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Nonverbal Communication

Chapter Summary

This summary is organized around the questions found at the beginning of the chapter. See if you can answer them before reading the summary paragraphs.

1. What basic characteristics distinguish nonverbal from verbal communication?

Nonverbal communication is nonlinguistic. It is often intrinsically connected to the emotions we feel. Much nonverbal communication is contextual. The precise meaning of messages is influenced by the situation, particularly one's culture and the relationship between communicators. Nonverbal communication flows in a continuous stream of cues and actions.

2. What are the functions of nonverbal communication?

Nonverbal communication can augment, repeat, or highlight words or phrases. It complements language by adding additional meaning to a message, and it can contradict it when the nonverbal cue seems to contradict spoken words. Nonverbal communication can also regulate verbal language by controlling or altering the flow of interaction. Finally, nonverbal communication may substitute for language by replacing words entirely.

3. What are some ways we use our eyes and face to communicate nonverbally?

Eye movements such as blinking, winking, rolling your eyes, or shutting your eyes are all forms of nonverbal communication. Eye contact, or how long to gaze or look at someone, is a powerful nonverbal cue. We use eye contact to compensate for lack of physical proximity, to regulate verbal interaction, to establish immediacy or closeness with others, and to exert control or dominance.

4. How do we use gestures to communicate with others?

Kinesics is the use of body movement to communicate nonverbally. One form of kinesics is the use of gestures or any significant or communicative movement of the body. Some gestures, called emblems, substitute for verbal words, while others regulate verbal interaction. We use other gestures to adjust to our environment, such as fanning ourselves when we are hot, or to illustrate verbal language.

5. How do we use personal space to communicate nonverbally?

Proxemics is the use of space to communicate nonverbally. One aspect of proxemics is use of personal space. We communicate the nature of a relationship by regulating the distance between communicators; we allow intimate friends or family to stand closer to us than mere acquaintances or strangers. Also, we mark and defend our space to communicate territoriality.

6. What messages do we communicate through touch?

Touch conveys a variety of messages depending upon the relationship of the people touching. There is the functional-professional touch of a doctor examining a patient, the social-polite touch of acquaintances greetings, the friendship-warmth touch we use when we embrace close friends or relatives, and the love-intimacy touch that communicates the deep commitment of lovers.

7. How do we use our voice to communicate nonverbally?

We use our voice to communicate messages other than words. We use vocalics such as laughter, pauses, silence, and breathing patterns to communicate nonverbally. Also, varying voice qualities such as rate, volume, and inflection add meaning to the words we speak.

8. What are some ways we communicate through the use of smell, time, and objects?

Smells often trigger strong emotions or associations, but they are also culturally specific-that is, what smells bad in one culture may be a very desirable smell in a different culture. Time can be used to communicate power or control (How long do we expect others to wait for us?). We also communicate relational involvement by the amount of time we spend with others. Finally, the objects we own, display, or wear often communicate our personality, status, and membership in a specific group.










Dobkin, Comm ChangingWorld2006Online Learning Center with Powerweb

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