6: Nonverbal Communication

Body Movement

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Communication scholars refer to body movement as kinesics, from the Greek word kinesis. This broad category encompasses most of the cues people typically think of as nonverbal communication: facial expressions, eye contact, gestures, and body postures.

Facial Expressions. Think back to the story of French artist JR in our chapter opener. Why would he focus on people’s faces as the centerpieces of his art installations? Because of all the behaviors people display when communicating, facial expressions have the most impact (Knapp & Hall, 2002). Everything from the arch of an eyebrow to the curl of a lip can convey information about mood and emotion (Ekman, 2003). Facial expressions are so important that you may feel compelled to use emoticons ( ) when texting to clarify your intentions. In fact, one of the reasons for the popularity of Skype, videoconferencing, and video chat is that these technologies allow people to see and interpret their communication partners’ facial expressions.

Eye Contact. You use eye contact to show attention, interest, affection, and even aggression. Looking directly at your audience while giving a speech, for example, conveys concern for their reactions and affiliation with them. Eye contact conveys the same message within group and interpersonal settings as well. When you look at people directly, you’re attentive to them, and when you avoid eye contact, you signal that you’re disinterested, bored, or ready for the encounter to end. Of course, eye contact can also be used aggressively. When you want to convey dominance over someone—something we talk about later in this chapter—you may try to “stare them down” (Matsumoto, 2006). Since eye contact can show a variety of emotions and intentions, it can be challenging to make sure you perceive others’ communication correctly. For ideas on how to handle such situations, see How to Communicate: Perceiving Nonverbal Messages on pages 144–145.

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Gestures. People use four types of gestures (hand motions) to communicate nonverbally:

Emblems substitute for verbal statements—for example, waving your hand at a friend to communicate “Hi!”
Illustrators accent verbal messages—for example, holding your hands a certain distance apart while saying, “The fish I caught was this big.”
Regulators help control turn taking during interpersonal encounters, group discussions, and question-and-answer sessions following presentations. You may point your finger, hold your palm up, or twirl your hands to “tell” people to keep talking, repeat something, hurry up, or wait longer before beginning their turn.
Adaptors are touching gestures that serve a psychological or physical purpose, such as rubbing your chin when thinking about a tough question or playing with a paper clip when you’re bored during a long meeting.

Keep in mind that different gestures—and especially emblems—may have very different meanings across cultures. As just one example, in the United States, the thumbs-up gesture is positive (“good job!” or “way to go!”), whereas in Greece, the Middle East, and Western Africa, it is grossly offensive. When traveling abroad, always acquaint yourself with nonverbal customs rather than risk an inappropriate gesture.

Body Postures. The straightness of your back (erect or slouched), your body lean (forward, backward, or vertical), the straightness of your shoulders (firm and broad or slumped), and your head position (tilted or straight up) all communicate information to the people with whom you’re interacting. For example, Steve’s karate instructor interviewed convicted muggers regarding what they looked for in potential victims. The most popular response? Body posture. The muggers perceived people who walked with shoulders slumped, back slouched, and heads drooping as “weak” and “good targets.” They saw people who walked with shoulders back, spines erect, and heads up as “confident and strong,” and avoided them. The ability of your posture to make such strong impressions is important to remember, not only when you are making a presentation, as it will influence how the audience perceives you, but when you are interviewing for a job, as the interviewer will take your nonverbal communication into account when forming an impression of you.