LECTURE 6

NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

Nonverbal communication is an elaborate code that is written nowhere, known by none, and understood by all.

Edward Sapir (1935)

Non-verbal communication

We must learn to speak a foreign culture in the same way that we must learn to speak a foreign language.

Non-verbal communication might be thought of as any form of communi­cation which is not directly dependent on the use of language. Generally speaking, however, it is very difficult to know where to separate verbal and non-verbal forms of communication. Such non-verbal aspects of communi­cation as nodding the head most often accompany speech and are part and parcel of the verbal system of language use.

One study done in the United States showed that in the communica­tion of attitudes, 93 percent of the message was transmitted by the tone of the voice and by facial expressions, whereas only 7 percent of the speaker's attitude was transmitted by words. Apparently, we express our emotions and attitudes more nonverbally than verbally.

We realize that much communication also takes place without the use of words. The way a person dresses for a meeting may suggest to other participants how he or she is prepared to participate in it. In fact, we can use virtually any aspect of our behavior or our presentation which others can perceive as a means of communication. This would in­clude our posture, our movements, our attire, our use of space, and our use of time. All of these have been considered by researchers in their studies of non-verbal communication.

Why is nonverbal communication so important?

1. Nonverbal communication is present everywhere. There is no way to avoid communicating nonverbally. Even the decision not to speak is a message, such as when you do not talk with the person sitting next to you on an airplane. Much nonverbal communication is unconscious and unin­tentional. As Edward Hall (1959) warned, "We must never assume that we are fully aware of what we communicate to someone else." Often, we do not know what we are saying nonverbally.

2. Nonverbal communication usually comes first. Even before individuals open their mouths, they have com­municated nonverbally by their posture, their clothing, whether they remain sitting, and so forth. During the initial impressions between two or more peo­ple, when there is a high degree of uncertainty in the communication situa­tion, nonverbal communication is particularly important. When strangers meet, nonverbal communication often determines whether or not verbal interaction will occur.

3. Nonverbal communication is especially likely to be trusted. When nonverbal communication contradicts verbal communication, nonver­bal communication wins out. Because it is difficult for individuals to control their nonverbal messages, such messages are perceived as more valid. It is difficult to lie nonverbally (because so much of nonverbal communication is unconscious), although with practice it can sometimes be done. However, under certain circumstances, even nonverbal communication can be decep­tive. Facial expressions and other nonverbal cues are carefully watched in card games, such as poker; in order to determine if a card player is bluffing. Some professionals, like psychiatrists, study a patient's nonverbal behavior in order to understand what the patient is really "saying."

4. Nonverbal communication can lead to misunderstanding, especially when verbal messages are missing or limited. Consider the example of a young photographer who was flown to a remote location in Alaska for the summer. When the fall weather began turning cold, his father became alarmed and sent a plane to look for him. When the pilot flew over the photographer's camp, the photographer waved his red jacket liner (which to pilots is a signal waving someone away), gave a thumbs-up gesture, and walked casually to his campsite. The pilot left, concluding that the young photographer was okay.

When the photographer's frozen body was found some weeks later, his diary indicated that he had been thrilled to see the plane, waving his jacket liner in the air and signaling thumbs-up to express his elation at being found. He then moved to his campsite in expectation that the plane would land. He could not believe it when the plane banked and flew away.

If two participants in a communication situation do not share the same meaning for a nonverbal symbol, the results will be miscommunication. The "language" of nonverbal symbols differs from culture to culture, just as ver­bal language does.

5. Nonverbal communication is especially important in intercultural communication situations. Notice that in the Alaskan example, words were missing entirely in the communication process. When ver­bal and nonverbal communication are redundant, misunderstandings are less likely to occur. Each type of communication can reinforce the other. When the verbal fluency of the communication participants is limited, non­verbal reinforcement may clarify the intended meaning.

In common communication situations, nonverbal communication mes­sages may (1) contradict, (2) complement, (3) substitute, (4) regulate, or (5) accent or moderate verbal communication messages. Much nonverbal communication is complementary in that it adds to, or clarifies, the verbal message. This redundancy increases message accu­racy. Most people gesture with their hands while talking on the telephone, even though their conversation partner cannot detect the nonverbal mes­sages. Why? Because we become so accustomed to the complementary nature of verbal and nonverbal communication that we perform both, even when the nonverbal hand gestures cannot be seen.

While there are many kinds of non-verbal communication, we will focus on the aspects of human behavior which are particularly relevant to intercultural communication: our use of space (called proxemics), our use of time and the movements of our bodies (called kinesics).