Nonverbal communication (NVC) is usually understood as the process of communication through sending and receiving wordless messages. Such messages can be communicated through gesture; body language or posture; facial expression and eye contact; object communication such as clothing, hairstyles or even architecture; symbols and infographics. Speech may also contain nonverbal elements known as paralanguage, including voice quality, emotion and speaking style, as well as prosodic features such as rhythm, intonation and stress. Likewise, written texts have nonverbal elements such as handwriting style, spatial arrangement of words, or the use of emoticons. For other uses, see Communication (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Word (disambiguation). ... For gestures in computing, see mouse gesture. ... For other uses, see Body language (disambiguation). ... While not moving, a human can be in one of the following main positions. ... Photographs from the 1862 book Mécanisme de la Physionomie Humaine by Guillaume Duchenne. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Gaze aversion. ... A baby wearing many items of winter clothing: headband, cap, fur-lined coat, shawl and sweater. ... Species Sus barbatus Sus bucculentus Sus cebifrons Sus celebensis Sus domesticus Sus heureni Sus philippensis Sus salvanius Sus scrofa Sus timoriensis Sus verrucosus Pigs are ungulates native to Eurasia collectively grouped under the genus Sus within the Suidae family. ... This article is about building architecture. ... ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Metacommunicative competence. ... The human voice consists of sound made by a human using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying and screaming. ... For other uses, see Emotion (disambiguation). ... Bold text This article does not cite any references or sources. ... In linguistics, prosody refers to intonation, rhythm, and vocal stress in speech. ... For other uses, see Rhythm (disambiguation). ... Intonation, in linguistics, is the variation of pitch when speaking. ... In linguistics, stress is the relative emphasis that may be given to certain syllables in a word. ... Penmanship is the art of writing clearly and quickly. ... Emoticons originated with text representations. ...

However, much of the study of nonverbal communication has focused on face-to-face interaction, where it can be classified into three principal areas: environmental conditions where communication takes place, the physical characteristics of the communicators, and behaviors of communicators during interaction.^[1]

Verbal vs oral communication

Scholars in this field usually use a strict sense of the term "verbal", meaning "of or concerned with words," and do not use "verbal communication" as a synonym for oral or spoken communication. Thus, vocal sounds that are not considered to be words, such as a grunt, or singing a wordless note, are nonverbal. Sign languages and writing are generally understood as forms of verbal communication, as both make use of words — although like speech, both may contain paralinguistic elements and often occur alongside nonverbal messages. Nonverbal communication can occur through any sensory channel — sight, sound, smell, touch or taste. NVC is important as: Two sign language Intepreters working as a team for a school. ... Write redirects here. ... The human eye is the first element of a sensory system: in this case, vision, for the visual system. ... Channel, in communications (sometimes called communications channel), refers to the medium used to convey information from a sender (or transmitter) to a receiver. ... In psychology, visual perception is the ability to interpret information from visible light reaching the eyes. ... This article is about audible acoustic waves. ... Olfaction (also known as olfactics) refers to the sense of smell. ... Touch redirects here. ... Taste (or, more formally, gustation) is a form of direct chemoreception and is one of the traditional five senses. ...

"When we speak (or listen), our attention is focused on words rather than body language. But our judgement includes both. An audience is simultaneously processing both verbal and nonverbal cues. Body movements are not usually positive or negative in and of themselves; rather, the situation and the message will determine the appraisal." (Givens, 2000, p. 4)

History

The first scientific study of nonverbal communication was Charles Darwin's book The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (1872). He argued that all mammals show emotion reliably in their faces. Studies now range across a number of fields, including sex linguistics, semiotics and social psychology. For other people of the same surname, and places and things named after Charles Darwin, see Darwin. ... Year 1872 (MDCCCLXXII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... For the journal, see Linguistics (journal). ... Semiotics, semiotic studies, or semiology is the study of signs and symbols, both individually and grouped into sign systems. ... The scope of social psychological research. ...

Arbitrariness

While much nonverbal communication is based on arbitrary symbols, which differ from culture to culture, a large proportion is also to some extent iconic and may be universally understood. Paul Ekman's influential 1960s studies of facial expression determined that expressions of anger, disgust, fear, joy, sadness and surprise are universal. The Savior Not Made By Hands (1410s, by Andrei Rublev) An icon (from Greek εικων, eikon, image) is an artistic visual representation or symbol of anything considered holy and divine, such as God, saints or deities. ... Paul Ekman (born 1934) is a psychologist and has been a pioneer in the study of emotions and facial expressions. ...

Clothing and bodily characteristics

Uniforms have both a functional and a communicative purpose. This man's clothes identify him as male and a police officer; his badges and shoulder sleeve insignia give information about his job and rank.

Elements such as physique, height, weight, hair, skin color, gender, odors, and clothing send nonverbal messages during interaction. For example, research into height has generally found that taller people are perceived as being more impressive. Melamed & Bozionelos (1992) studied a sample of managers in the UK and found that height was a key factor affecting who was promoted. Often people try to make themselves taller, for example, standing on a platform, when they want to make more of an impact with their speaking. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 620 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (800 × 774 pixel, file size: 444 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Royal Thai Police officer on duty. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 620 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (800 × 774 pixel, file size: 444 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Royal Thai Police officer on duty. ... For other uses, see Uniform (disambiguation). ... This article is about the Male sex. ... For other uses, see Badge (disambiguation) NY NJ Port Authority Police Department Badge. ... A Shoulder Patch, officially known as a Shoulder Sleeve Insignia (SSI) by the US Institute for Heraldry, is a multi-colored or subdued heraldic device that uniquely identifies the major unit the soldier belongs to. ...

Physical environment

Environmental factors such as furniture, architectural style, interior decorating, lighting conditions, colors, temperature, noise, and music affect the behavior of communicators during interaction.^[2] Environmental conditions can alter the choices of words or actions that communicators use to accomplish their communicative objective. For the UK band, see Furniture (band). ... Interior decoration or décor is the art of decorating a room so that it is attractive, easy to use, and functions well with the existing architecture. ...

Proxemics

Proxemics is the study of how people use and perceive the physical space around them. The space between the sender and the receiver of a message influences the way the message is interpreted. Bus shelter with seats with armrests, designed to deter proximity, as well as sleeping. ...

The perception and use of space varies significantly across cultures^[3] and different settings within cultures. Space in nonverbal communication may be divided into four main categories: intimate, social, personal, and public space.^{[citation needed]} The distance between communicators will also depend on sex, status, and social role.

Proxemics was first developed by Edward T. Hall during the 1950s and 60s. Hall's studies were inspired by earlier studies of how animals demonstrate territoriality. The term territoriality is still used in the study of proxemics to explain human behavior regarding personal space.^[4] Hargie & Dickson (2004, p. 69) identify 4 such territories: Edward T. Hall (born May 16, 1914, Webster Groves, Missouri) is a respected anthropologist and cross-cultural researcher. ... It has been suggested that intruder be merged into this article or section. ...

1. Primary territory: this refers to an area that is associated with someone who has exclusive use of it. For example, a house that others cannot enter without the owner’s permission.
2. Secondary territory: unlike the previous type, there is no “right” to occupancy, but people may still feel some degree of ownership of a particular space. For example, someone may sit in the same seat on train every day and feel aggrieved if someone else sits there.
3. Public territory: this refers to an area that is available to all, but only for a set period, such as a parking space or a seat in a library. Although people have only a limited claim over that space, they often exceed that claim. For example, it was found that people take longer to leave a parking space when someone is waiting to take that space.
4. Interaction territory: this is space created by others when they are interacting. For example, when a group is talking to each other on a footpath, others will walk around the group rather than disturb it.

Chronemics

Chronemics is the study of the use of time in nonverbal communication. The way we perceive time, structure our time and react to time is a powerful communication tool, and helps set the stage for communication. Time perceptions include punctuality and willingness to wait, the speed of speech and how long people are willing to listen. The timing and frequency of an action as well as the tempo and rhythm of communications within an interaction contributes to the interpretation of nonverbal messages. Gudykunst & Ting-Toomey (1988) identified 2 dominant time patterns: Chronemics is the study of the use of time in nonverbal communication. ... Look up Punctuality in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

• Monochronic time schedule (M-time): Time is seen as being very important and it is characterised by a linear pattern where the emphasis is on the use of time schedules and appointments. Time is viewed as something that can be controlled or wasted by individuals, and people tend to do one thing at a time. The M-pattern is typically found in North America and Northern Europe.

• Polychronic time schedule (P-time): Personal involvement is more important than schedules where the emphasis lies on personal relationships rather than keeping appointments on time. This is the usual pattern that is typically found in Latin America and the Middle East.

North American redirects here. ... Northern Europe Northern Europe is the northern part of the European continent. ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ...

Movement and body position

Kinesics

Information about the relationship and affect of these two skaters is communicated by their body posture, eye gaze and physical contact.

Kinesics is the study of body movements, facial expressions, and gestures. It was developed by anthropologist Ray L. Birdwhistell in the 1950s.^[5] Kinesic behaviors include mutual gaze, smiling, facial warmth or pleasantness, childlike behaviors, direct body orientation, and the like.^[6] Birdwhistell proposed the term kineme to describe a minimal unit of visual expression, in analogy to a phoneme which is a minimal unit of sound.^[5] In psychology, affect display or affective display is a subjects externally displayed affect. ... Human position refers to a position of a human body. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Gaze aversion. ... This article is about the study of touching behaviour in humans. ... Non-verbal behaviour related to movement, either of any part of the body or the body as a whole. ... In human language, a phoneme is the theoretical representation of a sound. ...

Posture

Posture can be used to determine a participant’s degree of attention or involvement, the difference in status between communicators, and the level of fondness a person has for the other communicator.^[7] Studies investigating the impact of posture on interpersonal relationships suggest that mirror-image congruent postures, where one person’s left side is parallel to the other’s right side, leads to favorable perception of communicators and positive speech; a person who displays a forward lean or a decrease in a backwards lean also signify positive sentiment during communication.^[8] Posture is understood through such indicators as direction of lean, body orientation, arm position, and body openness. Human position refers to a position of a human body. ... This page meets Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ...

Gesture

A wink is a type of gesture.

A gesture is a non-vocal bodily movement intended to express meaning. They may be articulated with the hands, arms or body, and also include movements of the head, face and eyes, such as winking, nodding, or rolling one's eyes. The boundary between language and gesture, or verbal and nonverbal communication, can be hard to identify. Modified from here, used temporarily as a joke, should eventually be deleted. ... Modified from here, used temporarily as a joke, should eventually be deleted. ... A man winking his right eye The wink is an intentional facial expression made by closing one eye; it is distinguished from the blink by the fact that the other eye remains open. ... For gestures in computing, see mouse gesture. ... For gestures in computing, see mouse gesture. ... A man winking his right eye The wink is an intentional facial expression made by closing one eye; it is distinguished from the blink by the fact that the other eye remains open. ...

According to Ottenheimer (2007), psychologists Paul Ekman and Wallace Friesen suggested that gestures could be categorised into five types: emblems, illustrators, affect displays, regulators, and adaptors.

• Emblems are gestures with direct verbal translations, such as a goodbye wave;
• illustrators are gestures that depict what is said verbally, such as turning an imaginary steering wheel while talking about driving;
• an affect display is a gesture that conveys emotions, like a smile;
• regulators are gestures that control interaction;
• and finally, an adaptor is a gesture that facilitates the release of bodily tension, such as quickly moving one's leg.^[9]

Gestures can be also be categorised as either speech-independent or speech-related. Speech-independent gestures are dependent upon culturally accepted interpretation and have a direct verbal translation.^[10] A wave hello or a peace sign are examples of speech-independent gestures. Speech related gestures are used in parallel with verbal speech; this form of nonverbal communication is used to emphasize the message that is being communicated. Speech related gestures are intended to provide supplemental information to a verbal message such as pointing to an object of discussion. In psychology, affect display or affective display is a subjects externally displayed affect. ... For other uses, see Smile (disambiguation). ... For gestures in computing, see mouse gesture. ...

Gestures such as Mudra (Sanskrit) encode sophisticated information accessible to initiates that are privy to the subtlety of elements encoded in their tradition. See mouse gesture for gestures in computing Military signalmen use hand and body gestures to direct flight operations aboard aircraft carriers. ... A mudrā (Sanskrit, मुद्रा, literally seal) is a symbolic gesture usually made with the hand or fingers. ...

Haptics

A high five is an example of communicative touch.

Haptics is the study of touching as nonverbal communication. Touches that can be defined as communication include handshakes, holding hands, kissing (cheek, lips, hand), back slapping, high fives, a pat on the shoulder, and brushing an arm. Touching of oneself during communication may include licking, picking, holding, and scratching.^[11] These behaviors are referred to as "adaptor" and may send messages that reveal the intentions or feelings of a communicator. The meaning conveyed from touch is highly dependent upon the context of the situation, the relationship between communicators, and the manner of touch.^[12] Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... A high five is a celebratory gesture made by two people, each raising one hand to slap the raised hand of the other - usually meant to communicate to spectators mutual self-satisfaction or to extend congratulations from one person to another. ... This article is about the study of touching behaviour in humans. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A high five is a celebratory gesture made by two people, each raising one hand to slap the raised hand of the other - usually meant to communicate to spectators mutual self-satisfaction or to extend congratulations from one person to another. ...

Eye gaze

The study of the role of eyes in nonverbal communication is sometimes referred to as "oculesics". Eye contact can indicate interest, attention, and involvement.^[13] Gaze is comprised of the actions of looking while talking, looking while listening, amount of gaze, and frequency of glances, patterns of fixation, pupil dilation, and blink rate.^[14] It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Gaze aversion. ...

Paralanguage

Paralanguage (sometimes called vocalics) is the study of nonverbal cues of the voice. Various acoustic properties of speech such as tone, pitch and accent, collectively known as prosody, can all give off nonverbal cues. Paralanguage may change the meaning of words. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Metacommunicative competence. ... Prosody may mean several things: Prosody consists of distinctive variations of stress, tone, and timing in spoken language. ...

The linguist George L. Trager developed a classification system which consists of the voice set, voice qualities, and vocalization.^[15] George Leonard Trager (March 22, 1906 – 1992) was a American linguist. ...

• The voice set is the context in which the speaker is speaking. This can include the situation, gender, mood, age and a person's culture.
• The voice qualities are volume, pitch, tempo, rhythm, articulation, resonance, nasality, and accent. They give each individual a unique "voice print".
• Vocalization consists of three subsections: characterizers, qualifiers and segregates. Characterizers are emotions expressed while speaking, such as laughing, crying, and yawning. A voice qualifier is the style of delivering a message - for example, yelling "Hey stop that!", as opposed to whispering "Hey stop that". Vocal segregates such as "uh-huh" notify the speaker that the listener is listening.

Functions of nonverbal communication

Argyle (1988) concluded there are five primary functions of nonverbal bodily behavior in human communication:^[16]

• Express emotions
• Express interpersonal attitudes
• To accompany speech in managing the cues of interaction between speakers and listeners
• Self-presentation of one’s personality
• Rituals (greetings)

Interaction of verbal and nonverbal communication

When communicating, nonverbal messages can interact with verbal messages in six ways: repeating, conflicting, complementing, substituting, regulating and accenting/moderating.

Repeating

"Repeating" consists of using gestures to strengthen a verbal message, such as pointing to the object of discussion.^[17]

Conflicting

Verbal and nonverbal messages within the same interaction can sometimes send opposing or conflicting messages. A person verbally expressing a statement of truth while simultaneously fidgeting or avoiding eye contact may convey a mixed message to the receiver in the interaction. Conflicting messages may occur for a variety of reasons often stemming from feelings of uncertainty, ambivalence, or frustration.^[18] When mixed messages occur, nonverbal communication becomes the primary tool people use to attain additional information to clarify the situation; great attention is placed on bodily movements and positioning when people perceive mixed messages during interactions.

Complementing

Accurate interpretation of messages is made easier when nonverbal and verbal communication complement each other. Nonverbal cues can be used to elaborate on verbal messages to reinforce the information sent when trying to achieve communicative goals; messages have been shown to be remembered better when nonverbal signals affirm the verbal exchange.^[19]

Substituting

Nonverbal behavior is sometimes used as the sole channel for communication of a message. People learn to identify facial expressions, body movements, and body positioning as corresponding with specific feelings and intentions. Nonverbal signals can be used without verbal communication to convey messages; when nonverbal behavior does not effectively communicate a message, verbal methods are used to enhance understanding.^[20] Broadly conceived, linguistics is the study of human language, and a linguist is someone who engages in this study. ...

Regulating

Nonverbal behavior also regulates our conversations. For example, touching someone's arm can signal that you want to talk next or interrupt.^[21]

Accenting/Moderating

Nonverbal signals are used to alter the interpretation of verbal messages. Touch, voice pitch, and gestures are some of the tools people use to accent or amplify the message that is sent; nonverbal behavior can also be used to moderate or tone down aspects of verbal messages as well.^[22] For example, a person who is verbally expressing anger may accent the verbal message by shaking a fist.

Dance and Nonverbal Communication

Dance is a form of nonverbal communication that requires the same underlying faculty in the brain for conceptualization, creativity and memory as does verbal language in speaking and writing. Means of self-expression, both forms have vocabulary (steps and gestures in dance), grammar (rules for putting the vocabulary together) and meaning. Dance, however, assembles (choreographs) these elements in a manner that more often resembles poetry, with its ambiguity and multiple, symbolic and elusive meanings.

Footnotes

References

• Argyle, Michael. (1988). Bodily Communication (2nd ed.) Madison: International Universities Press. ISBN 0-416-38140-5
• Bull, Peter E. (1987). Posture and Gesture (Vol. 16). Oxford: Pergamon Press. ISBN 0-08-031332-9
• Hanna, Judith L. (1987). To Dance Is Human: A Theory of Nonverbal Communication. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
• Knapp, Mark L., & Hall, Judith A. (2007) Nonverbal Communication in Human Interaction. (5th ed.) Wadsworth: Thomas Learning. ISBN 0-15-506372-3
• Segerstrale, Ullica., & Molnar, Peter (Eds.). (1997). Nonverbal Communication: Where Nature Meets Culture. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. ISBN 0-8058-2179-1
• Burgoon, J. K., Buller, D. B., & Woodall, W. G. (1996), Nonverbal communication: The unspoken dialogue (2nd ed.), New York: McGraw-Hill
• Guerrero, L. K., DeVito, J. A., Hecht, M. L. (Eds.) (1999). The nonverbal communication reader. (2nd ed.), Lone Grove, Illinois: Waveland Press. [1]
• Floyd, K., Guerrero, L. K. (2006), Nonverbal communication in close relationships, Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates
• Ottenheimer, H.J. (2007), The anthropology of language: an introduction to linguistic anthropology, Kansas State: Thomson Wadsworth
• Gudykunst, W.B. & Ting-Toomey, S. (1988) Culture and Interpersonal Communication. California: Sage Publications Inc.
• Melamed, J. & Bozionelos, N. (1992) Managerial promotion and height. Psychological Reports, 71 pp. 587-593.
• Hargie, O. & Dickson, D. (2004) Skilled Interpersonal Communication: Research, Theory and Practice. Hove: Routledge
• Givens, D.B. (2000) Body speak: what are you saying? Successful Meetings (October) 51.

See also

• Albert Mehrabian - for an explanation of the often quoted 7%-38%-55% rule of nonverbal communication
• Asemic Writing
• Body Language
• Doctrine of mental reservation
• Intercultural competence
• Metacommunicative competence
• Neuro-linguistic programming
• Unconscious communication
• Twilight Language

Albert Mehrabian (currently Professor Emeritus of Psychology, UCLA), has become known best by his publications on the relative importance of verbal and nonverbal messages. ... Asemic writing is an open semantic form of writing. ... For other uses, see Body language (disambiguation). ... The doctrine of mental reservation, or the doctrine of mental equivocation, was a special branch of casuistry developed in the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and most often associated with the Jesuits and their resistance against the Protestant Reformation. ... Intercultural competence is the ability of successful communication with people of other cultures. ... Metacommunicative competence is the ability to steeringly intervene within difficult conversations and to correct communication problems by utilizing the different ways of practical communication: verbal communication: by words or their meaning paraverbal communication: loudness of speaking, manner of speaking, when keeping silent, meaning of interrupting or interfering the conversation nonverbal... This article is about the alternative interpersonal communications and psychotherapy model, neuro-linguistic programming. ... Unconscious communication (or intuitive) is the transfer of information unconsciously between humans. ... Twilight language is a rendering of the Sanskrit term and may also refer to: The Twilight Language:Explorations in Buddhist Meditation and Symbolism, a 1986 book by Roderick Bucknell and Martin Stuart-Fox; A conspiracy theory proposed by James Shelby Downard and embraced by Michael A. Hoffman II; Twilight Language...

External links

• "Credibility, Respect, and Power: Sending the Right Nonverbal Signals" by Debra Stein
• Nonverbal Library The largest library on nonverbal communication on internet with more than 500 free available articles on this topic.