Nonverbal Communication

Communicating without words - a simple smile, a friendly handshake or a warm hug there is so much that can be said without words. The eyes, the hands, the overall body movements of a person always complement the verbal messages of a person and enhance the communication process. Non-verbal communication is actually a vast subject that can be studies extensively. Non-verbal communication can be classified into several branches, which are as follows:

Proxemics

Proxemics was a concept first developed by Edward T. Hall. Proxemics pertains to the perception of space. The study of how people perceive the physical spaces around them is known as proxemics. Proxemics takes into account body spacing and postures as involuntary reactions to sensory fluctuations. According to proxemics, the physical distance between two people can be correlated to the relationship they share be it personal or social. Here is how Proxemics defines these distances:

Intimate distance
Usually seen amongst people who share an intimate relationship. The distance includes embracing, touching or whispering amongst close ones.
Close phase - less than 6 inches (15 cm)
Far phase - 6 to 18 inches (15 - 45 cm)

Personal distance
Observed between good friends. Includes general interactions among good friends.
Close phase - 1.5 to 2.5 feet (45 - 75 cm)
Far phase - 2.5 to 4 feet (75 - 120 cm)

Social distance
Social distance is observed amongst formal acquaintances, working colleagues or business associates.
Close phase - 5 to 7 feet (1.5 - 2.1 m)
Far phase - 7 to 12 feet (2.1 - 3.6 m)

Public distance
Public distance is used while interacting with strangers or also used while public speaking.
Close phase - 12 to 25 feet (3.6 - 7.5 m)
Far phase - 25 feet (7.5 m) or more

Chronemics

Chronemics is the study of time usage in nonverbal communication. Chronemics states that the way in which we perceive time, structure our time and react to time is a powerful communication tool. Time perceptions can be expressed through punctuality, willingness to wait, speed of speech or even the amount of time people are willing to listen. According to Chronemics, the timing and frequency of any action as well as the tempo of communications within an interaction contribute to the process of non-verbal communication.

Kinesics

Developed by anthropologist Ray L. Birdwhistell in the 1950s, Kinesics is nothing but the study of body movements, facial expressions, and gestures. Kinesics studies include the study of following elements:

Posture: Body posture says a lot about a person’s degree of attention or involvement, the difference in status between communicators, and also the level of fondness a person has for the other one. The studies carried out int the field of kinesics reveal that mirror-image congruent postures, where one person’s left side is parallel to the other’s right side, leads to favorable perception of communicators and positive speech. Also, if a person leans forward or a shows a decrease in the backwards lean, it signifies positive sentiment during communication. Posture can be studied through various indicators like direction of lean, body orientation, arm position, and overall body movement.

Gestures: A thumbs up, or a simple wave of the hand says so much. Yes, gestures form an integral part of non-verbal communication. Gestures allow us to express a variety of emotions and thoughts like contempt, hostility, approval, affection etc.

Haptics

Haptics refers to the study of touching as a tool of nonverbal communication. The various forms of touching that can be included in non-verbal communication includes handshakes, holding hands, kissing, back patting, high fives or even brushing an arm. Also someone fidgeting with their own hands, or running their fingers through their hair is also involuntarily sending a message about their level of involvement and interest in the communication process and are referred to as "adaptors". The meaning conveyed from a touch is however highly dependent upon several other factors like the context of the situation or even the relationship between communicators.

Oculesics

Eyes are perhaps the most expressive features on human beings. You can say so much form one look that you exchange, be it a positive one or a condescending look, the eyes say it all. Oculesics is the study of the role of eyes in nonverbal communication. Eye contact can indicate a lot of emotions ranging from interest, attention, and involvement. A simple gaze is comprised of the actions of looking while talking, while listening, or even while observing. Other factors that can be studied to correlate them with the communication purpose are amount of gaze, frequency of glances, patterns of fixation, pupil dilation, and even the eye-blinking rate.

Paralanguage / Vocalics

Paralanguage or vocalics is a part of non-verbal communication because it is not related to the content or verbal message but the other attributes of speaking which include the pitch, the tone, the volume, tempo, rhythm, articulation, resonance, nasality and even the accent of the speaker collectively known as prosody. Paralanguage is thus the study of nonverbal cues of the voice. A notable linguist George L. Trager developed a classification system to study the vocal cues, which consist of the voice set, voice qualities, and vocalization.

Voice Set: The voice set is defined as the context in which the speaker is speaking. The factors that influence this context are taken into account, which include elements like the situation, gender, mood, age or even a person's cultural background.
The Voice Qualities: The voice quality is defined by factors like volume, pitch, tempo, rhythm, articulation, resonance, nasality, and accent. These factors actually give each individual a unique ‘voice print’.
Vocalization: This factor takes into account consists of three elements: characterizers, qualifiers and segregates. Characterizes are emotions that are expressed while speaking like smiling, frowning or yawning. A voice qualifier refers to the style of delivering a message. Vocal segregates are like fillers or short sounds that notify the speaker that the listener is listening.