Focus Questions

 What is nonverbal communication?

 To what extent can we read others’ nonverbal
behaviors?
 How does nonverbal communication regulate
interaction?
 How does nonverbal communication express the
balance of power between people?
 How does nonverbal communication express
cultural values?
 What does silence mean?

Nonverbal Communication 1
Nonverbal Communication
 Actions speak louder than words!
 Facial expressions
 Eye contact
 Body postures
 Physical Objects
 Utterance
 Others…
Nonverbal Communication 2
Principles of Nonverbal Comm.
 Account for 65-93 % of meaning in
communication
 Nonverbal comm. can be ambiguous
 Spreading fingers → V
 Victory; Peace (60s); 照相時的” Yeah!”
 Nonverbal comm. interact with verbal comm. (5
ways)
 Repeat, highlight, complement, contradict, substitute

Nonverbal Communication 3
Principles of Nonverbal Comm. (2)
 Nonverbal comm. can regulate interaction
 Cues for speaking and silence
 Can establish relationship-level meaning
 3 dimensions: Responsiveness, liking, power
 Silence: a powerful form of nonverbal comm.
 Reflects cultural values
 Most nonverbal comm. isn’t instinctual but learned thru
socialization
 Territoriality (private spaces)
 Time consciousness
 Norms of “touching” p.130

Nonverbal Communication 4
9 Types of Nonverbal Behaviors
1. Kinesics (Body positions & motions & face)
 1968 Olympics incident (gloved fist - see next slide)
2. Haptics (Physical touch)
 Babies in healthy & disturbed families
3. Physical appearance
 Height, skin color, size
 Fortune reading
4. Artifacts (personal objects)
 Identity: lace, color
 functional for male

Nonverbal Communication 5
Gloved Fist as a Sign of Black Unity
 1968 Olympics in
Mexico City
 Tommie Smith &
John Carols as Gold
& Bronze
 US team expelled
 Martin Luther King: I
have a dream…

Nonverbal Communication 6
9 Types of Nonverbal Behaviors (2)
5. Proxemics (personal space)
6. Environmental factors
 Music, light in restaurants
7. Chronemics (perception & use of time)
8. Paralanguage (vocal qualities)
9. Silence

Nonverbal Communication 7
Guidelines for Effective Nonverbal
Communication
 Monitor your nonverbal communication
 Be tentative when interpreting others’
nonverbal communication
 Personal qualification
 Generalization issue
 Contextual qualification
 Settings, surroundings (home vs. conference
room)

Nonverbal Communication 8