1. Nonverbal Communication
By Shannon Givens
& Jennifer Sikhamsouk
SP100 Professor Carey
December 9th, 2011
2. Nonverbal Codes
• “Codes of communication consisting of
symbols that are not words, including
nonword vocalizations.”
• The various codes in combination form the
structure of nonverbal communication
• The nonverbals contribute just as much, if not
more, to an interaction as the verbal aspect.
3. Physical Attractiveness, Objectics
and Artifacts
“The use of clothing, ornaments and adornments you display that hold
communicative potential.”
• “Physical attractiveness generally leads to more
social success in adulthood.”
• Interviewee dresses professionally and
appropriately, looking neat and tidy for a formal
business setting.
• Interviewer dresses in a more casual
manner, giving off the impression that she may
not take this interview seriously
4. Kinesics
“The study of bodily movements, including posture, gestures, and facial expressions.”
• Interviewer demonstrates status by rejecting a handshake (shows she is in control of the
interaction), her big gestures, lack of eye contact, relaxed posture, and her feet up on the table.
• Interviewee demonstrates liking by her attempt at close proximity to the interviewer, directly
orienting herself towards the interviewer, her attempt in touching by means of shaking
hands, positive facial expressions like smiling to show interest, and her direct eye contact.
• Emblems: Nonverbal movements that substitute for words or phrases
• Interviewer waves hand indicating she wants the interviewee to enter the room.
• Illustrators: Nonverbal movements that accompany or reinforce verbal messages.
• Interviewer shakes her head sideways as she says “no.”
• Affect displays: Nonverbal movements of the face and body used to show emotion
• Interviewee smiles as interviewer speaks showing interest in the topic.
• Regulators: Nonverbal movements that control the flow or pace of communication
• Interviewer gazes at the floor as the interviewee speaks, showing her lack of interest in what is
being said.
• Adaptors: Nonverbal movements that you might perform fully in private but only partially in public
• Interviewee discretely rubs her nose with a tissue instead of picking or blowing it during the
interview, to prevent a code violation.
5. Proxemics
“The study of human use of space and distance”
• Territoriality is shown by the interviewer when
she slides the folder belonging to the
interviewer that was placed on the table
unknowingly into her territory.
• Personal distance is demonstrated in this
interview because they stay within 18 inches
to 4 feet the majority of the interaction.
6. Chronemics
“The way people organize and use time and the messages that are created
because of their organization and use of it.”
• The interview is scheduled at a specific
time, showing organization and planning of
time.
• The interviewer taps pen indicating that his
time in short and she would rather be using
her time for something else.
7. Paralinguistic Features
“The nonword sounds and nonword characteristics of language, such
as pitch, volume, rate, and quality.”
• Pitch: speaks in a normal pitch
• Rate: Interviewer speaks quickly, indicating lack of patience or time to conduct this interview.
• Inflection: the interviewer changes pitch to emphasize specific points in what she is saying especially during her
phone conversation to show dominance and authority.
• Volume: Interviewer speaks loudly to show dominance
• Quality: the unique resonance of the interviewers voice is a whiny quality
• Nonword sounds: As the interviewee speaks, the interviewer says “mmh,” “uh huh,” “ohh,” and “ah haa.”
• Proununciation: The interviewee speaks properly and pronounces her words correctly
• Articulation: Neither the interviewer or interviewee have a lisp or speaking disorder that inhibits effective
communication.
• Enunciation: The interviewer begins mumbling, making it hard for the interviewee to understand the questions
she is being asked.
• Silence: After the interviewee asks the interviewer when she will hear back about the job, there is a long silence.
8. Tactile Communication
“The use of touch in communication”
• The lack of tactile communication in the
interview process shows the dominance that
the interviewer exerts. She was in control of
this form of communication the whole time by
rejecting both attempts to shake hands at the
beginning and at the end of the interview.