Time Orientation

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Imagine you’re late for a job interview. If you are the interviewee, you’ve probably lost the job before you have a chance to say a word—your lateness sends a message to the employer that you don’t value punctuality and his or her time. If you are the interviewer, however, it’s completely acceptable for you to keep the interviewee waiting. In fact, by making the person wait, you assert your status by clearly conveying that you have control.

Your use of time is a form of nonverbal communication because it sends a message without a single word. A person’s time orientation—his or her personal associations with the use of time—determines the importance that person ascribes to conversation content, the length of the interaction, the urgency of the interaction, and punctuality (Burgoon, Buller, & Woodall, 1989). For example, when you are invited to someone’s home for dinner, it is normal to arrive about ten minutes after the time suggested (in the United States, anyway—lateness norms vary considerably across cultures). It shows consideration for your host not to arrive too early or too late (and possibly ruin the dinner!). Similarly, spending time with others communicates concern and interest. For example, good friends will make plans to spend time together even when it’s inconvenient.

Using time to send a message can be confusing, however. How long do you wait to text or call someone you met at a party to see if he or she might want to grab a meal with you? Right after you’ve left the party may seem too eager, but a week later may suggest you’re not really interested. Research shows that we do use people’s response rate (how quickly they return e-mails, texts, etc.) as an indication of interest and immediacy, but the situation and context also make a difference (Döring & Pöschl, 2009; Ledbetter, 2008).