Nonverbal Communication

Better at communicating feelings and attitudes

More convincing than verbal messages.

We can communicate without saying anything!

Kinesics

Body MovementAdapter: tension reliever like fixing

hair, touching noseEmblems: gestures that mean

something. Pointing

Vocalics

Tone of voiceOften carries more meaning

than the actual words.

Proxemics

Space and DistanceCultural

Emotion or moodHow well we know someone

Territory and Environment

• Use of space and objects to indicate ownership• Invasion: intruding into someone’s

territory.• Contamination: tagging, graffiti,

leaving trash.

Haptics

• Professional Touch: Doctor touches patient.• Social/Polite touch: Fist bump, hand shake• Friendship: kiss, bro hug• Love/Intimacy: highly personal

Appearance

• What is soma typing?• Classifying people according to body

type• What is Halo Effect?• Physical Attractiveness Stereotype• Beautiful = Good

What are artifacts?

Facial Expression

• What are the six universal facial expressions?• Anger• Happiness• Surprise• Sadness• Disgust • Fear

•Who is better at reading someone’s facial expression? Men or women?

What is masking?

• Hiding an expression of emotion and replacing it with a more appropriate expression.

Triangle of Meaning

Thought (meaning)

Symbol Referent (stands for)

ASL for Water Water

Triangle of Meaning

Referent

Thought(meaning)

CatSymbol

Denotation:The dictionary definition of a word.

Connotation:Emotional meaning based on

personal experience and feelings.

Triangle of Meaning

Thought(meaning)

TeacherSymbol Referent

Bypassing:

Two people have different referents for

the same word but they think they are thinking

alike.

• Words and symbols are arbitrary, ambiguous, and abstract.• Arbitrary: • for no reason, random• Ambiguous:• Confusing• Abstract:• Difficult to understand, not concrete

Meaning is in the person, not the word!

• Social Constructionism: Humans make sense of their world. They make meaning and create their world.

• Language shapes our relationships.

• Language allows humans to think hypothetically. We can imagine, reflect and plan for the future.

• Language allows us to name things.