Nonverbal

Communication:
Speaking Without
Words
- Intan Mutiara Akbar
- Nadila Farah Agus P
- Pirda Mela A

17DB
 What is Nonverbal
communication?

“silent” communication, including the use

gestures, facial expressions, eye contact, and
conversational distance.
 Nonverbal Communication:
Speaking Without Words
“He didn’t look at me once. I know he’s guilty. Never trust a
person who doesn’t look you in the eye.”
American Police Officer

“American smile at strangers. I don’t know what to think of

that.”
Russian Engineer

“American seem cold. They seem to get upset when you stand
close to them.”
Jordanian Teacher
• Those 3 comments demonstrate how people can
“misinterpret” nonverbal communication that is culturally
different from their own. It’s can also happen in conversation
amoung individuals of the same cultural background

• Language studies traditionally emphasized verbal and

written communication

• Since about the 1960s, researchers began to consider

what takes place without words in conversation. In
some instances, more nonverbal than verbal
communication occurs

• A study in the United States showed that 93 percent

of a message was transmitted by the speakers’ tone
of voice and facial expressions. Only 7 percent of the
person’s attitude was conveyed by words
 Cultural Differences in
nonverbal communication

 Arab and Iranian cultures, people express grief openly.

They mourn out loud, while people from other cultures
(e.g., China and Japan) are more subdued. In Asian
culture, the general belief is that it is unacceptable to
show emotion openly (whether sadness, happiness, or
pain)
 Feelings friendship exist everywhere in the world, but
their expression varies. It is acceptable in some
countries for men to embrace and for women to hold
hands; in other countries, these displays of affection are
discouraged or prohibited.
 As with verbal communication, what is
considered usual or polite behavior in one
culture may be seen as unusual or impolite in
another.
 Gestures and Body Positioning
• Gestures are specific body
movement that carry meaning.
Beckoning people to come with
the palm up is common in the US.
This same gesture in the
Philippines, Korea, and parts of
Latin America as well as other
countries is considered rude. In
some countries, only an animal
would be beckoned with the palm
up.
• Nonverbal movements: to
accompany or replace words.
Not all gestures are universal. For
example, the “O.K.” gestures in the
American culture is for money in Japan.
This same gesture is obscene in some
Latin American countries. (This is why
the editors of a Brazilian newspaper
enjoyed publishing a picture a former
American president giving the “O.K.”
symbols with both hands!)
 Gestures and
Body Positioning
Many American business
executives enjoy relaxing
with their feet up on their
desks. But to show a
person from Saudi Arabia
or Thailand the sole of
one’s foot is extremely
insulting, because the foot
is considered the dirtiest
part of the body.
 • Facial expressions carry meaning that is
determined by situations and relationships.
Many Americans smile freely at stranger in
public places (although this is less common in
big cities). Yet in Russia, smiling at strangers in
public is unusual and even suspicious behavior.
Facial In Southeast Asian cultures, a smile is frequently
Expressiveness used to cover emotional pain or embarrassment.

• The degree of facial expressiveness one

exhibits varies among individuals and
cultures.
There are cultural restraints on the amount of
nonverbal expressiveness permitted.
For example, in public and in formal situations
many Japanese do not show their emotions as
freely as Americans do.
 Facial
Expressiveness
Try not to judge people whose ways of
showing emotions are different. If we judge
according to our own cultural norms, we
may make the mistake of “reading” the
other person incorrectly.
 Eye Contact:

● Eye contact is important because excessive

eye contact can create communication barriers.
● In relationship, it serves to show intimacy,
attention, and influence.
● There are no specific rules governing eye
behavior in the United States, except which is
considered rude to stare especially to strangers
but in the west coast and in the south, it is quite
common to glance at strangers when passing
them.
 Eye Contact
• Patterns of eye contact are different across
cultures
• Some Americans feel uncomfortable with the
gaze that is sometimes associated with Arab
or Indian communication patterns
• Americans think, this style of eye contact is
• Making eye contact with strangers
too intense but too little eye contact may
means it is simply way of
convey a lack of interest, inattention, or even
acknowledging another person’s
mistrust
presence
• In many other parts of the world especially
• In general, Americans make less
Asian countries, a person’s lack of eye
eye contact with strangers in big
contact toward an authority figure signifies
cities than in small towns.
respect and deference.
Conversational Distance
• When we interact with other people, we all
keep a comfortable distance. This distance
have several names “personal space”
“interpersonal space” “comfort zone”
“body bubble”
• This space forms invisible walls that define
how comfortable we feel at various distances
from other people.
• The amount of space changes depending on
the nature of the relationship.
• Personality also determines the size of the
area with which we are comfortable when
talking to people.
 For Americans, the usual distance in social
conversational ranges from about an arm’s
length to four feet. Less space in the
American Culture may be associated with
either greater intimacy or aggressive behavior
 Nonverbal
Communication
• Culture does not always determine the message of
nonverbal communication
• The individual’s personality, the context and the relationship
also influence its meaning
• Nonverbal language is linked to a person’s cultural
background
• People are generally comfortable with others who have
“body language” similar to their own.
• When one person’s nonverbal language matches the
comfort is increasing
• In nonverbal communication there are similarities and
differences. Whether we choose to emphasize the former or
the latter, the silent language is much louder than it first
appears
Thanks!