Chapter 7 Non Verbal Communication

7
Non-verbal
Communication
Chapter Outline
• Non-verbal Communication Defined
• Characteristics of Non-verbal
Communication
• Functions of Non-verbal
Communication
• Deception and Non-verbal
Communication
• Types of Non-verbal Communication
Learning Objectives
You should understand:
• the distinguishing characteristics of
non-verbal communication;
• the functions that non-verbal
communication can serve;
• the research evidence regarding
detecting deception; and
• the various ways in which non-verbal
messages are communicated.
Learning Objectives, cont’d
You should be able to:
• describe your non-verbal behaviour in any
situation;
• identify non-verbal behaviour that repeats,
substitutes for, complements, accents,
regulates, or contradicts a verbal message;
• recognize and adjust the messages you send
through your own non-verbal behaviour; and
• share appropriately your interpretation of
another’s non-verbal behaviour.
Non-verbal Communication Defined
• Messages expressed by non-linguistic

means.
• Can include verbal communication (e.g.,
voice, tone) but not language (e.g., sign
language).
Characteristics of Non-verbal
Communication
All behaviour has communicative value
• Some theorists have suggested that all non-
verbal behaviour conveys information—it is
impossible not to communicate.
• Each of us is a kind of transmitter that
cannot be shut off even if we try.
• Although non-verbal behaviour reveals
information, we are not always conscious of
what we are communicating non-verbally.
• Behaviour is not always interpreted
accurately.
Communication, cont’d
Non-verbal communication is primarily
relational
• Some non-verbal messages serve utilitarian
functions.
• The relational component of messages is
most often communicated non-verbally.
• Non-verbal messages convey emotions that
we may be unwilling or unable to express
or that we may not even be aware of.
• Ideas are less easy to communicate non-
verbally than attitudes and feelings.
Non-verbal communication is
ambiguous
• Most non-verbal behaviour has the
potential to be even more ambiguous
than verbal statements.
• Because of ambiguity, it is a good idea
to use perception-checking approach
when responding to non-verbal cues.
Non-verbal communication is
influenced by culture and gender
• Cultures have different non-verbal
languages as well as verbal ones.
• The meaning of some gestures varies
from one culture to another.
• Despite differences, much non-verbal
behaviour is universal as certain
expressions have the same meanings
around the world.
Functions of Non-verbal
Communication
Regulating
• Regulators: Help control verbal
interaction.
• Signals that a speaker has finished and
is ready to yield to a listener:
o Changes in vocal intonation
o A drawl or stressed syllable in a clause
o A drop in vocal pitch or loudness when
speaking a common expression
Repeating
• Helpful when describing an idea with a
visual element.
Substituting
• Replacing verbal with non-verbal message.
• Emblems: Culturally understood substitutes
for verbal expressions that convey meaning
(e.g., nodding up and down).
Complementing and accenting
• Illustrators: Actions that have no
meaning of their own, but complement
and accent verbal statements.
• Meaning is specific to context and
usually unconscious.
Contradicting
• Non-verbal behaviour can often
contradict the spoken word.
o If you said, “Go north about two blocks, “
and pointed south, your non-verbal message
would be contradicting what you said.
• Can be used to politely convey a
message that would be unacceptable if
expressed in words.
Deception and Non-verbal
Communication
Hiding deceit
• High self-monitors are usually better at
hiding their deception and detecting
deception than their less self-aware peers.
• People with power are much better at
hiding the non-verbal cues that indicate
lying than are people with less power.
• Research shows that people who lie online
are less likely to get caught then than
those who lie in face-to-face interactions.
Detecting deceit
• There are no reliable non-verbal cues that
indicate deception, but there are clues that
may indicate a lie. Liars tend to:
o be more tense and make a more negative
impression when compared to truth tellers
o be more likely to experience involuntary shoulder
shrugs and speak faster
o be more reserved, use fewer illustrators, and tell
less-compelling tales
o make more speech errors (stutters, false starts,
hesitations) and raise their vocal pitch
Detecting deceit, cont’d
• Three methods for detecting lies:
o non-verbal behaviours
o use of equipment such as a lie-detector test
o analyzing the content of what is said
• Non-verbal cues offer important
information for detecting deception, but
most lies cannot be detected through
snap judgments of non-verbal cues.
Types of Non-verbal Communication
Face and eyes

• Complicated channel of expression to
interpret:
o Hard to describe number and kind of
expressions.
o We experience so many different emotions.
o Patterns of eye contact influenced by
culture.
Types of Non-verbal Communication,
cont’d
Body movement
• Kinesics: The study of how people
communicate through body movements.
• Manipulators: A group of ambiguous
gestures that generally consist of
fidgeting (one part of the body
manipulates another part, generally
without noticing).
cont’d
Touch
• Haptic: To describe communication involving touch.
• Interpersonal touch is a powerful way to
communicate our feelings and it plays an important
role in our emotional well being (e.g., the value of
touch for infants).
Voice
• Paralanguage: The way a message is spoken.
o Vocal use can give the same word or phrase a different
meaning (rate, pitch, tone, volume, length of pauses,
disfluencies, etc.).
cont’d
Distance
• Proxemics: The study of how people use
the space around them.
• Personal space: The invisible bubble
each individual finds comfortable to
have around themselves.
cont’d
Distance, cont’d
• Intimate distance: Begins with skin
contact
• Personal distance: Ranges from 0.75m
to 1.2m
• Social distance: Ranges from 1.2m to
3.0m
• Public distance: 3.0m and outward
cont’d
Territoriality
• Territory: The area that serves as an extension of our
physical being.
• Remains stationary, claimed by being marked with
ownership (coat over the back of a chair,
symbol/name).
Time
• Chronemics: The study of how humans use and
structure time.
• Depends greatly on culture, status, circumstance, and
health.
cont’d
Physical attractiveness
• People perceived as attractive are also perceived as
being more sensitive, strong, kind, sociable, and
interesting from as early as three years old.
Clothing
• We make assumptions about people on the basis of
their style of clothing.
• Conveys messages to others:
o economic level; educational level; trustworthiness; social
position; level of sophistication; social, economic, and
educational background; level of success; and moral character
cont’d
Physical environment
• Decorating schemes convey clear
information about the homeowner.
• An environment can also shape the kind
of interaction that takes place in it.

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7

• Messages expressed by non-linguistic

Face and eyes

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