Chapter 5: Communicating Nonverbally

How do people communicate nonverbally?

Nonverbal communication comprises those behaviors and characteristics that convey meaning without the use of words. People communicate nonverbally via several channels, including facial displays, eye behaviors, movement and gestures, touch, vocal behaviors, smell, use of space, physical appearance, use of time, and use of artifacts.

How do culture and sex influence nonverbal behavior?

Culture and sex affect multiple nonverbal communication behaviors, including gestures, personal distance and touch, eye contact, time orientation, vocalics, and emotional expression.

In what ways can you improve your nonverbal communication skills?

You can improve your nonverbal communication skills by being sensitive to the nonverbal messages you encounter, learning to decipher their meanings accurately, and practicing your nonverbal expressiveness.

Nonverbal communication:

Behaviors and characteristics that convey meaning without the use of words.

Emoji:

Cartoon depictions of faces and other objects.

Nonverbal channels:

The various behavioral forms that nonverbal communication takes.

Deception:

The act of leading others to believe something the speaker knows to be untrue.

Immediacy behaviors:

Nonverbal signals of affection and affiliation.

Facial displays:

Facial expressions that are an important source of information in nonverbal communication.

Symmetry:

The similarity between the left and right sides of a face or body.

Proportionality:

The relative sizes of facial or body features.

Oculesics:

The study of eye behavior.

Kinesics:

The study of movement.

Gesticulation:

The use of arm and hand movements to communicate.

Emblems:

Gestures that have a direct verbal translation.

Illustrators:

Gestures that go along with a verbal message to clarify it.

Affect displays:

Gestures that communicate emotion.

Regulators:

Gestures that control the flow of conversation.

Adaptors:

Gestures used to satisfy a personal need.

Haptics:

The study of the sense of touch.

Vacalics:

Characteristics of the voice that communicate meaning.

Paralanguage:

Vocalic behaviors that communicate meaning along with verbal behavior.

Olfactics:

The study of the sense of smell.

Proxemics:

The study of the use of space.

Intimate distance:

The zone of space willingly occupied only with intimate friends, family members, and romantic partners.

Personal distance:

The zone of space occupied with close friends and relatives.

Social distance:

The zone of space occupied with casual acquaintances.

Public distance:

The zone of space maintained during a public presentation.

Halo effect:

A predisposition to attribute positive qualities to physically attractive people.

Chronemics:

The use of time.

Artifacts:

Objects and visual features that reflect a person’s identity and preferences.