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Chapter 6 Nonverbal Communication

Nonverbal communication encompasses how people create and exchange meaning through nonverbal behavior. This chapter reviews the channels through which nonverbal messages are conveyed, and characteristics of nonverbal communication as a symbol system. Four functions of nonverbal communication, communicating emotion, communicating liking, communicating power and status, and regulating conversation, are discussed. Culture and gender differences in nonverbal communication are considered, as are the ways verbal and nonverbal communication come together in interactions, such as those that involve deception or negotiate sexual intimacy. Suggestions for improving nonverbal communication include developing an awareness of nonverbal cues, using nonverbal cues to manage relationships and interactions, embracing individual differences in nonverbal communication, and being mindful about combining verbal and nonverbal cues.

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Connect with Theory

Interpersonal deception theory explains the process and outcomes of deception in interpersonal interaction. The theory argues that deception is a goal-oriented, intentional, and strategic communicative behavior. People lie to satisfy a host of goals, such as maintaining a positive image, preventing relational conflict, avoiding awkward social situations, protecting one’s privacy, or influencing others to comply with a request. According to the theory, deception is a dynamic process where both the deceiver and the receiver are active participants in deceptive conversations. For deceivers, they think about how the receiver may react to the deceit, how they can appear credible, and how they can adapt to the receiver’s feedback or suspicion. Importantly, deceivers manage not only the content of the message (e.g., hide, distort, omit, or avoid information), but they also adjust their nonverbal behaviors and language style to put forward a credible self-presentation. Receivers also play an important role in deception, such that their expectations or goals of the interaction, knowledge of the other person or the relationship, communication skills in deciphering social and emotional cues, or suspicion of the messages shape how the interaction goes. For example, a receiver may become particularly vigilant if he/she is uncertain whether the sender is telling the truth or not, strategically adapt his/her communication style to get the truth out, or provide feedback to the sender that conveys either acceptance or skepticism. As the theory argues, the sender and the receiver of a deceptive episode mutually influence one another over the course of an interaction and shape the outcomes of deception. The theory provides a useful lens for examining deception in variety of contexts, such as linguistic traces of deception in online dating profiles (Toma & Hancock, 2012), motives for deception in romantic relationships (Guthrie & Kunkel, 2013), and deceptive behaviors conducive to online fraud (Maimon et al., 2019).

References and other suggested readings:

Buller, D. B., & Burgoon, J. K. (1996). Interpersonal deception theory. Communication Theory, 6(3), 203-242. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2885.1996.tb00127.x
Burgoon, J. K., & Buller, D. B. (2004). Interpersonal deception theory. In S. Seiter & R. H. Gass (Eds.), Perspectives on persuasion, social influence, and compliance gaining (pp. 239-264). Allyn & Bacon.
Burgoon, J. K., & Buller, D. B. (2015). Interpersonal deception theory: Purposive and interdependent behavior during deceptive interpersonal interactions. In D. O. Braithwaite & P. Schrodt (Eds.), Engaging theories in interpersonal communication: Multiple perspectives (2nd ed., pp. 349-362). Sage.
Burgoon, J. K., & Buller, D. B. (2015). Interpersonal deception theory. In C. R. Berger & M. E. Roloff (Eds.)., International encyclopedia of interpersonal communication. John Wiley & Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118540190.wbeic170
Guthrie, J., & Kunkel, A. (2013). Tell me sweet (and not-so-sweet) little lies: Deception in romantic relationships. Communication Studies, 64(2), 141-157. https://doi.org/10.1080/10510974.2012.755637
Maimon, D., Santos, M., & Park, Y. (2019). Online deception and situations conducive to the progression of non-payment fraud. Journal of Crime and Justice, 42(5), 516-535. https://doi.org/10.1080/0735648X.2019.1691857
Toma, C. L., & Hancock, J. T. (2012). What lies beneath: The linguistic traces of deception in online dating profiles. Journal of Communication, 62(1), 78-97.  https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2011.01619.x

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Selected Writings by Communication Studies majors at California State Prison

Los Angeles County, City of Lancaster

In the fall of 2016, the Department of Communication Studies at California State University, Los Angeles, began offering classes inside a maximum security prison facility to offer incarcerated persons the opportunity to achieve a bachelor’s degree in Communication. In spring of 2017, selected assignments and essays produced by those students in response to prompts from this textbook were published in Colloquy: A Journal of the Department of Communication Studies, California State University, Los Angeles. In the time since, the program created The Prison BA Journal to share the students’ work with others. In addition, collaboration between the Lancaster State Prison’s Communication Studies students and students in Cal State LA’s Animation Option brought to life student essays through animation and narration.

Dr. Kamran Afary, faculty advisor to the program and Assistant Professor of Social Justice Communication, describes the impact of learning about interpersonal communication on his students: “I have seen its life transforming effect on my students in their interpersonal relationships with each other and in repairing relationships with their families.” Through the generosity of the program, we can share their work with all students learning from this textbook.

This website shares reflections and animations created in response to Pause and Reflect prompts, organized by chapter, as well as selected essays, poems, and presentations that address other topics or course assignments. Here is just a sample of what you will find: https://vimeo.com/showcase/7155653

We hope you will take the time to learn about interpersonal communication through the words of these students: https://www.prisonbajournal.org/ipccompanion