Nonverbal communication conveys over 50% of meaning in face-to-face interactions. It includes body language, facial expressions, gestures, eye contact, posture, touch, use of space, time management, and other visual cues. People send and interpret nonverbal signals differently depending on culture and personality. To improve nonverbal skills, one can practice mindfulness, seek feedback, clarify perceptions through respectful questions, enhance vocal qualities, and increase physical expressiveness. Nonverbal cues often reveal true feelings beneath surface messages.

1. CHAPTER 6
Nonverbal Communication
Copyright © 2022 W. W. Norton & Company

2. Nonverbal communication
2

3. 6.1 Significance of nonverbal communication
• Nonverbal communication is sending and
receiving messages without the use of language.
• Leakage refers to sudden or spontaneous—often
uncontrollable—nonverbal reactions.
3

4. Nonverbal communication is revealing
“I was lying in bed the other
night. I signed loudly and turned
over with my back to my
husband, Mike. He translated
that in a way I never intended:
He thought I was mad at him,
when in reality, I was just
exhausted from a long day at the
hospital and was uncomfortable
lying on my back.” —Nancy

5. Nonverbal communication is relational (1)
• Cognitive valence theory suggests that a
relationship may become closer or more distant
depending on how relational partners perceive
each other’s nonverbal messages.
• Immediacy is the degree of closeness, liking, and
connection that relational partners feel toward each
other.
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6. Nonverbal communication is relational (2)
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7. Nonverbal communication is purposeful
Nonverbal communication may serve to complement,
contradict, accent, regulate, or substitute for verbal
communication.
• It may help to remember these functions using the
acronym CCARS.
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8. 6.2 Types of nonverbal communication
• Acts of service and thoughtfulness
• Appearance
• Body language
• Facial expressions
• Gestures
• Physical animation
• Posture
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9. Acts of service and thoughtfulness
9

10. Body language
• Eye behavior
• Gaze aversion is when you purposely limit or cut
off eye contact with someone.
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11. Facial expressions (1)
• Facial management techniques are the
expressions you make to either convey or mask your
thoughts and feelings.
• Many of our unintentional facial messages are the
result of microexpressions—a form of nonverbal
leakage specific to the face.
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12. Facial expressions (2)
“My facial expressions get me
into trouble. I’ve been accused of
being aloof because I apparently
have this ‘blank look’ when
people talk to me. Just the other
day my friend said to me, ‘Never
mind, you obviously don’t care
what I have to say.’ It’s not that I
don’t care, but my face
communicates just the opposite.
I am consciously trying to make
my face more expressive.” —José

13. Voice (1)
• The ways in which your voice conveys meaning
apart from language is called paralanguage.
• Vocal pitch is the intonation or inflection in your
voice ranging from high to low sounds.
• Vocal rate or tempo is the speed at which you speak.
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14. Voice (2)
• Vocal volume is how loudly or softly you speak.
• Vocal utterances are filler sounds you make
between words or sentences.
• Vocal quality relates to how well you enunciate or
pronounce your words.
• Enunciation is vocalizing a word clearly.
• Pronunciation is the act of saying a word
correctly based on dictionary or phonetic rules.
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15. Nonverbal communication
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16. Physical environment
• The physical environment in which communication
takes place—including such factors as room
temperature, lighting, seat arrangements, décor, and
color selections—may influence IPC.
• Scent is another way to send nonverbal messages.
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17. Space (1)
• Proxemic theory is the idea that people perceive
space differently and use space to achieve their
communication goals.
• Territoriality refers to the tendency to claim user’s
rights to a space that you don’t own.
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18. Space (2)
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19. Time
• How you manage time may communicate a message
to someone whether you are aware of it or not.
• The time it takes you to return a phone call, how
long you stay at a party, and the amount of time you
spend with your children all suggest something
about you.
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20. Touch
• Touch can convey many types of nonverbal
communication—e.g., support, warmth, concern,
and friendliness.
• While not all forms of touch are well received, if it is
considered appropriate and pleasant by the
recipient, touch can enhance an interpersonal
interaction.
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21. Visual representation and sound
• You may use visual representations, sound effects,
and music to communicate certain nonverbal
messages.
• You can also use photos, drawings, avatars, colors,
artwork, sound effects, music, and emojis to convey
many different messages.
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22. Nonverbal behavior
22

23. 6.3 Ways to improve nonverbal communication
• Some communication scholars estimate that 50–
60% of the meaning we exchange in face-to-face
communication is nonverbal.
• One way to improve nonverbal communication is by
practicing mindfulness.
• The interactive adaptation theory is the idea that
competent communicators alter their nonverbal
communication to interact successfully with others.
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24. Seek feedback
• Nonverbal communication is also improved by
seeking feedback. You can ask questions that are
specific to your nonverbal communication, like, for
example:
 “How can I express my thoughts better to you
next time?
 “How did I come across to you just now?”
 “What aspect of my nonverbal communication
makes you say that?”
 “How often do I appear this way to you?”
 “Are my nonverbal behaviors inconsistent with
my verbal behavior?”
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25. Nonverbal communication (1)
“My parents often received lots of
compliments from people on how well
my two siblings and I behaved in
public. Little did they know that my
family communicated back and forth
constantly without speaking. My
mother would remind us to say please,
thank you, and other kind words by
the way she looked at us. She would
tell us to stand up and smile with a tap
to the back of our necks or a scratch to
her earlobe. We knew what these
signals meant: display good manners
this instant, or else.” —Alyssa

26. Nonverbal communication (2)
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27. Clarify your perceptions
• When you’re uncertain about what’s causing a person’s
nonverbal behavior, ask a question for clarification.
• A perception check starts with an observation statement using
I-language that focuses on what you’re picking up with your
senses:
 “I notice you’re looking away from me a lot as we are
speaking.” (Observation) “Is there a reason for this?”
(Question)
 “I see that you’re biting your lip.” (Observation) “Are you
holding back something you need to say? Is everything
okay?” (Question)
 “I sense some tension in your voice.” (Observation) “Are
you feeling a little stressed about your performance this
evening?” (Question)
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28. Enhance voice quality
• You can enhance the quality of your nonverbal
communication with your voice.
• You can also improve your vocal quality by avoiding
vocal utterances.
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29. Increase physical expressiveness
• Generally speaking, people enjoy being around
others who are animated and charismatic.
• Expressive individuals are perceived as more
attractive, interesting, genuine, and engaging.
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30. Credits
This concludes the Lecture PowerPoint presentation for Chapter 6.
For more resources, please visit It’s Interpersonal, An Introduction
to Relational Communication, at:
http://digital.wwnorton.com/movies6
Copyright © 2022 W. W. Norton & Company