This document provides an overview of nonverbal communication and its importance. It discusses how nonverbal cues such as gestures, facial expressions, body language, touch, use of space and time can communicate much about feelings and convey different meanings across cultures. Nonverbal communication plays a key role in regulating interactions and complementing or contradicting verbal messages. It must be interpreted in proper context considering one's background. The document also examines differences in nonverbal behaviors across cultures to avoid misunderstandings.

2. WHAT IS NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION?
• it is transmitting messages without the use of the human voice
• is learned and practiced often on an unconscious level
• nonverbal cues communicate feelings and attitudes most effectively
• Nonverbal language is open to misinterpretation just as verbal
communication is. It must be interpreted in the context of one’s
lifestyle, family, cultural background, and other factors that may be
obscure.

3. WHY IS NONVERBAL COMM. IMPORTANT?
Basically, nonverbal communication is one of the key aspects of
communication. It has multiple functions:
• Used to repeat the verbal message
• Often used to accent a verbal message
• Often complement the verbal message but also may contradict
• Regulate interactions
• may substitute for the verbal message

4. THE SILENT WORLD OF GESTURES:
A. Openness, Confidence:
• open hands, palms up
• unbuttoning or removing jacket (men)
• eye contact
• smile, leaning forward, relaxed
• hands away from face, possibly behind back
• standing straight, feet slightly apart, shoulders squared
• hand in belt thumb hooked in waist
• clucking
• snapping fingers
• smacking palm

5. B. Cooperation, Readiness:
• standing with hands on hips, feet apart, head tilted
• uncrossed legs
• a person moves closer to another
• unbuttoned coat (men)
• head cocked, finger to face, blinking or squinting
• welcoming handshake
• open arms or hands (palms out)
• smile
• eye contact
• rubbing palms together indicating expectation of something pleasant
• hand to chest in a man indicates loyalty (but in a woman it is defensiveness)
• touching, patting, holding hands to give reassurance

6. C. Indifference, Boredom:
• touching leg over arm of chair
• rhythmic drumming, tapping
• legs crossed
• shaking one foot (women)
• straighten up then slouch
• “cold shoulder,” turning away especially toward exit
• Rigid, unmoving posture with fixed stare
• Yawning
• Hand holding up face, drooping eyelids
• Fidget or rock

7. D. Suspicion, Secretiveness:
• Folded arms, moving away from another
• Crossed legs
• Head tilted forward
• Rubbing nose
• Lack of eye contact
• Hand covering mouth
• Scratching in front of ear
• Frown
• Scrunching in with head down
• Stolen look, sideways glance

8. • Sideways positioning
• “poker face”
• Deception indicated by lack of eye contact
• Anxiety gestures
• Looking at floor
• Frequent swallowing
• Wetting lips
• Throat clearing
• Scratching head

9. E. Doubt:
• Pacing
• Hand over nose
• Eyes closed
• Brow furrowed
• Arched eyebrows
• Frown
• Scratching in front of ear
• Rubbing eyes
• Hand to face gestures (evaluative)
• Scratching head
• Pinching bridge of nose, especially with head lowered

10. F. Dominating:
• Elevating self, when standing when others are sitting
• Taking a different posture than others in a group
• Especially hands behind head
• Sitting straddling the chair
• Standing with arms spread and hands gripping desk or table
• Loud voice or low voice carefully enunciated
• Standing or walking with hands behind back and chin up
• Thumbs in lapels

11. G. Anxiety:
• Nail biting
• Finger movement
• Sighing
• Hand wringing
• Rapid, twitchy movements
• Clearing throat
• Tremors, especially knees
• Heavy breathing
• Voice strained
• Lips quivering
• Rapid eye movement
• Rigidity
• Crossed fingers
• Chewing on things

12. H. Frustration, Anger:
• Making fists
• Hand on hips
• Stomping
• If sitting – on edge of chair (ready for action)
• Chin out
• Kicking the ground
• Lips pressed together, jaw muscles tight
• Running fingers through hair
• Rubbing back of neck

13. • Hand in pocket
• Snorting
• Clenched hands with white knuckles
• Pointing or jabbing
• Hot under collar
• Putting out cigarette especially if with grinding motion
• Change in skin color
• Hostile stare

14. I. Self-control, Inner conflict:
• Hand holding wrist or arm
• Arm locked behind back
• Locked ankles
• Gripping arms of chair as in dentist’s chair
• Suppressed gestures or displacement activities
• Such as fist clenched hidden in pocket
• Hand to mouth in astonishment or
• Fear (suppressed scream)
• Rubbing back of neck, running fingers through hair
• Or reacting as little as possible
• Blowing nose and coughing (disguised tears)

15. CROSS-CULTURAL DIFFERENCES:
Beckon with index finger.
• This means “come here” in the U.S. To motion with the index finger to
call someone is insulting or even obscene in many cultures. Expect a
reaction when you beckon to a person from the Middle or Far East,
Portugal, Spain, Latin America, Japan, Indonesia and Hong Kong. It is
more acceptable to beckon with the palm down, with fingers or whole
hand waving.

16. Point at something in the room using index finger.
• It is impolite to point with the index finger in the Middle or Far East. Use
an open hand or your thumb (Indonesia)

17. Make a “V” sign.
• This means “Victory” in most of Europe when you make this sign with
your palm facing away from you. If you face your palm in, the same
gesture means “shove it.”

18. Smile.
• This gesture is universally understood. However, in various cultures
there are different reasons for smiling. The Japanese may smile when
they are confused or angry. In other parts of Asia, such as the
Philippines, people may smile when they are embarrassed. People in
other cultures may not smile at everyone to indicate a friendly greeting
as done in the United States. A smile may be reserved for friends.

19. Sit with soles shoes showing.
• In many cultures this sends a rude message. In Thailand, Japan, and
France as well as countries of the Middle and Near East showing the
soles of the feet demonstrate disrespect. You are exposing the lowest
and dirtiest part of your body so this is insulting.

20. Form a circle with fingers to indicate “O.K.”
Although this means “O.K.” in the U.S. and in many countries around the
world, there are some notable exceptions:
 In Brazil and Germany, this gesture is obscene.
 In Japan and Philippines, this means “money”
 In France, it has the equivalent meaning of “zero” or “worthless”

21. Pat a student in the head.
• This is very upsetting to people from most Asian countries. The head is
the repository of the soul in the Buddhist religion. Children from
cultures which are influenced by Buddhism will feel uncomfortable if
their head is touched.

22. Pass an item to someone with one hand.
• In Japan, this is very rude. Even a very small item such as a pencil must
be passed with two hands. In many Middle and Far Eastern countries it
is rude to pass something with your left hand which is considered
“unclean.”

23. Wave hand with the palm facing outward to greet someone.
• In Europe, waving the hand back and forth can mean “No.” To wave
“good-bye,” raise the palm outward and wag the fingers in unison. This
is also a serious insult in Nigeria if the hands are too close to another
person’s face.

24. Nod head up and down to say “Yes.”
• In Bulgaria and Greece, this gesture means “No.”

25. PROXEMICS
• coined by researcher Edward T. Hall
• has to do with the study of our use of space and how various
differences in that use can make us feel more relaxed or anxious
• an important aspect of proxemics is the use of personal territory, The
“bubble” of space that you keep between yourself and the person ahead
of you in a line.

26. THE 4 AREAS OF PERSONAL TERRITORY:
• public space – ranges from 12 to 25 feet and is the distance maintained
between the audience and a speaker.
• social space – ranges from 4 to 10 feet and is used for communication
among business associates, as well as to separate strangers using
public areas such as beaches and bus stops.
• personal space – ranges from 2 to 4 feet and is used among friends and
family members, and to separate people waiting in lines at teller
machines for example.
• intimate space – ranges out to one foot and involves a high probability
of touching. We reserve it for whispering and embracing.

27. CHRONOMICS
• is the nonverbal communication study of time
• the way a person treats time reveals something about that person

28. THE POWERFUL FACIAL MASK:
• the face is the “organ of emotion”
• it is perhaps the most powerful channel of nonverbal communication
• we encode messages in our own faces, and we simultaneously decode
the faces of the people around us
• you have 80 muscles in your face that can create more than 7,000 facial
expressions

29. CROSS-CULTURAL DIFFERENCES:
• Many Asian cultures suppress facial expressions as much as possible
• Many Mediterranean (Latino/Arabic) cultures exaggerate grief or
sadness while most American men hide grief or sorrow
• Some see “animated” expressions as a sign of lack in control
• Too much smiling is viewed in as a sign of shallowness
• Women smile more than men

30. THERE ARE 6 MAIN TYPES OF EXPRESSIONS
FOUND IN ALL CULTURES:
• Happiness – round eyes, smiles, raised cheeks
• Disgust – wrinkled nose, lowered eyelids and eyebrows, raised upper
lip
• Fear – round eyes, open mouth
• Anger – lower eyebrow and stare intensely
• Surprise – raised eyebrow, wide open eyes, open mouth
• Sadness – area around mouth and eyes

31. KINESICS
• founded by anthropologist Ray V. Birdwhistell
• the study of bodily movements
• kineme – is the smallest communicative element of kinetic signals
• *From analysis, it would seem that the bodily movements coordinated
with speech are hand movements (also movements of the body and
legs), head nods and other head movements, gaze shifts, and facial
expressions.

32. POSTURE
• also plays a role in your communication efforts
• it sends out a signal of your confidence and power potential
• a slumped posture indicates that you have low spirits, are fatigued or
that you feel inferior
• an erect posture shows high spirits and confidence
• if you lean forward it implies that you are open or interested
• leaning away shows disinterest or that you are defensive
• rigid posture may mean that you are defensive
• relaxed posture translates to openness
• crossed arms and legs indicate a defensive, proactive position
• uncrossed arms and legs indicate a willingness to listen

33. THE MESSAGE OF OBJECTS:
• clothing - the most common form of object communication
• other bodily ornaments:
 wedding ring
 tattoos
 piercing
 brands
 jewelry
• hairstyle

34. THE WORLD OF HAPTICS:
• Haptics (tactile communication) is the study of touching as nonverbal
communication
• Includes handshake, holding hands, kissing (cheek, lips, hand), back
slap, “high-five”, shoulder pat, and brushing arm among others

35. TOUCH CODES VARY FROM ONE CULTURE TO
ANOTHER:
• In some cultures, light touching of the arm or a light kiss to the cheek is
very common, even among people who have just met. People from Latin
America and Eastern Europe may be very comfortable with this kind of
touching, whereas people from many Asian cultures may prefer less
physical contact with acquaintances
• Touching another person’s head nos considered offensive by some
people from Asia and the Middle East. It is therefore inappropriate to pat
a child in the head.
• Some Chinese may be uncomfortable with physical contact early in a
relationship. Although many Chinese will use a handshake to greet a
Westerner, any other contact may be considered inappropriate. This is
especially important to remember when dealing with older people or
those in positions in authority.

36. • Men in Egypt tend to be more touch-oriented; a handshake may be
accompanied by a gentle touching of the recipient’s elbow with the
fingers on the left hand.
• A strong, warm handshake is the traditional greeting between men in
Latin America. However, because most Latin Americans show affection
easily, male friends, like female friends, may embrace. Women may
lightly brush their cheeks together.
• Throughout most of the Middle East, it is the custom to reserve the left
hand for bodily hygiene. For this reason, one should never offer the left
hand to shake hands or accept a gift. This is also true of some African
cultures.
• A Western woman should not initiate a handshake with a man in India.
Many Indian women will shake hands with a foreign woman, but not a
foreign man.
• To many Indians, it is considered rather offensive to (even accidentally)
step on someone’s foot. Apologies should be made immediately.

37. THE SOUND OF SILENCE:
• can be a positive or negative influence in the communication process
• can provide a link between messages or sever relationships
• can create tension and uneasiness or create a peaceful situation
• can also be judgmental by indicating favor or disfavor – agreement or
disagreement

38. PARALANGUAGE:
• inflection or emphasis applied vocally to a message
• researchers have found that the tone, pitch, quality of the voice, and the
rate of speaking convey emotions that can accurately judged regardless
the content of the message.

39. VOCAL BEHAVIOR
• refers to the way we use pitch, rate, and volume when we speak. A
dynamic speaker varies his or her vocal behavior throughout the
speech to underscore the message and to keep the audience interested.

40. PITCH
• variation in pitch is a tool for stressing words and adding emotion to
sentences
• when utterances are flat and monotone, listeners become bored and
tune out.
• Make sure to vary your pitch levels sufficiently

41. RATE AND FLUENCY
• rate of speech includes speed and pausing
• It is very important not to speak too fast. While fast speech may be
understood in small settings and among friends, larger audiences
usually find it difficult to follow.
• A normal rate of extemporaneous speaking is about 125 words per
minute.
• An element related to rate is pausing. Small pauses are necessary to
separate thoughts and sentences. Larger pauses work well between
major ideas to give the audience time to think; they are also effective
during suspenseful narratives to heighten interest and before main
organizational divisions to indicate a transition.

42. • While it is acceptable to use vocalizations and fillers occasionally when
pausing (such as um, er, well, and okay) they should not be used too
often.
• Pauses should occur only at the end of thought groups and sentences;
and the words within a thought group should be linked closely together
and not separated by hesitations and unnecessary repetitions of
syllables. Make sure you rehearse sufficiently to be able to finish each
thought group and sentence without interruptions.

43. VOLUME
• Make sure that everyone in the audience can hear you without straining
• To project your voice effectively, it helps to direct it to the person sitting
farthest away from you.
• Even when you vary the volume of your voice at appropriate times in
your speech, keep in mind that everyone needs to be able to hear you.
• Loud people are perceived as aggressive and overbearing
• Soft stolen voices are perceived as timid and polite