Nonverbal communication is all nonword messages. It is the most basic, and often most believed, form of communication. 
Verbal vs. Nonverbal Messages

 
Similarities between verbal and nonverbal Messages
• Both are symbolic.
• Both are individually produced.
• Both are subject to interpretation.

 
How Nonverbal Messages Differ From Verbal Messages.
• Nonverbal messages are more primitive.
• Nonverbal messages are more uncontrollable.
• Nonverbal messages are more believable.
• Nonverbal messages are continuous.
• Nonverbal messages are unstructured.
• Nonverbal messages are more widely understood.

 

According to Burgoon and Saine, nonverbal messages have several functions:

• Nonverbal messages often repeat or reinforce a verbal message.
• Nonverbal messages may also work to complement a verbal message.
• Nonverbal messages can sometimes contradict verbal messages.
• Nonverbal messages may also serve to substitute for verbal messages.
• Nonverbal messages often are used to regulate verbal messages.

 
Proxemic Communication.
 
Proxemics is the study of how people use space and distance to communicate. Hall (1969) categorized four types of distance.
 
1. Intimate space (0-18 inches) is reserved for only those individuals who are relationally close such as family.
2. Personal space (18 inches - 4 feet) is used for conversation and nonintimate communication.
3. Social space (4-12 feet) is used in more formal situations.
4. Public space (over 12 feet) occurs in larger communication contexts, such as a courtroom or class.

 
Territoriality
Territoriality is the tendency for individuals to stake out a space they believe is theirs.
• Individuals often use nonverbal communication to establish territoriality.
• Individuals use territoriality to establish their identity and communicate to others.

 

Kinesics is the study of the potential that posture, movement, gestures, and facial expressions have for communication purposes. Ekman and Friesen categorized body movements into five types.

• Emblems are substitutes for words.
• Adaptors reveal an individual's internal states.
• Regulators control communication.
• Affect displays are movements of the body and face to show emotion.
• Illustrators help to reinforce verbal messages.

Tactile communication is communication through touching. It is often difficult to understand because norms of acceptable behavior and the context of the situation govern when touch is appropriate. According to Winter, there are different types of touch that vary on a continuum from impersonal to intimate.

• Functional-professional touch is an impersonal, nonintimate but necessary form of touch.
• Social-polite touch is a form of acknowledging the presence of others.
• Friendship-warmth touch is designed to show affection for those who are considered relationally close.
• Love-intimacy and sexual arousal touch are used for only the most personal situations.

Objectics is the display of clothing, ornaments, jewelry, glasses, and other artifacts that have communicative potential.

• Clothing and artifacts reveal a great deal about individuals such as their likes, dislikes, beliefs, attitudes, and values.
• Specific clothing, such as a uniform can indicate a particular occupation.
• Organizations can develop unspoken dress codes.

According to Conquergood gangs rely on unique nonverbal codes for survival and to bind gang members together.

• Kinesic communication reveals whether or not individuals are members of either a Folks Nation or Peoples Nation gang.
• Gestures indicate the person's identity and respect for other members.
• Gang graffiti (using symbols and logos) are an important tool of communication to establish gang territory.
• Clothing (a form of objectics) is one of the most important nonverbal communication cues in the gangs.

Helpful Links!

"Nonverbal Communication Quiz" - This site uses real pictures to test your nonverbal communication skills. (But don't worry the answers aren't far away)
 

At Your Bookstore

Joseph, N. (1986).  Uniforms and Nonuniforms:  Communication Through
     Clothing.  Westport, CT:  Greenwood Publishing Group.
Josipovici, G. (1996).  Touch:  An Exploration.  New Haven, CT:  Yale University
     Press.
Mcneill, D. (1992).  Hand and Mind:  What Gestures Reveal About Thought.
     Chicago:  University of Chicago Press.
Morris, D.  (1995).  Bodytalk:  The Meaning of Human Gestures.  New York:
     Crown Publishing Group.