The World Beyond Words Nonverbal Communication

“The language of the body is the key that

can unlock the soul.”

Stanislavksy

Definition & Benefits All aspects of communication other than words

Gesture, smile, frown, widen your eyes, move your chair closer to someone, wear jewelry, touch someone, raise your vocal volume or say nothing

The greater your ability to send & receive NV messages: the higher your attraction, popularity &

psychosocial well-being likely will be The more successful you’re likely to be at

influencing others

Differences b/t Verbal & NV Perceived as more believable Multi-channeled Continuous

10 Channels of NVC1. Facial Displays2. Eye Behaviors3. Movement &

Gestures-Kinesics4. Touch Behaviors-

Haptics5. Vocal Behaviors-

Vocalics or Paralanguage

6. The use of Smell-Olfactics7.The use of Space-Proxemics8. Physical Appearance9.The use of Time-Chronemics10. The use of Artifacts

5 NV Functions1. Impression Formation & Management

Responsiveness/Immediacy Likability Attractiveness Power/Dominance

2. Forming & Defining Relationships Much of relationship is lived nonverbally

65%-93% Holding hands, looking into other’s eyes,

dressing alike Dominance & status

3. Structuring Conversation & Social Interaction

Turn-taking cues Signals that you’re ready

To speak To listen To continue To end

4. Influence Focused glance Gestures Appropriate dress

Deception Lie Mislead

Detect deception in others, too

5. Emotional Expression Great part of emotional experience Facial expressions reveal ranges of

emotions Posture, gestures, eye movement (pupil

dilation) Unpleasant messages

Getting to Know YouYour Nonverbal Interpretation and ExpressionHow much do you agree with each of the following statements? Indicate level of agreement with each statement on a scale of 1-7, wherein 1 means you strongly disagree and 7 means you strongly agree.― When I feel depressed, I tend to bring down those around me.― It is nearly impossible for people to hide their true feelings

from me.― I have been told that I have “expressive” eyes.― At parties, I can instantly tell when someone is interested in

me.― Quite often I tend to be the “life of the party.”― People often tell me that I am a sensitive and understanding

person.

Scoring When you have finished, add up your

scores from items 1, 3, and 5. This is your score for expressiveness. Next, add up your scores from items 2, 4, and 6. This is your score for interpretation. Both scores should range from 3-21.

16-21=quite good 9-15=moderate 3-8=can benefit from guidance in Chapter

Body Gestures Kinesics, the study of communication

through body movement Emblems-directly translate words or

phrases “OK” sign, “Come here” wave, hitchhiker’s

sign Illustrators-accompany & literally

“illustrate: verbal messages Circular hand movements when talking of a

circle, hands far apart for large Affect displays-communicate emotional

meaning Expressions of happiness, surprise, fear,

anger, sadness, disgust

Kinesics Continued Regulators-monitor, maintain or control

the speaking another Facial expressions & hand gestures

indicating “keep going,” “Slow down,” or “What else happened?”

Adaptors-satisfy some need Scratching head, moisten lips Crossing your arms over your chest Clicking pen, chewing pencil

Kinesics Continued Body Appearance

Body build Height Race, nationality Weight Attractiveness-(definitions are becoming

universal)*What ways would you alter your personalAppearance if you were trying to lookFriendlier? Smarter? More liberal? Wealthier?

Kinesics Continued Facial Communication

Emotions-degree of pleasantness, agreement, sympathy

Research indicates: face communicates universally Happiness Surprise Fear Anger Sadness Disgust Contempt Interest

Facial continued Some emotions are easier to decode:

Happiness judged accurately-55%-100% Surprise-38%-86% Sadness-19%-88%

Women & girls are more accurate judges Context plays a role for decoding Smiling people are judged as more

likable & approachable

Kinesics cont. Facial management techniques-enable

you to communicate your feelings to achieve the effect you want & display in socially acceptable ways Intensify Deintensify Neutralize Mask Simulate

Kinesics cont. Facial Feedback Hypothesis-facial

expressions influences physiological arousal. Your facial expression influence the judgments & impressions that others have of you; it also influences your level of emotional arousal One study: participants held a pen in their

teeth to simulate sadness. Rated photos. Results showed that mimicking sad expressions actually increased the degree of sadness the subjects reported feeling when viewing the photos.

Eye Communication Eye Contact:

Monitor feedback – to get it and to listen Listeners gaze at speakers more-62%-75%

Gazing while talking-38%-41% When flipped, becomes awkward

Secure attention & interest Regulate & control Signal nature of relationship Status & aggression

Visual dominance Compensate for increased physical distance

Eyes cont. Eye Avoidance

Great intruders Turn away in public-civil inattention

Pupil dilation Enlarged pupils

Beauty Interest/emotional arousal

Cosmetic industry

Haptics-Touch Communication Most primitive form of NVC

First sense used-child in womb Fondled, caressed, patted, stroked Learns to communicate through touch

Early stages of a relationship-touch little Intermediate stages-touch a lot Stable or deterioration-touch little

Haptics cont. Meanings of touch

Positive emotions Playfulness Control Ritualistic Task-related

Touch Avoidance Fear oral communication Little self-disclosure Difficult to get close Decreased touching leads to avoiding touching Women-higher touch avoidance or opposite-sex touch than do

men

Proxemics How we use space!

Cultural norms Skin to 11/2 feet-significant relationships 11/2 ft-4ft-close friends 4ft-12ft-social distance

Collectivist vs Individualistic Culture Women & Minorities Power

Paralanguage Vocalics

Whispering Shouting Sarcasm Control vocal cues Project an image Accents Cultural

Silence

Listening CuesWho in your life is a good listener? Proxemics/Space Posture, facial,

movements Encouragers Verbal Support

Dual Perspective Ask questions Make judgmental

comments? Interrupt?