Nonverbal communication

Overview

Nonverbal communication refers to the process of conveying a type of information in the form of non-linguistic representations. Examples of this type of communication include haptic communication, chronemic communication, gestures, body language, facial expressions, eye contact, and how one dresses. Nonverbal communication also relates to the intent of a message. Examples of intent are voluntary and involuntary, subconscious and conscious, or single and multiple. The ability to comprehend and utilize nonverbal communication, or the lack thereof, affects an individual's navigation of a social environment, their creative expression, and their maintenance of interpersonal relationships.

Two people engaged in a conversation, demonstrating various forms of nonverbal communication such as gestures, facial expressions and body language.

Types of Nonverbal Communication

Nonverbal communication can be divided into several types. Each type represents a unique aspect of human communication and has a range of influences on the content, meaning, and perception of the message.

Kinesics

Kinesics is the interpretation of body motion communication such as facial expressions and gestures that are related to movement of any part of the body or the body as a whole. The equivalent popular culture term is body language, a term Ray Birdwhistell, considered the founder of this area of study, neither used nor liked as it conveys a false impression of what "kinesic communication" is. The term kinesics comes from the root word kinesis, which means “movement,” and refers to the study of hand, arm, body, and face movements.

Haptics

Haptic communication is a branch of nonverbal communication that refers to the ways in which people and animals communicate and interact via the sense of touch. Touch or haptics, from the ancient Greek word haptikos is extremely important for communication; it is vital for survival.

Proxemics

Proxemics is the study of human spatial requirements and the effects that population density has on behaviour, communication, and social interaction. Proxemics is one among several subcategories in the study of nonverbal communication, including haptics (touch), kinesics (body movement), vocalics (paralanguage), and chronemics (structure of time).

Chronemics

Chronemics is the study of the role of time in communication. It is one of several subcategories of the study of nonverbal communication. Other prominent subcategories include haptics (touch), kinesics (body movement), vocalics (paralanguage), and proxemics (the use of space).

Vocalics

Vocalics is the study of paralanguage, which includes the vocal qualities that go along with verbal messages, such as pitch, volume, rate, vocal quality, and verbal fillers.

Artifacts

Artifacts are the physical items that are found that have meaning to a social group. They are a type of nonverbal communication that includes clothing and other forms of body adornment.

Role in Communication

Nonverbal communication plays many important roles in intercultural situations. For instance, it is the primary means of conveying emotion, by either reinforcing or replacing verbal messages. It also regulates interactions and is used to interpret conversations. It often provides the context for verbal communication and has a major impact on social judgment.

Cultural Differences

Nonverbal communication demonstrates one of Paul Watzlawick's laws: you cannot not communicate. Once proximity has formed awareness, living creatures begin interpreting any signals received. Some of the functions of nonverbal communication in humans are to complement and illustrate, to reinforce and emphasize, to replace and substitute, to control and regulate, and to contradict the denotative message.