presentation on verbal and non verbal communication

Please log in to save materials. Log in

• Resource Library

Chapter 3 Verbal and Nonverbal Communication

Chapter 3 (verbal and nonverbal communication) powerpoint.

Downloadable PowerPoint for the OER textbook Essential Communication Chapter 3

Chapter 3 PowerPoint

Please click on the icon below to download the PowerPoint for Chapter 3 of the OER textbook Essential Communication .

• My presentations

Auth with social network:

Download presentation

We think you have liked this presentation. If you wish to download it, please recommend it to your friends in any social system. Share buttons are a little bit lower. Thank you!

Presentation is loading. Please wait.

NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

Published by Marian Garrison Modified over 9 years ago

Similar presentations

Presentation on theme: "NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION"— Presentation transcript:

Reaching for Excellence, Trina Pulliam and Judy Garmaise

Nonverbal Communication

Nonverbal Components of Delivery

Nonverbal Communication and Teamwork

Nonverbal Communication Actions, as opposed to words, that send messages Body language, behavior Some messages are subtle, such as posture Can be so strong.

Delivering Your Speech. Why Is Delivery Important? Delivery: The way you communicate messages orally and visually through your use of voice, face, and.

Chapter Eleven Delivering the Speech. Chapter Eleven Table of Contents zQualities of Effective Delivery zThe Functions of Nonverbal Communication in Delivery.

Nonverbal Communication Chapter 5 Person to Person Chapter 5 Person to Person.

Nonverbal Communication. A. General Information 1.Definition – All the behaviors and elements of people, other than words, that convey meaning 2. At least.

1 Copyright © 2011, 2007, 2003, 1999 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Interpersonal Skills, Human Behavior & Non-Verbal Communication.

OUR COMMUNICATION : -Words -How we say these words (our tone, pitch, volume, etc.) -Non-verbal communication.

NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

Non-Verbal Communication

Non-Verbal Communication and Body language

Understanding Non- Verbal Communication MRS. DOBBINS.

Body Language. In 1971, US Educational Psychologist Albert Mehrabian published his famous 7%-38%-55% Rule on non- verbal communication. He found that.

The various types of nonverbal communication are basically forms of communication without words. You might be led into thinking that this form is rather.

Body Language and Facial Expression

TYPES OF COMMUNICATION

About project

© 2024 SlidePlayer.com Inc. All rights reserved.

• Key Differences

Know the Differences & Comparisons

Difference Between Verbal and Nonverbal Communication

On the contrary, Nonverbal communication does not use words for communicating anything, but some other modes are used, i.e. where communication takes place by way of unspoken or unwritten messages such as body language, facial expressions, sign language and so forth. In this article excerpt, we’ve broken down all the important differences between verbal and non-verbal communication in detail.

Content: Verbal Communication Vs Nonverbal Communication

Comparison chart.

Definition of Verbal Communication

The communication in which the sender uses words, whether spoken or written, to transmit the message to the receiver is known as Verbal  Communication. It is the most effective form of communication that leads to the rapid interchange of information and feedback. There are fewer chances of misunderstanding as the communication between parties is clear, i.e. the parties are using words for saying anything.

The communication can be done in two ways (i) Oral – like face to face communication, lectures, phone calls, seminars, etc. (ii) Written – Letters, E- mail, SMS, etc. There are two types of communication, they are:

• Formal Communication: Also termed as official communication, it is a type of communication in which the sender follows a pre-defined channel to transmit the information to the receiver is known as formal communication.
• Informal Communication: Most commonly known as grapevine, the type of communication in which the sender does not follow any pre-defined channels to transmit the information is known as informal communication.

Video: Verbal Communication

Definition of Nonverbal Communication

Non-verbal communication is based on the understanding of the parties to communication, as the transmission of messages from the sender to receiver is wordless i.e. the communication uses signs. So, if the receiver understands the message completely and proper feedback is given afterwards, then the communication succeeds.

It complements the verbal communication many times, to understand the mindset and the status of the of the parties, which is not spoken by them, but it is an act of understanding. The types of Non-verbal communication are as under:

• Chronemics: The use of time in communication is chronemics, which speaks about the personality of the sender / receiver like punctuality, the speed of speech, etc.
• Vocalics: The volume, tone of voice and pitch used by the sender for communicating a message to the receiver is known as vocalics or paralanguage.
• Haptics: The use of touch in communication is the expression of feelings and emotions.
• Kinesics: It is the study of the body language of a person, i.e., gestures, postures, facial expressions, etc.
• Proxemics: The distance maintained by a person while communicating with others, communicates about the relationship of the person with others like intimate, personal, social and public.
• Artifacts: The appearance of a person speaks about his personality, i.e. by way of clothing, carrying jewellery, lifestyle, etc. This kind of communication is known as artifactual communication.

Video: Nonverbal Communication

Key Differences Between Verbal and Nonverbal Communication

The following points explain the difference between verbal and non-verbal communication in detail:

• The use of words in communication is Verbal communication. The communication which is based on signs, not on words is Non-verbal communication.
• There are very fewer chances of confusion in verbal communication between the sender and receiver. Conversely, the chances of misunderstanding and confusion in non-verbal communication are very much as the use of language is not done.
• In verbal communication, the interchange of the message is very fast which leads to rapid feedback. In opposition to this, the non-verbal communication is based more on understanding which takes time and hence it is comparatively slow.
• In verbal communication, the presence of both the parties at the place of communication is not necessary, as it can also be done if the parties are at different locations. On the other hand, for an effective non-verbal communication, both the parties must be there, at the time of communication.
• In verbal communication, the documentary evidence is maintained if the communication is formal or written. But, there is no conclusive evidence  in case of non-verbal communication.
• Verbal communication fulfils the most natural desire of humans – talk. In the case of Non-verbal communication, feelings, status, emotions, personality, etc are very easily communicated, through the acts done by the parties to the communication.

Video: Verbal Vs Nonverbal Communication

Verbal and Non-verbal communication are not contradictory to each other, but they are complementary as somebody has rightly said, ” Actions are louder than words.” In short, both goes side by side and helps a human being, to interact and respond to other human beings.

Verbal communication is obviously an important part of life as we use words to communicate. But have you ever thought, that a small baby cannot use language or words to speak, but he chooses signs to show his anger, happiness, and sorrow. Similarly, deaf and dumb persons also use sign language for communicating with other people. So, this is the significance of Non-verbal communication in many lives.

You Might Also Like:

Manika says

May 6, 2016 at 4:24 pm

Thankyou for your answer……it had been explained really very well….

Shubham tripathi says

April 23, 2017 at 1:58 pm

Sonu meena says

August 29, 2019 at 9:47 pm

really this is very well for understanding the topic

Ingbian says

June 23, 2021 at 7:14 pm

Kemo Traore says

July 3, 2016 at 11:06 pm

Thanks a lot this website was useful for me

Hemshree Jain says

September 4, 2016 at 5:41 pm

Really Nice Explanation..! So helpful for me..! Tommorow is my exam.. n now i can surely write a vry good answer in my own words..! Thankyou..!

September 13, 2019 at 5:20 pm

Lakshmi says

May 15, 2022 at 11:10 pm

Nice explanation It’s very useful to me I fully understand about communication And it’s useful for tomorrow my exam

Obioha says

September 12, 2016 at 8:11 pm

Very helpful,you broke it down real good for me. I understand it more now than i did in the lecture hall. THUMPS UP!

November 24, 2016 at 11:52 am

Thanks your site is the best

Rahul Malkani says

January 26, 2017 at 3:30 pm

This is very helpful to me… The explanation is awesome and easy to understand….

August 8, 2017 at 12:59 am

This was very useful for my understanding, thank you.

Ben Rodgers says

October 5, 2017 at 9:45 am

This was helpful to me. The explanation is cool

Surbhi S says

October 5, 2017 at 9:55 am

We are really glad to know that the article helped you. Keep sharing your valuable views with us. 🙂

November 19, 2017 at 12:27 pm

Very very helpful information. 🙂

November 26, 2018 at 11:43 pm

thank u tomorrow is my exam so i think i can answer all the Q because of u

Jalaj Pandey says

December 2, 2018 at 11:44 am

thanks, ma’am…<3

Rupesh padiyar says

December 7, 2018 at 10:07 am

Abdikadir farah says

March 29, 2023 at 12:06 am

very helpful information ℹ️ glad 😊

kelvin says

December 18, 2018 at 1:22 pm

very helpful hank you

AKHILESH KUMAR says

May 6, 2019 at 6:25 am

Amit Singh tomar says

May 21, 2019 at 8:55 pm

This was very helpful for me … The Cool explaination

July 12, 2019 at 8:03 pm

Thank you this was an excellent explanation,

Maria Sebastian says

July 24, 2019 at 3:18 am

Excellent site! I’ll use this in my classes. THANK YOU

Kartik Harsora says

November 21, 2019 at 10:38 am

It’s super to understand. This is easy for me. Thank you

Jitendra says

November 26, 2019 at 4:51 pm

Tomorrow will be my paper… And I didn’t know what is the meaning communication😅but, After watching this video…I know that I’ll be definitely passing in this examination. Thank you so much, ma’am

Rudraksh sharma says

February 19, 2020 at 11:35 am

thanks, ma’am…..The explanation is awesome and easy to understand….

Aditya patwardhan says

June 3, 2020 at 11:00 pm

thanks a lot for such valuable information

Muhammad Bilal says

December 22, 2020 at 11:50 pm

very helpful

Terala Geeganage says

June 30, 2021 at 7:05 am

Good lesson. I got more ideas. Thank you very much

Sudheer says

October 12, 2021 at 4:28 pm

Well written article with clear explanation.

Shailly says

February 24, 2022 at 6:24 pm

Very nice article 😊. Thank u so much for this wonderful information. Very thankful to u 😊

Ivy faith mtema says

March 9, 2022 at 4:30 pm

Thank you very much for the well explanation on this topic, I’ve learnt something new, much appreciated

March 9, 2022 at 4:33 pm

Thank you very much for the well explanation on this topic, I’ve lent a lot, much appreciated

Agatha George says

November 4, 2022 at 10:21 am

Thanks for the explanation

Sudip sarkar says

April 19, 2023 at 9:01 pm

thanks for all information

Dennis Kabba says

January 3, 2024 at 5:50 am

Thank for the answers please can I know the author of this article and the year he published this article

February 1, 2024 at 12:48 pm

Author is Surbhi S. and it is published on Apr 2, 2015

William Clark says

February 21, 2024 at 5:35 am

Great stuff. the videos were helpful as well!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.

4.1 Principles and Functions of Nonverbal Communication

Learning objectives.

• Define nonverbal communication.
• Compare and contrast verbal communication and nonverbal communication.
• Discuss the principles of nonverbal communication.
• Provide examples of the functions of nonverbal communication.

As you’ll recall from our introductory chapter, a channel is the sensory route on which a message travels. Oral communication only relies on one channel, because spoken language is transmitted through sound and picked up by our ears. Nonverbal communication, on the other hand, can be taken in by all five of our senses. Since most of our communication relies on visual and auditory channels, those will be the focus of this chapter. But we can also receive messages and generate meaning through touch, taste, and smell. Touch is an especially powerful form of nonverbal communication that we will discuss in this chapter, but we will not get into taste and smell, which have not received as much scholarly attention in relation to nonverbal communication as the other senses.

To further define nonverbal communication, we need to distinguish between vocal and verbal aspects of communication. Verbal and nonverbal communication include both vocal and nonvocal elements, and Table 4.1 “Vocal and Nonvocal Elements of Communication” shows the relationship among vocal, nonvocal, verbal, and nonverbal aspects of communication. A vocal element of verbal communication is spoken words—for example, “Come back here.” A vocal element of nonverbal communication is paralanguage , which is the vocalized but not verbal part of a spoken message, such as speaking rate, volume, and pitch. Nonvocal elements of verbal communication include the use of unspoken symbols to convey meaning. Writing and American Sign Language (ASL) are nonvocal examples of verbal communication and are not considered nonverbal communication. Nonvocal elements of nonverbal communication include body language such as gestures, facial expressions, and eye contact. Gestures are nonvocal and nonverbal since most of them do not refer to a specific word like a written or signed symbol does.

Table 4.1 Vocal and Nonvocal Elements of Communication

Source: Adapted from Owen Hargie, Skilled Interpersonal Interaction: Research, Theory, and Practice (London: Routledge, 2011), 45.

Principles of Nonverbal Communication

Nonverbal communication has a distinct history and serves separate evolutionary functions from verbal communication. For example, nonverbal communication is primarily biologically based while verbal communication is primarily culturally based. This is evidenced by the fact that some nonverbal communication has the same meaning across cultures while no verbal communication systems share that same universal recognizability (Andersen, 1999). Nonverbal communication also evolved earlier than verbal communication and served an early and important survival function that helped humans later develop verbal communication. While some of our nonverbal communication abilities, like our sense of smell, lost strength as our verbal capacities increased, other abilities like paralanguage and movement have grown alongside verbal complexity. The fact that nonverbal communication is processed by an older part of our brain makes it more instinctual and involuntary than verbal communication.

Nonverbal Communication Conveys Important Interpersonal and Emotional Messages

You’ve probably heard that more meaning is generated from nonverbal communication than from verbal. Some studies have claimed that 90 percent of our meaning is derived from nonverbal signals, but more recent and reliable findings claim that it is closer to 65 percent (Guerrero & Floyd, 2006). We may rely more on nonverbal signals in situations where verbal and nonverbal messages conflict and in situations where emotional or relational communication is taking place (Hargie, 2011). For example, when someone asks a question and we’re not sure about the “angle” they are taking, we may hone in on nonverbal cues to fill in the meaning. For example, the question “What are you doing tonight?” could mean any number of things, but we could rely on posture, tone of voice, and eye contact to see if the person is just curious, suspicious, or hinting that they would like company for the evening. We also put more weight on nonverbal communication when determining a person’s credibility. For example, if a classmate delivers a speech in class and her verbal content seems well-researched and unbiased, but her nonverbal communication is poor (her voice is monotone, she avoids eye contact, she fidgets), she will likely not be viewed as credible. Conversely, in some situations, verbal communication might carry more meaning than nonverbal. In interactions where information exchange is the focus, at a briefing at work, for example, verbal communication likely accounts for much more of the meaning generated. Despite this exception, a key principle of nonverbal communication is that it often takes on more meaning in interpersonal and/or emotional exchanges.

About 65 percent of the meaning we derive during interactions comes from nonverbal communication.

Gideon – In Perfect Congruence – CC BY 2.0.

Nonverbal Communication Is More Involuntary than Verbal

There are some instances in which we verbally communicate involuntarily. These types of exclamations are often verbal responses to a surprising stimulus. For example, we say “owww!” when we stub our toe or scream “stop!” when we see someone heading toward danger. Involuntary nonverbal signals are much more common, and although most nonverbal communication isn’t completely involuntary, it is more below our consciousness than verbal communication and therefore more difficult to control.

The involuntary nature of much nonverbal communication makes it more difficult to control or “fake.” For example, although you can consciously smile a little and shake hands with someone when you first see them, it’s difficult to fake that you’re “happy” to meet someone. Nonverbal communication leaks out in ways that expose our underlying thoughts or feelings. Spokespeople, lawyers, or other public representatives who are the “face” of a politician, celebrity, corporation, or organization must learn to control their facial expressions and other nonverbal communication so they can effectively convey the message of their employer or client without having their personal thoughts and feelings leak through. Poker players, therapists, police officers, doctors, teachers, and actors are also in professions that often require them to have more awareness of and control over their nonverbal communication.

Have you ever tried to conceal your surprise, suppress your anger, or act joyful even when you weren’t? Most people whose careers don’t involve conscious manipulation of nonverbal signals find it difficult to control or suppress them. While we can consciously decide to stop sending verbal messages, our nonverbal communication always has the potential of generating meaning for another person. The teenager who decides to shut out his dad and not communicate with him still sends a message with his “blank” stare (still a facial expression) and lack of movement (still a gesture). In this sense, nonverbal communication is “irrepressible” (Andersen, 1999).

Nonverbal Communication Is More Ambiguous

In Chapter 3 “Verbal Communication” , we learn that the symbolic and abstract nature of language can lead to misunderstandings, but nonverbal communication is even more ambiguous. As with verbal communication, most of our nonverbal signals can be linked to multiple meanings, but unlike words, many nonverbal signals do not have any one specific meaning. If you’ve ever had someone wink at you and didn’t know why, you’ve probably experienced this uncertainty. Did they wink to express their affection for you, their pleasure with something you just did, or because you share some inside knowledge or joke?

Just as we look at context clues in a sentence or paragraph to derive meaning from a particular word, we can look for context clues in various sources of information like the physical environment, other nonverbal signals, or verbal communication to make sense of a particular nonverbal cue. Unlike verbal communication, however, nonverbal communication doesn’t have explicit rules of grammar that bring structure, order, and agreed-on patterns of usage. Instead, we implicitly learn norms of nonverbal communication, which leads to greater variance. In general, we exhibit more idiosyncrasies in our usage of nonverbal communication than we do with verbal communication, which also increases the ambiguity of nonverbal communication.

Nonverbal Communication Is More Credible

Although we can rely on verbal communication to fill in the blanks sometimes left by nonverbal expressions, we often put more trust into what people do over what they say. This is especially true in times of stress or danger when our behaviors become more instinctual and we rely on older systems of thinking and acting that evolved before our ability to speak and write (Andersen, 1999). This innateness creates intuitive feelings about the genuineness of nonverbal communication, and this genuineness relates back to our earlier discussion about the sometimes involuntary and often subconscious nature of nonverbal communication. An example of the innateness of nonverbal signals can be found in children who have been blind since birth but still exhibit the same facial expressions as other children. In short, the involuntary or subconscious nature of nonverbal communication makes it less easy to fake, which makes it seem more honest and credible. We will learn more about the role that nonverbal communication plays in deception later in this chapter.

Functions of Nonverbal Communication

A primary function of nonverbal communication is to convey meaning by reinforcing, substituting for, or contradicting verbal communication. Nonverbal communication is also used to influence others and regulate conversational flow. Perhaps even more important are the ways in which nonverbal communication functions as a central part of relational communication and identity expression.

Nonverbal Communication Conveys Meaning

Nonverbal communication conveys meaning by reinforcing, substituting for, or contradicting verbal communication. As we’ve already learned, verbal and nonverbal communication are two parts of the same system that often work side by side, helping us generate meaning. In terms of reinforcing verbal communication, gestures can help describe a space or shape that another person is unfamiliar with in ways that words alone cannot. Gestures also reinforce basic meaning—for example, pointing to the door when you tell someone to leave. Facial expressions reinforce the emotional states we convey through verbal communication. For example, smiling while telling a funny story better conveys your emotions (Hargie, 2011). Vocal variation can help us emphasize a particular part of a message, which helps reinforce a word or sentence’s meaning. For example, saying “How was your weekend?” conveys a different meaning than “How was your weekend ?”

Nonverbal communication can substitute for verbal communication in a variety of ways. Nonverbal communication can convey much meaning when verbal communication isn’t effective because of language barriers. Language barriers are present when a person hasn’t yet learned to speak or loses the ability to speak. For example, babies who have not yet developed language skills make facial expressions, at a few months old, that are similar to those of adults and therefore can generate meaning (Oster, Hegley, & Nagel, 1992). People who have developed language skills but can’t use them because they have temporarily or permanently lost them or because they are using incompatible language codes, like in some cross-cultural encounters, can still communicate nonverbally. Although it’s always a good idea to learn some of the local language when you travel, gestures such as pointing or demonstrating the size or shape of something may suffice in basic interactions.

Nonverbal communication is also useful in a quiet situation where verbal communication would be disturbing; for example, you may use a gesture to signal to a friend that you’re ready to leave the library. Crowded or loud places can also impede verbal communication and lead people to rely more on nonverbal messages. Getting a server or bartender’s attention with a hand gesture is definitely more polite than yelling, “Hey you!” Finally, there are just times when we know it’s better not to say something aloud. If you want to point out a person’s unusual outfit or signal to a friend that you think his or her date is a loser, you’re probably more likely to do that nonverbally.

Last, nonverbal communication can convey meaning by contradicting verbal communication. As we learned earlier, we often perceive nonverbal communication to be more credible than verbal communication. This is especially true when we receive mixed messages , or messages in which verbal and nonverbal signals contradict each other. For example, a person may say, “You can’t do anything right!” in a mean tone but follow that up with a wink, which could indicate the person is teasing or joking. Mixed messages lead to uncertainty and confusion on the part of receivers, which leads us to look for more information to try to determine which message is more credible. If we are unable to resolve the discrepancy, we are likely to react negatively and potentially withdraw from the interaction (Hargie, 2011). Persistent mixed messages can lead to relational distress and hurt a person’s credibility in professional settings.

We send mixed messages when our verbal and nonverbal communication contradict each other. If this woman said she was excited about seeing you, would you believe her?

Helena Peixoto – bored – CC BY-NC 2.0.

Nonverbal Communication Influences Others

Nonverbal communication can be used to influence people in a variety of ways, but the most common way is through deception. Deception is typically thought of as the intentional act of altering information to influence another person, which means that it extends beyond lying to include concealing, omitting, or exaggerating information. While verbal communication is to blame for the content of the deception, nonverbal communication partners with the language through deceptive acts to be more convincing. Since most of us intuitively believe that nonverbal communication is more credible than verbal communication, we often intentionally try to control our nonverbal communication when we are engaging in deception. Likewise, we try to evaluate other people’s nonverbal communication to determine the veracity of their messages. Students initially seem surprised when we discuss the prevalence of deception, but their surprise diminishes once they realize that deception isn’t always malevolent, mean, or hurtful. Deception obviously has negative connotations, but people engage in deception for many reasons, including to excuse our own mistakes, to be polite to others, or to influence others’ behaviors or perceptions.

The fact that deception served an important evolutionary purpose helps explain its prevalence among humans today. Species that are capable of deception have a higher survival rate. Other animals engage in nonverbal deception that helps them attract mates, hide from predators, and trap prey (Andersen, 1999). To put it bluntly, the better at deception a creature is, the more likely it is to survive. So, over time, the humans that were better liars were the ones that got their genes passed on. But the fact that lying played a part in our survival as a species doesn’t give us a license to lie.

Aside from deception, we can use nonverbal communication to “take the edge off” a critical or unpleasant message in an attempt to influence the reaction of the other person. We can also use eye contact and proximity to get someone to move or leave an area. For example, hungry diners waiting to snag a first-come-first-serve table in a crowded restaurant send messages to the people who have already eaten and paid that it’s time to go. People on competition reality television shows like Survivor and Big Brother play what they’ve come to term a “social game.” The social aspects of the game involve the manipulation of verbal and nonverbal cues to send strategic messages about oneself in an attempt to influence others. Nonverbal cues such as length of conversational turn, volume, posture, touch, eye contact, and choices of clothing and accessories can become part of a player’s social game strategy. Although reality television isn’t a reflection of real life, people still engage in competition and strategically change their communication to influence others, making it important to be aware of how we nonverbally influence others and how they may try to influence us.

Nonverbal Communication Regulates Conversational Flow

Conversational interaction has been likened to a dance, where each person has to make moves and take turns without stepping on the other’s toes. Nonverbal communication helps us regulate our conversations so we don’t end up constantly interrupting each other or waiting in awkward silences between speaker turns. Pitch, which is a part of vocalics, helps us cue others into our conversational intentions. A rising pitch typically indicates a question and a falling pitch indicates the end of a thought or the end of a conversational turn. We can also use a falling pitch to indicate closure, which can be very useful at the end of a speech to signal to the audience that you are finished, which cues the applause and prevents an awkward silence that the speaker ends up filling with “That’s it” or “Thank you.” We also signal our turn is coming to an end by stopping hand gestures and shifting our eye contact to the person who we think will speak next (Hargie, 2011). Conversely, we can “hold the floor” with nonverbal signals even when we’re not exactly sure what we’re going to say next. Repeating a hand gesture or using one or more verbal fillers can extend our turn even though we are not verbally communicating at the moment.

Nonverbal Communication Affects Relationships

To successfully relate to other people, we must possess some skill at encoding and decoding nonverbal communication. The nonverbal messages we send and receive influence our relationships in positive and negative ways and can work to bring people together or push them apart. Nonverbal communication in the form of tie signs, immediacy behaviors, and expressions of emotion are just three of many examples that illustrate how nonverbal communication affects our relationships.

Tie signs are nonverbal cues that communicate intimacy and signal the connection between two people. These relational indicators can be objects such as wedding rings or tattoos that are symbolic of another person or the relationship, actions such as sharing the same drinking glass, or touch behaviors such as hand-holding (Afifi & Johnson, 2005). Touch behaviors are the most frequently studied tie signs and can communicate much about a relationship based on the area being touched, the length of time, and the intensity of the touch. Kisses and hugs, for example, are considered tie signs, but a kiss on the cheek is different from a kiss on the mouth and a full embrace is different from a half embrace. If you consider yourself a “people watcher,” take note of the various tie signs you see people use and what they might say about the relationship.

Immediacy behaviors play a central role in bringing people together and have been identified by some scholars as the most important function of nonverbal communication (Andersen & Andersen, 2005). Immediacy behaviors are verbal and nonverbal behaviors that lessen real or perceived physical and psychological distance between communicators and include things like smiling, nodding, making eye contact, and occasionally engaging in social, polite, or professional touch (Comadena, Hunt, & Simonds, 2007). Immediacy behaviors are a good way of creating rapport, or a friendly and positive connection between people. Skilled nonverbal communicators are more likely to be able to create rapport with others due to attention-getting expressiveness, warm initial greetings, and an ability to get “in tune” with others, which conveys empathy (Riggio, 1992). These skills are important to help initiate and maintain relationships.

While verbal communication is our primary tool for solving problems and providing detailed instructions, nonverbal communication is our primary tool for communicating emotions. This makes sense when we remember that nonverbal communication emerged before verbal communication and was the channel through which we expressed anger, fear, and love for thousands of years of human history (Andersen, 1999). Touch and facial expressions are two primary ways we express emotions nonverbally. Love is a primary emotion that we express nonverbally and that forms the basis of our close relationships. Although no single facial expression for love has been identified, it is expressed through prolonged eye contact, close interpersonal distances, increased touch, and increased time spent together, among other things. Given many people’s limited emotional vocabulary, nonverbal expressions of emotion are central to our relationships.

“Getting Real”

Teachers and Immediacy Behaviors

A considerable amount of research has been done on teachers’ use of immediacy behaviors, which points to the importance of this communication concept in teaching professions (Richmond, Lane, & McCroskey, 2006). Immediacy behaviors are verbal and nonverbal behaviors that lessen real or perceived physical and psychological distance between communicators (Comadena, Hunt, & Simonds, 2007). Specific nonverbal behaviors have been found to increase or decrease perceived levels of immediacy, and such behaviors impact student learning, teacher’s evaluations, and the teacher-student relationship (Richmond, Lane, & McCroskey, 2006). Even those who do not plan on going into teaching as a career can benefit from learning about immediacy behaviors, as they can also be used productively in other interpersonal contexts such as between a manager and employee, a salesperson and a client, or a politician and constituent. Much of this research in teaching contexts has focused on the relationship between immediacy behaviors and student learning, and research consistently shows that effective use of immediacy behaviors increases learning in various contexts and at various levels. Aside from enhancing student learning, the effective use of immediacy behaviors also leads to better evaluations by students, which can have a direct impact on a teacher’s career. While student evaluations of teachers take various factors into consideration, judgments of personality may be formed, as we learned in Chapter 2 “Communication and Perception” , after only brief initial impressions. Research shows that students make character assumptions about teachers after only brief exposure to their nonverbal behaviors. Based on nonverbal cues such as frowning, head nodding, pointing, sitting, smiling, standing, strong gestures, weak gestures, and walking, students may or may not evaluate a teacher as open, attentive, confident, dominant, honest, likable, anxious, professional, supportive, or enthusiastic. The following are examples of immediacy behaviors that can be effectively used by teachers:

• Moving around the classroom during class activities, lectures, and discussions (reduces physical distance)
• Keeping the line of sight open between the teacher’s body and the students by avoiding or only briefly standing behind lecterns / computer tables or sitting behind a desk while directly interacting with students (reduces physical distance)
• Being expressive and animated with facial expressions, gestures, and voice (demonstrates enthusiasm)
• Smiling (creates a positive and open climate)
• Making frequent eye contact with students (communicates attentiveness and interest)
• Calling students by name (reduces perceived psychological distance)
• Making appropriate self-disclosures to students about personal thoughts, feelings, or experiences (reduces perceived psychological distance, creates open climate)

Teachers who are judged as less immediate are more likely to sit, touch their heads, shake instead of nod their heads, use sarcasm, avoid eye contact, and use less expressive nonverbal behaviors. Finally, immediacy behaviors affect the teacher-student relationship. Immediacy behaviors help establish rapport, which is a personal connection that increases students’ investment in the class and material, increases motivation, increases communication between teacher and student, increases liking, creates a sense of mutual respect, reduces challenging behavior by students, and reduces anxiety.

• Recall a teacher you have had that exhibited effective immediacy behaviors. Recall a teacher you have had that didn’t exhibit immediacy behaviors. Make a column for each teacher and note examples of specific behaviors of each. Discuss your list with a classmate and compare and contrast your lists.
• Think about the teachers that you listed in the previous question. Discuss how their behaviors affected your learning and your relationship.
• How much should immediacy behaviors, relative to other characteristics such as professionalism, experience, training, and content knowledge, factor into the evaluation of teachers by their students, peers, and supervisors? What, if anything, should schools do to enhance teachers’ knowledge of immediacy behaviors?

Nonverbal Communication Expresses Our Identities

Nonverbal communication expresses who we are. Our identities (the groups to which we belong, our cultures, our hobbies and interests, etc.) are conveyed nonverbally through the way we set up our living and working spaces, the clothes we wear, the way we carry ourselves, and the accents and tones of our voices. Our physical bodies give others impressions about who we are, and some of these features are more under our control than others. Height, for example, has been shown to influence how people are treated and perceived in various contexts. Our level of attractiveness also influences our identities and how people perceive us. Although we can temporarily alter our height or looks—for example, with different shoes or different color contact lenses—we can only permanently alter these features using more invasive and costly measures such as cosmetic surgery. We have more control over some other aspects of nonverbal communication in terms of how we communicate our identities. For example, the way we carry and present ourselves through posture, eye contact, and tone of voice can be altered to present ourselves as warm or distant depending on the context.

Aside from our physical body, artifacts , which are the objects and possessions that surround us, also communicate our identities. Examples of artifacts include our clothes, jewelry, and space decorations. In all the previous examples, implicit norms or explicit rules can affect how we nonverbally present ourselves. For example, in a particular workplace it may be a norm (implicit) for people in management positions to dress casually, or it may be a rule (explicit) that different levels of employees wear different uniforms or follow particular dress codes. We can also use nonverbal communication to express identity characteristics that do not match up with who we actually think we are. Through changes to nonverbal signals, a capable person can try to appear helpless, a guilty person can try to appear innocent, or an uninformed person can try to appear credible.

Key Takeaways

• Nonverbal communication is a process of generating meaning using behavior other than words. Nonverbal communication includes vocal elements, which is referred to as paralanguage and includes pitch, volume, and rate, and nonvocal elements, which are usually referred to as body language and includes gestures, facial expressions, and eye contact, among other things.
• Although verbal communication and nonverbal communication work side by side as part of a larger language system, there are some important differences between the two. They are processed by different hemispheres of the brain, nonverbal communication conveys more emotional and affective meaning than does verbal communication, nonverbal communication isn’t governed by an explicit system of rules in the same way that grammar guides verbal communication, and while verbal communication is a uniquely human ability, many creatures including plants, birds, and mammals communicate nonverbally.
• Nonverbal communication operates on the following principles: nonverbal communication typically conveys more meaning than verbal communication, nonverbal communication is more involuntary than verbal communication, nonverbal communication is often more ambiguous than verbal communication, and nonverbal communication is often more credible than verbal communication.
• Nonverbal communication serves several functions.
• Nonverbal communication affects verbal communication in that it can complement, reinforce, substitute, or contradict verbal messages.
• Nonverbal communication influences others, as it is a key component of deception and can be used to assert dominance or to engage in compliance gaining.
• Nonverbal communication regulates conversational flow, as it provides important cues that signal the beginning and end of conversational turns and facilitates the beginning and end of an interaction.
• Nonverbal communication affects relationships, as it is a primary means through which we communicate emotions, establish social bonds, and engage in relational maintenance.
• Nonverbal communication expresses our identities, as who we are is conveyed through the way we set up our living and working spaces, the clothes we wear, our personal presentation, and the tones in our voices.
• Getting integrated: To better understand nonverbal communication, try to think of an example to illustrate each of the four principles discussed in the chapter. Be integrative in your approach by including at least one example from an academic, professional, civic, and personal context.
• When someone sends you a mixed message in which the verbal and nonverbal messages contradict each other, which one do you place more meaning on? Why?
• Our personal presentation, style of dress, and surroundings such as a dorm room, apartment, car, or office send nonverbal messages about our identities. Analyze some of the nonverbal signals that your personal presentation or environment send. What do they say about who you are? Do they create the impression that you desire?

Afifi, W. A. and Michelle L. Johnson, “The Nature and Function of Tie-Signs,” in The Sourcebook of Nonverbal Measures: Going beyond Words , ed. Valerie Manusov (Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 2005): 190.

Andersen, P. A., Nonverbal Communication: Forms and Functions (Mountain View, CA: Mayfield, 1999), 17.

Andersen, P. A. and Janis F. Andersen, “Measures of Perceived Nonverbal Immediacy,” in The Sourcebook of Nonverbal Measures: Going beyond Words , ed. Valerie Manusov (Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 2005): 113–26.

Comadena, M. E., Stephen K. Hunt, and Cheri J. Simonds, “The Effects of Teacher Clarity, Nonverbal Immediacy, and Caring on Student Motivation, Affective and Cognitive Learning,” Communication Research Reports 24, no. 3 (2007): 241.

Hargie, O., Skilled Interpersonal Interaction: Research, Theory, and Practice , 5th ed. (London: Routledge, 2011), 47.

Guerrero, L. K. and Kory Floyd, Nonverbal Communication in Close Relationships (Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 2006): 2.

Oster, H., Douglas Hegley, and Linda Nagel, “Adult Judgments and Fine-Grained Analysis of Infant Facial Expressions: Testing the Validity of A Priori Coding Formulas,” Developmental Psychology 28, no. 6 (1992): 1115–31.

Richmond, V. P., Derek R. Lane, and James C. McCroskey, “Teacher Immediacy and the Teacher-Student Relationship,” in Handbook of Instructional Communication: Rhetorical and Relational Perspectives , eds. Timothy P. Mottet, Virginia P. Richmond, and James C. McCroskey (Boston, MA: Pearson, 2006), 168.

Riggio, R. E., “Social Interaction Skills and Nonverbal Behavior,” in Applications of Nonverbal Behavior Theories and Research , ed. Robert S. Feldman (Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 1992), 12.

Communication in the Real World Copyright © 2016 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

• Bipolar Disorder
• Therapy Center
• When To See a Therapist
• Types of Therapy
• Best Online Therapy
• Best Couples Therapy
• Managing Stress
• Sleep and Dreaming
• Understanding Emotions
• Self-Improvement
• Healthy Relationships
• Student Resources
• Personality Types
• Sweepstakes
• Guided Meditations
• Verywell Mind Insights
• 2024 Verywell Mind 25
• Mental Health in the Classroom
• Editorial Process
• Meet Our Review Board
• Crisis Support

10 Tips for Improving Your Nonverbal Communication

Strong communication skills can help you in both your personal and professional life. While verbal and written communication skills are important, research has shown that nonverbal behaviors make up a large percentage of our daily interpersonal communication.

How can you improve your nonverbal communication skills? Paying closer attention to your nonverbal signals is an excellent place to start. You can also focus on factors such as tone of voice, eye contact, body language, and the context in which the communication occurs.

The following tips can help you learn to read other people's nonverbal signals and enhance your ability to communicate effectively. With practice, you can become more adept at conveying meaning without saying a word.

Pay Attention to Nonverbal Signals

People can communicate information in numerous ways, so pay attention to a variety of signals including:

• Body movements
• Eye contact
• Tone of voice

All of these signals can convey important information that is not put into words. For example, eye contact can help establish how attentive a person is. Tone of voice might reveal hints about their emotional state. Even posture can help convey how interested and engaged a person is in a conversation.

By paying closer attention to other people's unspoken behaviors, you will improve your own ability to communicate nonverbally.

Look for Incongruent Behaviors

You should pay careful attention if someone's words do not match their nonverbal behaviors. For example, someone might tell you they are happy while frowning and staring at the ground.

When words fail to match up with nonverbal signals, people often ignore what has been said and focus instead on unspoken expressions of moods, thoughts, and emotions . Therapists, for example, utilize these incongruencies to look for how a client might feel during a session.

So when someone says one thing, but their body language suggests something else, it can be helpful to pay extra attention to those subtle nonverbal cues. 

Be aware that other factors might contribute to these differences. Physical challenges may affect a person's ability to convey signals, so consider other reasons why words and behaviors might not match up.

Focus on Tone of Voice

Your tone of voice can convey a wealth of information, ranging from enthusiasm to disinterest to anger. Tone can be an effective way to amplify your message.

Start noticing how your tone of voice affects how others respond to you and try using your tone to emphasize ideas that you want to communicate.

For example, if you want to show genuine interest in something, express your enthusiasm by using an animated tone of voice. Such signals not only convey your feelings about a topic; they can also help generate interest in the people listening to you speak.

Researchers have found that tone of voice can affect how people respond to healthcare practitioners. Patients report greater satisfaction when treated by surgeons who use a non-dominant tone of voice. People who use more vocal variety in tone of voice are rated as more trustworthy and attentive.

Use Good Eye Contact

Good eye contact is another essential nonverbal communication skill. When people fail to look others in the eye, it can seem as if they are evading or trying to hide something. On the other hand, too much eye contact can seem confrontational or intimidating.

While eye contact is an essential part of communication, it's important to remember that good eye contact does not mean staring fixedly into someone's eyes. How can you tell how much eye contact is appropriate?

Some communication experts recommend intervals of eye contact lasting three to four seconds. Effective eye contact should feel natural and comfortable for you and the person you are speaking with.

Ask Questions

If you are confused about another person's nonverbal signals, don't be afraid to ask questions. A good idea is to repeat back your interpretation of what has been said and ask for clarification. Some examples of this:

• "So what you are saying is that..."
• "Do you mean that we should..."
• "What I'm hearing is that you think..."

Such questions can help clarify a conversation and encourage the other person to keep talking. These questions are part of active listening and help demonstrate your interest and engagement in the conversation.

Sometimes simply asking such questions can lend a great deal of clarity to a situation.

For example, a person might be giving off certain nonverbal signals because they have something else on their mind. By inquiring further into their message and intent, you might get a better idea of what they are really trying to say.

Use Signals to Add Meaning

Remember that verbal and nonverbal communication work together to convey a message. You can improve your spoken communication by using body language that reinforces and supports what you are saying. This can be especially useful when making presentations or speaking to a large group.

For example, suppose your goal is to appear confident and prepared during a presentation. In that case, you will want to focus on sending nonverbal signals that ensure that others see you as self-assured and capable. You can strike a self-confident stance by:

• Standing firmly in one place
• Keeping your shoulders back
• Keeping your weight balanced on both feet

Matching your body language to your verbal messages can help convey greater meaning and clarify your intentions. Body movements and stance are important, but facial expressions, eye gaze, mouth movements, gestures, and personal space are also essential components.

Look at Signals as a Whole

Another important part of good nonverbal communication skills involves being able to take a more holistic approach to what a person is communicating. A single gesture can mean any number of things or maybe even nothing at all.

The key to accurately reading nonverbal behavior is looking for groups of signals reinforcing a common point.

If you place too much emphasis on just one signal out of many, you might come to an inaccurate conclusion about what a person is trying to say.

For example, imagine that a person sounds and looks confident in their words and body language, but you notice that they don't make much eye contact. If you were to base your assessment on eye gaze alone, you might conclude that they were anxious or unsure, when in reality, they are just tired or distracted.

Consider the Context

When you are communicating with others, always consider the situation and the context in which the communication occurs. Some situations require more formal behaviors that might be interpreted very differently in any other setting.

Consider whether or not nonverbal behaviors are appropriate for the context. If you are trying to improve your own nonverbal communication, concentrate on ways to make your signals match the level of formality necessitated by the situation.

For example, the body language and nonverbal communication you utilize at work are probably very different from the sort of signals you would send on a casual Friday night out with friends. Strive to match your nonverbal signals to the situation to ensure that you are conveying the message you really want to send.  

Be Aware That Signals Can be Misread

According to some, a firm handshake indicates a strong personality while a weak handshake is taken as a lack of fortitude. This example illustrates an important point about the possibility of misreading nonverbal signals. A weak handshake might actually indicate something else entirely, such as arthritis.

Always remember to look for groups of behavior. A person's overall demeanor is far more telling than a single gesture viewed in isolation.

Interpreting nonverbal communication is complex and relies on various abilities, including interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence . Understanding that situations can be misread, different factors can affect how a person comes across, and the impact of your own biases can help you better interpret different nonverbal signals.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Some people just seem to have a knack for using nonverbal communication effectively and correctly interpreting signals from others. These people are often described as being able to "read people."  

In reality, nonverbal communication is a skill you can improve. You can build this skill by paying careful attention to nonverbal behavior and practicing different types of nonverbal communication with others.

By noticing nonverbal behavior and practicing your own skills, you can dramatically improve your communication abilities.

Nonverbal communication is complex and varied. There's is no single approach or signal that is appropriate in every context. Being more aware of how nonverbal signals impact interpersonal relationships can help you learn to use nonverbal communication more effectively 

A Word From Verywell

Nonverbal communication skills are essential and can make it easier to convey your point and to read what others are trying to tell you. Some people seem to come by these skills quite naturally, but anyone can improve their nonverbal skills with practice.

Park SG, Park KH. Correlation between nonverbal communication and objective structured clinical examination score in medical students .  Korean J Med Educ . 2018;30(3):199-208. doi:10.3946/kjme.2018.94

Foley GN, Gentile JP. Nonverbal communication in psychotherapy .  Psychiatry (Edgmont) . 2010;7(6):38-44.

Hietanen JK. Affective eye contact: an integrative review .  Front Psychol . 2018;9:1587. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01587

Jarick M, Bencic R. Eye contact is a two-way street: arousal is elicited by the sending and receiving of eye gaze information.   Front Psychol . 2019;10:1262. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01262

Scientific American. Eye contact: how long is too long ?

Pádua Júnior FP, Prado PH, Roeder SS, Andrade EB. What a smile means: contextual beliefs and facial emotion expressions in a non-verbal zero-sum game .  Front Psychol . 2016;7:534. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00534

Tipper CM, Signorini G, Grafton ST.  Body language in the brain: constructing meaning from expressive movement .  Front Hum Neurosci . 2015;9:450. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2015.00450

Foley GN, Gentile JP. Nonverbal communication in psychotherapy.   Psychiatry (Edgmont) . 2010;7(6):38–44.

Kret ME. Emotional expressions beyond facial muscle actions. A call for studying autonomic signals and their impact on social perception.   Front Psychol . 2015;6:711. Published 2015 May 27. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00711

Evola V, Skubisz J. Coordinated Collaboration and Nonverbal Social Interactions: A Formal and Functional Analysis of Gaze, Gestures, and Other Body Movements in a Contemporary Dance Improvisation Performance.   J Nonverbal Behav . 2019;43(4):451–479. doi:10.1007/s10919-019-00313-2

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Nonverbal Communication

Oct 10, 2014

4.03k likes | 12.81k Views

Nonverbal Communication. We speak only with our mouths, but we communicate with our whole bodies. 80% of Communication is Nonverbal. Gestures Body Position Facial Expressions Tone of Voice. Nonverbal Communication

Share Presentation

• body language
• eye contact
• verbal message
• nonverbal supports verbal
• affect displays nonverbal behaviors

Presentation Transcript

Nonverbal Communication We speak only with our mouths, but we communicate with our whole bodies.

80% of Communication is Nonverbal • Gestures • Body Position • Facial Expressions • Tone of Voice

Nonverbal Communication Communication without words; a process by which an individual stimulates meaning in the mind of another person through intentional and unintentional messages through use of the body and voice

Functions of Nonverbal Behavior

Repeat Nonverbal message conveys the same idea as the verbal; can take either verbal or nonverbal message away and it still gives the same message Examples: saying “Hello” while waving or saying “Be quiet” while holding indexfinger up to your mouth

Substitute nonverbal message replaces verbal message; (also called emblems) Examples: waving to say hello, thumbs up for “good job,” clapping at a concert, hitchhiker thumb

"I'm fine." Contradict Nonverbal goes against verbal; they do not match up; ALSO called a mixed message Examples: saying “I’m fine” when your head is hanging down with slumped shoulders, etc. Note: Which is more believable when verbal and nonverbal behaviors are contradictory? Why?

Complement Nonverbal supports verbal; used to show how to do something, show sizes, or emphasize emotional feelings; we complement the verbal message with the nonverbal message when demonstrating something or giving directions & pointing (also called illustrators) Examples: “The fish was this big” while holding hands out to indicate size or “I’m so frustrated!” while shaking fists

AccentUse of gestures & facial expressions to emphasize or punctuate spoken words (also called illustrators)Examples: yelling “That’s it!” while pounding fist, emphasizing words through tone of voice, saying “My first point…” while holding up one finger

Regulate Nonverbal cues that control or regulate the interaction of flow of communication between ourselves and another person (Called regulators) Examples: nodding head and saying “uh huh,” giving eye contact, opening mouth to speak, leaning forward, raising eyebrows, or raising index finger

Vocalics Communication through voice (vocal cues other than words = paralanguage) such as… • Tone of voice-vocal quality, raspy or nasally creates interference with message • Pitch-highness or lowness of voice • Volume-loudness or softness of voice • Rate-how rapidly or slowly one talks • Accent/ dialect-pronunciation

Kinesics: The study of human movement and gesture, including facial expression & eye contact

Affect displaysNonverbal behaviors used to communicate emotions Examples: hugging someone to express love or shaking fist at someone to show anger

Adaptors Nonverbal behaviors that help us to satisfy a personal need and adapt to the immediate situation; not really intending to communicate meaning Examples: scratching mosquito bite, adjusting glasses, combing hair, pulling hanging thread of clothing, etc.

Proxemics: Communication through the use of space Territoriality- fixed area that is occupied, controlled and defended by a person or group as their exclusive domain; regulates social interaction; can be source of conflict; indicates ownership (permanent or temporary)

Why is it important to understand body language? • See how people react to us and our ideas • You can control nervous habits and negative signals. • People respond and remember more of what they see than hear.

Facial Expressions • Six emotions are the foundation • Surprise • Fear • Anger • Disgust • Happiness • Sadness

Facial Expressions • Different Facial Areas for different emotions • Disgust - nose, cheek, mouth • Sadness - brows and forehead • Happiness - cheeks and mouth • Fear - eyes and eyelids

Tone of Voice • The pitch and timbre (distinctive tone) show the true feelings • “Oh” can mean… • "You surprised me." • "I made a mistake." • "You're a pain in the neck!" • "You made me so happy!" • "I'm bored." • "I'm fascinated." • "I don't understand."

How to Tell Lying • Decreased hand activity • Concerned subconsciously, hands will give you away • Hide them, sit on them, clasp them together • Increased Facial touching • Earlobe pull • Hand on brow • Mouth cover • Lip Press • Hair Groom • Stiff and rigid posture • Increased body shifting

Multicultural Messages Frame of reference is important in understanding symbols. • What means “Hook ‘em Horns” in Texas, means… • Italy - insult • Brazil - good luck • Hindus - cow • In business, body language wins out over verbal communication.

Greetings are different around the world • Latinos hug • Japanese bow • The French kiss both cheeks • English & Americans shake hands • Romans clasped forearms • Arab citizens say “Salaam” • Eskimos slap hands on heads or shoulders • Maoris rub noses • Polynesians embrace each other and rub backs

How Countries Feel About Distance • Don't Like Touching • Japan • U.S. and Canada • England • Australia • Enjoy Touching • Middle East • Latin America • Italy • Greece • Russia • Middle Ground • France • China • Ireland • India

Women vs. Men • Women respond to touch differently than men

Types of Space • Personal • 1-1/2 to 4 feet • Intimate • Under 18 inches Confidential Exchanges Conversations withfriends & colleagues • Public • Over 12 feet • Social • 4 to 12 feet Social & BusinessExchanges Public Spaces likeShopping Malls

"We talk with our vocal chords, but we communicate with our facial expressions, our tone of voice, our whole body,” Psychologist Paul Ekman Nonverbal Communication in the Workplace

Steps to a Professional Personality • To be successful, you have to look successful. • Have confident posture- shoulders erect (it shows interest) • Don't smile constantly • Cocking your head suggests hesitation • Touching your face makes you look nervous • Be the first to interact • Keep body position open • Be in command when seated • Forearms on the table • Don't slouch or jiggle your foot • Work on your handshake • Maintain good eye contact

What is Positive Body Language? • Relaxed posture • Relaxed arms • Good eye contact • Nodding agreement • Smiling at humor • Leaning closer • Using gestures

What is Negative Body Language? • Body tension • Arms folded • Speaking hand to mouth • Fidgeting • Yawning

Interpreting Nonverbal Messages • Don't just look - see • Consider person's normal physical behavior • Look for clusters of signals, not just one

Nonverbal message Body language Tone of voice Gesture Personal space Intimate distance Personal distance Social distance Eye contact Vocabulary

• More by User

Nonverbal Communication. “The World Beyond Words”. What is Nonverbal Communication?. “Messages expressed by nonlinguistic means.” Includes silent behaviors, environment, artifacts, and vocal intonation Is a powerful mode of communication.

1.57k views • 27 slides

Nonverbal Communication. Objectives. Understand the definition of nonverbal communication Understand different types of nonverbal communication Understand the functions of nonverbal behavior Understand differences in nonverbal behavior between Chinese culture and American culture.

657 views • 29 slides

Nonverbal Communication. Tamara S. Arrington University of Kentucky COM 252. Nonverbal Communication. A system of symbolic behaviors that includes all forms of communication except words. -- Waving can mean, “Hello,” “Goodbye,” “Go ahead,” “I’m over here,” etc.

1.47k views • 33 slides

Nonverbal Communication. COM 372 Theory and Research in Intercultural Communication. Defining Nonverbal Communication.

722 views • 20 slides

Nonverbal Communication. “ The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions.” Confucius. Research. Albert Mehrabian 7% words 38% tone and inflection 55% facial expression, body position and gestures. Nonverbal Communication. Unwritten and unspoken messages

727 views • 18 slides

What is nonverbal communication?. ?Oral and nonoral messages expressed by other than linguistic means."Messages transmitted by vocal means that do not involve languageSign language and written words are not considered nonverbal communication. Nonverbal communication is powerful. 60% of all communi

806 views • 29 slides

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

909 views • 49 slides

NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION. OBJECTIVES. Define the term non-verbal communication and its concepts Explain the nature of non-verbal behaviors Illustrate non-verbal behaviors Differentiate the three primary elements of non-verbal communication

1.35k views • 12 slides

Nonverbal Communication. Nonverbal communication: A message expressed by nonlinguistic means. How does nonverbal communication work for us? Against us? Does all nonverbal behavior have communicative value? Can we control our nonverbals? Research:

440 views • 7 slides

Nonverbal Communication. Definition Characteristics of Nonverbal Communication Functions of Nonverbal Communication Types of Nonverbal Communication. Nonverbal Communication Defined. Def- Messages expressed by nonlinguistic means.

1.42k views • 24 slides

NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION. Def: Is the sending and receiving of messages without the use of words. Between 65-90% of messages are nonverbal. Non-verbal Communication. Are the messages that are sent through body language and facial expressions

605 views • 24 slides

NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION. What is Nonverbal Communication and What I s I ts S ignificance ?. It is a form of communication which is symbolic, meaningful and governed by societal or cultural rules Our facial expressions, eye gaze, posture and tone of voice.

969 views • 10 slides

Nonverbal Communication. SWBAT. Recognize nonverbal communication cues Identify the positive and negative effects of nonverbal communication Identify cultural differences in nonverbal communication. Nonverbal Communication. Expressing yourself without the use of words

1.08k views • 9 slides

Nonverbal communication

Nonverbal communication. Communication without words. Nonverbal communication. All forms of communication except words . It includes sounds , body language , and environmental factors . Types of NV Comm. Kinesics Vocalics Haptics Proxemics Chronemics Environmental Factors.

837 views • 18 slides

NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION. Accounts for 80% of all Communication Nonverbal is body language Nonverbal messages often overpower verbal messages Body language is not a universal language. NONVERBAL BEHAVIORS. Posture and body orientation Eye contact Facial expressions Gestures Touch

1.31k views • 11 slides

Nonverbal Communication. Messages Beyond Words Chapter 5. Quiz. 1. Gesturing has little bearing on persuasiveness False 2. Cognitively complex people are better at decoding nonverbal behavior than are those who are less cognitively complex. True

1.74k views • 30 slides

Nonverbal Communication. GAO Yongchen Suzhou University. Warm-up Questions. Why may you be communicating even if you don’t speak? How many modes of communication do you know? What is verbal communication and what is nonverbal communication? Amd how much do you know about them?.

974 views • 32 slides

Nonverbal Communication. Mrs. Curry Lecture Notes Ch. 5. Understanding NV comm. Nonverbal Communication : a system of symbolic behaviors that includes all form of communication except words. Wave= goodbye, hello, go ahead, I’m over here

395 views • 8 slides

Nonverbal Communication. Muhammad Ayub Attari Course Coordinator. What Does It Mean?. Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have potential to turn a life around.

1.24k views • 56 slides

NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION. THE IMPORTANCE OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION. As much as 93 % of communication is nonverbal, with 55% sent through facial expression, posture, and gestures and 38% through tone of voice. Nonverbal Communication as a Transaction.

622 views • 9 slides

Nonverbal Communication. Nonverbal Communication. Is it possible to communicate without words? Studies show that over half of your message is carried through nonverbal elements: Your appearance Your body language The tone and the pace of your voice. Forms of Nonverbal Communication.

719 views • 41 slides

Nonverbal Communication. Definition Components Power and functions of nonverbal Types of nonverbal comm. Definition. “Oral or nonoral messages expressed by other than linguistic means” (Adler &amp; Rodman, 2003, p. 150). Nonverbal can be…. Perceived by sender or receiver, or

882 views • 23 slides

• Preferences

VERBAL AND NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

VERBAL AND NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

Verbal and non-verbal communication * verbal & non-verbal communication verbal communication is organized by language. non-verbal communication refers to all ... – powerpoint ppt presentation.

• Verbal communication is organized by language.
• Non-verbal communication refers to all communication that occurs without the use of words, spoken or written.
• Non-verbal communication is concerned with body movements (KINESICS), space (PROXEMICS), and vocal (PARALINGUISTIC) features.
• It includes all unwritten and unspoken messages, both intentional and unintentional.
• Non-verbal communication has profound impact on the receivers, but it is difficult to analyze them accurately this is because the interpretation of non-verbal cues is a very subjective concept.
• Is the study of the bodys physical movements. It is the way the body communicates through the various movements of its parts.
• e.g. you node your head to indicate acceptance.
• In face-to-face communication, the message is conveyed on two levels simultaneously. One is verbal other is non-verbal.
• e.g. suppose you are congratulating your friend on his/her success, you extend your hand with a big smile on your face with the word Congrats your appreciation has more impact on them than the words in isolation. THE SMILE AND HANDSHAKE ARE KINESICS.
• i.) Personal appearance Personal appearance plays an important role people see before they hear. Today the purpose of clothing has altered from fulfilling a basic need to expressing oneself. The choice of clothes reveals a lot about the wearers personality and attitude. Appearances communicate how we feel about ourselves and how we want to be viewed.
• Appearance includes
• Accessories and so on.
• ii.) Posture is the way we hold ourselves when we stand, sit, or walk. It changes according to the situation.
• E.g. if we are nervous we move constantly or stay glued to the ground.

PowerShow.com is a leading presentation sharing website. It has millions of presentations already uploaded and available with 1,000s more being uploaded by its users every day. Whatever your area of interest, here you’ll be able to find and view presentations you’ll love and possibly download. And, best of all, it is completely free and easy to use.

You might even have a presentation you’d like to share with others. If so, just upload it to PowerShow.com. We’ll convert it to an HTML5 slideshow that includes all the media types you’ve already added: audio, video, music, pictures, animations and transition effects. Then you can share it with your target audience as well as PowerShow.com’s millions of monthly visitors. And, again, it’s all free.

About the Developers

PowerShow.com is brought to you by  CrystalGraphics , the award-winning developer and market-leading publisher of rich-media enhancement products for presentations. Our product offerings include millions of PowerPoint templates, diagrams, animated 3D characters and more.