NON-VERBAL

SYMBOLS
Aquino, Jescel T.
Gorospe, Apollo
Nonverbal Symbols

 “Wordless” intentional or unintentional

vocal or nonvocal codes used not only
in face-to-face interaction but also in
oral mediated communication, such as
teleconferencing or video-
conferencing and using the telephone,
cellular phone, or voice mail.
 Emoticons Internet jargons

:O Shocked NTK – Nice To Know

O:-) Angelic OIC – Oh I See

:-* Blowing a kiss B4N – Bye For Now

:-P Tongue sticking out BBSL – Be Back Soon or Later

:-### Being Sick TYL – Text You Later

Three Principal Areas of Nonverbal

 Environmental condition where

communication takes place

 Physical characteristics of the

communicators

 Behaviors of communicators during

interaction
Environmental condition where
communication takes place

 It refers to the physical environment,

physical space, and time of
communication.
Physical Environment
 The physical environment, which includes
factors like furniture, architectural style,
lighting conditions, colors, temperature,
noise, and music, affect the behavior of the
communicators during interaction
Physical Space
 Physical space is the space between the
sender and the receiver of message, and it
influences the way the message is interpreted
 Space in nonverbal communication may be
divided into four categories:
• Intimate
• Personal
• Social
• Public Space
Intimate 0-18 inches Appropriate for private
conversation or close
friends

Personal 18 inches-4feet For keeping someone “at

arm’s length” like in casual
conversations

Social 4-12 feet For impersonal business

like a job interview

Public 12-15 feet For public communication

like lectures and speeches
 4 Territories

 Primary territory – this refers to an area that

is associated to someone who has exclusive
use of it.
 Secondary territory – unlike the primary
territory, there is no “right” to occupancy,
but people may still feel some degree of
ownership of a particular space
 4 Territories

 Public territory – this refers to an area that

is available to all, but only for a set period,
such as a parking space or a seat in a
canteen.
 Interaction territory – this is space created
by others when they are interacting.
Time of communication

 Chronemics is the study of the use of time

in nonverbal communication. The way we
perceive time, structure our time, and react
to time helps set the stage for
communication; it is a powerful
communication tool.
Two dominant time patterns

 Monochromatic time system – things are

done one at a time, and time is segmented
into precise, small units; time is scheduled,
arranged and managed.
 Polychronic system – several things can be
done simultaneously, and a more fluid
approach is taken to scheduling time.
 Monochromic People Polychromic People

Do one thing at a time Do many things at once

Concentrate on the job Are easily distracted

Take time commitments seriously Consider time commitments

casually

Are committed to the job Are committed to people

Show respect for private property; Borrow and lend things often
rarely borrow or lend

Are accustomed to short-term Tend to build lifetime relationships

relationships
The physical characteristics of
the communicators
 Factors like physique, height, weight, hair,
skin, color, gender, odors, and clothing
send nonverbal messages during
interaction; thus, people give importance to
the way we look.
 To avoid creating a bad impressions, let us
bear in mind that no matter how much we
want to express our individuality in how we
look, society still observes standards and
conventions.
 Our total physical appearance before we
leave the security of our homes should
depend not only on our intentions and
preferences but also on our age, race,
gender, educational level, profession, and
social class.
 Another point of special consideration is
the event and the purpose of the
communication, that is, we have to dress
according to the occasion.
Behavior of communicators
during interaction
 Kinetics is the interpretation of body
language or any other nonverbal behaviour
related to movement of any part of the body
or the body as a whole
 Much is communicated through our body
language like gesture, facial expression, eye
contact, posture, and touch, including our
voice quality and speaking style
Gesture
 A purposive movement of our fingers,
hands, arms, head, shoulder, torso,
legs, feet, or a combination of these
to express emotion or attitude;
emphasize importance; demonstrate
relationships or contrast; show shape,
direction or location, and signal
recognition, acceptance, approval, or
departure.
 Gesture Indications/meanings

Hands on knees Readiness

Hand on hips Impatience

Locked hands behind your back Self-control

Locked hand behind your head Suggests confidence

Sitting with a leg over the arm of Suggests indifference

the chair

Legs and feet pointed in a Shows the direction where more

particular direction interests is felt

Crossed arms Submissiveness

Facial Expression
 It results from one or more motions or
positions of the muscles of the face to
convey our emotional state to be observers.
We express emotional states, such as
happiness or sadness, through a smile or a
frown, respectively.
 To interpret facial expressions correctly, we
have to take the communication context
and culture into account.
 7 universally recognized emotions are shown
through facial expressions:
• Fear
• Anger
• Surprise
• Contempt
• Disgust
• Happiness
• Sadness
Eye contact
 Eyes are not only the “window to the soul”
but also one of the mist important
nonverbal channels we have for
communicating and connecting with other
people.
 “The cheapest, most effective way to
connect with others is to look them in the
eye”
 The meeting of the eye between the two
individuals is called eye contact.
 Oculesics is the study of eye contact or
gaze in nonverbal communication.
 Eye contact is a meaningful and important
sign of confidence and social
communication.
 Gaze comprises the actions of looking while
talking, looking while listening, lengthening
the gaze, and frequency of glances,
patterns of fixation, pupil dilation, and
blink rate.
Posture
 Is the way we sit, stand, walk or carry
ourselves. It can convey self-confidence,
status and interest.
 Posture differs according to culture.
 To avoid being misunderstand and hurting,
the feelings of others, follow the lead of the
person of the other culture; assume the
posture he assumes.
Touch
 Haptics is the study of touch as a means by
which people communicate. Studies show
that touching can create positive and
negative feelings.
 Our feelings are positive when we perceive
the touch to be natural. We get the opposite
feeling when we perceive the touch to be
manipulative or insincere. Touch, when used
properly, may create feelings of warmth and
trust; when used improperly, touch may
cause annoyance and betray trust.
 Touching is treated differently from one
country to another, so refrain from touching
anyone unless you are sure that your touch
will not be perceived negatively. Socially
acceptable levels of touching varies from
one culture to another.

 Equally important is to identify the location

of the touch.
Paralanguage (Vocalics)
 Paralanguage (sometimes called vocalics) is
the study of nonverbal cues of the voice –
the voice quality, such as tone, pitch, rate,
volume, and emphasis. Like the rest of the
nonverbal symbols, it is expressed
consciously or unconsciously.
 The significant role that paralanguage plays
in speaking is appropriately captured in this
hypothetical setting.
THANK YOU! 