Body Language and

Paralanguage

Nonverbal
Nonverbal

1
Verbal Nonverbal
Communication Communication

• The words we • Bodily actions

use and vocal
qualities that
typically
accompany a
verbal message

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 Relationship between verbal and
nonverbal communication
The Substitution Relationship

The Complementing Relationship

Conflict Relationship

The Accenting Relationship

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 Characteristics of
Nonverbal Communication
• Intentional or unintentional

• Ambiguous

• Primary

• Continuous

• Multichanneled
4
 Functions of Nonverbal
Communication
• To provide information

• To regulate interaction

• To express or hide emotion and affect

• To present an image

• To express power and control

5
 Regulate Interaction
Facial expressions or gestures that
are used to control or regulate the
flow of a conversation

Microsoft Photo
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 Express Emotion or Affect

• Facial
expressions and
gestures that
augment the
verbal expression
of feelings

Microsoft Photo
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 Types of Nonverbal
Communication
• Kinesics
• Paralanguage
• Vocal interferences
• Spatial Usage t hiinngg
EEvveerryyth
• Self-presentation p tt
x
eex c
c e
e p
cues tthhee
o r dd ss !!
w
wo r
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 Kinesics
• Eye Contact
• Facial expressions
• Emoticons
• Gesture
• Posture
• Touch
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Touch
• Touching and
being touched are
essential to a
healthy life
• Touch can
communicate
power, empathy,
understanding
Microsoft Photo

10
 Paralanguage
• Pitch
• Volume
• Rate
• Quality
• Intonation

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Vocal Interferences
• Extraneous sounds or words
that interrupt fluent speech
– “uh,” “um”
– “you know,” “like”
• Place markers
• Filler

12
 Spatial Usage
• Proxemics
– Intimate distance
– Personal distance
– Social distance
– Public Distance

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 Four kinds of distances

• Intimate-physical contact to 18 inches

• Personal-18 inches-4 feet
• Social-4 feet-12 feet
• Public-12 feet to range of eyesight and
hearing

14
 Personal Space at Work
• Your office
• Your desk
• A table in the cafeteria
that you sit at
regularly

Microsoft Photo
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 Color Influences
Communication
Yellow cheers Red excites Blue comforts
and and and
elevates moods stimulates soothes

In some In some
cultures cultures
black suggests white suggests
mourning purity

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Self-Presentation Cues
• Physical Appearance
– Endomorph: fat and round
– Mesomorph:strong,athletic and
muscular
– Ectomorph:thin,youthful and tall
• Time (Chronemics)

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Self-Presentation

• What message do
you wish to send
with your choice
of clothing and
Microsoft Photo personal
grooming?

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Time
• How do we
manage and react
to others’
management of
time
– duration
– activity
– punctuality
Microsoft Photo

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 Cultural and Gender
Variations

• Kinesics
• Haptics
• Paralanguage
• Proxemics and Territory

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Nonverbal Signals
Vary from culture to
culture

Microsoft Photo
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What does this symbol
mean to you?
• In the United States it is a
symbol for good job
• In Germany the number
one
• In Japan the number five
• In Ghana an insult
• In Malaysia the thumb is
used to point rather than a
finger
-Atlantic Committee for the Olympic Games
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Improving Nonverbal
Communication Skills
•When sending messages
• Be conscious of nonverbal behavior
• Be purposeful in use of nonverbals
• Make sure nonverbals are not distracting
• Match verbal and nonverbal communication
• Adapt to the situation

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Improving Nonverbal
Communication Skills
•When receiving messages
• Don’t automatically assume
• Consider gender, culture and individual
differences
• Pay attention to all aspects of nonverbal
communication
• Use perception checking

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 Silence
• Silence does not mean absence of
communication
• It stems out from different causes such
as actions, expressions and
movements

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