Non-Verbal Communication

“The body says what words

cannot.”
Martha Graham, Choreographer
 Quiz about
Non-Verbal Communication
 Thursday, November 10
 Non-Verbal Communication
1. Kinesics Body

2. Haptics Touch

3. Paralanguage Non-Verbal elements of

speech
4. Spatial Space

5. Artifactual Objects

6. Olfactory Smells
 Body Gestures (Kinesics)

 Emblems
 Illustrators
 Affect Displays
 Regulators
 Adaptors
 Emblems
 Substitute for words and have rather
specific verbal translations.
 Okay sign
 “Come Here”
 Hitchhiker’s sign
 Wave
 Illustrators
 Accompany and literally illustrate verbal
messages.
 Fish Tales: Hands far apart when talking
about something large
 Affect Displays
 Movements of the face that convey
emotional meaning.
 Happiness, surprise, fear, anger, sadness,
disgust, etc.
 Regulators
 Monitor, maintain, or control the speaking
of another individual.
 Facial expressions and hand gestures
 “Keep going”
 “Slow down”
 “what else happened?”
 Adaptors
 Satisfy some need
 Three kinds:
1. Self Adaptors – physical need
2. Alter Adaptors – response to interactions
3. Object Adaptors – manipulation of an
object
 Facial Feedback

 Facial Feedback Hypothesis – facial

expressions influences physiological arousal

 Influenced by Culture
 Facial Management

 Intensify
 Deintensify
 Neutralize
 Mask
 Eye Communication

 Monitor feedback
 Secure attention and interest
 Regulate or control conversation
 Signal nature of relationship
 Compensate for physical distance
 Eye Contact
 Average length of gaze in US
2.95 seconds
 Mutual Gaze

1.18 seconds
Staring Contest
 Eye Avoidance Functions
 Civil inattention – averting your eyes
 Signal lack of interest
 Block out other stimuli
 Touch Communication
(Haptics)
1. Positive Emotions
2. Playfulness
3. Control – higher status person initiates
touch
4. Ritualistic – hello and goodbye
5. Task-Related – fever, helping out of a car
 Touch Avoidance
 More likely with people who have
communication apprehension.
 High among low self disclosers
 Influenced by age and gender
 Paralanguage

 Vocal, but nonverbal dimension of speech.

 Rate
 Volume
 Rhythm
 Vocalizations
 Pitch
 Paralanguage
 Physical impressions
 Personality impressions
 Evaluative impressions
 Status and credibility judgments
 Persuasion and Paralanguage
 Fast talkers: more persuasive, more
evaluated
 Fast talkers: rated more intelligent and
objective
 Too fast in IC creates problems
 Functions of Silence

 Time to Think
 Hurt Others
 Response to Anxiety
 Communicate Emotional Responses
 Achieve Specific Effects
 Nothing to Say
 Spatial Messages—
Proxemic Distances
0-18 in

 Intimate Distance
18 in-4 ft

 Personal Distance
4 ft – 12 ft

 Social Distance 12 ft – 25+ ft

 Public Distance
 Spatial Messages—
Theories About Space
 Protection Theory
 Equilibrium Theory
 Expectancy Violations Theory
 Protection Theory
 Establish a buffer zone around your body
as protection against unwanted touching
or attack
 Equilibrium Theory
 The greater the intimacy the closer the
distance.
 Expectancy Violations Theory
 Explains what happens when you increase
or decrease distances in IC
 Cultural expectations
 Idiosyncrasies
 Small violations
 Heighten preconceived notions
 Spatial Messages—Territoriality

 Possessive reaction to an area or

particular object
 Primary – your room, desk
 Secondary – neighborhood, favorite table
 Public – shopping mall, city park
 Markers
 Central – items reserving a place
 Boundary – fence, armrests between
chairs
 Ear – marking an object to show its yours
 Artifactual Communication

 Space Decoration

 Color Communication

 Clothing and Body Adornment

 Olfactory Communication

 Smell communication
1. Attraction messages
2. Humans emit sexual attractions
3. Odors to feel better
4. Taste impaired without smell
5. Memory messages
6. Identification Messages
 Non-Verbal Communication
1. Kinesics Body

2. Haptics Touch

3. Paralanguage Non-Verbal elements of

speech
4. Spatial Space

5. Artifactual Objects

6. Olfactory Smells