HDFS 142 - Chapter #7

Nonverbal Communication

Messages expressed by nonlinguistic means.

- Often unconscious

- Usually relational

- Inherently ambiguous

- Rooted in biology

- Continuous

- Multichannel

Emblems

Culturally understood substitutes for verbal expressions.

Regulators

Cues that help control verbal interaction.

Kinesics

The study of how people communicate through bodily movements.

Oculesics

The study of how the eyes can communicate.

Manipulators

Movements in which one part of the body grooms, massages, rubs, holds, pinches, picks, or otherwise manipulates another part.

Haptics

The study of touching.

Paralanguage

Describes the way a message is spoken.

Disfluencies

Vocalized pauses, "um," "er," and "uh," and filler words such as "like," "okay," and "ya know."

Proxemics

The study of how communication is affected by the use, organization, and perception of space and distance.

Personal Space

The distance we put between ourselves and others.

Intimate Distance

Begins with skin-to-skin contact and ranges out to about 18 inches.

Personal Distance

Ranges from 18 inches at its closest point to 4 feet at its farthest.

Social Distance

Ranges from 4 to about 12 feet.

Public Distance

The farthest zone, running outward from 12 feet.

Territory

The area that serves as an extension of our physical being.

Chronemics

The study of how humans use and structure time.

Verbal Communication

- Mostly voluntary and conscious

- Usually content oriented

- Can be clear or vague

- Primarily shaped by culture

- Discontinuous/intermittent

- Single channel (words only)

Characteristics of Nonverbal Communication

- Always occurring- impossible to not communicate!

- Primarily relational

- Ambiguous

- Occurs in mediated messages

Universal Emotions

Anger, Disgust, Fear, Happiness, Surprise, Sadness, Shame

True or False?

Females are (generally) more nonverbally expressive and better at interpreting others' nonverbal behaviors.

True

How does Culture Affect Nonverbals?

- Affects how nonverbal cues are monitored

- Some nonverbal behaviors are universal, but the ways in which they are used varies.

Women Do the Following:

- Smile more

- Use more facial expression

- Use more (but less expansive) head, hand, and arm gestures

- Touch others more

- Stand closer to others

- Are more vocally expressive

- Make more eye contact

Influencing Others

- Capture attention

- Show/increase liking

- Generate power

- Boost credibility

Influencing ourselves

- "Superman pose"

- Concealing/deceiving

Managing Impressions

- Manner

- Appearance

- Setting

Body movement

- Kinesics

- Face and eyes

Types of Nonverbal Communication

- Body Movement

- Posture

- Gestures

- Touch

- Voice

- Distance

- Barrier behaviors

- Territoriality

- Physical Attractiveness

- Clothing

- Chronemics

Voice

- Paralanguage

- Unintentional Pause

- Vocalized Pause

Monochronic Cultures

punctuality

Polychronic Cultures

flexibility

Barrier Behaviors

Strategies designed to create a barrier (or fix a broken one) between ourselves and other people.