BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES - Universitatea de Medicină şi Farmacie

5.6. Interaction Between Verbal and Nonverbal Communication
Non-verbal communication consists of all the messages other than
words that are used in communication. Humans use consciously or
unconsciously nonverbal communication for many reasons:
To create impressions beyond the verbal element of communication
(kinesics, chronemics, vocalics, environment).
To repeat and reinforce what is said verbally (occulesics, kinesics).
To manage and regulate the interaction among participants in the
communication exchange (kinesics, occulesics, proxemics, synchrony).
To express emotion beyond the verbal element (kinesics, occulesics,
haptics, vocalics, proxemics).
To convey relational messages of affection, power, dominance,
respect, and so on (proxemics, occulesics, haptics).
To promote honest communication by detecting deception or
conveying suspicion (kinesics, occulesics, vocalics).
To provide group or social leadership by sending messages of power
and persuasion (kinesics, vocalics, chronemics).
Nonverbal communication is a part of communication process.
That mean it is in continuous interaction with verbal communication.
When communicating, nonverbal messages can interact with verbal
messages in six ways: repeating, conflicting, complementing, substituting,
regulating and accenting/moderating.
Repeating - consists of using gestures to strengthen a verbal
message, such as pointing to the object of discussion.
Conflicting - verbal and nonverbal messages within the same
interaction can sometimes send opposing or conflicting messages. A
person verbally expressing a statement of truth while simultaneously
fidgeting or avoiding eye contact may convey a mixed message to the
receiver in the interaction. Conflicting messages may occur for a variety of
reasons often stemming from feelings of uncertainty, ambivalence, or
frustration. When mixed messages occur, nonverbal communication
becomes the primary tool people use to attain additional information to
clarify the situation; great attention is placed on bodily movements and
positioning when people perceive mixed messages during interactions
Complementing - accurate interpretation of messages is made
easier when nonverbal and verbal communication complement each other.
Nonverbal cues can be used to elaborate on verbal messages to reinforce
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