Chapter 6
Nonverbal Communication
CHAPTER OUTCOMES
• Understand the definition of nonverbal communication
• Learn how to use the different types of nonverbal communication
CHAPTER OUTLINE
CHARACTERISTICS OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION
Although the words you choose are important, your nonverbal communication has more
impact because it conveys more meaning. Thus, you should think of your nonverbal
communication as the most important tool in your communication competence toolbox. The
starting point for using this tool skillfully is understanding the characteristics that define it.
• Nonverbal communication is the transmission of meaning through an individual’s
nonspoken physical and behavioral cues.
• Nonverbal communication includes times when you intentionally mean to communicate and
when you unintentionally send a message.
○ Blends with verbal communication to create meaning.
○ Is influenced by gender and culture.
NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION USES MULTIPLE CHANNELS
• Nonverbal communication conveys information through multiple channels, including
NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION CONVEYS MORE MEANING THAN VERBAL
COMMUNICATION
• Nonverbal communication conveys more meaning than verbal communication because it
uses multiple channels.
• Incongruent messages occur when verbal and nonverbal behaviors contradict one another.
NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION BLENDS WITH VERBAL COMMUNICATION
• Interactions are usually a blend of both verbal and nonverbal communication.
• You can combine these types of communication by doing the following:
2. Repeat verbal messages with nonverbal messages, for example, saying “It’s up there” and
3. Contradict verbal messages with nonverbal communication deliberately; for example,
4. Enhance the meaning of verbal messages, for example, telling a cousin about your
5. Spotlight certain parts of verbal messages, for example, elevating the volume of your
voice on a single word: “I did NOT mean it that way!”
NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION IS INFLUENCED BY GENDER
• Stereotypes about gender suggest that men nonverbally communicate in strong, aggressive
ways, and women behave in a more feminine and timid fashion.
• Data from hundreds of studies suggests five consistent differences between the sexes, none
of which align with stereotypes:
1. Women are better than men at communicating nonverbally in ways receivers can
2. Women show greater facial expressiveness than men, and they smile more.
3. Women gaze at others more than men during interpersonal interactions, especially during
4. Men are more territorial than women in terms of personal space, maintaining more
physical space between themselves and others while talking, tolerating intrusions into
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5. Women enjoy closer proximity during same-sex encounters than do men, prefer side-by-
NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION IS INFLUENCED BY CULTURE
• A person’s culture plays an enormous role in molding nonverbal communication behaviors,
such as determining display rules, or guidelines for when, where, and how to appropriately
express emotion.
• Cultures also vary in the degree to which they emphasize close physical space, shared gaze,
and physical contact during interaction.
○ High-contact cultures prefer frequent touching, shared gaze, close physical proximity,
TYPES OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION
Your use of body movements, voice, touch, appearance, space, time, and physical surroundings
work together to create your nonverbal communication. This influences how others perceive
what you mean, who you are, and how you feel. Understanding the different types of nonverbal
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BODY MOVEMENT
• Body movement is known by communication scholars as kinesics, from the Greek word
kinesis, and encompasses most of the cues people typically think of as nonverbal
communication.
○ Eye contact shows attention, interest, affection, and even aggression. Looking directly at
your audience while giving a speech conveys concern for their reactions and affiliation
with them.
○ Gestures include hand motions used to communicate nonverbally; four types of gestures
include the following:
▪ Emblems substitute for verbal statements, such as waving to communicate “Hi!”
▪ Illustrators accent verbal messages, such as holding your hands a certain distance
○ Body posture communicates information to the people with whom you’re interacting;
types of body posture include the following:
▪ The straightness of your back (erect or slouched), your body lean (forward, backward,
or vertical), the straightness of your shoulders (firm and broad or slumped), and your
VOICE
• Vocal characteristics used to communicate nonverbal messages are known as vocalics; the
four qualities of voice include the following:
○ Tone is the resonance and breathiness of your voice. A “rich” vocal tone conveys
authority and confidence.
○ Pitch is the frequency range of your voice, or how “high” or “low” it is. People tend to
associate lower pitches with strength and competence and higher pitches with weakness.
TOUCH
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him or her a big, lingering hug—lets you convey deep emotional feelings.
○ Sexual-arousal touch, as the name implies, is intended to physically stimulate another
person.
○ Aggressive-hostile touch involves forms of physical violence such as grabbing, slapping,
PERSONAL SPACE
• Proxemics refers to how close or far away you position yourself from others while
communicating; it often illustrates the nature of the encounter and how you feel about the
people with whom you’re interacting.
• Four different zones for physical distances are used in specific kinds of settings:
○ Intimate space ranges from 0 to 18 inches. Most people use this only with people to
whom they feel extremely close.
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○ Public space ranges upward from 12 feet, including great distances, and is used during
formal occasions such as public speeches or college lectures.
• Space preferences also vary widely across cultures. Failure to appreciate these differences
can cause awkwardness and anxiety during cross-cultural encounters.
APPEARANCE
• Physical appearance refers to visible attributes such as hair, clothing, body type, and other
features. People use your physical appearance to make judgments about you.
○ People viewed as “attractive” may also be viewed as intelligent, persuasive, poised,
sociable, warm, powerful, and successful.
○ Clothing plays a large role in your physical appearance. People draw conclusions about
ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES
• Two types of environmental features shape nonverbal communication:
communicate stature to others. Examples include driving big cars or building huge
houses.
○ Semi-fixed features are impermanent and are usually easy to change, such as furniture,
lighting, and color.
▪ Hard, uncomfortable furniture shortens interactions, while soft, plush seating
FUNCTIONS OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION
Although nonverbal communication seems like something that just happens, it isn’t random,
nor is it a pointless companion to verbal messages. Instead, it is purposeful and serves many
functions. By understanding these functions, you can better match your nonverbal
CONVEYING MEANINGS
• Nonverbal communication conveys meaning both directly and indirectly.
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○ Although you regularly use nonverbal communication to convey meanings, be careful
about presuming particular meanings from the nonverbal displays of others.
EXPRESSING EMOTIONS
• Affect displays are intentional or unintentional nonverbal behaviors that depict actual or
feigned emotion.
PRESENTING SELF
• People use nonverbal communication to present different aspects of self to others.
○ People wear religious artifacts or clothing to communicate information.
MANAGING INTERACTIONS
• People use nonverbal communication to manage interactions.
○ For example, people use regulators such as eye contact, touching, smiling, nodding, and
posture shifts to signal whose turn it is to speak.
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DEFINING RELATIONSHIPS
• Nonverbal communication helps define interpersonal dynamics in relationships.
○ Nonverbal communication helps convey and confirm intimacy, the feeling of bonding or
union between yourself and others, during interpersonal encounters. For example, you
likely share more touch or more intimate forms of touch, sit closer together, share more
gaze, use more relaxed postures, lean in toward each other more, smile more, and share
STRENGTHENING YOUR NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Using nonverbal communication competently is as much about learning to better express your
intentions as it is about suppressing inappropriate responses. Knowing when to employ
nonverbal behaviors, when to control them, and how to better interpret others’ use of them will
lead you to communicate better in any situation you face.
• Nonverbal communication often seems automatic—something that just naturally occurs
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ENHANCING YOUR NONVERBAL EXPRESSIVENESS
• Nonverbally expressive people accurately convey feelings and attitudes through nonverbal
communication, whereas verbally expressive people are difficult to “read.”
• To improve nonverbal expressiveness, strengthen your awareness of your own behavior by
INHIBITING YOUR NONVERBAL BEHAVIORS
• To communicate competently, you sometimes need to inhibit, or control, your nonverbal
behaviors.
• The key to learning nonverbal inhibition is to practice critical self–reflection. Identify
CHECKING YOUR NONVERBAL ATTRIBUTIONS
• Checking your nonverbal attributions means correctly interpreting the meaning and intent
behind others’ nonverbal communication.