1. Understanding Nonverbal Messages
Mr. Quiros
Doral Academy Prep
Period 2/6

2. Why Focus on Nonverbal Communication?
Nonverbal Communication – Behavior other than written or spoken language that creates meaning someone.
Nonverbal Messages Communicate Feelings and Attitudes
Nonverbal Messages are More Believable than Verbal Messages

3. Why Focus on Nonverbal Communication? (cont.)
Nonverbal Messages are Critical to Successful Relationships
Nonverbal Messages Serve Various Functions for Verbal Messages

4. The Nature of Nonverbal Communication
Culture Bound Nature
Rule Governed Nature
Expectancy violations model: A model that suggests that we develop rules or expectations for appropriate nonverbal behavior and react when those expectations are violated.
Ambiguous Nature
Perception Checking: Skill of asking other observers or the person being observed whether your interpretation of his or her nonverbal behavior is accurate
Continuous Nature
Nonlinguistic Nature
Multi channeled Nature

5. Codes of Nonverbal Communication
Appearance
Body movement, gestures, and posture
Kinesics: The study of Human movement, gesture, and posture
Emblems: A nonverbal cue that has a specific, generally understood meaning in a given culture and may substitute for a word or phrase
Illustrators: A nonverbal behavior that accompanies a verbal message and either complements, contradicts, or accents it.
Affect Displays: A non verbal behavior that communicates emotions
Regulator: A nonverbal message that helps to control the interaction or level of communication between people.
Adaptor: A nonverbal behavior that helps satisfy a personal need and helps a person to adapt or respond to the immediate situation.
Quasi Courtship Behavior – Nonverbal actions consciously and unconsciously exhibited when we are attracted to someone.

6. Codes of Nonverbal Communication (Cont)
Eye Contact
Facial Expressions
Touch
Haptics: The study of human touch
Touch ethic: A person’s own guidelines or standards as to appropriate and inappropriate touch.
The Voice
Paralanguage: Nonverbal aspects of voice (e.g. pitch, rate, volume, use of silence.)
Back-channel cue – A vocal cue that signals when we want to talk and when we don’t
Response Latency: How long it takes someone to formulate a response to a statement or question in conversation.

7. Codes of Nonverbal Communication (Cont)
Environment, Space, and Territory
The Physical Environment
Space
Proxemics: Study of how close or far away from people and objects we position ourselves.
Territory
Territoriality: Study of humans use space and objects to communicate occupancy or ownership of space.
Territorial marker: A thing or action that signifies an area has been claimed

8. Edward T. Hall’s Classification of Spatial Zones
Zone 1 – Immediate Space – feet
Zone 2 – Personal Space – feet
Zone 3 – Social Space – 4-12 feet
Zone 4 – Public Space – 12 feet & beyond

9. How to Interpret Nonverbal Cues More Accurately
Immediacy – Feelings of liking, pleasure, and closeness communicated by such nonverbal cues as eye contact, forward lean, touch, and open body orientation.
Arousal – Feelings of interest and excitement communicated by such nonverbal cues as vocal expression, facial expression, and gestures
Dominance – Feelings of power, status, and control communicated by such non verbal cues as relaxed posture, greater personal space, and protected space.