4.1: Defining Nonverbal Communication

Last updated
Save as PDF

Page ID: 135741

Anonymous
LibreTexts

\( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

Learning Objectives

Understand and explain the defining characteristics of nonverbal communication.

Think about the number of times your friends and or family members said “It’s all good.” but the look on their faces communicates that it is not all good. You ask your cousin “How are you doing?” and the response is “Great.” but they burst into tears and hang their head down two seconds later. You run up to your girlfriend screaming “Hi!” and give her a tight hug and she barely hugs you back. A mother raises her voice with a frown on her face while asking her five-year-old daughter why she has lipstick all over her face. Her daughter freezes up with fear and then notices a slight grin on her mother’s face and responds with a big smile, and eyes and mouth wide open.

The illustrations stated above are examples of communication without using words, also known as nonverbal communication. Nonverbal communication is communication beyond the use of words. Go back to the illustrations mentioned above. If you notice, most individuals, even five-year-old’s, pay more attention to nonverbal communication. Hull (2016) states that

experts in interpersonal communication have estimated that nonverbal communication constitutes approximately 70 percent of what is involved commonly in about 30 percent of communication involves the actual words that we use. Placing the impact of nonverbal communication at 93 percent has been deemed a little high, however, so a safer level is thought to be around 80 percent—which is still quite an impressive figure. This means that only 20 percent of the impact of our communication is from the words that we use.

Dog looking at camera with letters on carpet next to it spelling BARK. — Although animals do communicate in some ways, humans’ ability to use symbols to communicate about things outside of our immediate surroundings and experience is unique. Joshua Allen – Bark – CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Think about a dog barking. Is the do trying to tell you that someone is at the door or that it is time to go outside for a walk?

Nonverbal communication can help express relationships. If you see someone shaking hands, they may be business partners. Two men kissing in the mouth could mean, they are married. A man and a woman tongue kissing could mean, they are lovers. Three people can be in a meeting and two of them are not speaking to each other or looking at each other, which could mean they are enemies that happen to work in the same department. All of these situations are communicating something without saying one word.

As you can see, nonverbal communication is a vital part of communication and being a successful communicator. “People with good nonverbal communication skills are more persuasive than those who are less skilled, and they have a greater chance of success in settings ranging from careers to poker to romance” (Adler et al., 2019, p. 81).