, mother, find, baseball, dumb, angry, mangle,
rich), illustrate the influence of vocal cues on understanding. Have the students read the
Debriefing: After each of these five- to ten-minute activities, the students should be
able to identify specific nonverbal behavior and discuss how it affects meaning. The
discussion should focus on the students’ personal reactions to the nonverbal behavior
This activity is designed to illustrate the basic areas of nonverbal communication:
space, movement, touch, objects, and vocal cues. The students should become aware
of the importance of nonverbal behavior on communication and should more fully
understand their own nonverbal behavior. This activity establishes a foundation from
which to examine delivery and relates well to the study of self and self-disclosure.
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ACTIVITY 3.4 AMBIGUOUS DIALOGUE
Purpose: Students should be able to demonstrate the ability to create meaning through
paralinguistic features; to describe vocal behavior that adds to the meaning of words;
and to discuss the effect of paralinguistic features on the meaning of messages.
Procedure: Divide the students into groups of two: one male and one female. Provide
each student with copies of the following dialogue and list of situations:
Dialogue:
2. “Hello.”
2. “Well, what?”
1. “How is everything?”
2. “Just about as usual . . .”
2. “But you have; of course, I could say the same to you.”
1. “Are you going to be busy from now until dinner?”
1. “Wouldn’t you like to talk to me for a while?”
2. “I might. For a while anyway.”
2. “Fine.”‘
Situations: The first person mentioned is No. 1; the second person is No. 2.
A. Spy waiting to meet a contact; neither is certain that the other is the right person.
B. Two people who are angry at each other.
C. Man attempting to ask out a woman in the park. Woman is not attracted.
D. Two people who recognize each other, but neither is sure who the other is.
E. Sick person in the hospital who knows he or she is going to die. Friend arrives to
cheer the person up.
F. Woman at a bar trying to get a shy man to buy her dinner.
Give each six pairs of students a piece of paper on which is written one of the situations
described. Each pair should take a few minutes to prepare a dialogue and should then
read the dialogue to the class. The rest of the class should try to guess which situation
the pair is enacting. After each reading, class members should identify the vocal cues
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Debriefing: The students should identify specific rates, inflections, pitches, volumes,
pauses, vocal qualities, and enunciations that conveyed meaning and emotion during
the enactments of the situations. A tape recorder, replayed during discussion, can verify
the perceptions of the observers. Students should also discuss the relative importance
of each type of vocal cue in conveying different emotions and ideas.
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ACTIVITY 3.5 NONVERBAL OBSERVATIONS
Purpose: Students should be able to recognize the nonverbal behavior that they exhibit
in the classroom; to observe another person’s specific nonverbal behavior; and to
explain the relationship between descriptive and subjective interpretations of nonverbal
behavior.
Procedure: Write the name of each student on a separate slip of paper and put all of
the names into a box. Have each student draw a name. If a student draws his or her
own name, allow the student to draw again. The students are to observe the person
After the students have shared their observations with each other, they should discuss
their reactions to the exercise. The initial discussion should focus on the accuracy of the
observations. The students should examine the observations made of them in terms of
their knowledge of their own behavior. Specifically, were you aware that you were
behaving in the way another observed? How did your behavior compare with the
observations you made of your classmates? The students should also discuss whether
the observations were descriptive or inferential. How often was the behavior described
evaluatively, as correct or appropriate, for example?
Debriefing: This activity focuses on unconscious nonverbal communication. Ideally, the
discussion should enable students to recognize their own nonverbal behavior from
subjective and evaluative inferences. This activity also relates to the value of empathy
and active listening and critical listening. After completing this exercise, the students
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ACTIVITY 3.6 “READING” NONVERBAL CUES
Purpose: Students should be able to interpret nonverbal cues; to identify differences in
how others interpret the same cues; and to discuss the similarities and differences.
Procedure: Show students pictures that depict differing emotions. Have each student
write down what he or she believes the person in the picture is feeling and how they felt
ACTIVITY 3.7 NONVERBAL MEETING
Purpose: Students should be able to identify the rules or norms that govern our
nonverbal behavior; to determine that we have more shared meanings for particular
nonverbal cues with individuals with whom we have relationships; and to be able to
discuss the role of nonverbal cues in their interpersonal communication.
Procedure: Ask students to engage in the following three behaviors:
1. Spend thirty minutes with a good friend, spouse, or child without using any written or
2. Spend fifteen minutes with an acquaintance without using any words. Again,
communicate only nonverbal cues.
3. Spend ten minutes with a person you have spoken to before, but restrict your
communication to nonverbal cues.
Ask students to discuss their reactions and conclusions. You might use the following
questions to guide a discussion: Did you find that communicating nonverbally was
easier or more difficult than you predicted? Did you find it easier to communicate
nonverbally with someone you knew well or with a relative stranger? Why? Do you think
the other person understood the message you were trying to communicate nonverbally?
Do you believe that communications would have been hindered or helped if you could
also have used words? How?
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Mini Prezi RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN NONVERBAL AND VERBAL
COMMUNICATION
Objective: Students should be able to articulate examples reflecting the six ways that
nonverbal and verbal communication work together.
Procedure: The mini prezi presentation can be accessed through the following website
link (http://tinyurl.com/mhzalaz). Listed below is possible presentation information can
be used to explain each click through the presentation.
Presentation Script Information:
Looks 1, 2, and 3: Intro and Repeat
• We rely on nonverbal communication to expand our verbal communication capabilities in several
ways. There are six main ways that verbal and nonverbal communication are related.
Looks 4, 5, and 4: Emphasize
• Nonverbal communication can also be used to emphasize verbal messages. [click].
• Emphasis occurs [click] when nonverbal cues are used to strengthen a message. [click]
• Consider [click] the speaker who shakes her finger at an opportune time during a speech to create
greater impact or [click] the business man who raises a clinched fist and talks about how happy he is
to have met a quarterly goal
Looks 7, 8, and 9: Complement
• Nonverbal communication can also be used to complement verbal messages. [click]
• This occurs [click] when the verbal and nonverbal codes add meaning to each other and expand the
meaning of either message alone. [click]
Looks 10, 11, and 12: Contradict
• Nonverbal communication can be used to contradict verbal messages. [click]
• Contradiction occurs [click] when verbal and nonverbal messages conflict. [click]
• Consider the friend who talks like she is interested in a cell phone conversation with one friend but
communicates nonverbally to another friend in the room that she is bored out of her mind, [click] or
the friends who say they want to resolve a difference, but do not look at each other and have very
closed and tight postures when interacting. [click]
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Looks 13, 14, and 15: Substitute
• Nonverbal communication can be used to substitute for verbal messages. [click]
• Substitution occurs [click] when nonverbal codes are used in place of verbal codes. [click]
Looks 16, 17, 18, and 19: Regulate and Conclusion
• Finally, nonverbal communication can be used to regulate verbal messages. [click]
• Regulation occurs [click] when nonverbal codes are used to monitor and control interactions with
others.
• [click] Consider the man who puts his hand up when another coworker walks into his office to talk to
him while he is on the phone; [click] the woman who avoids eye contact and quickens her pace to
Debriefing: After reviewing these examples together in class, you might break students
up into pairs and ask them to come up with their own unique examples of a situation
reflecting each of the six types of ways that verbal and nonverbal communication work
together. Then, you might have them consider an issue or two that might be related to
each way that the two types of messages work together.