Nonverbal Messages

Nonverbal Messages
Holly Castillo
Intercultural International Communication
OA 40164
Instructor Michael Henry
June 1, 2015

Nonverbal Messages
Introduction
Nonverbal Communication is just as important as verbal communication. When
communicating, people use words, body movements, facial expressions and different tones to
express themselves and persuade others into what they are trying to communicate. People use
gestures to help them communicate with others. The three gestures that are most effective
according to the research in the textbook, Persuasion: Social Influence and Compliance Gaining,
are emblems, illustrators and self-touching. When communicating, people are more persuasive
when they use body movements such as gestures. (Gass & Seiter, 2014, p. 173) People need to

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be careful when communicating nonverbally because it may be interpreted differently than what
is trying to be expressed.
Nonverbal Gestures
Emblems are nonverbal behaviors, usually hand movements that have precise verbal
meaning and are used instead of words. These are important parts of communication and serve
many functions, persuasion included (Gass & Seiter, 2014, p. 173) Emblems are usually done
with the use of a persons hands, but can involve their arms and facial expressions as well, while
they are speaking to others. Illustrators accompany speech, illustrators illustrate, emphasize, or
repeat what is being said, Illustrators increase a speakers persuasiveness. (Gass & Seiter, 2014,
p. 174). People use their body movements to help illustrate what they trying to communicate,
give more expression and meaning to their message. In research, Self-touching behaviors also
known as adaptors, are seen as a sign of anxiety and lack of composure (Gass & Seiter, 2014, p.
174). Self-touching behavior are gestures that you do to yourself such as, brushing your hair,
touching your face, rubbing your arms.
Nonverbal Message
There was a situation that I have involved in where nonverbal communication was
misinterpreted. These nonverbal miscommunications happened at my work. About 65 to 75
percent of all communication is nonverbal in nature, Nonverbal cues give us information to
make sense of how we feel and think about others, people use nonverbal cues to arrive at
judgments about how they relate to co-workers or to interpret employee performance.
(Schwartz, 2015)
I have been at my work for over ten years now and know everyone that I work with very well.
For the most part I get along with and like everyone that I work with as well. Whenever there is
someone new that comes to our campus, I make sure I introduce myself and get to know them as
much as possible. I offer to help them get to know our campus and what I do as the librarian as
well so that they feel comfortable. Most of the time the new teachers and staff are very excepting

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to me introducing myself to them and they take me up on helping them get to know the campus
and the library. Very seldom is there a teacher or staff member that does not welcome me or my
help.
Last year there was a teacher who was new to our campus. She had to change positions from
the library at another school and go into the classroom; she was then transferred to our campus.
During our welcome back breakfast I went to introduce myself to her and welcome her to our
campus. Her facial expressions and body language were very hard to read and understand. I
could not tell if she was happy to be on our campus or just did not want to talk to me. She started
to tell me how she was the librarian before so she knew how the library worked and we talked a
little about the library, but I still had a hard time reading her nonverbal communication.
She kept a look on her face as if she was irritated and did not want to be talking to me, she
kept her arm crossed most of the time or she would put them on her hips and she would shift her
weight from one side to the other every few minutes. Although she kept talking to me, her body
and facial expressions were telling me that she did not like me. I got the feeling from her body
language that she was not going to be a person I was going to get along with. I got a very uneasy
feeling from her body language while talking to her.
Throughout the entire school every interaction that I had with her was very similar with her. I
got the feeling that she did not like me by the way her facial expressions and body language
whenever we would speak. Her emblems, illustrators and self-touching; nonverbal behaviors,
hand movements, crossing her arms, holding her hips and facial expressions all gave the
impressions that she was annoyed about not being in the library anymore and that she had to go
back into the classroom. She was not good at hiding her emotions.
I had noticed that this teacher was like this with other staff members, so I realized that it was
not personal. I had misinterpreted her body language as personal dislike. I now think that she was
just uncomfortable and was still getting to know a new campus and staff. She had to adjust from

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being in the library for so long to going into a general classroom for the first time. She did not
express herself verbally with what was bothering her but instead she expressed herself through
her facial expressions and body language.
Luckily this school year she was very different when we would speak and interact with each
other. Her facial expressions were happier, the way she held her arms and body were different,
and all her gestures gave different nonverbal communication messages. I interpreted positive
messages from her eye contact, body movement and facial expressions. She smiles more and
seems so much happier. She gives off the impression that she is comfortable and has accepted
being in the general classroom, and likes being a general classroom teacher.
Conclusion
People express communication in verbal and nonverbal ways. Nonverbal communication can
be expressed with the use of a persons hands, their arms and facial expressions, or with body
movements to help illustrate what they trying to communicate, give more expression and
meaning to their message. Nonverbal communication may be misinterpreted when someone does
not understand what the person is trying to express in their message. I know that I have
misinterpreted nonverbal messages and other people have misinterpreted my nonverbal messages
as well. When communicating with nonverbal messages people need to make sure their messages
are clear so that people understand them and conflicts are avoided.

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5
References

Gass, R. H., & Seiter, S. J. (2014). Persuasion: Social Influence and Compliance Gaining (fifth
edition) . Boston : Pearson .
Schwartz, L. C. (2015). Nonverbal Communication With Workplace Interactions. Retrieved from
Chron Small Business : http://smallbusiness.chron.com/nonverbal-communicationworkplace-interactions-844.html