Page 118 - Essentials of Human Communication

The Channels of Nonverbal Communication 97

NONverbal Messages are crucIal FOr expressINg eMOtIONs
Although people often explain and reveal emotions verbally, nonverbal signals communicate Explore the Exercise
a great part of their emotional experience. For example, you reveal your level of happiness or “Communicating Emotions
sadness or confusion largely through facial expressions. Of course, you also reveal your feel- Nonverbally” at
ings by posture (for example, whether tense or relaxed), gestures, eye movements, and even MyCommunicationLab
the dilation of your pupils. Nonverbal messages often help people communicate unpleasant
messages that they might feel uncomfortable putting into words (Infante, Rancer, & Womack,
2003). For example, you might avoid eye contact and maintain large distances between
yourself and someone with whom you didn’t want to interact or with whom you wanted to
decrease the intensity of your relationship.
At the same time, you also use nonverbal messages to hide your emotions. You might,
for example, smile even though you feel sad so as not to dampen the party spirit. Or you
might laugh at someone’s joke even though you think it silly.

Objectives self-check
● Can you explain the six principles that identify the ways in which nonverbal communication
functions? (Keep in mind that nonverbal messages interact with verbal messages, that they help
manage impressions, that they help form relationships, that they structure conversation, that
they can influence and deceive, and that they are crucial to emotional expression.)
● Can you identify instances in which your own nonverbal messages illustrated each of these principles?

the Channels of Nonverbal Communication

You communicate nonverbally through a wide range of channels: the body, the face, the eyes,
space, artifacts, touch, paralanguage, silence, and time.

bODy cOMMuNIcatION
The body communicates with movements and gestures and just by its general appearance, an
area of nonverbal communication referred to as kinesics.

body gestures Nonverbal researchers identify five major types of kinesics: emblems, illus-
trators, affect displays, regulators, and adaptors (Ekman & Friesen, 1969; Knapp & Hall, 2006).
Emblems are body gestures that translate directly into words or phrases: for example, the Explore the Concept
OK sign, the thumbs-up for “good job,” and the V for “victory.” You use these consciously “Nonverbal Communication” at
and purposely to communicate the same meaning as the words. But emblems are culture MyCommunicationLab
specific, so be careful when using your culture’s emblems in other cultures.
As shown in Figure 5.1, there is much variation in gestures and their meanings among
different cultures (Axtell, 1993). Consider a few common gestures that you might use without
thinking but that could get you into trouble if you were to use them in another culture:
● Folding your arms over your chest would be considered disrespectful in Fiji.
● Waving your hand would be insulting in Nigeria and Greece.
● Gesturing the “thumbs up” would be rude in Australia.
● Tapping your two index fingers together would be considered an invitation to sleep
together in Egypt.
● Pointing with your index finger would be impolite in many Middle Eastern countries.
● Bowing to a lesser degree than your host would be considered a statement of your superi-
ority in Japan.
● Inserting your thumb between your index and middle finger in a clenched fist would be
viewed in certain African countries as a wish that evil befall someone.
● Resting your feet on a table or chair would be insulting in some Middle Eastern cultures.