CHAPTER 6: The Nonverbal Dimension of Communication
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After studying the topics in this chapter, students should be able to:
1. Explain why ambiguous or abstract words can lead to misunderstandings.
3. Provide an example of how words can define a phenomenon.
5. Become aware of specialized language used in social media.
6. Apply chapter guidelines to improve your verbal communication.
MINDTAP ENGAGEMENT QUESTION
The first student activity in Chapter 6 asks students a polling question where they are presented
with a set of answer choices. One point is awarded regardless of what answer they choose. The
question is designed to reveal beliefs or assumptions about a chapter-specific topic. As an
instructor, you can view your classes’ responses as a pie chart within MindTap and discuss the
results in class, if you choose. This chapter’s question is:
How well can you recognize others’ feelings based on their nonverbal communication?
a. I can totally tell what others are feeling by reading their nonverbal cues.
CHAPTER OUTLINE
I. Nonverbal communication is all aspects of communication other than words themselves.
A. Verbal communication and nonverbal communication are similar in some ways and
different in others.
1. There are several similarities between verbal and nonverbal communication.
a. Both are symbolic.
2. There are several differences between verbal and nonverbal communication.
a. Nonverbal communication is perceived to be more honest than verbal
communication. There is little evidence that nonverbal behavior actually is
B. Nonverbal communication supplements or replaces verbal communication.
Communication researchers have identified five ways in which nonverbal behaviors
interact with verbal communication:
2. Highlight.
4. Contradict.
5. Substitute.
C. Nonverbal communication regulates interactions.
D. Nonverbal communication establishes relationship-level meanings.
1. Nonverbal communication is used to convey three dimensions of relationship-
level meanings: responsiveness, liking, and power.
E. Nonverbal communication reflects cultural values.
2. Nonverbal behaviors vary across cultures and social communities, including
personal space, patterns of eye contact, and greeting behaviors.
II. Research has identified nine types of nonverbal communication.
A. Kinesics is body position and body motions, including those of the face.
B. Haptics is physical touch and can communicate power and status.
C. Physical appearance is a channel or type of nonverbal behavior that is perceived by
others as they perceive and judge individuals.
D. Artifacts are personal objects with which we announce our identities and personalize
our environments. We use artifacts to define settings and personal territories as well
as expressing ethnic identity.
E. Proxemics refers to space and how we use it.
F. Environmental factors are elements of settings that affect how we feel and act.
G. Chronemics refers to how we perceive and use time to define identities and
interaction. Chronemics express cultural attitudes toward time.
H. Paralanguage is vocal communication that does not involve words themselves, but
refers to vocal qualities and sounds.
I. Silence is a nonverbal behavior that can communicate powerful messages.
III. Digital Media and Nonverbal Communication
A. Nonverbal communication is more restricted in digital and online communication
than in face-to-face interaction. Words in an email, tweet, or text don’t convey
whether the writer is serious, sarcastic, or playful. The need to signal others how to
interpret our words and to understand how we should interpret their words compelled
the invention of emoticons and stickers.
B. Digital communication can compete, and sometimes interfere, with face-to-face
communication, for example, when texting while talking with others.
IV. Guidelines for Improving Nonverbal Communication
A. Monitor your nonverbal communication to increase the likelihood that others will
perceive you and your communication in the ways you intend.
B. Interpret others’ nonverbal communication tentatively.
1. Qualify interpretations of others’ nonverbal behaviors to avoid misjudging people.
2. Qualify nonverbal behavior with contextual factors that may influence behavior.
You can also search for these terms directly in MindTap to find them in the Reader. Students can
use flashcards in MindTap to study key concepts.
KEY TERMS PAGE IN TEXT
Artifacts 118
Chronemics 120
Environmental factors 120
Haptics 116
Kinesics 115
Nonverbal communication 110
Paralanguage 121
Physical appearance 117
Proxemics 119
Silence 122
ACTIVITIES
1. Nonverbal Communication Discussion Forum
The year 1960 saw the first televised presidential debate between Richard Nixon and John F.
Kennedy. At this time, however, many families did not own television sets. So, many people still
listened to the debate on the radio. After the debate, listeners and viewers were polled to see who
1. What level of meaning comes through nonverbal channels, and what level of meaning
comes through verbal ones?
2. Compare two nationally known political figures SOLELY on their ability to deliver a
speech. (You may want to show clips of both speakers.) What influence does ability to
deliver a speech have on audience perceptions?
2. Alternate Language Soap Opera Exercise
Instruct your students that their goal when watching the clip is to determine the plot without
understanding the verbal components of the message. After viewing, lead a class discussion
regarding the plot and actions of the characters. What was happening, why was it happening,
and, most importantly, how can you tell? In other words, what nonverbal cues in the message
give indication about the meaning? Is it difficult to decipher the nonverbal cues of another
culture?
3. Nonverbal Violations Exercise
This exercise requires advance preparation. In the class before your discussion of nonverbal
communication, ask your students to break five nonverbal expectations when interacting with
others. Some suggestions include:
Wear a bathing suit to class.
Stand close to someone in an elevator.
Make direct and sustained eye contact with someone in an elevator.
Stare at the driver next to you when stopped at a red light.
You can add to this list or allow students to invent their own violations. However, explain that
students should perform these tasks to observe the behavior of others. They should not be
disrespectful or rude to others and may, if appropriate, inform others of this exercise after
they’ve observed reactions to the violation of expectations.
Once your students have performed the violations, lead a class discussion. Ask students to report
4. Communicating Without Words
This exercise clarifies the importance of nonverbal communication in expressing three
dimensions of relationship-level meaning: liking, power, and responsiveness.
Open the class by summarizing the textbook’s discussion of nonverbal communication. It is a
major part of communication. It is especially powerful in expressing relationship-level meanings
(liking, responsiveness, and power).
Ask for two more volunteers to demonstrate how nonverbal communication expresses power.
Instruct one to be the boss (or parent or teacher—some authority figure) and the other to be the
employee (or child or student). Without using words, the person in the superior power position
should communicate her or his power over the second person and the second person should
nonverbally express her or his subordinate status. Engage the class in discussing how power is
communicated through nonverbal behaviors.
5. Meanings Between Words
This exercise demonstrates the importance of vocal cues in creating the overall meanings of
communication.
Ask for two volunteers. Give them a copy of the “Uncertain Dialogue” below. Tell them they are
to read the dialogue and the class will try to determine what the context of the dialogue is and
what relationship exists between the two communicators. Privately inform the volunteers that
they are two people planning a robbery. After they have read the dialogue, ask the class to guess
what the situation and relationship is and to identify nonverbal cues that inform their guesses.
UNCERTAIN DIALOGUE
A: Hello.
B: Hello.
A: So, ah, how are you?
B: About the same. You?
A: Nothing new to report.
B: I thought maybe you might have something to tell me.
A: Has anything changed?
B: Not that I know of. Do you know of a change?
A: No.
B: So what do you think we should do now?
A: I suppose we could go ahead and …
B: Yeah, seems like it’s a good plan.
A: Are you sure?
B: As sure as we ever can be in situations like this.
A: Want to reconsider? A lot is at stake.
B: No, I’m ready. Let’s do it.
6. Inclusive/Exclusive Nonverbals
This activity must be assigned in advance. It increases students’ awareness of how nonverbal
communication communicates inclusion and exclusion to different groups.
A week before you plan to discuss the importance of nonverbal communication in including and
excluding people, tell students they have an observation assignment. Instruct students to visit
campus buildings or hangouts and to notice nonverbal elements such as where buildings are
located and the graffiti, books, artwork, and so forth, in buildings. Tell them also to observe
When students have completed the assignment, lead a class discussion in which you highlight the
power of nonverbal communication to acknowledge or erase, invite or discourage, welcome or
reject certain groups. Ask students whether people of diverse cultures would feel visible and
respected in buildings which may be adorned with massive portraits of Caucasians, whether
women would feel included when many portraits of “important people” are of males, and
whether artwork in campus buildings celebrates cultural diversity. Also, direct students’ attention
to where buildings are located: Are minority and women’s centers, formal or informal, located in
the center or periphery of campus? Are minority persons and women visible in main offices of
buildings?
7. Get Out of My Space
This exercise will illustrate the rules of space that we have in North American cultures. For this
activity, you will need the cooperation of one other class member who is aware of what you’re
doing. Begin your class as usual, keeping your public space. As your lecture progresses, continue
8. Cultural Nonverbal Rules
This exercise is designed to highlight the differences in nonverbal communication rules in other
9. Nonverbal Communication Field Trip: Observations of Interpersonal and Public
Part I: Nonverbal Communication and Human Behavior
1. Visit any place where there are lots of people you can watch.
For 20 minutes, quietly observe the nonverbal communication of the people around you and note
your observations without discussion. After 20 minutes, discuss with your partner or group what
you observed and interpreted. Did you notice similar or different things? Did you have similar
interpretations about the meaning of people’s nonverbal behaviors? How much is nonverbal
communication a factor in our interpretations of other’s behaviors and motivations? How likely
are we to be accurate in our passive interpretations of these behaviors? What might “cloud” our
interpretations?
2. How much does the sex, age, class, or race of the person influence their nonverbal behaviors
and/or your perception and interpretation of their communication?
3. What does the nonverbal communication you interpret suggest about the social culture or the
context of your observations? What personal and/or interpersonal values or norms can you
interpret?
Part II: Nonverbal Communication and Public Messages
For the second part of this assignment, you will each need to find two different magazines—one
“mainstream” magazine you read regularly and one “alternative” publication you have never
read or are only marginally familiar with.
4. Compare the pictures and advertisements in the two publications: based on your analysis,
who are these publications aimed at, specifically? In other words, who is the “target
audience” of these publications? Are you a member of this target audience?
5. What do you interpret to be the predominant “themes” or “messages” of the symbols and ads
“selected and reflected” in these magazines—what do they communicate to you about
expectations for preferred cultural values, personal identity, and relationships?
6. What messages about personal identity and relationships are “deflected” in these magazines?
What values are praised and/or marginalized by these particular publications? What
implications does this have for communication, culture, and social communities?
JOURNAL IDEAS
• Consider a situation in which nonverbal communication caused miscommunication in your
life. Explain the situation, what happened, and why miscommunication occurred. What could
have been done in this situation to improve your communication experience?
• Analyze the artifacts and environment of your room. What do these nonverbals communicate
about who you are? How does their presence affect your feelings of comfort, identity, and
security? What would be different if all of your personal artifacts disappeared?
TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES
There are additional student resources in MindTap. If you have a networked computer in your
classroom and a projection system for viewing the computer screen, you can easily introduce
your students by walking them through the process for accessing the website. If you don’t have
this projection and computer equipment in your classroom, you can share the resources in this
manual, or refer them to the directions found in their copy of Communication in Our Lives.
Web Links
Website Description
URL
Here is the home page of the National Eating Disorders
https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/
Association.
Visit Mary Lou Andre’s Dressing Well Online: Your
Personal and Professional Image Resource.
http://www.dressingwell.com/
Visit this website to learn more about Ron Baker’s ideas
on ideal classrooms.
http://www.pinterest.com/ronbakerwassi/classroom–
organization-ideas/
The iLoveLanguages home page provides
comprehensive links to sources on human languages.
http://www.ilovelanguages.com/
This link provides a comprehensive catalog of symbols,
their histories, uses, and meanings.
http://www.symbols.com/
Ask students to visit the website for “The Rules” (based
on a series of best-selling books explaining how women
can attract men). Assign students to work in same–
gender groups to create their own one-page version of
“The Rules” for attracting the interest of another student,
focusing on nonverbal behaviors that people engage in
to indicate their liking/interest in relationships. In your
discussion, explore similarities and differences in the
lists created by men and women in the class.
www.therulesbook.com
The University of California at Santa Cruz (UCSC)
offers a site that allows students to test their knowledge
in different areas of nonverbal communication (with
emphasis on testing nonverbal cues in different cultural
situations). At this site, UCSC also distributes videos on
these topics for instructor use. For more information, see
the UCSC site.
http://nonverbal.ucsc.edu./
Films
Miss Representation (2011) is a 90-minute documentary showing the hypersexualized
representations of girls and women in the media.
TEST ITEMS
Multiple Choice Items
1. Scholars estimate that nonverbal communication accounts for what percentage of the total
meaning in interpersonal communication?
a. less than 25%
b. between 25% and 35%
c. between 35% and 50%
d. more than 65%
e. 100%
2. Which of the following is an example of paralanguage behavior?
a. raising volume when speaking
b. pausing between words to emphasize certain words
c. lowering pitch
d. lowering volume when speaking
e. All of these answers are correct.
3. Assuming an attentive posture, holding eye contact, and nodding to show you understand
what another person is saying are nonverbal behaviors that convey which dimension of
relational level meanings?
a. responsiveness
b. liking
c. status
d. power
e. control
4. Chris just moved into a new apartment and spent the first day hanging pictures, putting out
souvenirs of important times, and putting favorite objects on the bookshelves. Chris has
relied on what form of nonverbal communication to personalize the new apartment?
a. paralinguistics
b. artifacts
c. kinesics
d. proxemics
e. appearance
5. Edward Hall found that in the United States, we interact with social acquaintances from a
distance of
a. 0-18 inches.
b. 18 inches to 4 feet.
c. 4 feet to 12 feet.
d. 12 feet to 20 feet.
e. over 20 feet.
6. Raul came to the United States from Mexico three months ago, and he is still having trouble
understanding Americans’ tendency to rush all the time. He is also surprised when his
teachers are irritated if he joins class several minutes after class has started. Raul’s confusion
about Americans’ pace of life is based on which aspect of nonverbal behavior?
a. chronemics
b. proxemics
c. kinesics
d. artifacts
e. paralanguage
7. Sally doesn’t want to be interrupted while she‘s speaking so she avoids looking at others until
she has said all she wants to say. Then she looks at the person who wants to respond. Sally
has used nonverbal behavior to
a. establish relational level meanings.
b. regulate interaction.
c. define her cultural standpoint.
d. demonstrate warmth.
8. All aspects of communication other than the words themselves are known as
a. perception.
b. verbal dialectics.
c. assertiveness.
d. nonverbal astuteness.
e. nonverbal communication.
9. Chris is preparing to cook dinner at home for a date. He cleans his apartment, buys scented
candles, and hides all of his dirty laundry. Chris is controlling which type of nonverbal
communication?
a. haptics
b. environmental factors
c. proxemics
d. kinesics
e. chronemics
10. All of the following are ways that nonverbal behaviors interact with verbal communication
EXCEPT
a. nonverbal behaviors repeat verbal messages.
b. nonverbal behaviors highlight verbal communication.
c. nonverbal behaviors complement, or add to words.
d. nonverbal behaviors contradict verbal messages.
e. None of these are exceptions.