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I. Nonverbal communicationA. Defined as all behaviors- other
than spoken words- that communicatemessages and have shared meaning
between people
1. Does not include electronic communication2. Shared meaning
means that a national culture agrees on how toconstrue a
behavior
3. Verbal and nonverbal communication usually go hand in handB.
We all communicate without saying a word- we speak without
talkingC. The influence of nonverbal behavior on our perceptions,
conversationsand relationships cannot be overstated
D. Nonverbal communication is central to our relational livesE.
Nonverbal communication competence requires us to be able to
encodeand decode nonverbal messagesF. Interaction adaptation
theory- suggests that individuals simultaneouslyadapt their
communication behavior to the communication behavior of others;
the better we are able to adapt, the better we are able to
understand the
meaning of a message
II. Principles of nonverbal communicationA. Nonverbal
communication is often ambiguousB. Nonverbal communication
regulates conversation
1. Nonverbal communication helps manage the ebb and flow of
aconversation
2. Turn-taking- nonverbal regulators that indicate who talks
when and towhom
C. Nonverbal communication is more believable than verbal
communication1. Actions speak louder than words
D. Nonverbal communication may conflict with verbal
communication1. Mixed message- the incompatibility when our
nonverbal and verbal dontmatch
III. Nonverbal communication codesA. Visual-auditory codes
1. Nonverbal you can see and heara) Kinesics- the study of a
persons body movement and its effect on thecommunication
process
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(1) Primarily gestures and body posture/orientation(2) Delivery
gesture- signals shared understanding-hand shake(3) Citing gesture-
acknowledges anothers feedback in aconversation-raising hands in
disagreement
(4) Seeking gesture- requests agreement or clarification from
asender during a conversation-I dont know!
(5) Turn gesture- indicates that another person can speak or
thatyou are requesting to speak
2. Body orientation- the extent to which we turn our legs,
shoulders, andhead toward (or away) from the communicator
3. Physical appearancea) Physical characteristics- aspects of
physical appearance, such as bodysize, skin color, hair color and
style, facial hair, and facial features
b) Levels of attractiveness- favoritism?c) Body artifacts- items
we wear that are part of our physical appearanceand that have the
potential to communicate
4. Facial communicationa) Eye contactb) Smiling
5. Paralanguage- the study of a persons voicea) Not what a
person says, but howb) Vocal qualities- nonverbal behaviors that
includes pitch, rate, volume,inflection, tempo, and pronunciation
as well as distractors and silence
(1) You really did it this time(a) Praise, blame,
exasperation
c) Vocal distractors- the ums and ersd) Vocal characterizers-
crying, laughing, whispering, whining
B. Contact codes1. Touch and space2. Haptics- touch
communication or human touch
a) Most primitive form of communicationb) The ultimate in
privileged access to people- the invasion of personalspace
c) Touch can be:(1) Used for positive affect- support,
appreciation, inclusion(2) Playful function(3) Used to control-
move aside(4) Ritualistic- handshake(5) Used in task function-
hairstylist or dentist
