The majority of the communication we do as human beings has little to do with language. Whether we notice it or not, we are constantly giving and receiving messages nonverbally; we lean forward when talking to people we like, we divert our eyes from people who intimidate us, we sigh when we are overwhelmed. Arguably, the most prominent form of nonverbal communication is kinesics, or body movement.
My second major at JMU is dance, which is heavily dependent on performance quality. Part of my job as a dancer is to make the emotions I’m conveying seem real. I recently took a dance composition class in which I composed a solo movement series based off of a drawing. My teacher asked me to take the stage in front of the class. “Brittany,” he said, “repeat your movement for us again, but this time let this environment inform your performance choices: you are alone in a dark parking garage, and you notice you are being followed. Go.”
I closed my eyes for a moment and imagined myself walking by a row of cars, vaguely aware of the sound of someone else’s footsteps too close behind me. With my eyes still closed, I began to repeat my movement. I was rigid and my shoulders hunched more than before, my limbs moved with urgency and purpose. When my eyes finally opened, they flew in different directions, as if scanning the space for the source of the threat or perhaps a source of help. When I had completed my performance, there was an uncomfortable silence. Finally one of my peers exhaled, “Wow, Britt. That was…so intense.”
In further discussion, the class agreed that there was one component of the performance that shook them the most: my facial expression. Experts believe that facial expression ranks first among all forms of communication in its influence during interpersonal interactions (Knapp & Hall, 2002). We read each other’s faces acutely and catalogue our inferences for future use. For example, glaring = anger or wincing = pain. Along with facial expression, we use eye contact to gauge each other’s feelings. We communicate through length, frequency and placement of eye contact. The girls in my class read my short, frantic eye movements as a signal of fear and panic.
There are two other kinesics worth noting. First would be gesture. Gesture can be used in several ways: emblems, illustrators, regulators or adaptors. Emblems serve as symbols, such as a thumbs up. Illustrators compliment what we’re saying, such as clapping your hands while describing a loud noise. Regulators are used to organize a conversation; if someone is interrupting you, you may put a hand up to stop them. Finally, adaptors are touches that serve psychological or physical purposes (Ekman & Friesen, 1969). For example, you may put a hand to your mouth when you are shocked.
The final kinesic is posture. Posture conveys two types of messages: immediacy and power. Immediacy refers to a person’s investment in the interaction. Leaning toward a person indicates interest and attraction; leaning away indicates dislike and aversion. Power refers to a person’s ability to influence or control others. A rigid, tense posture (such as my own during my movement) indicates unease and lack of control. A relaxed, calm posture conveys comfort and confidence.
After studying nonverbal communication so thoroughly, I began to notice my own mannerisms and what they might be saying to the people around me. Are there any kinesics problems that plague you? Maybe eye contact makes you uncomfortable or you gesture too much. Are there any that you execute really well?
Ekman, P., & Friesen, W. V. (1969). The repertoire of nonverbal behavior: Categories, origins, usage, and coding. Semiotica, 1, 49-98.
Knapp, M. L., & Hall, J. A. (2002). Nonverbal communication in human interaction (5th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.
