What Are We Looking for in Nonverbal Communication?
What exactly do we mean by nonverbal communication? Nonverbal communication is anything that is “not words.” Specifically, this includes:
Vocal cues or paralinguistic cues. Paralinguistic cues include pauses, intonation, and fluency. Vocal cues, such as tone and inflection, are nonverbal; they include volume, pace, and pitch.
Facial expressions. Smiling, frowning, or expressing surprise. “Facial expressions are books without covers” (DePaulo and Friedman 1998).
Eye contact. Often, a high level of held gazing can be interpreted as sign of liking or friendliness. However, in other cultures, the norms may differ: Prolonged eye contact in some cultures is a sign of dominance or aggression (Ellsworth ...
Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month,
and much more.
Read now
Unlock full access