Nonverbal CommunicationNonverbal Communication

• Communication without words; communication by means of space, gestures, facial expressions, touching, vocal variation, and silence for example (DeVito)

Importance of Nonverbal Importance of Nonverbal CommunicationCommunication

• “It is estimated that NVC most often conveys a larger share of social information(65% or more) while verbal communication plays a less salient role(35% or less). So much information is communicated nonverbally that frequently the verbal aspect is negligible.”

• The Proceedings of The 1993 International Symposium on LTM, Beijing-Hohhot, Oct.4 - 13,1993

Importance of Nonverbal Importance of Nonverbal CommunicationCommunication

• “Communication of information is essential to support the infrastructure of society. This basic need has not changed since the first picture signs were incised on clay tablets in the Near Middle East some 6,000 years ago in order to record business transactions”

• Rosemary Sassoon “Signs, Symbols and Icons” 1997

What are the different types of What are the different types of Nonverbal Communication?Nonverbal Communication?

Types of Nonverbal Types of Nonverbal CommunicationCommunication

• Body Gestures and Facial Expressions (Jeremy Wilson)

• Touch (Sarah Kearns)• Sound (Michael

Jenkins)• Space (Laura Chady)

Body & FacialBody & Facial

KinesicsKinesics

• The study of the communicative dimensions of facial and bodily movements

- Includes: body movement (body language), gestures, facial expression, eye contact, posture, and speaking volume

Body GesturesBody Gestures

• Emblems• Illustrators• Affect

Displays• Regulators• Adaptors

EmblemsEmblems• Emblems are limited by

both time and culture.

PosturePosture 1) Slumped posture = low spirits

2) Erect posture = high spirits, energy and confidence

3) Lean forward = open and interested

4) Lean away = defensive or disinterested

5) Crossed arms = defensive

6) Uncrossed arms = willingness to listen

7) Hands on hips=impatient

Facial CommunicationFacial Communication

• Facial Management• Facial Feedback• Facial Expressions and

Culture

Facial Management Facial Management TechniquesTechniques

• Intensifying – to exaggerate a feeling

• Deintensifying – to underplay a feeling

• Neutralizing – to hide a feeling

• Masking – to replace or substitute the expression of one emotion or another

Body and facial communication Body and facial communication are important in interpersonal are important in interpersonal

communication!communication!

It is especially important to pay It is especially important to pay close attention to accepted close attention to accepted

nonverbals in other cultures!nonverbals in other cultures!

SourcesSources

• Warfield, A. (2001) Do you speak body language?. Training and Development, 55(4), 60.

• Devito, J. A. (2001). The Interpersonal Communication Book. Hunter College of the City University of New York: Longham.

• Swenson, J. & Casmir, F.L. (1998). The impact of culture-sameness, gender, foreign travel, and academic background on the ability to interpret the facial expression of emotions in others. Communication Quarterly, 46(2), 214-217.

Nonverbal Messages: Touch and Nonverbal Messages: Touch and Eye CommunicationEye Communication

Presented by Sarah Kearns

OcculesicsOcculesics

• Study of the way eyes are used during a communication exchange

3 Characteristics of Eye 3 Characteristics of Eye Messages:Messages:

• Duration

• Direction

• Quality

Functions of Eye ContactFunctions of Eye Contact

1) Monitor Feedback

2) Secure the Attention and Interest of Audience

3) Regulate or Control conversation

4) Signal Nature of Relationship

5) Compensate for Increased Physical Distance

Eye AvoidanceEye Avoidance

• Civil Inattention

• Signal lack of interest

• Unpleasant Stimuli

• Heighten Other Senses

Culture and OcculesicsCulture and Occulesics

• Singh, McKay, and Singh (1998)

• Holistic cultures vs. Western culture

• Status and Confrontational

Power and OcculesicsPower and Occulesics

• Aguinis, Simonsen, and Pierce (1998)

• Power is the ability to influence

• Visual Dominance is (+)-related to credibility power

Visual DominanceVisual Dominance

• The use of your eyes to maintain a superior or dominant position (Devito 2001)

Credibility PowerCredibility Power

• The objectively determined truthfulness, follow-through, and accuracy of a power source (Aguinis et. Al 1998)

Pupil DilationPupil Dilation

• Attractiveness

• Interested

• Emotionally Aroused

HAPTICSHAPTICS

• The study of touch as a means of nonverbal communication

• Most primitive form of communication

Functions of Touch:Functions of Touch:

1) Positive Emotions

2) Playfulness

3) Control

4) Ritualistic

5) Task Related

Touch AvoidanceTouch Avoidance

• Communication Apprehension

• Self Disclosure

• Gender Variation

Gender Differences and Gender Differences and TouchTouch

• Mothers vs. Fathers

• Same sex vs. Opposite Sex

Cultural Differences and Cultural Differences and TouchTouch

• Contact Culture• Noncontact Culture

Haptics and CooperationHaptics and Cooperation

• Kurzban (2001)• Group Context• Social Dilemmas• Closeness• Touch increases compliance or cooperation

ConclusionsConclusions

• Both eye contact and touching have a variety of functions and meanings

• Both are subject to gender variability

• Both are subject to cultural variability

PARALANGUAGEPARALANGUAGE

• Paralanguage cues are used for forming impressions, for identifying emotional states, and for making judgments of credibility, intelligence, and objectivity.

Paralanguage is the vocal (but nonverbal) dimension of speech. It refers to the way you say something, rather than what you say.

•Now that looks good on you.

•Could you move any slower?

•That was some meal.

•Is this the face that launched a thousand ships?

By stressing different words in a sentence, you can change the meaning completely without doing anything to the structure of it.

Persuasion, Comprehension, and How Fast We Speak.

Levels of agreeableness, intelligence and objectivity.

111wpm – least amount of agreeableness, objectivity and least intelligent

140wpm –average intelligence, agreeableness and objectivity.

191wpm – subjects agreed most with fastest speech; viewed as most intelligent and objective, even when the subjects knew the person was trying to sell them something.

Comprehension levels in speeches at 201wpm were at about 95%, dropping only slightly to 90% when upped to 282wpm

…Silence…The Functions of Silence

•Time To Think: Time to formulate responses.

•Weapon To Hurt Others (the silent treatment)

•Response to Personal Anxiety: Remaining silent around strangers.

•Prevent Communication: A defense mechanism against saying things that you cant take back in the heat of the moment.

•Communicate Emotional Responses: Pouting, Anger, Annoyance, Long Stares into another’s eyes; love.

•Achieve Specific Effects: Strategically placing pauses after or before sentences to imply importance or seriousness.

•Nothing To Say: Sometimes you just don’t have anything to say.

Non-verbal CommunicationNon-verbal Communication

Space and Territory

Every cubic inch of space is a miracle. --Walt Whitman (Leaves of Grass, "Miracles")

ProxemicsProxemics

• Proxemics is the study of spatial communication and how we use it (Devito)• Termed coined by founder, Edward Hall, in

1968 in his book The Silent Language• Hall’s research concluded that there are four

distances we utilize in everyday interpersonal communication and these are culturally defined

• There are also five dimensions used to assign the importance of space in status

DistancesDistances

• Intimate Distance-actual touching to 6-18 inches

• Personal Distance-18 inches to 4 feet• This includes the “hidden

dimension” or your “personal bubble”

• Social Distance- 4 to 12 feet• Public Distance-12-25 feet• Definitions by Devito

Dimensions of Space (Athos)Dimensions of Space (Athos)

• More is better than less• Assign importance or status based on how

much space a person has• Private is better than public

• It is better not to have to share space• We desire to exclude people to mark

boundaries of our space• Closing doors is an important signal that a

conversation is both intimate and important

Dimensions of Space (con.)Dimensions of Space (con.)

• Higher is better than lower• Imagery is often in terms of up and down• Houses that are on higher land are often more

expensive• Near is better than far

• It is more valued to have a office near the boss• It is also more valued to be at a position near the

host at a dinner party• In is better than out

• Home field advantage in sports teams

TerritoryTerritory

• Territory is the possessive reaction to a particular area or objects (Devito)

• Primary territory—belongs to you• Boundary markers

• Secondary territory—not belonging to you, but associated with you• Central markers

• Public territories—areas like parks that belong to all people

PARALANGUAGEPARALANGUAGE

• Paralanguage cues are used for forming impressions, for identifying emotional states, and for making judgments of credibility, intelligence, and objectivity.

Paralanguage is the vocal (but nonverbal) dimension of speech. It refers to the way you say something, rather than what you say.

•Now that looks good on you.

•Could you move any slower?

•That was some meal.

•Is this the face that launched a thousand ships?

By stressing different words in a sentence, you can change the meaning completely without doing anything to the structure of it.

Persuasion, Comprehension, and How Fast We Speak.

Levels of agreeableness, intelligence and objectivity.

111wpm – least amount of agreeableness, objectivity and least intelligent

140wpm –average intelligence, agreeableness and objectivity.

191wpm – subjects agreed most with fastest speech; viewed as most intelligent and objective, even when the subjects knew the person was trying to sell them something. (DeVito 2001)

Comprehension levels in speeches at 201wpm were at about 95%, dropping only slightly to 90% when upped to 282wpm

…Silence…

The Functions of Silence

•Time To Think: Time to formulate responses.

•Weapon To Hurt Others (the silent treatment)

•Response to Personal Anxiety: Remaining silent around strangers.

•Prevent Communication: A defense mechanism against saying things that you cant take back in the heat of the moment.

•Communicate Emotional Responses: Pouting, Anger, Annoyance, Long Stares into another’s eyes; love.

•Achieve Specific Effects: Strategically placing pauses after or before sentences to imply importance or seriousness.

•Nothing To Say: Sometimes you just don’t have anything to say.

Your Silence communicates just as intensely as anything you verbalize.(Jaworski 1993)

TheoriesTheories

• Protection theory—people establish a buffer zone around themselves as protection against unwanted touching or attack, if threatened they want more space around them (Devito)

• Equilibrium theory—greater the intimacy, the closer the distance and vice versa (Devito)

• Expectancy violation theory—people expect others to maintain certain distances, when these are violated the actions are questioned (Devito)

SourcesSources

• Athos, A.G., Gabarro, J.J. (1978). Interpersonal Behavior. New Jersey: Prentice Hall Inc.

• Bakker, C.B., Bakker, M.K. (1973). No Trespassing! Explorations in Human Territoriality. San Fransciso: Chandler and Sharp Publishers Inc.

• Devito, J.A. (2001). The Interpersonal Communication Book. Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.

• Jimenz, A.C. (2003, March). On space as a capacity. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 9(1), 137-154.

• http://www.members.aol.com/doder1/proxemi1.htm

•DeSantis, A. (2001). Communications 101, (2nd Edition).Boston, MA: Pearson Custom Publishing.

•DeVito, J.A. (2001). The Interpersonal Communication Book, (9th Edition). New York: Longman.

•Jaworski,A. (1993). The Power of Silence: Social and Pragmatic Perspectives. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.