Nonverbal Communication

Just as verbal language is broken up into various categories, there are also
different types of nonverbal communication.

As we learn about each type of nonverbal signal, keep in mind that nonverbals

often work in concert with each other, combining to

repeat, modify, or contradict the verbal message being
sent.
Types of Nonverbal Communication

Kinesics.

Haptics.

Vocalics.

Proxemics.
Chronemics
Kinesics

The word kinesics comes from the root word kinesis, which means “movement,”
and refers to the study of hand, arm, body, and face movements.

Gestures
There are three main types of gestures: adaptors, emblems, and illustrators
i) Adaptors are touching behaviors and movements that indicate internal states
typically related to arousal or anxiety.

Adaptors can be targeted toward the self, objects, or others.

In regular social situations, adaptors result from uneasiness, anxiety, or a general

sense that we are not in control of our surroundings.
Many of us subconsciously click pens, shake our legs, or
engage in other adaptors during classes, meetings, or
while waiting as a way to do something with our excess
energy.
In public speaking situations, people most commonly use self- or
object-focused adaptors.

Common self-touching behaviors like scratching, twirling hair, or

fidgeting with fingers or hands are considered self-adaptors.

Some self-adaptors manifest internally, as coughs or throat-clearing

sounds.
ii) Emblems are gestures that have a specific agreed-on meaning.

Even though they have a generally agreed-on meaning, they are not part of a formal sign
system.

Raised thumb, the “OK” sign

with thumb and index finger connected in a circle with the other three fingers sticking up,

and the raised middle finger are all examples of emblems that have an agreed-on meaning
or meanings with a culture.

Emblems can be still or in motion; for example, circling the index finger around at the side of your head
says “He or she is crazy,” or rolling your hands over and over in front of you says “Move on.”
iii) Illustrators are the most common type of gesture and are used to
illustrate the verbal message they accompany.

For example, you might use hand gestures to indicate the size or shape of
an object.

Unlike emblems, illustrators do not typically have meaning on their own

and are used more subconsciously than emblems.
These largely involuntary and seemingly natural gestures flow from us
as we speak but vary in terms of intensity and frequency based on context.

Although we are never explicitly taught how to use illustrative gestures,

we do it automatically. Think about how you still gesture when having
an animated conversation on the phone even though the other person
can’t see you
Head Movements and Posture
A head nod is a universal sign of acknowledgement in cultures where the formal bow is no longer used as a
greeting.

In these cases, the head nod essentially serves as an abbreviated bow. An innate and universal head movement is the
headshake back and forth to signal “yes.”

This nonverbal signal begins at birth, even before a baby has the ability to know that it has a corresponding meaning.
Babies shake their head from side to side to reject attempts to spoon-feed.

For example, a head up typically indicates an engaged or neutral attitude, a head tilt indicates interest and is
an innate submission gesture that exposes the neck and subconsciously makes people feel more trusting of us,
and a head down signals a negative or aggressive attitude.
 General human postures
standing, sitting, squatting, and lying down
Within each of these postures there are many variations, and when combined with
particular gestures or other nonverbal cues they can express many different meanings.

Most of our communication occurs while we are standing or sitting.

One interesting standing posture involves putting our hands on our hips and is a
nonverbal cue that we use subconsciously to make us look bigger and show assertiveness.
When the elbows are pointed out, this prevents others from getting
past us as easily and is a sign of attempted dominance or a gesture
that says we’re ready for action.

In terms of sitting, leaning back shows informality and indifference,

straddling a chair is a sign of dominance, and leaning forward shows
interest and attentiveness
Punctual, rational thinker with a strong sense of honesty. A sense of reliability and integrity.
Perceived as more qualified for the job roles they applied for. Confidence in skills and capabilities, while also
indicating fewer insecurities.
Generally a reserved person. Speak only when necessary and steer clear of gossip. Don’t bottle up emotions,
straightforward in expressing thoughts, with no malice intended, a strong command over your emotions and
manage them well.
In relationships, loyal and committed, communication skills are top-notch, and a good listener who provides
support and understanding. Can be somewhat controlling and demanding at times, and may struggle to express
deeper emotions.
Some career suggestions include Business Analyst, Financial Advisor, Lawyer, Project Manager, Research
Scientist, Engineer, Psychologist, Corporate Trainer, Human Resources Manager, and Entrepreneur, to
name a few.
Self-centred personality, egotistical vibe.
It could be a sign of underlying anxiety and low self-esteem, unconsciously spread out to take up more space
in an attempt to feel better about yourself. You may worry a lot, even if you don't show it on the outside.
You may have high standards for perfection but struggle to complete one task before moving on to the next.
Your overthinking might hold you back from fully expressing your ideas.
You may have brilliant thoughts in your mind, but find it challenging to articulate them effectively.
Your actions and words might sometimes seem unaware of the consequences, and this could impact your
relationships.
When it comes to commitment, you may shy away from it, preferring to keep things open-ended. If you do
commit, you may want things to go your way. When faced with resistance, you might act annoyed or less than
kind. You could even struggle to define the nature of your relationships, especially in the dating world, and
might resort to ghosting someone if you are no longer interested.
Some career suggestions include Entrepreneur, Marketing Executive, Public Speaker, Sales Manager,
Event Planner, Advertising Specialist, Creative Director, Consultant, Stock Trader, and Media, to name a
few.
The best conversationalist in the room, a delight to engage with. Conversations flow effortlessly, and excel at
steering them in the right direction. Non-judgmental and always aim to truly understand what others are trying
to convey.
A dreamer, constantly filled with imaginative thoughts, one of the most guarded individuals.
Trust doesn't come easily, and tend to keep thoughts to self. It takes time to let someone into life, and are not
one to give in quickly.
May seem friendly, but making friends doesn’t come easily. Prefer to focus on inner world— thoughts and
feelings. Self-reflection is second nature , and often find self learning and gaining wisdom. Not one to seek the
spotlight or be part of every social gathering; instead, find solace in exploring inner self.
Likely possess an attractive and charismatic personality. Comfortable in own skin and don't feel the need to
prove to anyone. Enjoy life to the fullest and find joy in living authentically.
In relationships, mindful of partner's needs and always willing to lend a helping hand. While may not be as
open or expressive as others, deeply committed to relationships.
However, your reserved nature and introversion might make it challenging for partner to fully connect with.
May need to embrace vulnerability and communicate feelings more openly to strengthen emotional bond.
Some career suggestions include Writer, Psychologist, Artist, Public Speaker, Journalist, Designer,
Therapist, Actor, Researcher, and Marketing Strategist, to name a few.
Down-to-earth, elegant, refined, and sophisticated. Naturally exude regal and queen-like vibes, often leaving an
impression of grace and poise. People are drawn to your uplifting and motivating energy, and your ambition is
contagious—you work hard and tirelessly to achieve your goals.
Incredible ability to stay calm and confident in any situation. Composed demeanor inspires confidence in others,
and you seldom find yourself in panic mode. Your presence alone often encourages others to stay steady and
focused.
You are content with the pace of life, avoiding the rush to make decisions or complete tasks.
Your calm aura is often enough to get things done, and people may turn to you for your steady leadership.
Appearance is important to you, and you take care to maintain your outer look according to the occasion. Despite
this attention to your appearance, you're skilled at masking your insecurities.
As a great listener, you naturally draw others to confide in you, making you a trusted confidante. You value privacy,
and you keep your plans and thoughts to yourself, rarely sharing personal information with others.
In relationships, you are cautious and prefer to take your time before committing. You focus on getting to know
someone deeply, choosing a thoughtful, slow-paced approach. You are highly private and prefer to keep matters of
the heart between you and your partner, aiming for a long-term, monogamous relationship.
Some career suggestions include Psychologist, Diplomat, Fashion Designer, Lawyer, Public Relations Specialist,
Art Curator, Corporate Executive, Luxury Brand Consultant, Therapist, and Event Planner, to name a few.
Confident, authoritative, and commanding. Regardless of gender, when you cross your legs in this way, you
come across as youthful, self-sufficient, relaxed, and dominant—traits that set you apart from others with
different sitting positions. You exude confidence and are secure in who you are.
You are someone who invests time and energy into addressing any gaps in your life. Once you set a goal, you
are committed to achieving it, working smartly and consistently. Career and education are essential to you, and
you thrive in environments that offer variety, continuous learning, and new challenges. A dull, repetitive
routine is not for you.
You value your space and privacy, and you believe that everything has its own time and place. You likely see a
divine order in the events of your life, appreciating the natural flow of things.
When it comes to personal style, you enjoy dressing well and looking your best. You may have an
argumentative or competitive streak, often rejecting opinions that don't align with your perspective.
In relationships, you stay loyal and committed to your partner, even when things get tough. You handle
difficult situations calmly and with grace. However, you may tend to compete for your partner’s attention,
striving to be the best partner you can be. At times, your stubbornness can make it hard for you to compromise
or see things from your partner’s point of view, which can lead to occasional friction.
Some career suggestions include Entrepreneur, Lawyer, CEO/Executive, Marketing Manager, Financial
Analyst, Consultant, Public Speaker, Architect, Political Leader, and Strategic Planner, to name a few.
Eye Contact
We also communicate through eye behaviors, primarily eye contact. Eye behaviors branch of
nonverbal studies called oculesics, which comes from the Latin word oculus, meaning “eye.”

The face and eyes are the main point of focus during communication, and along with our ears our
eyes take in most of the communicative information around us.

“The eyes are the window to the soul” is actually accurate in terms of where people typically think
others are “located,” which is right behind the eyes.

Certain eye behaviors have become tied to personality traits or emotional states, as illustrated in
phrases like “hungry eyes,” “evil eyes,” and “romantic eyes.”
Eye contact serves several communicative functions ranging from regulating interaction to
monitoring interaction, to conveying information, to establishing interpersonal connections.

In terms of regulating communication, we use eye contact to signal to others that we are ready to
speak or we use it to cue others to speak.

During an interaction, eye contact also changes as we shift from speaker to listener.

Toward the end of our speaking turn, we make more direct eye contact with our listener to indicate
that we are finishing up.

While listening, we tend to make more sustained eye contact, not glancing away as regularly as we do
while speaking.
Our eyes bring in the visual information we need to interpret people’s movements, gestures, and eye contact.

A speaker can use his or her eye contact to determine if an audience is engaged, confused, or bored and
then adapt his or her message accordingly.

Making eye contact with others also communicates that we are paying attention and are interested in what
another person is saying.

Eye contact is a key part of active listening.

We have social norms about how much eye contact we make with people, and those norms vary
depending on the setting and the person. Staring at another person in some contexts could
communicate intimidation, while in other contexts it could communicate flirtation.
We can also use our eye contact to signal that we do not want to make a connection with others. For
example, in a public setting like an airport or a gym where people often make small talk, we can avoid making
eye contact with others to indicate that we do not want to engage in small talk with strangers.

Another person could use eye contact to try to coax you into speaking, though. For example, when one
person continues to stare at another person who is not reciprocating eye contact, the person avoiding eye contact
might eventually give in, become curious, or become irritated and say, “Can I help you with something?”

As you can see, eye contact sends and receives important communicative messages that help us interpret others’
behaviors, convey information about our thoughts and feelings, and facilitate or impede rapport or
connection.
Specific functions of eye contact:

 Regulate interaction and provide turn-taking signals

 Monitor communication by receiving nonverbal communication from others

 Signal cognitive activity (we look away when processing information)

 Express engagement (we show people we are listening with our eyes)

 Express flirtation

 Establish rapport or connection

Facial Expressions

Our faces are the most expressive part of our bodies. Think of how photos are
often intended to capture a particular expression “in a flash” to preserve for later
viewing.

Even though a photo is a snapshot in time, we can still interpret much meaning
from a human face caught in a moment of expression, and basic facial
expressions are recognizable by humans all over the world
Core group of facial expressions

Happiness, sadness, fear, anger, and disgust .

The first four are especially identifiable across cultures. However, the triggers for

these expressions and the cultural and social norms that influence their displays are

still culturally diverse. If you’ve spent much time with babies you know that they’re

capable of expressing all these emotions.

Getting to see the pure and innate expressions of joy and surprise on a baby’s face is

what makes playing peek-a-boo so entertaining for adults.

As we get older, we learn and begin to follow display rules for facial expressions and

other signals of emotion and also learn to better control our emotional expression

based on the norms of our culture.

Smiles are powerful communicative signals. Although facial expressions are typically

viewed as innate and several are universally recognizable, they are not always

connected to an emotional or internal biological stimulus; they can actually serve a

more social purpose.

For example, most of the smiles we produce are primarily made for others and are not just
an involuntary reflection of an internal emotional state.

These social smiles, however, are slightly but perceptibly different from more genuine smiles.
People generally perceive smiles as more genuine when the other person smiles “with their
eyes.”

It is the involuntary and spontaneous contraction of these muscles that moves the skin
around our cheeks, eyes, and nose to create a smile that’s distinct from a fake or polite
smile.

We are able to distinguish the difference between these smiles, which is why photographers
often engage in cheesy joking with adults or use props with children to induce a genuine smile
before they snap a picture.
Facial expressions help set the emotional tone for a speech. In order to set a
positive tone before you start speaking, briefly look at the audience and smile to
communicate friendliness, openness, and confidence.

Beyond your opening and welcoming facial expressions, facial expressions

communicate a range of emotions and can be used to infer personality traits and
make judgments about a speaker’s credibility and competence.

Facial expressions can communicate that a speaker is tired, excited, angry,

confused, frustrated, sad, confident, shy, or bored.
So make sure your facial expressions are communicating an emotion, mood, or personality trait help
you achieve your speech goals. Also make sure your facial expressions match the content of your
speech.

When delivering something light-hearted or humorous, a smile, bright eyes, and slightly raised
eyebrows will nonverbally enhance your verbal message.

When delivering something serious or sombre, a furrowed brow, a tighter mouth, and even a
slight head nod can enhance that message.

If your facial expressions and speech content are not consistent, your audience could become
confused by the mixed messages, which could lead them to question your honesty and credibility
Haptics
Think of how touch has the power to comfort someone in moment of sorrow when words alone
cannot.

A lack of nonverbal communication competence related to touch could have negative interpersonal
consequences; for example, if we don’t follow the advice we’ve been given about the importance of a
firm handshake, a person might make negative judgments about our confidence or credibility.

A lack of competence could have more negative consequences, including legal punishment, if we
touch someone inappropriately (intentionally or unintentionally). Touch is necessary for human social
development, and it can be welcoming, threatening, or persuasive.
Types of touch in communication
There are several types of touch, including

functional-professional,

social-polite,

friendship-warmth,

love-intimacy, and

sexual-arousal touch
At the functional-professional level, touch is related to a goal or part of
a routine professional interaction, which makes it less threatening and
more expected.

For example, we let barbers, hairstylists, doctors, nurses, tattoo artists,

and security screeners touch us in ways that would otherwise be seen as
intimate or inappropriate if not in a professional context.
At the social-polite level, socially sanctioned touching
behaviors help initiate interactions and show that others are
included and respected. A handshake, a pat on the arm, and a
pat on the shoulder are examples of social-polite touching.
At the friendship-warmth level, touch is more important and more ambiguous than at
the social-polite level. At this level, touch interactions are important because they serve
a relational maintenance purpose and communicate closeness, liking, care, and
concern.

The types of touching at this level also vary greatly from more formal and ritualized to
more intimate, which means friends must sometimes negotiate their own comfort level
with various types of touch and may encounter some ambiguity if their preferences
don’t match up with their relational partner’s.
In a friendship, for example, too much touch can signal romantic
interest, and too little touch can signal distance or unfriendliness.

At the love-intimacy level, touch is more personal and is typically

only exchanged between significant others, such as best friends,
close family members, and romantic partners.
Touching faces, holding hands, and full frontal embraces are examples of touch
at this level. Although this level of touch is not sexual, it does enhance feelings of
closeness and intimacy and can lead to sexual-arousal touch, which is the most
intimate form of touch, as it is intended to physically stimulate another person.

Touch is also used in many other contexts—for example, during play (e.g., arm
wrestling), during physical conflict (e.g., slapping), and during conversations (e.g.,
to get someone’s attention).
Vocalics

Vocalics is the study of paralanguage, which includes the vocal qualities that go
along with verbal messages, such as pitch, volume, rate, vocal quality, and verbal
fillers.

Pitch helps convey meaning, regulate conversational flow, and communicate the
intensity of a message. We also learn that greetings have a rising emphasis and
farewells have falling emphasis.
Children, for example, have a difficult time perceiving sarcasm, which is usually conveyed
through paralinguistic characteristics like pitch and tone rather than the actual words being
spoken.

Paralanguage provides important context for the verbal content of speech. For example, volume
helps communicate intensity.
A louder voice is usually thought of as more intense, although a soft voice
combined with a certain tone and facial expression can be just as intense.

We typically adjust our volume based on our setting, the distance between
people, and the relationship.

A voice at a low volume or a whisper can be very appropriate when sending a

covert message or flirting with a romantic partner, but it wouldn’t enhance a
person’s credibility if used during a professional presentation.
Speaking rate refers to how fast or slow a person speaks and can lead
others to form impressions about our emotional state, credibility, and
intelligence.

A slow speaker could bore others and lead their attention to wander. A
fast speaker may be difficult to follow, and the fast delivery can actually
distract from the message.
Speaking a little faster than the normal 120–150 words a minute, however,
can be beneficial, as people tend to find speakers whose rate is above
average more credible and intelligent.

When speaking at a faster-than-normal rate, it is important that a speaker

also clearly articulate and pronounce his or her words.
Our tone of voice can be controlled somewhat with pitch, volume, and emphasis, but each voice has a
distinct quality known as a vocal signature.

People typically find pleasing voices that employ vocal variety and are not monotone, are lower
pitched (particularly for males), and do not exhibit particular regional accents.

Verbal fillers are sounds that fill gaps in our speech as we think about what to say next. They are
considered a part of nonverbal communication because they are not like typical words that stand in
for a specific meaning or meanings. Verbal fillers such as “um,” “uh,” “like,” and “ah” are
common in regular conversation and are not typically disruptive.
Communicative functions of vocalics

 Repetition. Vocalic cues reinforce other verbal and nonverbal cues (e.g., saying “I’m not
sure” with an uncertain tone).

 Complementing. Vocalic cues elaborate on or modify verbal and nonverbal meaning (e.g.,
the pitch and volume used to say “I love sweet potatoes” would add context to the meaning
of the sentence, such as the degree to which the person loves sweet potatoes or the use of
sarcasm).

 Accenting. Vocalic cues allow us to emphasize particular parts of a message, which helps
determine meaning (e.g., “She is my friend,” or “She is my friend,” or “She is my friend”).
Communicative functions of vocalics

 Substituting. Vocalic cues can take the place of other verbal or nonverbal cues
(e.g., saying “uh huh” instead of “I am listening and understand what you’re
saying”).

 Regulating. Vocalic cues help regulate the flow of conversations (e.g., falling
pitch and slowing rate of speaking usually indicate the end of a speaking turn).

 Contradicting. Vocalic cues may contradict other verbal or nonverbal signals

(e.g., a person could say “I’m fine” in a quick, short tone that indicates otherwise).
Proxemics
Proxemics refers to the study of how space and distance influence communication.

For example, when we are content with and attracted to someone, we say we are “close” to him or
her. When we lose connection with someone, we may say he or she is “distant.” In general, space
influences how people communicate and behave.

Smaller spaces with a higher density of people often lead to breaches of our personal space bubbles.

Unexpected breaches of personal space can lead to negative reactions, especially if we feel someone
has violated our space voluntarily, meaning that a crowding situation didn’t force them into our
space.
Proxemic Distances

We all have varying definitions of what our “personal space” is, and these definitions are
contextual and depend on the situation and the relationship.

Although our bubbles are invisible, people are socialized into the norms of personal space
within their cultural group. There are four zones i.e. public, social, personal, and
intimate distance.

Even within a particular zone, interactions may differ depending on whether someone is in
the outer or inner part of the zone.
Public Space (12 Feet or More)

Public and social zones refer to the space twelve or more feet away from our body, and the communication that
typically occurs in these zones is formal and not intimate. Public space starts about twelve feet from a person and extends
out from there.

This is the least personal of the four zones and would typically be used when a person is engaging in a formal speech and
is removed from the audience to allow the audience to see or when a high-profile or powerful person like a celebrity or
executive maintains such a distance as a sign of power or for safety and security reasons.

In terms of regular interaction, we are often not obligated or expected to acknowledge or interact with people who
enter our public zone. It would be difficult to have a deep conversation with someone at this level because you have
to speak louder and don’t have the physical closeness that is often needed to promote emotional closeness and/or
establish rapport.
Social Space (4–12 Feet)
Communication that occurs in the social zone, which is four to twelve feet away from our body, is typically in
the context of a professional or casual interaction, but not intimate or public.

This distance is preferred in many professional settings because it reduces the suspicion of any impropriety. The
expression “keep someone at an arm’s length” means that someone is kept out of the personal space and kept in
the social/professional space.

If two people held up their arms and stood so just the tips of their fingers were touching, they would be around
four feet away from each other, which is perceived as a safe distance because the possibility for intentional or
unintentional touching doesn’t exist.
It is also possible to have people in the outer portion of our social zone but not feel obligated to interact with them,
but when people come much closer than six feet to us then we often feel obligated to at least acknowledge their
presence.

In many typically sized classrooms, much of your audience for a speech will actually be in your social zone rather
than your public zone, which is actually beneficial because it helps you establish a better connection with them.

Students in large lecture classes should consider sitting within the social zone of the professor, since students who
sit within this zone are more likely to be remembered by the professor, be acknowledged in class, and retain more
information because they are close enough to take in important nonverbal and visual cues.
Personal Space (1.5–4 Feet)

Personal and intimate zones refer to the space that starts at our physical body and extends four
feet.

These zones are reserved for friends, close acquaintances, and significant others.

Even though we are getting closer to the physical body of another person, we may use verbal
communication at this point to signal that our presence in this zone is friendly and not intimate.

Even people who know each other could be uncomfortable spending too much time in this zone
unnecessarily.
Intimate Space

As we breach the invisible line that is 1.5 feet from our body, we enter the intimate
zone, which is reserved for only the closest friends, family, and romantic/intimate
partners.

It is impossible to completely ignore people when they are in this space, even if we
are trying to pretend that we’re ignoring them.

A breach of this space can be comforting in some contexts and annoying or

frightening in others.
Being close to someone and feeling their physical presence can be very comforting when words
fail.

There are also social norms regarding the amount of this type of closeness that can be displayed
in public, as some people get uncomfortable even seeing others interacting in the intimate zone.

While some people are comfortable engaging in or watching others engage in PDAs (public
displays of affection) others are not.
 Territoriality

Territoriality is an innate drive to take up and defend spaces.

This drive is shared by many creatures and entities, ranging from packs of animals to
individual humans to nations.

Whether it’s a gang territory, a neighborhood claimed by a particular salesperson, your

preferred place to sit in a restaurant, your usual desk in the classroom, or the seat you’ve
marked to save while getting concessions at a sporting event, we claim certain spaces as
our own.
There are three main divisions for territory: primary, secondary, and
public.

Sometimes our claim to a space is official. These spaces are known as our
primary territories because they are marked or understood to be exclusively
ours and under our control. A person’s house, yard, room, desk, side of the
bed, or shelf in the medicine cabinet could be considered primary territories.
Secondary territories don’t belong to us and aren’t exclusively under our control, but
they are associated with us, which may lead us to assume that the space will be open
and available to us when we need it without us taking any further steps to reserve it.

This happens in classrooms regularly. Students often sit in the same desk or at least
same general area as they did on the first day of class.

When someone else takes a student’s regular desk, she or he is typically annoyed.
Public territories are open to all people.

People are allowed to mark public territory and use it for a limited period of time,
but space is often up for grabs, which makes public space difficult to manage for
some people and can lead to conflict.

To avoid this type of situation, people use a variety of objects that are typically
recognized by others as nonverbal cues that mark a place as temporarily reserved—
for example, jackets, bags, papers, or a drink.
People have to decide how much value they want their marker to
have.

For eg. leaving a laptop on a table indicates that the table is occupied,
but it could also lead to the laptop getting stolen. A pencil, on the
other hand, could just be moved out of the way and the space
usurped.
 Chronemics

Chronemics refers to the study of how time affects communication. Time can be
classified into several categories, including biological, personal, physical, and
cultural time.

Biological time refers to the rhythms of living things.

Humans follow a circadian rhythm, meaning that we are on a daily cycle that
influences when we eat, sleep, and wake.
When our natural rhythms are disturbed, our physical and mental health and
our communication competence and personal relationships can suffer.

Keep biological time in mind as you communicate with others.

Remember that early morning conversations and speeches may require more
preparation to get yourself awake enough to communicate well and a more
patient or energetic delivery to accommodate others who may still be getting
warmed up for their day.
Personal time refers to the ways in which individuals experience time. The way we
experience time varies based on our mood, our interest level, and other factors. Think about how
quickly time passes when you are interested in and therefore engaged in something.

People with past-time orientations may want to reminisce about the past, reunite with old
friends, and put considerable time into preserving memories and keepsakes in photo albums.

People with future-time orientations may spend the same amount of time making career and
personal plans, writing out to-do lists, or researching future vacations, potential retirement
spots, or what book they’re going to read next.
Physical time refers to the fixed cycles of days, years, and seasons.
Physical time, especially seasons, can affect our mood and psychological states.

Some people experience seasonal affective disorder that leads them to experience emotional
distress and anxiety during the changes of seasons, primarily from warm and bright to
dark and cold (summer to fall and winter).
Cultural time

refers to how a large group of people view time.

Polychronic people do not view time as a linear progression that needs to be divided into small units and
scheduled in advance.

Polychronic people keep more flexible schedules and may engage in several activities at once.

Monochronic people tend to schedule their time more rigidly and do one thing at a time. A polychronic or
monochronic orientation to time influences our social realities and how we interact with others.
Additionally, the way we use time depends in some ways on our status. For example, doctors can
make their patients wait for extended periods of time, and executives and celebrities may run
consistently behind schedule, making others wait for them.

Promptness and the amount of time that is socially acceptable for lateness and waiting varies
among individuals and contexts.
Key Takeaways-

 Kinesics refers to body movements and posture and includes the following components:

o Gestures are arm and hand movements and include adaptors like clicking a pen or scratching
your face, emblems like a thumbs-up to say “OK,” and illustrators like bouncing your hand
along with the rhythm of your speaking.

o Head movements and posture include the orientation of movements of our head and the
orientation and positioning of our body and the various meanings they send. Head movements
such as nodding can indicate agreement, disagreement, and interest, among other things.
Posture can indicate assertiveness, defensiveness, interest, readiness, or intimidation, among
other things.
o Eye contact is studied under the category of oculesics and specifically refers to eye
contact with another person’s face, head, and eyes and the patterns of looking away and
back at the other person during interaction. Eye contact provides turn-taking signals,
signals when we are engaged in cognitive activity, and helps establish rapport and
connection, among other things.

o Facial expressions refer to the use of the forehead, brow, and facial muscles around the
nose and mouth to convey meaning. Facial expressions can convey happiness, sadness,
fear, anger, and other emotions.
 Haptics refers to touch behaviors that convey meaning during interactions. Touch
operates at many levels, including functional-professional, social-polite, friendship-
warmth, and love-intimacy.

 Vocalics refers to the vocalized but not verbal aspects of nonverbal communication,
including our speaking rate, pitch, volume, tone of voice, and vocal quality. These
qualities, also known as paralanguage, reinforce the meaning of verbal communication,
allow us to emphasize particular parts of a message, or can contradict verbal messages.
 Proxemics refers to the use of space and distance within communication. In general, have four
zones that constitute our personal space: the public zone (12 or more feet from our body), social
zone (4–12 feet from our body), the personal zone (1.5–4 feet from our body), and the intimate zone
(from body contact to 1.5 feet away). Proxemics also studies territoriality, or how people take up
and defend personal space.

 Chronemics refers the study of how time affects communication and includes how different time
cycles affect our communication, including the differences between people who are past or future
oriented and cultural perspectives on time as fixed and measured (monochronic) or fluid and
adaptable (polychronic).