Nonverbal communication is information that is communicated without using words. There are nonverbal elements embedded in every element in the communication model. Your degree of fluency in your native language and your level of awareness of nonverbal components are likely to result in greater strategic flexibility.

You send more messages through nonverbal communication than you do through verbal communication, and although they often reinforce each other, there are numerous differences between them. One clear difference is in the way the brain processes the information. In the nonverbal realm, it is a holistic phenomenon in which clues hit you all at once, and you form an impression larger than their sum.

There are five characteristics of nonverbal communication: It is unique to the culture or co-culture to which you belong; verbal and nonverbal communication may be in conflict with one another; much nonverbal communication operates at a subconscious level; your nonverbal communication shows your feelings and attitudes; and nonverbal communication varies by gender.

There are many different types of nonverbal communication. They include paralanguage, body movement, eye messages, attractiveness (which includes body image as well as elective and nonelective characteristics), clothing, body adornment, space and distance, touch, time, and smell. In each case, there are cultural and co-cultural variations in what is acceptable and unacceptable practice.

Nonverbal communication serves important functions. It can complement, regulate, substitute for, or accent a verbal message. The key to controlling your nonverbal communication is self-awareness. One way to begin controlling it is to control your emotions. What you need to do is think before you express your feelings.

One way of evaluating your nonverbal communication is to ask some questions about how you use it: How do people react to you? Can you use videotapes to improve your nonverbal communication? How do you use your space? How do you use time? The answers to these questions will indicate areas in which you can improve.

Communication using most forms of the Internet tend to be low in social presence and lean with respect to media richness. High social presence and media richness are best represented in face-to-face communication. Video conferencing is next, followed by synchronous audio (as in instant messaging), then text-based chat, e-mail, and asynchronous audio, and finally threaded discussion such as bulletin boards, usenet groups, mailing lists, and Web forums.