Describe the important role of nonverbal communication in social interaction.

The Importance of Nonverbal Communication

5.1 Describe the important role of nonverbal communication in social interaction.

Nonverbal communication plays an important role in social interaction. It helps us express and interpret

verbal messages, navigate everyday life, and make policy decisions.

First, nonverbal communication allows us to communicate more complex messages – such as when we:

• smile to reinforce an expression of thanks

• hold our hands with palms forward to substitute for saying "stop"

• laugh flirtatiously to contradict the words, "I hate you"

• put our index finger and thumb close together to illustrate how thin our new computer is.

Second, nonverbal communication influences how individuals interpret messages, especially those

related to feelings, moods, and attitudes. Nonverbal cues are important to the expression of emotion

because communicators often are more comfortable expressing their feelings nonverbally (such as by

smiling or glaring) than they are stating them more explicitly through words (Mehrabian, 2007). For

example, how often do you flatly tell a friend or colleague, "I am mad at you"? If you are like most

people, this is a relatively rare event; instead, you probably rely on some type of nonverbal cue to

indicate your dissatisfaction. The ability to decode others' nonverbal communication effectively helps

you interpret the nuanced meanings in others' messages as well as how they feel —and how they feel

about you. It also helps you respond better to those messages and feelings. This ability is particularly

important in close relationships. For instance, a study of nonverbal communication and marital

satisfaction found that couples' ability to correctly decode their partner's nonverbal communication

affect was connected to their relational satisfaction, especially for husbands (Koerner & Fitzpatrick,

2002).

What Is Nonverbal Communication?

5.2 Define nonverbal communication.

The nonverbal components of communication include all the messages that people transmit through

means other than words. More specifically, communication scholar Valerie Manusov and psychologist

Miles Patterson define nonverbal communication as "encompassing the sending and receiving of

information through appearance, objects, the environment and behavior in social settings" (Manusov &

Patterson, 2006, p. xi). Thus, they argue that we communicate nonverbally when we blow a kiss, scratch

our arm, or wear clothing that signals our group membership. Even more frequently, nonverbal and

verbal aspects of communication combine to convey messages, as when we indicate anger by turning

our backs and saying, "I don't want to talk with you right now."

However, not every scholar believes that all nonverbal behavior is communicative. These researchers

argue that nonverbal communication occurs only when nonverbal behavior has symbolic meaning and is

communicated intentionally (Burgoon et al., 1996). That is, they believe nonverbal communication

stands for something, whereas nonverbal behavior may not.

For example, from this perspective, scratching one's arm usually isn't intended by the scratcher, nor

understood by the observer, to convey a particular message. Although it may provide information (that

one's arm itches), it doesn't necessarily signal an intentional message. Rather, it would be considered an

involuntary bodily "output." However, these scholars would argue that in baseball when a manager

scratches his arm to signal that a runner on base should steal home, scratching the arm is symbolic and,

therefore, an instance of nonverbal communication.

Nonetheless, these scholars acknowledge that some nonverbal communication does lack the element of

intentionality. For example, a smile may be understood as an expression of pleasure even if the smiler is

unaware that they are smiling. Thus, if a behavior typically is used communicatively, then that behavior is

understood to be part of our nonverbal "vocabulary" and will be interpreted as such, regardless of one's

own conscious use of it (Burgoon et al.,1996).

However, scholars who prefer a broader definition of nonverbal communication argue that many actions

one might consider just a "bodily output" can still convey messages nonverbally. For example, people

usually cough because of a scratchy throat or yawn because they are tired, and when they engage in

these behaviors, others interpret their meaning. Of course, they also believe that when a person coughs

as a signal to capture someone's attention or deliberately yawns to indicate he is bored, he is engaging in

nonverbal communication.

As our discussion thus far suggests, most nonverbal behaviors have a variety of meanings —just as

scratching one's arm can have multiple meanings. Therefore, neither we nor anyone else can provide

you with interpretations for specific nonverbal actions. Perhaps in part because of this difficulty, we

cannot accurately estimate the amount of meaning that nonverbal communication contributes to the

overall meaning in an interaction. This inability is revealed in Did You Know? How Much Does Nonverbal

Communication Contribute to Meaning?, where you can see why it can be difficult to estimate how

much meaning nonverbal components convey in any message.

Did You Know?

How Much Does Nonverbal Communication Contribute to Meaning?

How much of the meaning of a message do you think is conveyed by its nonverbal components? Fifty

percent? Seventy-five percent? One of the most common beliefs about communication is that more than

90 percent of the meaning of a message is transmitted by its nonverbal elements.

However, in truth, we do not know! So where did this belief originate? In 1967, psychologist Albert

Mehrabian (along with Morton Wiener) wrote that 93 percent of the meaning of the utterances he

examined was conveyed through the nonverbal aspects of communication. Specifically, he argued that

38 percent of meaning in his study was derived from paralinguistic cues (tone of voice, etc.) and 55

percent from facial expressions, leaving only 7 percent of meaning to be provided by the verbal message.

After he published his findings, other people, researchers and nonresearchers alike, began to generalize

his claims about his one study to all communicative interactions However, a variety of scholars have

contradicted this claim, either arguing for a different percentage (Birdwhistell, 1985) or suggesting that

one cannot accurately determine how much words, context, nonverbal messages, and other factors

actually contribute to the meaning of an utterance. Those who critique Mehrabian's analysis argue that

his study exhibited several problems. First, it examined how people interpreted the meaning of single

tape-recorded words, which is not how we naturally communicate.

Second, he combined the results of two studies that most scholars believe should not be combined.

Further, he did not consider the contributions to meaning made by gestures and posture. Also, he tried

to estimate the contribution of particular nonverbal behaviors for example, gesture versus facial

expression. In practice, however, no one behavior is particularly useful in determining meaning. In other

words, inferences made about the meaning of any given action are not all that reliable, nor are estimates

of what percentage of the total message a single nonverbal cue communicates.

Nonverbal Communication and the Individual

5.3 Define five nonverbal codes and explain the five functions of nonverbal messages.

If a smile is viewed as communicating pleasure even when the smiler doesn't intend to do so, then why

don't all behaviors that are part of our nonverbal vocabulary always convey the same meaning? The

answer is that assigning one simple meaning to a nonverbal behavior ignores the multiple meanings that

may exist, depending on the context in which the behavior occurs. For example, you will read in this

chapter that when a person leans toward another (called forward body lean), this is often a sign of

interest or involvement. Does that mean that forward body lean always indicates interest? Absolutely

not! A person might lean forward for a variety of reasons: their stomach hurts, the back of their chair is

hot, they are trying to intimidate someone, or their lower back needs to be stretched.

To understand the meaning of a nonverbal behavior you have to consider the entire behavioral context,

including what the person might be communicating verbally (Jones & LeBaron, 2002). Therefore,

interpreting others' nonverbal behavior requires that you consider a variety of factors that can influence

meaning. To interpret nonverbal communication, you also need to know the codes, or symbols and rules,

that signal various messages. Finally, you will benefit from a familiarity with the variety of ways that

nonverbal messages function. These are topics we take up next.

The Individual, Nonverbal Communication, and Society

5.4 Explain how nonverbal communication can both trigger and express prejudice and discrimination.

Nonverbal communication, like all communication, is strongly influenced by societal forces and occurs

within a hierarchical system of meanings. One's status and position within the societal hierarchy, as well

as one's identity, are all expressed nonverbally. However, the more powerful elements in society often

regulate these expressions. In addition, nonverbal communication can trigger and express prejudice and

discrimination. Let's see how this operates.

Ethics and Nonverbal Communication

5.5 Explain how nonverbal communication can be used to communicate unethically.

The ethics of nonverbal communication are actually quite similar to the ethics of communication in

general. When people engage in behavior such as deceiving or threatening others or name-calling, their

nonverbal behavior typically plays a central role in their messages. For instance, liars use nonverbal

behavior to avoid "leaking" the deception, and they may also use it to convey the deceptive message.

Moreover, deceivers may feel that lying nonverbally — for example, by remaining silent-is less "wrong"

than lying with words. In the Old Testament of the Bible, Joseph's brothers were jealous of their father's

affection for him, so they sold Joseph into slavery. When they returned without him, however, they

didn't "tell" their father what happened; instead they gave him Joseph's bloody coat and let their father

draw the conclusion that wild animals had killed Joseph. In this way, they deceived their father without

actually speaking a lie. What do you think? Is it better, or less unethical, to lie nonverbally than it is to do

so verbally?

When communicators use nonverbal cues that ridicule, derogate, or otherwise demean others, they run

the risk of their behavior being viewed by others as unethical. For example, if someone speaks in a

patronizing vocal tone, screams at the less powerful, or touches others inappropriately, would you view

this behavior as unethical? What if people respond to others' communication in a way that

misrepresents how they actually feel? For instance, if they laugh at a racist or sexist joke even though

they dislike it, would you see that behavior as unethical?

Because these are the types of decisions you have to make routinely throughout your life, here are some

guidelines for ethical nonverbal communication to help you make those decisions. Consider whether:

• Your nonverbal behaviors reflect your real attitudes, beliefs, and feelings

• Your nonverbal behaviors contradict the verbal message you are sending

• Your nonverbal behaviors insult, ridicule, or demean others

• You are using your nonverbal behavior to intimidate, coerce, or silence someone

• You would want anyone to observe your nonverbal behavior; and

• You would want this nonverbal behavior directed to you or a loved one.

Although there is no litmus test for evaluating the ethics of every nonverbal message in every situation,

if you keep these guidelines in mind, they will help you make better, more informed decisions.

Improving Your Nonverbal Communication Skills

5.6 Explain how you can improve your ability to interpret nonverbal behavior.

By now you may be wondering how to decide what a set of behaviors means. How do you decide, for

example, if your sports coach's touch is appropriately intimate (service-task) or just intimate? In the

workplace, how can you determine whether your subordinate genuinely likes you and your ideas

(nonverbal involvement) or is merely trying to flatter you (social control)?

One way you can assess your own and others' nonverbal communication is to examine how it interacts

with verbal messages (Jones & LeBaron, 2002). That is, how congruent (similar) are the two sets of

messages? When the two types of messages are congruent, they are often genuine (or we assume them

to be so). For example, a positive verbal message ("I like you") combined with a positive nonverbal

message (smile, forward body lean, relaxed posture) usually conveys a convincing positive message.

However, it is also possible that people who are good at deception are able to offer congruent messages

while lying, and those who are less adept at communicating may unintentionally offer contradictory

messages when telling the truth. Given all of this, what other factors could you rely on to help you

decide whether a congruent message is truthful?

Of course, verbal and nonverbal messages can also purposely contradict one another. When using

sarcasm, people intentionally combine a positive verbal message ("What a nice pair of shoes") with a

contradictory or negative nonverbal message (a hostile tone). However, at other times people offer

contradictory messages unintentionally or carelessly. Caretakers often confuse children (and encourage

misbehavior) by telling a child to stop a particular behavior while smiling or laughing. How does a child

interpret this message? Most children will accept the nonverbal aspect of the message and ignore the

verbal (Eskritt & Lee, 2003).

Your Nonverbal Communication Skills In addition to assessing the congruence of the verbal and

nonverbal components of a message, you improve your comprehension of nonverbal messages by

analyzing the context, your knowledge of the other person, and your own experiences. For example, if

you are playing basketball and a teammate slaps you on the rear and says, "good going," the message

may be clear. Given the context, you may read it as a compliment and perhaps a sign of affection or

intimacy. But what if the slap on the rear occurs at work after an effective presentation? Given that such

behavior is generally inappropriate in a business context, you probably will (and should) more closely

assess its meaning. You might ask yourself whether this person simply lacks social skills and frequently

engages in inappropriate behavior. If so, the message may be inappropriate but still be meant in a

positive fashion. In contrast, if the person knows better and has touched you inappropriately at other

times, the behavior may be intentionally designed to express inappropriate intimacy or social control.

Here are a few more suggestions to keep in mind:

• Recognize that others' nonverbal messages don't always mean the same as yours.

• Be aware of individual, contextual, and cultural factors that influence meaning.

• Ask for additional information if you don't understand a nonverbal message or if you perceive a

contradiction between the verbal and nonverbal messages.

• Remember that not every nonverbal behavior is intended to be communicative.

• Don't place too much emphasis on fleeting nonverbal behaviors such as facial expression or vocal

tone; rather, examine the entire set of nonverbal behaviors.

Description of the assignment based on syllabus:

Students will create 5 journal entries regarding the interpersonal and intra-personal concepts covered over the semester. The journal responses are designed for students to explore their own experiences regarding course concepts.

• Department Goal: Analysis of Communication • Learning Outcome: Critical Thinking (AACU) and Critically Analyze Messages

(NCA LOC5)

Dear class,

Your journal response is going to have three parts.

In the first part of your paper, you are going to identify(select) AND define (in your own words) minimum of 3 and no more than 5 concepts/aspects/perspectives/theories that you have learned from chapter 5 (Non-Verbal Communication) of our book, and you deem these newly learned concepts/theories to be intriguing and/or useful in your future professional and personal lives.

In the second part of your paper, you`re going to explain why you believe these newly learned concepts are useful in your personal and professional lives. In other words, what makes these concepts/theories important in your life.

In the third part of your paper, you are going to explain how learning these concepts will impact your personal and professional lives from this point onward. In other words, what aspects of your interpersonal and intrapersonal communication do you think (and want to) improve based on the newly learned concepts that you discussed in the first part of the paper.

This assignment has 10 Points.

The criteria that I will use to evaluate your paper is as follows:

– At least three and no more than five concepts/theories are selected, defined, explained and used in the paper. ( —–/ 2 pts)

– The length of the paper is 600-800 words long. (——-/ 2 pts)

– Paper does not have grave grammatical errors, and is free of typos (——–/1 pt)

– Paper CLEARLY AND CONCISELY explains why you believe these newly learned concepts are useful in your personal and professional lives. In other words, what makes these concepts/theories important in your life. (———/ 2 pts)

– Paper CLEARLY AND CONCISELY explains how learning these concepts will impact your personal and professional lives from this point onward. In other words, what aspects of your interpersonal and intrapersonal communication do you think (and want

to) improve based on the newly learned concepts that you discussed in the first part of the paper. (———/ 3 pts)

Total: 10 pts

Highly Recommended Deadline: Sep 17th@ 11:59 PM

You will have until Oct 1st @ 11:59 PM to submit this assignment without any penalty. I cannot guarantee that I`d accept the assignment after Oct 1st, unless there is proof of a case of an emergency that prevented you from submitting this assignment in the timely manner.

Please refrain from submitting any file format other than Microsoft Word or PDF. The Canvas is set up NOT to accept other formats.

Rewriting is not allowed.

Please use your own words to explain/define concepts. I will be much more impressed by your ability to explain a concept in your own words rather than reading the same explanation in the book.