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Nonverbal Communication Conveys Important Interpersonal and Emotional Messages

You have probably heard that nonverbal communication generates more meaning than

verbal communication. We may rely more on nonverbal signals when verbal and nonverbal
messages conflict, as well as when emotional or relational communication is taking place.

Nonverbal Communication Is More Credible

Although we can rely on verbal communication to fill in the gaps left by nonverbal
expressions, we often trust what people do more than what they say. This is especially true

during times of stress or danger, when our actions become more instinctual and we rely on
older systems of thinking and acting that evolved prior to our ability to speak and write
(Andersen, 1999). This innateness generates intuitive feelings about the genuineness of

nonverbal communication, which relates back to our earlier discussion of nonverbal
communication sometimes being involuntary and often subconscious in nature. An example of
the innateness of nonverbal signals can be found in children who have been visually impaired

since birth but still exhibit the same facial expressions as other children. In short, the involuntary
or subconscious nature of nonverbal communication makes it more difficult to fake, making it

appear more honest and credible.

Nonverbal Communication Expresses Our Identities

Nonverbal communication reflects our personalities. Our identities (the groups to which

we belong, our cultures, our hobbies and interests, and so on) are communicated nonverbally
through the way we arrange our living and working spaces, the clothes we wear, how we carry

ourselves, the accent and tones of our voices. We have more control over some aspects of
nonverbal communication in terms of how we communicate our identities. For example,
depending on the context, we can change the way we carry ourselves and present ourselves

through posture, eye contact, and tone of voice.

3.7.4. FUNCTIONS OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

Nonverbal communication serves a variety of purposes. The primary functions of

nonverbal communication are to convey meaning by reinforcing, substituting for, or contradicting
verbal communication. Nonverbal communication is also used to influence others and control

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