Chapter 5 Interpersonal Communication

Complementing

Used in combination with verbal messages to emphasize the entire message (e.g., "I am mad" while pounding your fist on the table).

Contradicting

Verbal communicating that has a different meaning than the nonverbal message (e.g., "Head north to get to the freeway" while pointing south)

Accenting

the nonverbal message that provides emphasis to the verbal message (e.g., Your instructor pauses and gives the students a sincere look before announcing a test date)

Repeating

Nonverbal communication that repeats the meaning of the verbal message.

Regulating

Examples include eye contact, leaning forward, nodding your head while the other is talking, etc. Interrupting nonverbal cues indicate leave-taking behaviors. Regulators help to control verbal interactions (e.g., nonverbal signals that indicate turn-taking in everyday conversations). Eye contact is another way of regulating verbal communication.

Substituting

Emblems are culturally understood substitutes for verbal expressions (e.g., nodding head up and down or side-to-side; shrugging your shoulders; winking)

Kinesics

Posture, gestures, eye contact, facial expressions, etc. It is virtually impossible to compile a dictionary of facial expressions and their corresponding emotions. Studies have shown that high degrees of eye contact can influence verbal responses in Northern America. Oculesics is the study of eye contact

Emblems

gestures that correspond to a word and an agreed-on meaning (e.g., the "okay" sign in Western cultures)

Illustrators

emphasize or explain an idea (e.g., "I caught a fish this big" whileholding hand up to measure how big the fish was).

Affect Displays

show feelings and emotions (e.g., jumping up and down after a touchdown by your favorite football team.

Regulators

help to coordinate the flow of communication (e.g., raising your handin class indicates you would like to say something.

Vocalics

The WAY a message is spoken can give many different meanings to verbalmessages (e.g., pace, vocal rate, pitch, tone, volume, pauses)

Disfluencies

Communicate messages also (e.g., such as stammering and the use of "um," "uh," and "er"). They tend to reduce a person's perceived credibility.

Haptics

The study of touch. Touch is a primal human need. There is great value intouching (appropriately). Touching boosts liking; boosts compliance; increaseswage/tips. Touch is generally more appropriate for women than for men.

Proxemics

Proxemics is the study of how people use the space around them.Hall (1959) created a model of spatial zones:1. Intimate Zone: 0 - 18 inches. Reserved for lovers, close friends, & intimatefamily members.2. Personal Zone: 18 inches - 4 feet. Close friends and relatives.3. Social Zone: 4 - 12 feet. Professional interactions, business transactions.4. Public Zone: 12 feet & beyond. Public speakers, performers, and audiences

Intimate Zone

0 - 18 inches. Reserved for lovers, close friends, & intimate family members

Personal Zone

18 inches - 4 feet. Close friends and relatives

Social Zone

4 - 12 feet. Professional interactions, business transactions

Public Zone

12 feet & beyond. Public speakers, performers, and audiences

Artifacts and Environment

Items we adorn our bodies with, or carry with us (e.g., glasses, jewelry, tattoos, piercings, etc.). : Physical setting, architecture, and interior design affects communication

Olfactics

Involves the sense of smell (e.g., smell of gingerbread, candle, etc.).

Chronemics

The way we handle time expresses both intentional and unintentional messages. There are several categories: Biological time refers to the rhythm of living things. Personal time refers to the ways that individuals experience time. This could be based on mood, interest level, etc. Cultural time refers to how a large group of people view time. For example, time is viewed as very valuable in cultures like the U.S. (i.e., monochromic), while in other cultures (South American, Mediterranean, and Arab) time is much less a consideration (i.e., polychronic)

Biological Time

refers to the rhythm of living things.

Personal Time

refers to the ways that individuals experience time. This could be based on mood, interest level, etc.

Cultural Time

Refers to how a large group of people view time. For example, time is viewed as very valuable in cultures like the U.S. (i.e., monochromic), while in other cultures (South American, Mediterranean, and Arab) time is much less a consideration (i.e., polychronic).

Influencing Others

Nonverbal behavior is especially influential in job interviews (e.g., smiling, clothing, eye contact, etc.)

Influencing Ourselves

Your nonverbal behavior reflects how you feel. A recent line of research has shown that if you change your nonverbal behavior, it can affect the way you feel! (e.g., "jumping for joy" can actually trigger happiness; sitting up straight can improve your mood).

Concealing/Deceiving

(e.g., Pretending to have fun at a business event). Leakage: signals of deception, called leakage, can occur in every type of nonverbal behavior (e.g., facial expressions, eye contact, body language, vocal cues). We are actually only accurate in detecting deception only about 50% of the time. We also overestimate our ability to detect deception

Managing Impressions

When you are at a party and think you may want to get to know someone else, you don't walk up to them and verbally say "I'm attractive, friendly, and easygoing." Instead we behave that way.