Nonverbal Communication Chapter 6

Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal Communication: those behaviors and characteristics that convey meaning without the use of words

Nonverbal Communication Often accompanies verbal comm. Can clarify or reinforce verbal However, nonverbal can convey meanings on its own

Characteristics of Nonverbal Communication Present in interpersonal conversations -Use emoticons if necessary Often conveys more information than verbal 65-70% of meaning from NV (Burgoon) Uses multiple channels Usually believed over verbal If messages conflict, we believe NV

Characteristics of NV Comm. Primary means of communicating emotion Esp. vocalics and facial expressions Ekman: happiness, fear, disgust, anger, sadness, surprise Meta-communicative NV used to communicate about our communication Used to indicate how someone should interpret our message Smile and wink to indicate sarcasm Raise eyebrows or furrow brow to indicate seriousness

Functions of Nonverbal Communication Managing Conversations Regulates verbal communication Inviting conversations Managing conversations Turn-taking behavior Ending conversations Break eye contact Left-positioning—move body in direction we want to go

Functions of Nonverbal Expressing Emotions Facial expressions “Ready revealers” wear emotions on face Vocal expressions Maintaining Relationships Attraction and Affiliation Immediacy behaviors—NV behaviors that send messages of attraction or affiliation (flirting) Established relationships—hug, kiss, change in vocalics, etc.

Functions of NV Comm. Maintaining Relationships Power and Dominance Power—potential to affect another person’s behavior Dominance—actual exercise of that potential Artifacts—used as status symbols “The look”

Functions of NV Comm. Arousal and Relaxation Arousal—increase in energy Could be anxiety (negative) or excitement (positive) Relaxation—situation of decreased energy Could be contentment (positive) or depression (negative)

Functions of NV Comm. Forming impressions “People watching” Demographic impression Age, ethnicity, sex, voice Sociocultural impressions Socio-economic status, cultural, and co-cultural groups Personal appearance

Functions of NV Comm. Influencing others Concealing information Creating credibility Project a credible image through dress, vocalics, etc. Promoting affiliation More persuaded by people we like Touch is very powerful Interactional synchrony—convergence of two people’s behaviors—”mirroring” Concealing information Deception Facial expressions, mouth, eye contact, vocalics

Channels of Nonverbal Communication We experience nonverbal communication in many different forms—known as channels

FACIAL DISPLAYS Also known as facial expressions Principle of Facial Primacy—face communicates more information than any other channel of NV Identity—how we know who someone is

Facial Displays Attractiveness Emotion Consistency in what people find attractive across cultures Symmetry—between left and right sides of face Proportionality—relative size of one’s facial features Emotion Facial expression is main channel of NV behavior Women tend to decode/read facial cues better Nonmanual signals—facial expressions in sign language

Eye Contact Oculesics—study of eye behavior Signals attraction, credibility, intimidation Pupil size—can change based on arousal levels, not just light levels

Movement and Gestures Emblems—direct translation Kinesics—movement Gesticulation—arm and hand movements Emblems—direct translation Hello, good-bye Illustrators—complement verbal “this big,” “about this tall”

Movement and Gestures Affect displays—communicate emotion Cover mouth when surprised, coincide with emotion Regulators—control flow of comm. Raise hand in class, reduce eye contact Adaptors—satisfy a personal need Self-adaptors—scratch, fidget Other-adaptors—touch another

Touch Haptics Affectionate Caregiving touch Power and Control Aggressive Touh Ritualistic Touch Greetings Athletic Events

Vocalics Vocalics—characteristics of your voice Paralanguage—”beside language”—goes along with words we speak Pitch, inflection, volume, rate, fillers, pronunciation, articulation, accent, silence

Olfactics Sense of smell Considered the sense that is most likely to trigger memory Olfactic association Memories we connect with specific smells Sexual attraction Plays a major role in whom we feel attracted to Find people more sexually attractive if their scent is dissimilar to ours—healthier babies

Proxemics Study of personal space Edward T. Hall, Anthropologist Focuses on Western culture Intimate Distance”-18” Personal Distance 18”-4’ Social Distance 4’-12’ Public Distance 12’-25’ or greater Exception—people with disabilities

Physical Appearance Halo effect Attribute positive qualities to physically attractive people What are the costs of a culture that puts so much emphasis on physical attractiveness?

Time Chronemics—the way people use time Sends messages about power Very culturally bound Not in book but of interest—Edward Hall Molychronic Time (M-Time) Time is seen as being a limited resource which is constantly being used up. This perspective is oriented to the future. Polychronic Time (P-Time) Views time in a more "circular" fashion, as the turning of the seasons, and time is seen as renewing itself each year. Promptness is not considered important. This perspective is oriented to the past and/or present.

Artifacts Physical environment we inhabit Objects and visual features within an environment that reflect who we are and what we like How we adorn ourselves can also be considered part of artifacts (hair, piercing, tattoos, dress style, etc.)

CULTURE INFLUENCES NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION Emblems Affect displays Personal distance Eye contact Facial displays of emotion Greeting behavior Time orientations Touch Vocalics

SEX INFLUENCES NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION Emotional expressiveness Women more expressive: joy, affection, sadness, depression Men more expressive: anger (some studies disagree) Eye contact Women have increased eye contact in US and Japan Female pairs use more gaze when speaking, listening, and silence Male-female pairs similar to female-female findings Personal space Women approached more closely, allow more space violations, stand/sit closer to others Men more likely to violate women’s space than women are to violate men’s space

Sex Influences on NV Vocalics Touch Appearance Men use more fillers and pauses than women Touch Men more likely to touch women than women touching men (unless it’s a greeting) Same-sex pairs, women touch more than men (but difference is reduced in close friendships) Appearance Women and men adorn differently Western culture—women use make-up more than men Hair and clothing styles generally different

Improving your Nonverbal Skills Learn to adapt to others’ styles Interpreting skills Be sensitive to nonverbals Decipher the meaning of nonverbals Expressing skills Learn from others Practice being expressive